The NFL spotted the Titans with an advantage that’s causing outrage
Every NFL teams opponents are determined by the league formula that works on a rotation and maintains balance. Past performance can also be a factor in schedule difficulty, as conference matchups are determined by the previous season's standings. The league does not control who teams play or where they play them, but they do control […]
Every NFL teams opponents are determined by the league formula that works on a rotation and maintains balance. Past performance can also be a factor in schedule difficulty, as conference matchups are determined by the previous season's standings.
The league does not control who teams play or where they play them, but they do control when those games happen.
The 2023 NFL schedule lacks balance like never before and the Tennessee Titans are on the receiving end of one of the league's most interesting advantages this season.
One of the greatest imbalances with the 2023 schedule is the number of teams with consistently more rest than their opponents. According to Warren Sharp, there will be 95 games played where a team has more rest than their opponent in 2023. That's the most in history.
"As recently as the late 2000s, the NFL wouldn't schedule 30% of the games where one team had a rest advantage over the other. Today, the schedule is up to 35%," Sharp shared on Twitter in a thread filled with outrage.
In 2022, only one team played five (5) or more games with more rest than their opponent. Five teams now have that advantage in 2023.
Sharp also calculated every team's "net rest," which is a reflection of the total days of extra rest a team has over their opponents throughout the season. The Titans (+11) had the 4th best net rest in the NFL, behind only the Chicago Bears (+12), New York Jets (+12), and Washington Commanders (+12).
That is the biggest rest advantage the Titans have had in the trackable franchise history. Here's a look at the net rest of the teams around the league with a positive rest advantage:
+12: NYJ, CHI, WAS
+11: TEN
+10: CLE
+9: BAL
+7: MIA, PIT
+6: NE
+5: ARI
+4: NO, IND
+3: DEN
+1: DAL, DET
Hopefully the Titans can take advantage of their fortuitous schedule. We already know that Mike Vrabel is one of the best coaches in the league, and a big part of that is his ability to get his team prepared for any opponent.
Tennessee is 9-3 in the regular season under Vrabel when they eight or more days to prepare for a game.
