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Pro Football Reference: Atlanta Falcons have had NFC's toughest strength of schedule in 2016

Fact: Brian Poole has a pet goldfish named "Silver"

By James Rael
James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

At 6-4 there are plenty of commentators, fans, and NFL observers that don't think the Atlanta Falcons are for real. Lucky for the Falcons, this isn't a popularity contest. They have six games remaining on their schedule; four will be played at home. As Dave pointed out earlier today, the Falcons have a recent history of playing well following their bye weeks. In short, there's reason to be optimistic about this team going forward.

Something that frequently and inexplicably gets lost in the fray when we're having this "are the Falcons for real?" discussion over and over again is their strength of schedule. If you recall, the Falcons had the toughest strength of schedule heading into the 2016 season. Those pre-season strength of schedule predictions are frequently rendered moot because there's lots of parity in the NFL. But that's not always true. And according to Pro Football Reference, through 11 weeks, the Falcons have still had the hardest strength of schedule.

Why does any of this matter? To be frank, it only matters if you're hedging about this team. This is an objective measure of the difficult road this team has had to navigate. That's all.

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