Winning an NFL game with 14 or fewer points
In today’s high-scoring, pass-on-every-down version of the NFL, it’s rare to have a game where teams score less than 15 points. Sure, there might be a game where one team scores less than 15, but to have both teams fail to reach 15 points in a game is rare.
This past weekend two such games were played. Arizona defeated the Lions 14-6 in one contest, while the San Diego Chargers only needed 13 points to beat the Raiders, 13-6. It was the first week since Week #2 last year where two games were won by teams that scored less than 15 points. This season there has been four games where both teams scored under 15 points.
For the Cardinals, they won a low-scoring contest last year when they beat Tampa Bay 13-10. San Diego, however, hadn’t won a game with fewer than 15 points in a game since 2007 when they won 14-3 over the Bears.
Let’s go back to the 2010 NFL season. Since then teams that scored under 15 points in a game have a record of 51-526, a .088 winning percentage. Only two teams, Baltimore and Seattle, have winning percentages over .300 in games where they scored under 15 points in a game since 2010.
Here’s a look at the records of each NFL team since 2010 in games when they scored fewer than 15 points (through games of November 17, 2014).
Baltimore 5-8 .385; Seattle 5-11 .313
Pittsburgh 4-13 .235
Green Bay 2-9 .182; New England 1-5 .167; Kansas City 4-24 .143; New Orleans 1-6 .143; Cleveland 4-27 .129; Cincinnati 2-14 .125; San Francisco 2-15 .118; Dallas 1-8 .111; Miami 2-17.105
Arizona 2-19 .095; Buffalo 2-22 .083; San Diego 1-11 .083; Denver 1-12 .077; Detroit 1-12 .077; Houston 1-14 .067; Jacksonville 2-31 .061; St. Louis 2-31 .061; Washington 1-17 .056; Chicago 1-18 .053; Tennessee 1-19 .050; N.Y. Jets 1-21 .045; Minnesota 1-22 .043; Carolina 1-24 .040
Oakland 0-22 .000; Tampa Bay 0-19 .000; N.Y Giants 0-16 .000; Atlanta 0-14 .000; Indianapolis 0-13 .000; Philadelphia 0-12 .000
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When was the last time your NFL team made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons?
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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
Isn’t scoring 28 points enough to win in the NFL?
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Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.
You would think that scoring 28 or more points in an NFL game would be enough to win that game, right? Think again.
From 2008-2012, teams that scored 28 or more points in a game won just over 86 percent of those games. In Week One of this season, 10 teams scored 28 or more points; of those 10, seven won. The three games where a team scoring 28 or more points lost: San Francisco over Green Bay, 34-28; Dallas over the New York Giants, 36-31; and Houston over San Diego, 31-28.
For the Packers, it was the eighth time since 2008 that they have lost a game when scoring 28 or more points (regular season and playoff games included). That’s one more loss than the Cowboys and Saints who each lost seven games since 2008 after scoring 28 or more points.
On the other side of the coin, the Saints have won 10 games since 2008 after giving up 28 or more points in a game.
Here’s a look at how many games (regular season and playoff games) NFL teams have lost when they scored 28 or more points and how many they won when giving up 28 or more points in games since 2008.
Scored 28 or more points in a game and lost
8 games: Green Bay
7 games: Dallas, New Orleans
6 games: Buffalo, Detroit
5 games: Carolina, Kansas City, Minnesota, New England, San Diego, Washington
4 games: New York Giants, Philadelphia
3 games: Arizona, Cincinnati, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Miami, Oakland, Seattle
2 games: Baltimore, Cleveland, Jacksonville, New York Jets, Tampa Bay, Tennessee
1 game: Atlanta, Pittsburgh, San Francisco
0 games: Chicago, St. Louis
Allowed 28 or more points in a game and won
10 games: New Orleans
8 games: New York Giants
6 games: Atlanta, Baltimore, Houston, New England
5 games: Dallas, Denver, San Francisco
4 games: Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Philadelphia
3 games: Carolina, New York Jets, Tampa Bay, Washington
2 games: Jacksonville, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, San Diego, St. Louis, Tennessee
1 game: Arizona, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Miami, Oakland, Seattle
0: Kansas City
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99 Stats Until Kickoff (#66) Atlanta Falcons reach playoffs three consecutive years for first time in franchise history
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From May 30 and every day until September 5… the start of the 2013 NFL season… Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ will publish “99 Stats Until Kickoff” a daily dose of NFL stats that will get you ready for the 2013 NFL season.)
For the first time in franchise history the Atlanta Falcons made the playoffs in three straight seasons (2010, 2011, 2012). Going into the 2012 season, there were six franchises that had never made the playoffs in three straight seasons (more on that in a minute).
This past season’s 12 playoff teams consisted of eight teams that played in the playoffs in 2011 and four 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.
2012 playoff repeaters
Baltimore: Their fifth consecutive playoff appearance. The longest current streak.
Green Bay: Their fourth straight playoff appearance.
New England: Fourth straight playoff appearance.
Atlanta: First time they made the playoffs in three straight seasons.
Cincinnati: Second consecutive playoff appearance. They have never made the playoffs in three straight years. Could 2013 be the first time?
Denver: Second consecutive playoff appearance. The last time they made the playoffs in three straight years was 2003-05.
Houston: Second straight year in playoffs. They have never made the playoffs in three straight years. Will it happen in 2013?
San Francisco: Second straight year in the playoffs. Last time they made the playoffs in three straight seasons was 1996-98.
2012 playoff teams that did not make playoffs in 2011
Indianapolis: Their first playoff since after the 2010 season. The last time they made the playoffs in three straight years was 2008-10.
Minnesota: First playoff appearance since 2009. They have not made the playoffs in three straight years since 1998-2000.
Seattle: First playoff appearance since 2010. Last time they made the playoffs in three straight seasons was 2005-07.
Washington: First playoff appearance since 2007. The last time they made the playoffs in three straight years was 1990-92.
As mentioned above, there are now five franchises which have never made the NFL playoffs in three consecutive years. Those franchises are: Arizona, Carolina, Cincinnati, 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
Buffalo: 1991-93
Tennessee: 1991-93
Detroit: 1993-95
Kansas City: 1993-95
Dallas: 1994-96
Pittsburgh: 1995-97
Jacksonville: 1997-99
Miami: 1999-2001
St. Louis: 1999-2001
Oakland: 2000-02
Tampa Bay: 2000-02
San Diego: 2007-09
Philadelphia: 2008-10
New Orleans: 2009-11
N.Y. Giants: 2009-11
“99 Stats Before Kickoff” (Stats you need to know before the start of the 2013 NFL season) is available from e-book publisher Smashwords. Go to www.smashwords.com to download a copy, including a pdf version which can be viewed on your home computer. Cost is $2.99.
99 Stats Until Kickoff (#47) Scoreless at halftime… no problem!
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From May 30 and every day until September 5… the start of the 2013 NFL season… Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ will publish “99 Stats Until Kickoff” a daily dose of NFL stats that will get you ready for the 2013 NFL season.)
Let’s be honest, how many of you thought there was no way the Denver Broncos were going to come back and win the October 15 Monday Night Football game against the San Diego Chargers? Especially down 24-0, and the offense had five possessions resulting in four punts and a turnover. Oh, and did I mention the game was being played in San Diego?
Going into that contest, since 2000 a team that was held scoreless at halftime had won only 88 games and lost 521, a winning percentage of only .144. Not a good omen for the Broncos as they came out of the tunnel to start the third quarter.
There was one key factor to a possible Denver comeback, however… Peyton Manning (more on that in a moment).
First, consider that of the now 95 wins (since 2000) that have resulted after teams were held scoreless at halftime, the Denver Broncos won five of those games, tied for third most on the list. In fact, of the 32 NFL teams, the Broncos have the second-best record since 2000 in games when they have been held scoreless through the first two quarters. They are now 5-8, a .385 winning percentage.
Here’s a look at each teams’ record since 2000 in games where they were held scoreless at half.
(6 wins) Indianapolis 6-8 .429; Baltimore 6-19 .240
(5 wins) Denver 5-8 .385; New York Giants 5-11 .313; Carolina 5-15 .250; New York Jets 5-16 .238; Dallas 5-19 .208
(4 wins) Pittsburgh 4-10. 286; San Diego 4-16 .200; Washington 4-19 .174; Detroit 4-24 .143
(3 wins) New England 3-6 .333; Philadelphia 3-12 .200; Cincinnati 3-6 .158; Green Bay 3-10 .231; St. Louis 3-14 .176; Jacksonville 3-19 .136; Chicago 3-23 .115
(2 wins) Houston 2-13 .133; Tampa Bay 2-14 .125; Tennessee 2-15 .118; San Francisco 2-22 .083; Oakland 2-23 .080; Arizona 2-24 .077; Buffalo 2-27 .069; Cleveland 2-33 .057
(1 win) New Orleans 1-7 .125; Atlanta 1-14 .067; Minnesota 1-19 .050; Miami 1-23 .042
(0 wins) Seattle 0-17 .000; Kansas City 0-22 .000
I’m sure by now you noticed which team was at the top of the list, Indianapolis. And what do the Colts have in common with the Broncos? Manning was the QB in Indianapolis for those six wins where the Colts had no points at halftime.
Note: In games from 2000-2012, teams that were scoreless at halftime are now 95-538, a .150 winning percentage.
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