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The New England Patriots were the NFL’s leading offensive team in 2012, ranking first in points scored and first in yards gained. They were also ranked the number one team in a new offensive stat that measured the offensive efficiency of each team. The Pats ranked first in the league in POP Score rankings for 2012.

POP Score is based on the simple premise that it is the offensive team’s objective to score a touchdown (or at the least, kick a field goal) in each possession. POP Score stands for Points per Offensive Possession.

Here’s how it works: The Falcons in Week One had nine possessions in their game. On four of the possessions, they scored a touchdown. On four of their possessions they kicked a field goal. They punted once. They scored 24 points on their four TDs (extra points are not included in Pop Score); 12 points on their four field goals. The Atlanta offense scored 36 points on nine possessions. By dividing the 36 points by the nine possessions, you get a POP Score of 4.0. Maximum POP Score is 6.0, which would indicate that a team scored a touchdown every time they had an offensive possession.)

Notice that eight of the 12 teams that made the playoffs last season are ranked in the top 12 teams in this category.

Here’s a look at the POP Score rankings for the 2012 regular season.

• Team, POP Score, (Season Offensive Scores/Possessions)
• New England 2.53 (89 scores in 177 possessions)
• New York Giants 2.21 (77 scores in 164 possessions)
• Atlanta 2.17 (77 scores in 167 possessions)
• Denver 2.14 (75 scores in 174 possessions)
• Washington 2.11 (71 scores in 168 possessions)
• Seattle 2.09 (67 scores in 157 possessions)
• New Orleans 2.08 (71 scores in 179 possessions)
• Green Bay 2.06 (70 scores in 173 possessions)
• San Francisco 1.98 (68 scores in 168 possessions)
• Dallas 1.86 (66 scores in 166 possessions)
• Baltimore 1.83 (69 scores in 177 possessions)
• Minnesota 1.82 (69 scores in 171 possessions)
• Tampa Bay 1.81 (68 scores in 179 possessions)
• Carolina 1.8 (57 scores in 163 possessions)
• Cincinnati 1.8 (69 scores in 180 possessions)
• Houston 1.78 (72 scores in 190 possessions)
• Detroit 1.73 (70 scores in 187 possessions)
• Indianapolis 1.68 (60 scores in 168 possessions)
• Pittsburgh 1.64 (62 scores in 177 possessions)
• Buffalo 1.58 (57 scores in 177 possessions)
• Chicago 1.56 (59 scores in 174 possessions)
• San Diego 1.51 (55 scores in 169 possessions)
• Oakland 1.47 (59 scores in 177 possessions)
• Philadelphia 1.41 (55 scores in 176 possessions)
• Miami 1.41 (51 scores in 168 possessions)
• Cleveland 1.4 (57 scores in 182 possessions)
• Tennessee 1.32 (52 scores in 179 possessions)
• St. Louis 1.32 (49 scores in 171 possessions)
• New York Jets 1.21 (47 scores in 181 possessions)
• Jacksonville 1.15 (50 scores in 187 possessions)
• Kansas City 1.04 (45 scores in 178 possessions)
• Arizona 1.0 (46 scores in 201 possessions)

NFL POP Score league average for 2012: 1.7

“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.