Do you believe in miracles? Even if you do, this one isn’t happening.
ESPN once again has predicted the final record for each team in the aftermath of the schedule release. And, once again, the effort to sell implausible hope to 32 fan bases has caused ESPN to overlook the fact that every NFL season is a zero-sum game in which the cumulative wins must match the cumulative losses.
The various Bristol beat writers have guessed at records for the 32 teams that have the league collectively finishing 60 games over .500: 286-226.
The good news is that this year’s predictions aren’t quite as optimistic as last year’s, when the league’s teams were projected to be 64 games over .500.
At this rate, the plane will land with an evenly-matched 256-256 in 2035.
It’s always ludicrous to guess the outcomes of games to be played in December when the schedule comes out in April or, this year, May. Even if that’s what the readers want (there’s no reason to think enough of them do to justify the exercise), it’s important to be fair to reality. And the reality is that any exercise like this must take into account that for every winner there must be a loser and that it’s impossible for the league at large to have more than 256 victories.