Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.

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If you watch or listen to any of the NFL pundits, the team that many of them have chosen to be the surprise team in this year’s playoffs are the Seattle Seahawks. There are a lot of reasons for people to jump on the Seahawks’ bandwagon, but let me give those looking for another reason to jump aboard an interesting stat to consider…

Of the 12 playoff teams this season, the Seahawks were the only team to win four games against other playoff teams. Seattle defeated the Green Bay Packers (okay, maybe they really didn’t), New England and Minnesota, and split two games with the 49ers.

Here’s a look at how well each of the 2012 playoff teams did against other 2012 playoff teams.

2012 playoff teams records vs. 2012 playoff teams

Atlanta 2-0 1.000
Seattle 4-1 .800
Indianapolis 3-2 .600
San Francisco 3-2 .600
New England 3-3 .500
Cincinnati 2-2 .500
Washington 2-2 .500
Houston 3-4 .429
Minnesota 3-4 .429
Denver 2-3 .400
Baltimore 2-4 .333
Green Bay 2-4 .333

Here’s a look at how well those teams that did not make the playoffs did against those 12 teams that did make the playoffs. Not that anyone needs to make excuses for the Detroit Lions’ 2012 season, but you’ll notice from the records below that the Lions were the only NFL team this year that played more than half their games (9) against teams that made the playoffs. They went 1-8 in games against playoff teams.

You’ll also notice that the team tied for the best record in the NFL this season, the Atlanta Falcons (13-3, tied with the Denver Broncos) played the fewest number of their games against 2012 playoff teams, two.

2012 non-playoff teams records vs. playoff teams

Pittsburgh 3-3 .500
St. Louis 3-4-1 .438
New York Giants 3-4 .429
Carolina 2-3 .400
Tampa Bay 2-3 .400
Miami 2-5 .286
Arizona 2-6 .250
Chicago 2-6 .250
Philadelphia 1-4 .200
Dallas 1-5 .167
New Orleans 1-5 .167
New York Jets 1-5 .167
Cleveland 1-6 .143
Jacksonville 1-7 .125
Detroit 1-8 .111
San Diego 0-4 .000
Oakland 0-5 .000
Buffalo 0-6 .000
Kansas City 0-6 .000
Tennessee 0-7 .000

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