Down 24 points at half at home: Patriots win!
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I’ll be the first to admit that I went to bed after watching the Denver Broncos take a 24-0 into the locker room at halftime in their November 24, 2013 game against the New England Patriots. Imagine my surprise (and that of others who also turned off the game after the first two quarters) when I opened the newspaper the next day to read about New England‘s overtime win over Denver.
The Patriots not only found themselves in a heap of trouble after the first half, but what also didn’t help was that it was a home game. When they won the game, it was only the seventh time in NFL history that a home team won a game after being behind by 20 points or more at half. It was also the second greatest deficit overcome at halftime by a home team in league history. In addition, this was not the first time that a New England team had overcome a 20-point deficit at home at half and gone on to win the game (more on that in a moment).
The Patriots-Denver contest was the fourth this season where a home team was behind by 20 points or more at half. Prior to the Patriots comeback, the Jaguars, Colts and Falcons could not erase their large halftime deficits at home and eventually lost those games.
The last time a home team won a game after being behind by 20-plus points at half was on November 26, 2006 when the home team Tennessee Titans were behind 21-0 to the New York Giants after two quarters of play. The Titans scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to win that game.
Here’s a look at the seven home teams that were behind by 20 or more points at half and went on to win that contest.
Nov. 24, 2013: Denver @ New England (New England down by 24 points at half) Patriots won 34-31
Nov. 26, 2006: New York Giants @ Tennessee (Tennessee down by 21 points at half) Titans won 24-21
Sept. 19, 1999: Indianapolis @ New England (New England down by 21 points at half) Patriots won 31-28
Dec. 24, 1995: Minnesota @ Cincinnati (Cincinnati down by 21 points at half) Bengals won 27-24
Sept. 12, 1982: L.A. Rams @ Green Bay (Green Bay down by 23 at half) Packers won 35-23
Dec. 7, 1980: New Orleans @ San Francisco (San Francisco down by 28 at half) 49ers won 38-35
Nov. 30, 1958: San Francisco @ Baltimore (Baltimore down by 20 at half) Colts won 35-27
Prior to the game against the Broncos on November 24, the Patriots had not been behind by 20 points or more at home at halftime since 1999. The Steelers now have the longest gap between such games; they have not been behind by 20-plus points at halftime in a home game since 2000.
Following is the last year each NFL team played a game where they were behind at halftime by 20-plus points at home.
2000: Pittsburgh
2002: Cincinnati
2004: San Francisco
2005: Philadelphia
2006: Green Bay, New Orleans
2007: Baltimore, Minnesota
2008: Detroit
2009: New York Giants, Oakland
2010: Arizona, Buffalo, Chicago, Seattle, Washington
2011: Cleveland, Denver, Houston, Tampa Bay
2012: Carolina, Dallas, Kansas City, Miami, New York Jets, San Diego, St. Louis, Tennessee
2013: Atlanta, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, New England
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Pitching a shutout at halftime in the NFL
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
If you’re a defensive coordinator in the NFL, you’ve got to feel pretty good if your team heads into the locker room at halftime of a game and your opponents do not have any points on the scoreboard. But does pitching a shutout in the first half equate to ultimate success (read: victory) in that game?
Let’s put some numbers to that question. First, there have been nine games so far in 2013 where a team has held their opponents to zero points in the first half. In those games, those teams that pitched the first-half shutout won nine and lost two. Two teams, Green Bay and Seattle, have held their opponents to zero points at half in two games in 2013.
If we take a look back to 2004, teams that held the opposition scoreless in the first half have won 357 and lost 64, an .848 winning percentage. The Patriots and Steelers have each held their opponents scoreless in 22 games from 2004-2013, most in the NFL.
Here’s a look at the number of games each NFL team held opponents scoreless in the first half from 2004-2013. The win-loss record in those games is noted in parenthesis.
Games where opponents were scoreless at halftime (record in those games)
22: New England (21-1); Pittsburgh (20-2)
19: Cincinnati (17-2); New York Giants (18-1); Baltimore (18-1)
18: Green Bay (15-3); Tampa Bay (14-4)
17: New York Jets (15-2); Seattle (16-1)
15: Atlanta (14-1); San Diego (13-2)
14: Carolina (12-2); Chicago (11-3); Denver (14-0); Houston (12-2); San Francisco (13-1)
13: Jacksonville (11-2)
12: Cleveland (5-7); Miami (5-7); Washington (10-2)
11: Buffalo: (9-2); Kansas City (9-2); Tennessee (8-3)
10: Detroit (9-1); Minnesota (7-3)
9: Indianapolis (8-1); Arizona (7-2); Philadelphia (9-0)
7: Dallas (5-2)
5: Oakland (4-1); St. Louis (4-1)
4: New Orleans (4-0)
You probably noticed that three teams, Denver, Philadelphia and New Orleans, are undefeated in games since 2004 when they held opponents scoreless in the first half. The last time these teams lost a game when they held their foes scoreless at half were: Eagles (12/28/2002); Broncos (12/2/2001), Saints (10/17/1999).
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Five stats you may not know about the Denver-Dallas shootout
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.
Tony Romo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys combined for 99 points and over a 1,000 total net yards in Denver’s 51-48 win over Dallas on Sunday. Dallas QB Tony Romo broke the team record for most passing yards (506), and Romo and opposing QB Peyton Manning combined for 920 passing yards and nine passing TDs.
Here’s a look at a few more stats of interest that you may not know from yesterday’s shootout.
1. With their 51 points, the Broncos became the 203rd team to score 50-plus in a professional game since 1940. Their three-point victory tied for the smallest margin of victory for a team scoring 50 or more points. On December 22, 1963, Oakland defeated Houston 52-49; twenty years later, the Seahawks scored 51 in a 51-48 win over Kansas City on November 27, 1983.
2. The Cowboys became the ninth team in NFL history to score 45 or more points in a game and lose. The aforementioned Houston Oilers hold the record for most points scored in a loss with 49. The teams that scored the most points in a loss:
49: Houston (12/22/63)
48: Kansas City (11/27/83); Cleveland (11/28/2004); Dallas (10/6/2013)
47: Washington (10/17/83)
45: Denver (11/22/62); Miami (9/21/86); Cincinnati (9/16/2007); Green Bay (1/10/10)
3. Romo became the 15th QB to throw five or more TD passes in a game and lose. Three players have tossed six TD passes in a losing cause: Charley Johnson (St. Louis 11/2/69); Dan Marino (Miami 9/21/86) and Carson Palmer (Cincinnati 9/16/2007). Teams are 148-15 in games their QB has five or more TD passes, a .908 winning percentage.
4. Romo also became the seventh QB to pass for 500 or more yards in a losing cause. Dan Marino holds the record with 521 yards passing in the Dolphins’ October 23, 1988 loss to the New York Jets. Those QBs with 500 or more passing yards in a loss:
521: Dan Marino (Miami, 10/23/88)
520: Matthew Stafford (Detroit, 1/1/2012)
513: Phil Simms (NYGiants, 10/13/85)
510: Drew Brees (New Orleans, 11/19/2006)
509: Vince Ferragamo (LARams, 12/26/82)
506: Tony Romo (Dallas, 10/6/2013)
504: Elvis Grbac (Kansas City, 11/5/2000)
5. Yesterday’s game was the 11th game in history where opposing quarterbacks each passed for more than 400 yards (Romo had 506, Manning 414). It was also the second time it happened this season: Philip Rivers (419) and Michael Vick (428) each eclipsed the 400-yard mark in the Chargers-Eagles game on September 15. Here are the 11 games where both QBs had 400 or more yards passing:
1-2-1982: Dal Foust (San Diego, 433) and Don Strock (Miami, 403)
12-20-1982: Ken Anderson (Cincinnati, 416) and Dan Fouts (San Diego, 435)
9-21-1986: Dan Marino (Miami, 448) and Ken O’Brien (NYJets, 479)
9-13-1992: Jim Kelly (Buffalo, 403) and Steve Young (San Francisco, 403)
9-4-1994: Drew Bledsoe (New England, 421) and Dan Marino (Miami, 473)
9-19-2010: Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia, 426) and Matt Schaub (Houston, 497)
9-12-2011: Tom Brady (New England, 517) and Chad Henne (Miami, 416)
1-1-2012: Matt Flynn (Green Bay, 480) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit, 520)
12-23-2012: Drew Brees (New Orleans, 446) and Tony Romo (Dallas, 416)
9-15-2013: Philip Rivers (San Diego, 419) and Michael Vick (Philadelphia, 428)
10-6-2013: Peyton Manning (Denver, 414) and Tony Romo (Dallas, 506)
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Ravens first Super Bowl champs to get ‘blown out’ in next game
(Photo credit: cizauskas)
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.
For the sake of this column, let’s define a “blow out” as a game in which a team loses by 20 or more points. With that established, the Ravens 49-27 loss to the Denver Broncos last Thursday night in the 2013 NFL season‘s first game was one of historic proportions: Baltimore‘s 22-point loss was the first time in NFL history that a Super Bowl champ lost their first game of the following season by 20 points or more.
The Raven’s 22-point loss was not the only “blow out” in Week One. The Kansas City Chiefs had the largest margin of victory in Week One with a 28-2 win over Jacksonville.
Since 2000, there have been 40 “blow outs” on Opening Weekend. Here’s a look at the teams which have won the most Opening Weekend blow outs and those teams which have lost the most Opening Weekend blow outs since 2000.
Most Opening Weekend blow out wins since 2000
3: Baltimore, Buffalo, Denver, Miami, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Diego
2: Chicago, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, New England, Seattle
1: Green Bay, Jacksonville, Minnesota, New York Giants, New York Jets, San Francisco, Tennessee
Most Opening Weekend blow out losses since 2000
3: Cincinnati, New York Jets, Oakland
2: Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Seattle, St. Louis, Tennessee
1: Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Green Bay, Houston, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Minnesota, New England, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Tampa Bay, Washington
So… is a blow out loss on Opening Weekend a bad omen? Does a blow out win signal great things for the rest of the season? If we look at the 16 games in the last five seasons that were blow outs on Opening Weekend, we can come up with some interesting stats (these stats reflect games from 2008-2012):
* Of the 16 teams that had Opening Weekend blow out wins in the past five years, eight went on to make the playoffs. Of the 16 who started the season with an Opening Weekend blow out loss, only three made the playoffs that year.
* The 16 teams that had Opening Weekend blow out wins since 2008 had a combined record of 143-112-1 (.561 winning percentage) in that season. The 16 teams that suffered Opening Weekend blow out losses since 2008 had a combined record of 103-153 (.402 winning percentage) in that season.
For the record, since the start of the Super Bowl era, three teams lost their Opening Game by 50 points or more: Denver lost 51-0 to Oakland in 1967; New Orleans lost 62-7 to Atlanta in 1973; Pittsburgh lost 51-0 to Cleveland in 1989.
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Packers on the wrong end of another 400-yard passer
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
For Green Bay Packers fans, this is getting to be all-too-common… an opposing quarterback having a big game and throwing for 300 or more yards.
Sunday’s game against the 49ers was no different. San Fran QB Colin Kaepernick passed for 412 yards in his team’s 34-28 win over the Pack. Not only was this Kaepernick’s first game with over 400 yards passing, it was also his first game with over 300 yards passing.
For the record, Kaepernick was one of three QBs with 400 or more yards passing in Week One. Peyton Manning had 462 passing yards in Denver’s win over Baltimore on Thursday; little brother Eli had 450 passing yards in his team’s Sunday night loss to the Cowboys.
But back to the Packers. What’s frustrating for the Packers and their fans is QB’s torching their defense has been a frequent occurrence. Consider this: In the last 10 seasons (2003-2012) and the first week of this season, there were 96 games where a quarterback passed for 400 or more yards in a game. Of those 96, the Packers were the defensive team that QB had the 400-yard game against 11 times. Next on the list is New Orleans which gave up 400 or more yards passing to a QB six times since 2003.
Here’s a look at the teams that have surrendered 400 or more yards passing to a QB three or more times since 2003.
11 times: Green Bay
6 times: New Orleans
5 times: Arizona, Denver, Houston, San Diego
4 times: Atlanta, Cleveland, Dallas, New York Giants, New York Jets, San Francisco
3 times: Detroit, Kansas City, Miami, Oakland, Seattle, Washington
Two more quick stats:
* In those 96 games where a QB amassed 400 or more yards passing, that QB’s team won 36 and lost 60.
* In the 11 games where the Packers have allowed a QB to throw for 400 or more yards since 2003, Green Bay won five of those games and lost six.
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