When was the last time your NFL team made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons?
(Photo credit: San Diego Shooter)
For the first time in franchise history the Cincinnati Bengals made the playoffs in three straight seasons (2011, 2012, 2013). Going into the 2013 season, there were five franchises — including the Bengals — that had never made the playoffs in three straight seasons
This season’s 12 playoff teams consist of seven teams that played in the playoffs in 2012 and five that did not.
Here’s a look at this year’s 12 playoff teams, their recent playoff appearance history and the last time they made the NFL playoffs in three straight years.
2013 playoff repeaters
Green Bay: Their fifth straight playoff appearance.
New England: Fifth straight playoff appearance.
Cincinnati: Third consecutive playoff appearance. This is their first time making the playoffs in three straight seasons.
Denver: Third consecutive playoff appearance. The last time they made the playoffs in three straight years was 2003-05.
San Francisco: Third straight year in the playoffs. Last time they made the playoffs in three straight seasons was 1996-98.
Indianapolis: Their second straight playoff appearance.. The last time they made the playoffs in three straight years was 2008-10.
Seattle: Second straight playoff appearance. Last time they made the playoffs in three straight seasons was 2005-07.
2013 playoff teams that did not make playoffs in 2012
Carolina: This is their first playoff appearance since 2008. They have never made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons.
Kansas City: This is their first playoff appearance since 2010. The last time they made the playoffs in three straight seasons was 1993-95.
San Diego: First playoff appearance since 2009. The last time they made the playoffs in three straight years was 2007-09.
Philadelphia: This is their first playoff game since 2010. The last time they made the playoffs in three straight seasons was 2008-10.
New Orleans: First playoff contest since 2011. Last time they made the playoffs ion three consecutive years was 2009-11.
As mentioned above, there are now four franchises which have never made the NFL playoffs in three consecutive years. Those franchises are: Arizona, Carolina, Houston and the New York Jets.
Here’s a look at the remaining 17 franchises and the last time each of them made the NFL playoffs in three consecutive seasons (starting with the team that has had the longest wait):
Team, last time they made playoffs in three straight years
Chicago: 1986-88
Cleveland: 1987-89
Washington: 1990-92
Buffalo: 1991-93
Tennessee: 1991-93
Detroit: 1993-95
Dallas: 1994-96
Pittsburgh: 1995-97
Jacksonville: 1997-99
Minnesota: 1998-2000
Miami: 1999-2001
St. Louis: 1999-2001
Oakland: 2000-02
Tampa Bay: 2000-02
N.Y. Giants: 2009-11
Baltimore: 2010-2012
Atlanta: 2010-12
“One and out” in the NFL playoffs
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Five teams that made the playoffs in 2012 had a quick exit from last season’s postseason. Cincinnati, Denver, Indianapolis, Minnesota and Washington each played only one game in the playoffs last season because they lost their first playoff game… a “one and out” experience. For the Bengals, it was the second consecutive season they lost their first playoff game.
Here’s a look at the teams/franchises that have had the most “one and out” in the NFL playoffs during the Super Bowl era (since 1966).
Playoff seasons with ‘One & Out”
13 Indianapolis/Baltimore Colts, Minnesota
12 Dallas
11 Kansas City
10 Miami, Tennessee/Houston Oilers
9 Denver, Detroit, St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams
8 Cincinnati, Cleveland, New England, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
7 Buffalo, Chicago
6 Atlanta, Green Bay, New York Giants, New York Jets, San Francisco, Tampa Bay, Washington
5 New Orleans, San Diego, Seattle
3 Arizona/St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
2 Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville
1 Carolina
0 Houston Texans
Did you know? Three NFL franchises experienced three straight “One & Out” postseasons. Detroit went one and out in the playoffs in 1993, 1994 and 1995; the Baltimore Colts went one and out in 1975, 1976 and 1977; and Philadelphia went one and out in 1988, 1989 and 1990.
The Indianapolis Colts have the most “one and out” appearances in the NFL playoffs since 2000. The Colts have been one and out seven times since 2000. The Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Tampa Bay Bucs have each been one and out four times since 2000.
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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40-point blowout in the NFL: What happens the following week?
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Let’s go back a couple of weeks in the NFL season… October 27 to be exact. The Cincinnati Bengals put a major beat-down on the New York Jets, 49-9. It was the first game with a 40-point margin in the 2013 NFL campaign.
You would assume that after winning a game by 40 points one week that victory would be almost a certainty the following week for the Bengals. You might also think that after losing by 40 points one week that the next game played by the Jets would more than likely be another defeat.
Fast forward to last weekend. The Bengals, hot off their blowout win over the Jets, stumble to a 22-20 loss at the hands of the Miami Dolphins. The Jets, on the other hand, host the New Orleans Saints and come away with a surprise 26-20 win.
Since the 2000 NFL season, there have now been 32 games where the final margin of victory was 40 points or more. It was only the fourth time since that season that the team that won a 40-point blowout lost the following week and the team that lost the 40-point blowout won the next week.
Here’s a quick look back at those four games.
2013: Cincinnati over NY Jets, 49-9. Cincinnati lost the following week; the Jets won the following week.
2012; Green Bay over Tennessee, 55-7. Green Bay lost the following week; Tennessee won the following week.
2012: San Francisco over Buffalo, 45-3. San Francisco lost the following week; Buffalo won the following week.
2009: Seattle over Jacksonville, 41-0. Seattle lost the following week; Jacksonville won the following week.
Of the 28 times when the two teams involved in a blowout played the following week, both teams won the next week on nine occasions, while 12 times the team that won the blowout won the following week and the team that lost the blowout also lost the next week. Both teams lost the week following a 40-point blowout three times.
Here’s a look at how well the two teams involved in a 40-point (or more) blowout did the following week
40-point blowout winner the following week (since 2000 season)
Won the following week: 22 times
Lost the following week: 7 times
Had a bye the following week: 2 times
The 40-point blowout game was the end of the season: 1 time
40-point blowout loser the following week (since 2000 season)
Won the following week: 14
Lost the following week: 16
Had a bye the following week: 1 time
The 40-point blowout game was the end of the season: 1 time
So which team have won the most 40-point blowout games in the NFL since 2000? Which team has lost the most 40-point blowout games this century? The New England Patriots have won five blowout games since 2000 to top that list; the Arizona Cardinals have been on the receiving end of a 40-point blowout four times, most in the league since 2000.
Most 40-point blowout wins since 2000
5: New England
3: Kansas City, San Francisco, Seattle
2: Baltimore, Green Bay, Jacksonville, New Orleans
1: Atlanta, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, NY Jets, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Tennessee
Most 40-point blowout losses since 2000
4: Arizona
3: NY Jets
2: Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Cleveland, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Tennessee
1: Atlanta, Denver, Detroit, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington
This is the Patriots time of the season
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
With Chicago’s win over Green Bay last night, Week #9 is in the books for the 2013 season. For some teams, they have already started playing games in the second half of the season. For others, the ninth game of the year (and the start of their second half of the ’13 season) will begin this week.
The New England Patriots, led by Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, have been the NFL’s best team this century. One of the reasons for this has been how well the team has played in the second half of the season. Consider this: The Patriots were 27-5 in the second half of the season over the past four years, a .844 winning percentage, also tops in the league.
Following is a look at how well each of the teams have played in the second half of the season in the last four years (2009-2012, 32 games).
New England 27-5 .844
Green Bay 25-7 .781
New Orleans 23-9 .719
Atlanta 21-11 .656
Baltimore 21-11 .656
San Diego 21-11 .656
San Francisco 20-11-1 .641
Indianapolis 19-13 .594
Dallas 19-13 .594
Pittsburgh 18-14 .563
Denver 17-15 .531
Philadelphia 17-15 .531
Seattle 17-15 .531
Cincinnati 16-16 .500
Houston 16-16 .500
New York Jets 6-16 .500
Carolina 15-17 .469
Chicago 15-17 .469
Miami 15-17 .469
Tennessee 15-17 .469
Arizona 14-18 .438
Minnesota 14-18 .438
New York Giants 13-19 .406
Washington 13-19 .406
Kansas City 12-20 .375
Oakland 12-20 .375
Buffalo 11-21 .344
Jacksonville 11-21 .344
Cleveland 10-22 .313
Tampa Bay 10-22 .313
Detroit 9-23 .281
St. Louis 8-23-1 .266
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