ESPN has released a list of the toughest schedules in 2014 and the Oakland Raiders take the top spot. A hunch would’ve been that the St. Louis Rams would get that honor playing in the NFC West with three teams that won double digit games, including both teams in the NFC Championship game and the eventual Super Bowl champions.
The Raiders do play in the AFC West which had three playoff teams, the San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs. It makes it all the more interesting that Broncos have the second toughest strength of schedule for 2014.
From ESPN:
| Rank | Team | Opponent Win Pct. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oakland Raiders | .578 |
| 2 | Denver Broncos | .570 |
| 3 | St. Louis Rams | .564 |
| 4 | San Diego Chargers | .563 |
| 4 | San Francisco 49ers | .563 |
| 6 | Seattle Seahawks | .561 |
| 7 | Kansas City Chiefs | .559 |
| 8 | Arizona Cardinals | .547 |
| 9 | New York Jets | .520 |
| 10 | New England Patriots | .516 |
| 11 | Atlanta Falcons | .512 |
| 12 | Miami Dolphins | .508 |
| 13 | Green Bay Packers | .504 |
| 14 | Buffalo Bills | .500 |
| 15 | Chicago Bears | .496 |
| 16 | Detroit Lions | .492 |
| 17 | Washington Redskins | .490 |
| 18 | Dallas Cowboys | .488 |
| 19 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | .484 |
| 20 | Philadelphia Eagles | .479 |
| 21 | Minnesota Vikings | .477 |
| 22 | Carolina Panthers | .473 |
| 23 | Cincinnati Bengals | .469 |
| 23 | New Orleans Saints | .469 |
| 23 | Pittsburgh Steelers | .469 |
| 26 | Cleveland Browns | .465 |
| 26 | New York Giants | .465 |
| 28 | Baltimore Ravens | .461 |
| 29 | Jacksonville Jaguars | .453 |
| 30 | Houston Texans | .441 |
| 31 | Tennessee Titans | .438 |
| 32 | Indianapolis Colts | .430 |