Patriots Rank 14th in NFL Strength of Schedule

The NFL's strength of schedule statistic usually doesn't mean all that much come the regular season. Teams vary so drastically year to year, that it's hard to really predict whether or not a high strength of schedule means a very tough road and vice versa.

At this time of the year however, when we don't really know how the offseason will shape out, it's a fun statistic to look at. That being said, NFL.com published every team's strength of schedule for 2013, and the Patriots ranked 14th with a SOS of .508:

A couple of things worth noting here:

- The Dolphins, arguably the AFC East's second best team, have a tougher strength of schedule than the Patriots at .520. The Bills and Jets meanwhile, have easier schedules, at .473 and .496 respectively.

- The Texans and Broncos, widely considered to be two of the biggest threats in the AFC, each have notably lower SOS than the Patriots at .473 for the Texans and a league low .430 for the Broncos.

- Finally, the defending Super Bowl and AFC Champion Ravens have a pretty difficult strength of schedule heading into next year, at .535.