(See the companion piece, "Defenses target new standards of stingy")

 

In the raging pigskinferno that is the NFL, nothing burns more than getting shut out.

 

Stepping onto Soldier Field last Sunday, the Bills could feel the heat. Chicago's defense had been absolutely stifling at home, holding each of its last eight regular-season opponents under double digits. Visitors were averaging a mere 5.5 points.

 

The game was a homecoming of sorts for Dick Jauron, who had served as the Bears' head coach from 1999 to 2003. It was also taking place on the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, which began ravaging the city on a Sunday exactly 135 years prior (Oct. 10, 1871).

 

Now in his first year leading Buffalo, Jauron was charged with containing this latest blaze to sweep the Windy City – the 4-0 Bears. And the fact that he resembles Jim Carrey's old Fire Marshall Bill character didn't seem to help.

 

With less than three minutes remaining in the game, a shutout appeared inevitable. The Bills had been torched mercilessly all afternoon and were on the verge of a 40-0 defeat. But then, first-score aid arrived in the form of a fumble.

 

When Bears backup quarterback Brian Griese had trouble executing a handoff to Cedric Benson, Buffalo rookie linebacker Keith Ellison pounced on the loose ball. The Bills had their only takeaway of the day, and they promptly took advantage, driving 42 yards in seven plays for a touchdown with just over a minute left.

 

Scoring seven points when you're down 40 may seem quite meaningless, but you can bet that it meant something to Jauron and the Bills. Any fiery competitor wants to avoid the indignity of being shut out.

 

Through the first five weeks of this season, though, six teams have already been held scoreless. That's as many shutouts as there were all of last year. Here is a recap:

It isn't a case of the same powers or weaklings always being involved either. The Bills would have been the seventh different victim of a blanking, and the Bears would have become just the second team to post two shutouts, joining the Jaguars.

 

With six shutouts through Week 5, this season has seen the second-highest total since 1977 – the height of the Dead Ball Era – when there were 11 shutouts through the first five weeks, including five on opening weekend. That year, there were 25 shutouts, the most in league history. Of course, nearly a quarter of them came at the expense of the Buccaneers, who went scoreless six times in their second year of existence. You may recall that 1977 was the one and only season of the immortal Randy Hedberg, the rookie QB whose struggles (and 0.0 passer rating) were detailed here recently. The Bucs that year set a modern record for offensive futility, scoring a nearly unbelievable 7.4 PPG.

 

To see how 2006 compares to previous years, we break down the seven seasons that have started with the most shutouts:

 

 

With the two highest shutout totals having occurred in 1976 and 1977, it's no surprise that the NFL liberalized its passing rules the following year. It's also interesting to note that 1974 saw the third-most shutouts (18), but that season didn't make our chart because only five of them occurred during the first five weeks.

 

Since the start of the Live Ball Era in 1978, the high mark for shutouts has been 15. That happened in 1992, tying for fifth-most ever.

 

So far in 2006, there have been six shutouts through 74 games, which equates to 8.1 percent. If they were to continue happening at that rate, this season would establish a new record for the Live Ball Era, with 20 or more shutouts being registered.

 

Beyond teams getting blanked, scoring has been down across the league. In each of the previous four seasons, the average points scored per game was well over 41. This year, it is barely more than 39.

 

For another indication, consider what ESPN has witnessed in its first year carrying Monday Night Football: A team has been held without a touchdown on every Monday so far this season. In addition to the zeroes posted by the Raiders and Steelers, three other losing squads have combined for just five field goals:

This noticeable decrease in scoring is certainly not a welcomed sight to television networks or fantasy football participants. But pigskin purists like the Cold, Hard Football Facts are basking in its warm glow.