SWC75
Bored Historian
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I’m fascinated by the fact that the top two seeds in the NFL’s Super Bowl tournament, (the Packers and the Patriots) are the league’s two worst defensive teams in terms of giving up yardage. In fact, I heard that the Patriots were on their way to giving up more yards that any team in NFL history- and then the Packers “passed“ them. We’ve always heard that offense sells tickets but defense wins games. Is that still true? Was it ever true?
I decided to look at the yardage gained and surrendered by championship teams of the past - and their opponents, as well as their ranking in the leagues in which they played, to see if any patterns emerged. I went to Pro Football Reference.com. They have the yardage numbers for every season since 1933, when the NFL championship game started. I’ll start there and look at every team that played in the NFL championship game from 1933-1965, the AAFC championship games from 1946-49, the AFL championship games from 1960-65 and the Super Bowl from 1966 through last year. Successful teams obviously outscore the opposition by a lot: I want to look at the yards. The stats are regular season only.
In 1933 the Chicago Bears gained 228 yards per game to their opposition’s 178, a differential of +50 yards per game. Their offense and defense were both ranked 3rd in the league in yards gained/surrendered. They beat the New York Giants 23-21 in the first NFL championship game. The Giants outgained their opposition 212-185, a differential of +27 yards per game. Both units ranked #4 in the league in gaining and surrendering yardage, respectively. I’ll abbreviate this as:
1933 Bears 228(3)-178(3) +50 Giants 212(4)-185(4) +27 23-21
The 1930’s
1933 Bears 228(3)-178(3) +50 Giants 212(4)-185(4) +27 23-21
1934 Giants 210(4)-183(5) +27 Bears 292(1)-170(3) +122 30-13
1935 Lions 224(3)- 164(1) +60 Giants 200(4)-171(2) +29 26-7
1936 Packers 274(3)-222(3) +52 Redskins 213(6)-175(1) +38 21-6
1937 Redskins 265(2)-190(1) +75 Bears 239(4)-202(5) +37 28-21
1938 Giants 245(4)-184(1) +61 Packers 276(1)-232(6) +44 23-17
1939 Packers 313(3)-252(5) +61 Giants 205(7)-227(2) -22 27-0
The winning team averaged having a 3.1 ranked offense and a 2.7 ranked defense. The losing team was 3.9 and 3.3. The winning team outgained their opposition by an average of 55 yards per game, the losers by 39. None of the 7 winners gained the most yards in the league but three of them gave up the fewest yards. The losers had two #1 offensive teams and one #1 defensive team. One of the 14 teams was outgained on the season and they lost in the title game by the largest margin. For the winning teams the average yardage per game was 251-196, the losers by 234-195. The average score of a championship game was 25-12. The team that outgained it’s opponents by the most during the season was 6-1 in championship games.
The 1940’s
1940 Bears 293(3)-250(5) +43 Redskins 299(2)-260(8) +39 73-0
1941 Bears 378(1)-231(4) +157 Giants 217(6)-216(1) +1 37-9
1942 Redskins 284(3)-176(2) +108 Bears 350(1)-154(1) +196 14-6
1943 Bears 396(1)-226(2) +170 Redskins 292(3)-236(3) +56 41-21
1944 Packers 299(2)-236(4) +63 Giants 239(7)-229(3) +10 14-7
1945 Rams 348(2)-249(3) +99 Redskins 355(1)-212(2) +143 15-14
1946 Bears 334(2)-241(3) +93 Giants 265(5)-283(6) -18 24-14
1946 Browns 303(1)-210(2) +93 Yankees 249(4)-187(1) +62 14-9 (AAFC)
1947 Cardinals 360(3)-330(7) +30 Eagles 311(6)-312(4) -1 28-21
1947 Browns 396(1)-278(2) +118 Yankees 338(3)-225(1) +113 14-3 (AAFC)
1948 Eagles 385(2)-263(2) +122 Cardinals 391(1)-336(7) +55 7-0
1948 Browns 383(3)-258(1) +125 Bills 387(2)-344(3) +43 49-7 (AAFC)
1949 Eagles 369(2)-205(1) +164 Rams 367(3)-291(4) +76 14-0
1949 Browns 384(2)-299(3) +85 49ers 399(1)-276(1) +123 21-7 (AAFC)
The winning team averaged having a 2.0 ranked offense and a 2.9 ranked defense. The losing team was 3.2 and 3.2. The winning team outgained their opposition by an average of 105 yards per game, the losers by 64. Four of the 14 winners gained the most yards in the league and two of them gave up the fewest yards. The losers had four #1 offensive teams and five #1 defensive team. Two of the 28 teams were outgained on the season and they lost in the title game, (one was again the Giants). For the winning teams the average yardage per game was 351-257, the losers by 319-254. The average score of a championship game was 26-8. The team that outgained it’s opponents by the most during the season was 11-3 in championship games.
1950’s
1950 Browns 314(6)-241(1) +73 Rams 437(1)-347(10) +90 30-28
1951 Rams 451(1)-323(8) +128 Browns 301(8)-250(2) +51 24-17
1952 Lions 332(3)-270(4) +62 Browns 363(1)-256(1) +107 17-7
1953 Lions 330(5)-295(5) +35 Browns 366(4)-298(6) +68 17-16
1954 Browns 314(6)-222(1) +122 Lions 369(3)-312(4) +57 56-10
1955 Browns 331(3)-237(1) +94 Rams 334(2)-327(8) +7 38-14
1956 Giants 308(7)-256(1) +52 Bears 378(1)-306(8) +72 47-7
1957 Lions 320(3)-280(5) +42 Browns 306(5)-234(2) +72 59-14
1958 Colts 378(1)-274(2) +104 Giants 278(10)-285(4) -7 23-17
1959 Colts 372(1)-325(9) +47 Giants 348(3)-237(1) +111 31-16
The winning team averaged having a 3.6 ranked offense and a 3.7 ranked defense. The losing team was 3.8 and 4.6. The winning team outgained their opposition by an average of 76 yards per game, the losers by 63. Three of the 10 winners gained the most yards in the league and four of them gave up the fewest yards. The losers had three #1 offensive teams and two #1 defensive team. One of the 20 teams was outgained on the season and they lost in the title game, (it was again the Giants). For the winning teams the average yardage per game was 345-272, the losers by 348-285. The average score of a championship game was 34-15. The team that outgained it’s opponents by the most during the season was 4-6 in championship games.
1960’s
1960 Eagles 329(6)-336(9) -7 Packers 335(4)-287(7) +48 17-13
1960 Oilers 353(1)-350(6) +3 Chargers 337(3)-302(3) +35 24-16 (AFL)
1961 Packers 337(4)-289(6) +48 Giants 328(5)-283(4) +45 37-0
1961 Oilers 449(1)-288(2) +161 Chargers 308(4)-266(1) +42 10-3 (AFL)
1962 Packers 342(4)-234(2) +108 Giants 358(1)-325(6) +33 16-7
1962 Texans 347(2)-282(1) +65 Oilers 335(1)-295(2) +60 20-17 (AFL)
1963 Bears 298(10)-227(1) +71 Giants 359(1)-268(3)+89 14-10
1963 Chargers 368(1)-296(2) +72 Patriots 398(6)-267(1) +31 51-10 (AFL)
1964 Browns 320(3)-337(14-last) -17 Colts 341(1)-281(3) +60 27-0
1964 Bills 372(1)-277(1) +95 Chargers 333(5)-289(2) +44 20-7
1965 Packers 257(12)-284(3) -27 Browns 314(7)-337(13) -23 23-12
1965 Bills 268(7)-306(6) -38 Chargers 364(1)-233(1) +131 23-0
1966 Packers 305(8)-257(3) +48 Chiefs 365(1)-284(2) +81 35-10
1967 Packers 306(9)-236(1) +70 Raiders 365(3)- 235(1) +130 33-14
1968 Jets 361(3)-240(1) +121 Colts 334(4)-241(2) +93 16-7
1969 Chiefs 329(4)-226(1) +103 Vikings 293(10)-194(1) +99 23-7
The winning team averaged having a 4.8 ranked offense and a 3.7 ranked defense. The losing team was 3.6 and 3.3. The winning team outgained their opposition by an average of 55 yards per game, the losers by 62. Four of the 16 winners gained the most yards in the league and six of them gave up the fewest yards. The losers had six #1 offensive teams and five #1 defensive team. Four of the 32 teams were outgained on the season. One of them lost in the title game- to another team that had been outgained. The other three won. In 1965 three of the four teams in the two championship games had been outgained. The only teams to have been outgained on the season and still won their league championship are the 1964 Browns, the 1965 Packers and the 1965 Bills. For the winning teams the average yardage per game was 335-279, the losers by 342-274. The average score for a championship game was 24-8. The team that outgained it’s opponents by the most, (or was outgained by the least), during the season was 8-8 in championship games.
1970’s
1970 Colts 295(8)-275(8) +20 Cowboys 318(4)-255(4) +63 16-13
1971 Cowboys 360(1)-248(3) +112 Dolphins 315(5)-262(5) +53 24-3
1972 Dolphins 360(1)-236(1) +124 Redskins 305(11)-257(4) +48 14-7
1973 Dolphins 293(9)-234(3) +59 Vikings 302(7)-276(12) +26 24-7
1974 Steelers 313(8)-220(1) +93 Vikings 329(3)-279(10) +50 16-6
1975 Steelers 349(7)-262(4) +87 Cowboys 359(3)-267(5) +92 21-17
1976 Raiders 371(2)-313(18) +58 Vikings 347(6)-262(6) +85 32-14
1977 Cowboys 344(1)-230(1) +124 Broncos 279(17)-270(9) +9 27-10
1978 Steelers 312(8)-261(3) +51 Cowboys 372(2)-251(2) +121 35-31
1979 Steelers 391(1)-267(2) +124 Rams 321(13)-285(7) +36 31-19
The winning team averaged having a 4.6 ranked offense and a 4.4 ranked defense. The losing team was 7.1 and 6.4. The winning team outgained their opposition by an average of 85 yards per game, the losers by 58. Four of the 10 winners gained the most yards in the league and three of them gave up the fewest yards. None of the losers finished #1 in either offense or defense. None of the 20 teams were outgained on the season. For the winning teams the average yardage per game was 339-255, the losers by 325-266. The average score for a championship game was 24-13. The team that outgained it’s opponents by the most during the season was 6-4 in championship games.
1980’s
1980 Raiders 315(16)-314(11) +1 Eagles 345(8)-277(2) +68 27-10
1981 49ers 343(13)-298(2) +45 Bengals 373(2)-331(12) +42 26-21
1982 Redskins 332(7)-284(4) +48 Dolphins 295(19)-257(1) +38 27-17
1983 Raiders 355(7)-297(4) +58 Redskins 384(3)-329(12) +55 38-9
1984 49ers 398(2)-324(10) +74 Dolphins 434(1)-339(19) +95 38-16
1985 Bears 365(7)-258(1) +107 Patriots 344(9)-295(7) +49 46-10
1986 Giants 336(10)-297(2) +39 Broncos 326(15)-309(9) +17 39-20
1987 Redskins 350(3)-314(18) +36 Broncos 352(3)-301(9) +51 42-10
1988 49ers 369(2)-286(3) +83 Bengals 379(1)-324(15) +55 20-16
1989 49ers 392(1)-289(4) +103 Broncos 318(15)-275(3) +43 55-10
The winning team averaged having a 6.8 ranked offense and a 5.9 ranked defense. The losing team was 7.6 and 8.9. The winning team outgained their opposition by an average of 59 yards per game, the losers by 51. One of the 10 winners gained the most yards in the league and one of them gave up the fewest yards. Two of the losers finished #1 in offense but none on defense. None of the 20 teams were outgained on the season. For the winning teams the average yardage per game was 356-296, the losers by 355-304. The average score for a championship game was 36-14. The team that outgained it’s opponents by the most during the season was 7-3 in championship games.
1990’s
1990 Giants 300(17)-263(2) +37 Bills 330(6)-288(8) +42 20-19
1991 Redskins 359(4)-268(3) +91 Bills 391(1)-341(27) +50 37-24
1992 Cowboys 350(4)-246(1) +104 Bills 368(2)-288(12) +80 52-17
1993 Cowboys 351(4)-298(10) +53 Bills 329(6)-347(27) -18 30-13
1994 49ers 379(2)-302(6) +77 Chargers 326(11)-316(9) +10 49-26
1995 Cowboys 364(5)-315(9) +49 Steelers 361(6)-285(3) +76 27-17
1996 Packers 346(5)-260(1) +86 Patriots 336(7)-332(19) +4 35-21
1997 Broncos 367(1)-292(5) +75 Packers 351(4)-302(7) +49 31-24
1998 Broncos 381(3)308(11) +83 Falcons 343(7)-296(8) +47 34-19
1999 Rams 401(1)-294(6) +107 Titans 331(13)-328(17) +3 23-16
The winning team averaged having a 4.6 ranked offense and a 5.4 ranked defense. The losing team was 6.3 and 13.7. The winning team outgained their opposition by an average of 76 yards per game, the losers by 34. Two of the 10 winners gained the most yards in the league and two of them gave up the fewest yards. One of the losers finished #1 in offense but none in defense. One of the 20 teams was outgained on the season and that team lost. For the winning teams the average yardage per game was 360-285, the losers by 347-312. The average score for a championship game was 34-20. The team that outgained it’s opponents by the most during the season was 8-2 in championship games.
2000’s
2000 Ravens 313(16)-248(2) +65 Giants 336(13)-284(5) +52 34-7
2001 Patriots 305(19)-335(24) -30 Rams 418(1)-279(2) +139 20-17
2002 Buccaneers 313(24)-253(1) +60 Raiders 390(1)-311(11) +79 48-21
2003 Patriots 315(17)-292(7) +23 Panthers 321(16)-295(8) +26 32-29
2004 Patriots 358(7)-311(9) +47 Eagles 351(9)-320(10) +31 24-21
2005 Steelers 322(15)-284(4) +38 Seahawks 370(2)-317(17) +53 21-10
2006 Colts 379(3)-332(31) +35 Bears 325(15)-294(5) +31 29-17
2007 Giants 331(16)-305(7) +26 Patriots 411(1)-288(4) +123 17-14
2008 Steelers 312(22)-237(1) +75 Cardinals 366(9)-332(18) +34 27-23
2009 Saints 404(1)-358(25) +46 Colts 363(9)-339(18) +24 31-17
The winning team averaged having a 14.0 ranked offense and a 11.1 ranked defense. The losing team was 7.6 and 9.8. The winning team outgained their opposition by an average of 39 yards per game, the losers by 59. One of the 10 winners gained the most yards in the league and two of them gave up the fewest yards. Three of the losers finished #1 in offense but none in defense. One of the 20 teams was outgained on the season and they won the championship. For the winning teams the average yardage per game was 335-296, the losers by 365-306. The average score for a championship game was 28-18. The team that outgained it’s opponents by the most during the season was 5-5 in championship games.
2010’s:
2010 Packers 358(9)-309(5) +49 Steelers 345(14)-277(2) +68 31-25
League champions have finished 1st in offense 19 times, 2nd 12 times 3rd 16 times, 4th 8 times 5th 3 times, 6th 3 times, 7th 7 times 8th 4 times, 9th 3 times and 10th twice. That’s 77 of 88 teams in the top ten, (87.5%) and 58 in the top 5, (65.9%).
The Runners-up have finished 1st in offense 21 times, 2nd 7 times 3rd 11 times, 4th 10 times 5th 5 times, 6th 8 times, 7th 6 times 8th 2 times, 9th 4 times but never 10th. That’s 74 of 88 teams in the top ten, (84.1%) and 54 in the top 5, (61.4%).
League champions have finished 1st in defense 23 times, 2nd 14 times 3rd 12 times, 4th 8 times 5th 7 times, 6th 5 times, 7th 3 times 8th 4 times, 9th 2 times and 10th 4 times. That’s 80 of 88 teams in the top ten, (90.9%) and 64 in the top 5, (72.7%).
The Runners-up have finished 1st in defense 14 times, 2nd 13 times 3rd 9 times, 4th 9 times 5th 5 times, 6th 5 times, 7th 4 times 8th 7 times, 9th 5 times and 10th five times. That’s 73 of 88 teams in the top ten, (83.0%) and 50 in the top 5, (56.8%).
Championship game participants have been #1 in offense 40 times, (22.7%), in the top 5 112 times, (63.6%) and in the top ten 151 times, (85.8%). They have been #1 on defense 37 times, (21.0%), top 5 114 times (64.8%) and top ten 153 times (86.9%). 43 championship teams teams have been ranked in the top 5 on both offense and defense, (48.9%). 28 of the runners up have been so ranked (31.8%). It's not so much a question of whether it's more important to be good on offense or defesne as it is of whether you are good at both.
Nine of the 176 championship participants were outgained on the season. Four of them won championship games but one of those was against another outgained team. Only once since 1965 has a team won the championship that had been outgained during the regular season. The average championship team has outgained it’s opposition by 70 yards per game, the average runner-up by 53 yards per game. Championship teams have averaged outgaining their opposition by 334-265, the runners-up by 329-273.
It’s interesting to look at the decade by decade progression of the yardage figures:
1930’s Champion 253-196 Runner-up 234-195
1940’s Champion 351-257 Runner-up 319-254
1950’s Champion 345-272 Runner-up 348-285
1960’s Champion 334-279 Runner-up 342-274
1970’s Champion 339-255 Runner-up 325-266
1980’s Champion 356-296 Runner-up 355-304
1990’s Champion 360-285 Runner-up 347-312
2000’s Champion 335-296 Runner-up 365-306
Offensive output really hasn’t much over the years. The big jump was from the 30’s to the 40’s. Probably if I broke it down between rushing and passing, we’d see a change in the percentage of yardage produced by each but the overall numbers haven’t changed much over the least seven decades. Championship defenses have not been as dominant but the offenses haven’t been that much better. The difference between them has narrowed. If you were suddenly whisked off in a time machine to watch an NFL game from the 1940’s, you might think it would be dull but you’d find that teams move up and down the field just about as much as they do now.
Here are the yardage figures for the remaining teams in the NFL playoffs in order of how much they‘ve outgained their opposition in the regular season:
Saints 467-368 +99
Texans 372-286 +86
Ravens 339-289 +50
Patriots 428-411 +17
Giants 385-376 +9
49ers 311-308 +3
Packers 405-412 -7
Broncos 317-358 -41
That doesn’t tell you who is going to win but it offers a different perspective on it. The Packers are giving up more than 100 more yards per game than they did last year. Their 15-1 record is impressive and Aaron Rodgers' numbers are amazing but they may be more vulnerable thann we think.
I decided to look at the yardage gained and surrendered by championship teams of the past - and their opponents, as well as their ranking in the leagues in which they played, to see if any patterns emerged. I went to Pro Football Reference.com. They have the yardage numbers for every season since 1933, when the NFL championship game started. I’ll start there and look at every team that played in the NFL championship game from 1933-1965, the AAFC championship games from 1946-49, the AFL championship games from 1960-65 and the Super Bowl from 1966 through last year. Successful teams obviously outscore the opposition by a lot: I want to look at the yards. The stats are regular season only.
In 1933 the Chicago Bears gained 228 yards per game to their opposition’s 178, a differential of +50 yards per game. Their offense and defense were both ranked 3rd in the league in yards gained/surrendered. They beat the New York Giants 23-21 in the first NFL championship game. The Giants outgained their opposition 212-185, a differential of +27 yards per game. Both units ranked #4 in the league in gaining and surrendering yardage, respectively. I’ll abbreviate this as:
1933 Bears 228(3)-178(3) +50 Giants 212(4)-185(4) +27 23-21
The 1930’s
1933 Bears 228(3)-178(3) +50 Giants 212(4)-185(4) +27 23-21
1934 Giants 210(4)-183(5) +27 Bears 292(1)-170(3) +122 30-13
1935 Lions 224(3)- 164(1) +60 Giants 200(4)-171(2) +29 26-7
1936 Packers 274(3)-222(3) +52 Redskins 213(6)-175(1) +38 21-6
1937 Redskins 265(2)-190(1) +75 Bears 239(4)-202(5) +37 28-21
1938 Giants 245(4)-184(1) +61 Packers 276(1)-232(6) +44 23-17
1939 Packers 313(3)-252(5) +61 Giants 205(7)-227(2) -22 27-0
The winning team averaged having a 3.1 ranked offense and a 2.7 ranked defense. The losing team was 3.9 and 3.3. The winning team outgained their opposition by an average of 55 yards per game, the losers by 39. None of the 7 winners gained the most yards in the league but three of them gave up the fewest yards. The losers had two #1 offensive teams and one #1 defensive team. One of the 14 teams was outgained on the season and they lost in the title game by the largest margin. For the winning teams the average yardage per game was 251-196, the losers by 234-195. The average score of a championship game was 25-12. The team that outgained it’s opponents by the most during the season was 6-1 in championship games.
The 1940’s
1940 Bears 293(3)-250(5) +43 Redskins 299(2)-260(8) +39 73-0
1941 Bears 378(1)-231(4) +157 Giants 217(6)-216(1) +1 37-9
1942 Redskins 284(3)-176(2) +108 Bears 350(1)-154(1) +196 14-6
1943 Bears 396(1)-226(2) +170 Redskins 292(3)-236(3) +56 41-21
1944 Packers 299(2)-236(4) +63 Giants 239(7)-229(3) +10 14-7
1945 Rams 348(2)-249(3) +99 Redskins 355(1)-212(2) +143 15-14
1946 Bears 334(2)-241(3) +93 Giants 265(5)-283(6) -18 24-14
1946 Browns 303(1)-210(2) +93 Yankees 249(4)-187(1) +62 14-9 (AAFC)
1947 Cardinals 360(3)-330(7) +30 Eagles 311(6)-312(4) -1 28-21
1947 Browns 396(1)-278(2) +118 Yankees 338(3)-225(1) +113 14-3 (AAFC)
1948 Eagles 385(2)-263(2) +122 Cardinals 391(1)-336(7) +55 7-0
1948 Browns 383(3)-258(1) +125 Bills 387(2)-344(3) +43 49-7 (AAFC)
1949 Eagles 369(2)-205(1) +164 Rams 367(3)-291(4) +76 14-0
1949 Browns 384(2)-299(3) +85 49ers 399(1)-276(1) +123 21-7 (AAFC)
The winning team averaged having a 2.0 ranked offense and a 2.9 ranked defense. The losing team was 3.2 and 3.2. The winning team outgained their opposition by an average of 105 yards per game, the losers by 64. Four of the 14 winners gained the most yards in the league and two of them gave up the fewest yards. The losers had four #1 offensive teams and five #1 defensive team. Two of the 28 teams were outgained on the season and they lost in the title game, (one was again the Giants). For the winning teams the average yardage per game was 351-257, the losers by 319-254. The average score of a championship game was 26-8. The team that outgained it’s opponents by the most during the season was 11-3 in championship games.
1950’s
1950 Browns 314(6)-241(1) +73 Rams 437(1)-347(10) +90 30-28
1951 Rams 451(1)-323(8) +128 Browns 301(8)-250(2) +51 24-17
1952 Lions 332(3)-270(4) +62 Browns 363(1)-256(1) +107 17-7
1953 Lions 330(5)-295(5) +35 Browns 366(4)-298(6) +68 17-16
1954 Browns 314(6)-222(1) +122 Lions 369(3)-312(4) +57 56-10
1955 Browns 331(3)-237(1) +94 Rams 334(2)-327(8) +7 38-14
1956 Giants 308(7)-256(1) +52 Bears 378(1)-306(8) +72 47-7
1957 Lions 320(3)-280(5) +42 Browns 306(5)-234(2) +72 59-14
1958 Colts 378(1)-274(2) +104 Giants 278(10)-285(4) -7 23-17
1959 Colts 372(1)-325(9) +47 Giants 348(3)-237(1) +111 31-16
The winning team averaged having a 3.6 ranked offense and a 3.7 ranked defense. The losing team was 3.8 and 4.6. The winning team outgained their opposition by an average of 76 yards per game, the losers by 63. Three of the 10 winners gained the most yards in the league and four of them gave up the fewest yards. The losers had three #1 offensive teams and two #1 defensive team. One of the 20 teams was outgained on the season and they lost in the title game, (it was again the Giants). For the winning teams the average yardage per game was 345-272, the losers by 348-285. The average score of a championship game was 34-15. The team that outgained it’s opponents by the most during the season was 4-6 in championship games.
1960’s
1960 Eagles 329(6)-336(9) -7 Packers 335(4)-287(7) +48 17-13
1960 Oilers 353(1)-350(6) +3 Chargers 337(3)-302(3) +35 24-16 (AFL)
1961 Packers 337(4)-289(6) +48 Giants 328(5)-283(4) +45 37-0
1961 Oilers 449(1)-288(2) +161 Chargers 308(4)-266(1) +42 10-3 (AFL)
1962 Packers 342(4)-234(2) +108 Giants 358(1)-325(6) +33 16-7
1962 Texans 347(2)-282(1) +65 Oilers 335(1)-295(2) +60 20-17 (AFL)
1963 Bears 298(10)-227(1) +71 Giants 359(1)-268(3)+89 14-10
1963 Chargers 368(1)-296(2) +72 Patriots 398(6)-267(1) +31 51-10 (AFL)
1964 Browns 320(3)-337(14-last) -17 Colts 341(1)-281(3) +60 27-0
1964 Bills 372(1)-277(1) +95 Chargers 333(5)-289(2) +44 20-7
1965 Packers 257(12)-284(3) -27 Browns 314(7)-337(13) -23 23-12
1965 Bills 268(7)-306(6) -38 Chargers 364(1)-233(1) +131 23-0
1966 Packers 305(8)-257(3) +48 Chiefs 365(1)-284(2) +81 35-10
1967 Packers 306(9)-236(1) +70 Raiders 365(3)- 235(1) +130 33-14
1968 Jets 361(3)-240(1) +121 Colts 334(4)-241(2) +93 16-7
1969 Chiefs 329(4)-226(1) +103 Vikings 293(10)-194(1) +99 23-7
The winning team averaged having a 4.8 ranked offense and a 3.7 ranked defense. The losing team was 3.6 and 3.3. The winning team outgained their opposition by an average of 55 yards per game, the losers by 62. Four of the 16 winners gained the most yards in the league and six of them gave up the fewest yards. The losers had six #1 offensive teams and five #1 defensive team. Four of the 32 teams were outgained on the season. One of them lost in the title game- to another team that had been outgained. The other three won. In 1965 three of the four teams in the two championship games had been outgained. The only teams to have been outgained on the season and still won their league championship are the 1964 Browns, the 1965 Packers and the 1965 Bills. For the winning teams the average yardage per game was 335-279, the losers by 342-274. The average score for a championship game was 24-8. The team that outgained it’s opponents by the most, (or was outgained by the least), during the season was 8-8 in championship games.
1970’s
1970 Colts 295(8)-275(8) +20 Cowboys 318(4)-255(4) +63 16-13
1971 Cowboys 360(1)-248(3) +112 Dolphins 315(5)-262(5) +53 24-3
1972 Dolphins 360(1)-236(1) +124 Redskins 305(11)-257(4) +48 14-7
1973 Dolphins 293(9)-234(3) +59 Vikings 302(7)-276(12) +26 24-7
1974 Steelers 313(8)-220(1) +93 Vikings 329(3)-279(10) +50 16-6
1975 Steelers 349(7)-262(4) +87 Cowboys 359(3)-267(5) +92 21-17
1976 Raiders 371(2)-313(18) +58 Vikings 347(6)-262(6) +85 32-14
1977 Cowboys 344(1)-230(1) +124 Broncos 279(17)-270(9) +9 27-10
1978 Steelers 312(8)-261(3) +51 Cowboys 372(2)-251(2) +121 35-31
1979 Steelers 391(1)-267(2) +124 Rams 321(13)-285(7) +36 31-19
The winning team averaged having a 4.6 ranked offense and a 4.4 ranked defense. The losing team was 7.1 and 6.4. The winning team outgained their opposition by an average of 85 yards per game, the losers by 58. Four of the 10 winners gained the most yards in the league and three of them gave up the fewest yards. None of the losers finished #1 in either offense or defense. None of the 20 teams were outgained on the season. For the winning teams the average yardage per game was 339-255, the losers by 325-266. The average score for a championship game was 24-13. The team that outgained it’s opponents by the most during the season was 6-4 in championship games.
1980’s
1980 Raiders 315(16)-314(11) +1 Eagles 345(8)-277(2) +68 27-10
1981 49ers 343(13)-298(2) +45 Bengals 373(2)-331(12) +42 26-21
1982 Redskins 332(7)-284(4) +48 Dolphins 295(19)-257(1) +38 27-17
1983 Raiders 355(7)-297(4) +58 Redskins 384(3)-329(12) +55 38-9
1984 49ers 398(2)-324(10) +74 Dolphins 434(1)-339(19) +95 38-16
1985 Bears 365(7)-258(1) +107 Patriots 344(9)-295(7) +49 46-10
1986 Giants 336(10)-297(2) +39 Broncos 326(15)-309(9) +17 39-20
1987 Redskins 350(3)-314(18) +36 Broncos 352(3)-301(9) +51 42-10
1988 49ers 369(2)-286(3) +83 Bengals 379(1)-324(15) +55 20-16
1989 49ers 392(1)-289(4) +103 Broncos 318(15)-275(3) +43 55-10
The winning team averaged having a 6.8 ranked offense and a 5.9 ranked defense. The losing team was 7.6 and 8.9. The winning team outgained their opposition by an average of 59 yards per game, the losers by 51. One of the 10 winners gained the most yards in the league and one of them gave up the fewest yards. Two of the losers finished #1 in offense but none on defense. None of the 20 teams were outgained on the season. For the winning teams the average yardage per game was 356-296, the losers by 355-304. The average score for a championship game was 36-14. The team that outgained it’s opponents by the most during the season was 7-3 in championship games.
1990’s
1990 Giants 300(17)-263(2) +37 Bills 330(6)-288(8) +42 20-19
1991 Redskins 359(4)-268(3) +91 Bills 391(1)-341(27) +50 37-24
1992 Cowboys 350(4)-246(1) +104 Bills 368(2)-288(12) +80 52-17
1993 Cowboys 351(4)-298(10) +53 Bills 329(6)-347(27) -18 30-13
1994 49ers 379(2)-302(6) +77 Chargers 326(11)-316(9) +10 49-26
1995 Cowboys 364(5)-315(9) +49 Steelers 361(6)-285(3) +76 27-17
1996 Packers 346(5)-260(1) +86 Patriots 336(7)-332(19) +4 35-21
1997 Broncos 367(1)-292(5) +75 Packers 351(4)-302(7) +49 31-24
1998 Broncos 381(3)308(11) +83 Falcons 343(7)-296(8) +47 34-19
1999 Rams 401(1)-294(6) +107 Titans 331(13)-328(17) +3 23-16
The winning team averaged having a 4.6 ranked offense and a 5.4 ranked defense. The losing team was 6.3 and 13.7. The winning team outgained their opposition by an average of 76 yards per game, the losers by 34. Two of the 10 winners gained the most yards in the league and two of them gave up the fewest yards. One of the losers finished #1 in offense but none in defense. One of the 20 teams was outgained on the season and that team lost. For the winning teams the average yardage per game was 360-285, the losers by 347-312. The average score for a championship game was 34-20. The team that outgained it’s opponents by the most during the season was 8-2 in championship games.
2000’s
2000 Ravens 313(16)-248(2) +65 Giants 336(13)-284(5) +52 34-7
2001 Patriots 305(19)-335(24) -30 Rams 418(1)-279(2) +139 20-17
2002 Buccaneers 313(24)-253(1) +60 Raiders 390(1)-311(11) +79 48-21
2003 Patriots 315(17)-292(7) +23 Panthers 321(16)-295(8) +26 32-29
2004 Patriots 358(7)-311(9) +47 Eagles 351(9)-320(10) +31 24-21
2005 Steelers 322(15)-284(4) +38 Seahawks 370(2)-317(17) +53 21-10
2006 Colts 379(3)-332(31) +35 Bears 325(15)-294(5) +31 29-17
2007 Giants 331(16)-305(7) +26 Patriots 411(1)-288(4) +123 17-14
2008 Steelers 312(22)-237(1) +75 Cardinals 366(9)-332(18) +34 27-23
2009 Saints 404(1)-358(25) +46 Colts 363(9)-339(18) +24 31-17
The winning team averaged having a 14.0 ranked offense and a 11.1 ranked defense. The losing team was 7.6 and 9.8. The winning team outgained their opposition by an average of 39 yards per game, the losers by 59. One of the 10 winners gained the most yards in the league and two of them gave up the fewest yards. Three of the losers finished #1 in offense but none in defense. One of the 20 teams was outgained on the season and they won the championship. For the winning teams the average yardage per game was 335-296, the losers by 365-306. The average score for a championship game was 28-18. The team that outgained it’s opponents by the most during the season was 5-5 in championship games.
2010’s:
2010 Packers 358(9)-309(5) +49 Steelers 345(14)-277(2) +68 31-25
League champions have finished 1st in offense 19 times, 2nd 12 times 3rd 16 times, 4th 8 times 5th 3 times, 6th 3 times, 7th 7 times 8th 4 times, 9th 3 times and 10th twice. That’s 77 of 88 teams in the top ten, (87.5%) and 58 in the top 5, (65.9%).
The Runners-up have finished 1st in offense 21 times, 2nd 7 times 3rd 11 times, 4th 10 times 5th 5 times, 6th 8 times, 7th 6 times 8th 2 times, 9th 4 times but never 10th. That’s 74 of 88 teams in the top ten, (84.1%) and 54 in the top 5, (61.4%).
League champions have finished 1st in defense 23 times, 2nd 14 times 3rd 12 times, 4th 8 times 5th 7 times, 6th 5 times, 7th 3 times 8th 4 times, 9th 2 times and 10th 4 times. That’s 80 of 88 teams in the top ten, (90.9%) and 64 in the top 5, (72.7%).
The Runners-up have finished 1st in defense 14 times, 2nd 13 times 3rd 9 times, 4th 9 times 5th 5 times, 6th 5 times, 7th 4 times 8th 7 times, 9th 5 times and 10th five times. That’s 73 of 88 teams in the top ten, (83.0%) and 50 in the top 5, (56.8%).
Championship game participants have been #1 in offense 40 times, (22.7%), in the top 5 112 times, (63.6%) and in the top ten 151 times, (85.8%). They have been #1 on defense 37 times, (21.0%), top 5 114 times (64.8%) and top ten 153 times (86.9%). 43 championship teams teams have been ranked in the top 5 on both offense and defense, (48.9%). 28 of the runners up have been so ranked (31.8%). It's not so much a question of whether it's more important to be good on offense or defesne as it is of whether you are good at both.
Nine of the 176 championship participants were outgained on the season. Four of them won championship games but one of those was against another outgained team. Only once since 1965 has a team won the championship that had been outgained during the regular season. The average championship team has outgained it’s opposition by 70 yards per game, the average runner-up by 53 yards per game. Championship teams have averaged outgaining their opposition by 334-265, the runners-up by 329-273.
It’s interesting to look at the decade by decade progression of the yardage figures:
1930’s Champion 253-196 Runner-up 234-195
1940’s Champion 351-257 Runner-up 319-254
1950’s Champion 345-272 Runner-up 348-285
1960’s Champion 334-279 Runner-up 342-274
1970’s Champion 339-255 Runner-up 325-266
1980’s Champion 356-296 Runner-up 355-304
1990’s Champion 360-285 Runner-up 347-312
2000’s Champion 335-296 Runner-up 365-306
Offensive output really hasn’t much over the years. The big jump was from the 30’s to the 40’s. Probably if I broke it down between rushing and passing, we’d see a change in the percentage of yardage produced by each but the overall numbers haven’t changed much over the least seven decades. Championship defenses have not been as dominant but the offenses haven’t been that much better. The difference between them has narrowed. If you were suddenly whisked off in a time machine to watch an NFL game from the 1940’s, you might think it would be dull but you’d find that teams move up and down the field just about as much as they do now.
Here are the yardage figures for the remaining teams in the NFL playoffs in order of how much they‘ve outgained their opposition in the regular season:
Saints 467-368 +99
Texans 372-286 +86
Ravens 339-289 +50
Patriots 428-411 +17
Giants 385-376 +9
49ers 311-308 +3
Packers 405-412 -7
Broncos 317-358 -41
That doesn’t tell you who is going to win but it offers a different perspective on it. The Packers are giving up more than 100 more yards per game than they did last year. Their 15-1 record is impressive and Aaron Rodgers' numbers are amazing but they may be more vulnerable thann we think.
