SWC75
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Here are the teams that qualified for the NFL playoffs, their won-lost record, their points scored and allowed, their average yards gained and surrendered, the number of titles they have won and their franchises all-time and post season won-lost record. The information includes NFL titles from 1920-32 when there was no championship game, (the NFL title was just a single division pennant), the All America Conference 1946-1949, from which the NFL got the Browns, 49ers and Colts, the AFL from 1960-65 but only the Super Bowls from 1966-2010. It also includes playoffs that decided divisional ties in the days before tie-breakers. The Ravens were previously the Cleveland Browns from 1946-1995. Teams who have done well in recent decades will have more post season wins than teams from previous ears because there are far more playoff games than there used to be. Until the NFL went to four divisions in 1967, there was a single post season game: the championship game, unless there had been a tie for the division title. Now a championship team wins 3-4 post season games in a year.
AFC
Patriots 13-3, points 513-342, yards 428-411, 3 titles, post season record 21-15
Ravens 12-4, points 378-266, yards 339-289, 9 titles, post season record 26-22
Steelers 12-4, points 325-227, yards 372-272, 6 titles, post season record 33-20
Texans 10-6, points 381-278, yards 372-286, 0 titles, post season record 0-0
Bengals 9-7, points 344-323, yards 320-316, 0 titles, post season record 6-9
Broncos 8-8, points 309-390, yards 317-358, 2 titles, post season record 18-16
NFC
Packers 15-1, points 560-359, yards 405-412, 13 titles, post season record 29-16
49ers 13-3, points 380-229, yards 311-308, 5 titles, post season record 26-18
Saints 13-3, points 547-339, yards 467-368, 1 titles, post season record 5-7
Falcons 10-6, points 402-350, yards 377-334, 0 titles, post season record 6-10
Lions 10-6, points 474-387, yards 396-368, 4 titles, post season record 7-9
Giants 9-7, points 394-400, yards 385-376, 7 titles, post season record 20-24
Comment: It’s amazing that the Packers were actually outgained on the season while steaming to a 15-1 record. In fact, they gave up more yards than any NFL team in history. The second most yards ever given up was by the Patriots, the top seed in the AFC. The old adage that offense sells tickets but defense wins games doesn’t seem to apply any more. But here’s a good trivia question- only one team in pro football history has ever finished last in defense and won their league championship- and they did it in a shut out, (answer: the 1964 Cleveland Browns, the favorite team of my youth). That, in fact is the only team to even make it to the ultimate game after giving up more yards than any other team in the league. The 1965 Browns and a couple of the Bills teams that lost Super Bowls finished next to last. It’s not unheard of for a team that was outgained on the season to win the championship. The 1960 Eagles and the 1964 Browns were outgained. In 1965, three of the four teams in championship games were outgained on the season, including both champions, the Packers and Bills, along with the Browns. But the only champion since then to have been outgained was the 2001 Patriots.
Still, it’s a vulnerability and the Packers and Patriots could have a game where they can’t quite outscore the other team. The Saints are another high scoring team that outgained their opponents by 99 yards per game. The Steelers are +100. The lowly Texans are pretty good, too at +86, but with all their injuries they have a rough road ahead of them.
The Packers are +201 in scoring. That’s +12.6 per game. That’s very good but not historically great. Here is the all-time top 25:
1- 1942 Chicago Bears +23.7
2- 1941 Chicago Bears +22.8
3- 1946 Cleveland Browns +19.4
4- 1923 Canton Bulldogs +18.9
4- 1946 Philadelphia Eagles +18.9
6- 1924 Cleveland Bulldogs +18.8
6- 1925 Pottsville Maroons +18.8
8- 1948 Chicago Bears +18.7
9- 1962 Green Bay Packers +18.4
10- 1921 Rock Island Independents +18.1
11- 1985 Chicago Bears +17.8
12- 1948 San Francisco 49ers +17.6
12- 1961 Houston Oilers +17.6
14- 2007 New England Patriots +17.5
15- 1968 Baltimore Colts +17.2
16- 1954 Cleveland Browns +16.9
16- 1991 Washington Redskins +16.9
18- 1949 Philadelphia Eagles +16.6
19- 1999 St. Louis Rams +16.2
20- 1948 Cleveland Browns +16.1
21- 1984 San Francisco 49ers +16.0
22- 1947 Cleveland Browns +15.7
23- 1996 Green Bay Packers +15.7
24- 1967 Oakland Raiders +15.6
25- 1968 Dallas Cowboys +15.6
(This list is from another project I’m doing and includes the results of post season games: The Packers would have to win three post season games by a total of 96 points to make the list.)
The Saints actually outscored their opposition by more than the Packers, (+13.0). The Patriots (+10.7) and 49ers, (+10.1) also did a good job of leaving their opponents in the rear view mirror. 59 of the 101 Super Bowl, NFL, AFL and AAFC champions have beaten their opposition by at least 10 points per game, (58%).
UPDATE:
The first round of the NFL playoffs, after a season dominated by offense, was dominated by defense, with one exception.
Houston dominated Cincinnati 31-10 to win their first ever playoff game, although the City of Houston still remembers the Oilers winning the first two AFL titles. Back then the Texans were in Dallas, (they are now the Kansas City Chiefs), and the Texans beat Houston in overtime to win the third AFL title:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzyeagdyu9o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfXFuWFEwog&feature=related
Or, if you’d like to see the whole thing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKhFv6SR9kM
Both teams left town but the NFL Cowboys stayed and Houston got an expansion team in 2002. They started with five straight losing records, the worst being the 4th at 2-14. They then had two even seasons at 8-8 and a winner at 9-7 in 2009. In 2010 they opened by beating the defending AFC champion Colts 34-24 but then stumbled to a 6-10 record. This year they overcame a lot of injuries to reverse that record and win the AFC South. They then took apart the Bengals in the first ever post season battle of rookie quarterbacks, Andy Dalton of Cincinnati and back-up T.J. Yates of Houston. Yates, who beat out Mike Paulus at North Carolina was 11 for 20 for 159 yards while the ore heralded Dalton was 27 for 42 for 257 yards. But Yates threw for 1 touchdown and had no interception. Dalton had no TD passes but threw 3 interceptions and lost 33 yards in sacks. And the Texans out-rushed the Bengals 188-76. There were no lost fumbles so Houston was +3 in turnover margin.
Cincinnati took an early 10-7 lead but a 29 yard pick six by lineman JJ Watt, a 40 yard pass from Yates to Andre Johnson and a 42 yard run by Arian Foster decided the issue. The Texans, the second ranked defensive team, will now face the Baltimore Ravens, the #1 ranked defensive team.
Later on Saturday, the young and feisty Detroit Lions took a 14-10 halftime lead on the New Orleans Saints. All year long everybody’s been talking about Aaron Rogers who threw for 4643 yards and 45 touchdowns, Tom Brady, who threw for 5235 yards and 39 touchdowns and Drew Brees who threw for 5476 yards and 46 touchdowns. Who knew that Matthew Stafford of the Lions threw for 5028 yards and 41 touchdowns?
I think the Lions will be Super Bowl contenders for years to come, (and it’s about time), but this was not the year. Brees moved his team to a post season record 626 yards, (the 1940 Bears got 607 in beating the Redskins 73-0), and five second half touchdowns as the Saints won 45-28. Brees was 33 for 43 for 466 yards, 3 scores and no interceptions. Stafford was 28 for 43 for 380 yards and 3 scores but two interceptions. New Orleans out-rushed Detroit 167-42. The Saints never punted in the game. They will now go to San Francisco to take on the resurgent 49ers. There’s talk that the Saints don’t function as effectively out of doors. We’ll see.
On Sunday, the New York Giants showed they could play defense like their teams of old in crushing the Falcons, 24-2. They outgained the visitors 442-247. Matt Ryan managed to complete 24 passes but for only 199 yards and no scores. Eli Manning had 23 completions but for 277 yards and 3 scores. The Giants out-rushed the Falcons 172-64. The play of the game was a short pass that Hakeem Nicks that Nicks turned into a 72 yard touchdown by running past a linebacker who over ran the play and then between about three more defenders who chased him all the way to the goal line, fruitlessly.
There was a prediction on the radio this past week that the Pittsburgh Steelers would shut out the Denver Broncos because Tim Tebow vs. the Steelers’ defense was a “bad match-up”. Tebow has his limitations but Ben Roethlisberger was playing on a badly injured ankle, which affected both his throwing and his mobility. And Denver can play some defense, too.
The first period went to script as The Steelers kicked two field goals and shut out the Broncos. The Steeler defenders seemed to be in the Denver backfield almost as the ball was snapped. But things dramatically turned around in the second quarter.
Pittsburgh was so intent on stopping the run, they left themselves vulnerable to the pass ., And Tebow showed he could, indeed complete passes. From the Denver 18, he hit Demaryius Thomas for 51 yards. Two plays later he hit Eddie Royal for 30 yards and the score. After a Pittsburgh punt, Tebow lofted on to Thomas for 58 yards to the Steeler 12. Tebow ran it in in two plays. After an interception, Denver got a field goal. Then just before the half, Tebow hit tight end Daniel Fells with a 40 yard pass to set up another field goal and give the Broncos a shocking 20-6 halftime lead.
Then came what appeared to be a key play. Roethlisberger tried a swing pass that clearly went backwards by a yard. The receiver got knocked off the ball and it fell to the ground. A Bronco player fell on it but the referee had ruled it an incomplete pass and blown the whistle. The ruling that it was a pass, not a fumble could be received but the rule that nothing counts after the whistle blows still applied and the fumble had not yet been recovered when the whistle blew.
Roethlisberger seemed to heal as the game went on, getting more mobile. He directed a TD drive in their period, ending a 33 yard burst by Isaac Redman to make it 20-13. Tebow then directed a 63 yard drive, 50 of it on the ground, to a field goal. Tebow ran three times himself for 17 yards and threw for 13 more. Roethlisberger came back with a 66 yard drive to a field goal of his own, throwing for 29 yards and even running for 19 on a keeper.
Denver was driving when Willis McGahee fumbled on their 48. Big Ben took advantage to throw a 31 yard strike to Jerricho Cotchery for the tying score. Neither team could score in the last 3:48 of regulation. Then, on the first play from scrimmage of overtime, Tebow drilled a pass over the middle to Thomas, who eluded two defenders and ran all the way, 80 yards for the winning score.
Tebow, the guy who couldn’t pass, only completed 10 of them but for 316 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran fro a third. Thomas had 4 catches for 204 yards, better than 50 yards a catch! The Broncos will next travel to New England, a team that beta them 41-23 on December 18
The Match-ups for Next Week:
Saints 14-3, points 592-367, yards 476-371, 1 titles, post season record 6-7 at
49ers 13-3, points 380-229, yards 311-308, 5 titles, post season record 26-18
Broncos 9-8, points 338-413, yards 324-360, 2 titles, post season record 19-16 at
Patriots 13-3, points 513-342, yards 428-411, 3 titles, post season record 21-15
Texans 11-6, points 412-288, yards 370-287, 0 titles, post season record 1-0 at
Ravens 12-4, points 378-266, yards 339-289, 9 titles, post season record 26-22
Giants 10-7, points 418-402, yards 388-369, 7 titles, post season record 21-24 at
Packers 15-1, points 560-359, yards 405-412, 13 titles, post season record 29-16
Comments:
Saints and 49ers will be a match-up of a great offensive team with a strong defensive team and a leaky defense vs. a limited offense. The Niners are an opportunistic team, outscoring their opponents by 151 points while outgaining them by only 3 yards a game.
It’s hard to see how Tebow’s Bronco team can keep up with Tom Brady’s passing. It might take divine intervention. The Texans-Ravens game will be a hard hitting defensive battle. The Giants will, of course be big underdogs to the Packers but if they play on defense like they did against the Falcons an upset is certainly possible. The weakness of the Packer’s defense could be an Achilles heel. The Giants were also underdogs in 2007 when they beat the Packers on the way to an improbably Super Bowl win. The game will also inevitably bring back memories of the first NFL championship game I ever watched:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYVj-7Wfdeo
(The entire game was once on U-Tube but has been “removed by the user”.)
AFC
Patriots 13-3, points 513-342, yards 428-411, 3 titles, post season record 21-15
Ravens 12-4, points 378-266, yards 339-289, 9 titles, post season record 26-22
Steelers 12-4, points 325-227, yards 372-272, 6 titles, post season record 33-20
Texans 10-6, points 381-278, yards 372-286, 0 titles, post season record 0-0
Bengals 9-7, points 344-323, yards 320-316, 0 titles, post season record 6-9
Broncos 8-8, points 309-390, yards 317-358, 2 titles, post season record 18-16
NFC
Packers 15-1, points 560-359, yards 405-412, 13 titles, post season record 29-16
49ers 13-3, points 380-229, yards 311-308, 5 titles, post season record 26-18
Saints 13-3, points 547-339, yards 467-368, 1 titles, post season record 5-7
Falcons 10-6, points 402-350, yards 377-334, 0 titles, post season record 6-10
Lions 10-6, points 474-387, yards 396-368, 4 titles, post season record 7-9
Giants 9-7, points 394-400, yards 385-376, 7 titles, post season record 20-24
Comment: It’s amazing that the Packers were actually outgained on the season while steaming to a 15-1 record. In fact, they gave up more yards than any NFL team in history. The second most yards ever given up was by the Patriots, the top seed in the AFC. The old adage that offense sells tickets but defense wins games doesn’t seem to apply any more. But here’s a good trivia question- only one team in pro football history has ever finished last in defense and won their league championship- and they did it in a shut out, (answer: the 1964 Cleveland Browns, the favorite team of my youth). That, in fact is the only team to even make it to the ultimate game after giving up more yards than any other team in the league. The 1965 Browns and a couple of the Bills teams that lost Super Bowls finished next to last. It’s not unheard of for a team that was outgained on the season to win the championship. The 1960 Eagles and the 1964 Browns were outgained. In 1965, three of the four teams in championship games were outgained on the season, including both champions, the Packers and Bills, along with the Browns. But the only champion since then to have been outgained was the 2001 Patriots.
Still, it’s a vulnerability and the Packers and Patriots could have a game where they can’t quite outscore the other team. The Saints are another high scoring team that outgained their opponents by 99 yards per game. The Steelers are +100. The lowly Texans are pretty good, too at +86, but with all their injuries they have a rough road ahead of them.
The Packers are +201 in scoring. That’s +12.6 per game. That’s very good but not historically great. Here is the all-time top 25:
1- 1942 Chicago Bears +23.7
2- 1941 Chicago Bears +22.8
3- 1946 Cleveland Browns +19.4
4- 1923 Canton Bulldogs +18.9
4- 1946 Philadelphia Eagles +18.9
6- 1924 Cleveland Bulldogs +18.8
6- 1925 Pottsville Maroons +18.8
8- 1948 Chicago Bears +18.7
9- 1962 Green Bay Packers +18.4
10- 1921 Rock Island Independents +18.1
11- 1985 Chicago Bears +17.8
12- 1948 San Francisco 49ers +17.6
12- 1961 Houston Oilers +17.6
14- 2007 New England Patriots +17.5
15- 1968 Baltimore Colts +17.2
16- 1954 Cleveland Browns +16.9
16- 1991 Washington Redskins +16.9
18- 1949 Philadelphia Eagles +16.6
19- 1999 St. Louis Rams +16.2
20- 1948 Cleveland Browns +16.1
21- 1984 San Francisco 49ers +16.0
22- 1947 Cleveland Browns +15.7
23- 1996 Green Bay Packers +15.7
24- 1967 Oakland Raiders +15.6
25- 1968 Dallas Cowboys +15.6
(This list is from another project I’m doing and includes the results of post season games: The Packers would have to win three post season games by a total of 96 points to make the list.)
The Saints actually outscored their opposition by more than the Packers, (+13.0). The Patriots (+10.7) and 49ers, (+10.1) also did a good job of leaving their opponents in the rear view mirror. 59 of the 101 Super Bowl, NFL, AFL and AAFC champions have beaten their opposition by at least 10 points per game, (58%).
UPDATE:
The first round of the NFL playoffs, after a season dominated by offense, was dominated by defense, with one exception.
Houston dominated Cincinnati 31-10 to win their first ever playoff game, although the City of Houston still remembers the Oilers winning the first two AFL titles. Back then the Texans were in Dallas, (they are now the Kansas City Chiefs), and the Texans beat Houston in overtime to win the third AFL title:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzyeagdyu9o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfXFuWFEwog&feature=related
Or, if you’d like to see the whole thing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKhFv6SR9kM
Both teams left town but the NFL Cowboys stayed and Houston got an expansion team in 2002. They started with five straight losing records, the worst being the 4th at 2-14. They then had two even seasons at 8-8 and a winner at 9-7 in 2009. In 2010 they opened by beating the defending AFC champion Colts 34-24 but then stumbled to a 6-10 record. This year they overcame a lot of injuries to reverse that record and win the AFC South. They then took apart the Bengals in the first ever post season battle of rookie quarterbacks, Andy Dalton of Cincinnati and back-up T.J. Yates of Houston. Yates, who beat out Mike Paulus at North Carolina was 11 for 20 for 159 yards while the ore heralded Dalton was 27 for 42 for 257 yards. But Yates threw for 1 touchdown and had no interception. Dalton had no TD passes but threw 3 interceptions and lost 33 yards in sacks. And the Texans out-rushed the Bengals 188-76. There were no lost fumbles so Houston was +3 in turnover margin.
Cincinnati took an early 10-7 lead but a 29 yard pick six by lineman JJ Watt, a 40 yard pass from Yates to Andre Johnson and a 42 yard run by Arian Foster decided the issue. The Texans, the second ranked defensive team, will now face the Baltimore Ravens, the #1 ranked defensive team.
Later on Saturday, the young and feisty Detroit Lions took a 14-10 halftime lead on the New Orleans Saints. All year long everybody’s been talking about Aaron Rogers who threw for 4643 yards and 45 touchdowns, Tom Brady, who threw for 5235 yards and 39 touchdowns and Drew Brees who threw for 5476 yards and 46 touchdowns. Who knew that Matthew Stafford of the Lions threw for 5028 yards and 41 touchdowns?
I think the Lions will be Super Bowl contenders for years to come, (and it’s about time), but this was not the year. Brees moved his team to a post season record 626 yards, (the 1940 Bears got 607 in beating the Redskins 73-0), and five second half touchdowns as the Saints won 45-28. Brees was 33 for 43 for 466 yards, 3 scores and no interceptions. Stafford was 28 for 43 for 380 yards and 3 scores but two interceptions. New Orleans out-rushed Detroit 167-42. The Saints never punted in the game. They will now go to San Francisco to take on the resurgent 49ers. There’s talk that the Saints don’t function as effectively out of doors. We’ll see.
On Sunday, the New York Giants showed they could play defense like their teams of old in crushing the Falcons, 24-2. They outgained the visitors 442-247. Matt Ryan managed to complete 24 passes but for only 199 yards and no scores. Eli Manning had 23 completions but for 277 yards and 3 scores. The Giants out-rushed the Falcons 172-64. The play of the game was a short pass that Hakeem Nicks that Nicks turned into a 72 yard touchdown by running past a linebacker who over ran the play and then between about three more defenders who chased him all the way to the goal line, fruitlessly.
There was a prediction on the radio this past week that the Pittsburgh Steelers would shut out the Denver Broncos because Tim Tebow vs. the Steelers’ defense was a “bad match-up”. Tebow has his limitations but Ben Roethlisberger was playing on a badly injured ankle, which affected both his throwing and his mobility. And Denver can play some defense, too.
The first period went to script as The Steelers kicked two field goals and shut out the Broncos. The Steeler defenders seemed to be in the Denver backfield almost as the ball was snapped. But things dramatically turned around in the second quarter.
Pittsburgh was so intent on stopping the run, they left themselves vulnerable to the pass ., And Tebow showed he could, indeed complete passes. From the Denver 18, he hit Demaryius Thomas for 51 yards. Two plays later he hit Eddie Royal for 30 yards and the score. After a Pittsburgh punt, Tebow lofted on to Thomas for 58 yards to the Steeler 12. Tebow ran it in in two plays. After an interception, Denver got a field goal. Then just before the half, Tebow hit tight end Daniel Fells with a 40 yard pass to set up another field goal and give the Broncos a shocking 20-6 halftime lead.
Then came what appeared to be a key play. Roethlisberger tried a swing pass that clearly went backwards by a yard. The receiver got knocked off the ball and it fell to the ground. A Bronco player fell on it but the referee had ruled it an incomplete pass and blown the whistle. The ruling that it was a pass, not a fumble could be received but the rule that nothing counts after the whistle blows still applied and the fumble had not yet been recovered when the whistle blew.
Roethlisberger seemed to heal as the game went on, getting more mobile. He directed a TD drive in their period, ending a 33 yard burst by Isaac Redman to make it 20-13. Tebow then directed a 63 yard drive, 50 of it on the ground, to a field goal. Tebow ran three times himself for 17 yards and threw for 13 more. Roethlisberger came back with a 66 yard drive to a field goal of his own, throwing for 29 yards and even running for 19 on a keeper.
Denver was driving when Willis McGahee fumbled on their 48. Big Ben took advantage to throw a 31 yard strike to Jerricho Cotchery for the tying score. Neither team could score in the last 3:48 of regulation. Then, on the first play from scrimmage of overtime, Tebow drilled a pass over the middle to Thomas, who eluded two defenders and ran all the way, 80 yards for the winning score.
Tebow, the guy who couldn’t pass, only completed 10 of them but for 316 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran fro a third. Thomas had 4 catches for 204 yards, better than 50 yards a catch! The Broncos will next travel to New England, a team that beta them 41-23 on December 18
The Match-ups for Next Week:
Saints 14-3, points 592-367, yards 476-371, 1 titles, post season record 6-7 at
49ers 13-3, points 380-229, yards 311-308, 5 titles, post season record 26-18
Broncos 9-8, points 338-413, yards 324-360, 2 titles, post season record 19-16 at
Patriots 13-3, points 513-342, yards 428-411, 3 titles, post season record 21-15
Texans 11-6, points 412-288, yards 370-287, 0 titles, post season record 1-0 at
Ravens 12-4, points 378-266, yards 339-289, 9 titles, post season record 26-22
Giants 10-7, points 418-402, yards 388-369, 7 titles, post season record 21-24 at
Packers 15-1, points 560-359, yards 405-412, 13 titles, post season record 29-16
Comments:
Saints and 49ers will be a match-up of a great offensive team with a strong defensive team and a leaky defense vs. a limited offense. The Niners are an opportunistic team, outscoring their opponents by 151 points while outgaining them by only 3 yards a game.
It’s hard to see how Tebow’s Bronco team can keep up with Tom Brady’s passing. It might take divine intervention. The Texans-Ravens game will be a hard hitting defensive battle. The Giants will, of course be big underdogs to the Packers but if they play on defense like they did against the Falcons an upset is certainly possible. The weakness of the Packer’s defense could be an Achilles heel. The Giants were also underdogs in 2007 when they beat the Packers on the way to an improbably Super Bowl win. The game will also inevitably bring back memories of the first NFL championship game I ever watched:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYVj-7Wfdeo
(The entire game was once on U-Tube but has been “removed by the user”.)
