Final 2005 Bendability Index

Cold, Hard Football Facts for Jul 18, 2006

Here's how teams rated in the Bendability Index in 2005. Its offensive counterpart, the Scoreability Index, can be found here.

The Bendability Index is obtained by dividing the number of yards allowed on defense by the number of points surrendered, yielding Yards Per Point Allowed. Teams with high YPPA numbers are those which opposing offenses must work hardest to score upon.

The Bendability Index is not purely a defensive yardstick. It is, instead, a great barometer of team success, of overall team strength and efficiency. It is a function of many team-wide factors, including general defensive strength, special teams proficiency, turnover differential and Red Zone defense.

The Bendability Index compiles all these factors into a simple and easy-to-understand number. NFC North champion Chicago, for example, forced opponents to generate an amazing 22.32 yards for every 1 point the Bears surrendered. The spineless Tennessee defense, meanwhile, surrendered a point after allowing a mere 12.14 yards.

The difference is more startling when put into terms of touchdowns: Chicago's opponents needed 133.92 yards of offense to score a TD. Tennessee's opponents needed just 72.84 yards of offense.

Most importantly, the Bendability Index is a "Stat That Matters." It is generally a more accurate indicator of overall team strength than total defense or scoring defense.

2005 BENDABILITY INDEX (playoff teams in bold italics)

Team	Yards	Points	Yards Per Point Allowed
*Chicago*	4509	202	22.32
*Indianapolis*	4913	247	19.89
*Denver*	5006	258	19.40
*Seattle*	5069	271	18.70
*Pittsburgh*	4544	258	17.61
*Carolina*	4522	259	17.46
*Jacksonville*	4655	269	17.30
Cleveland	5069	301	16.84
*N.Y. Giants*	5240	314	16.69
*Washington*	4767	293	16.27
*Tampa Bay*	4444	274	16.23
Kansas City	5249	325	16.15
Miami	5078	317	16.02
San Diego	4948	312	15.86
*New England*	5283	338	15.63
Dallas	4814	308	15.63
*Cincinnati*	5419	350	15.48
Atlanta	5200	341	15.25
Baltimore	4555	299	15.23
Minnesota	5173	344	15.04
Buffalo	5496	367	14.98
Detroit	5158	345	14.95
San Francisco	6259	428	14.62
N.Y. Jets	4940	355	13.92
Oakland	5292	383	13.82
Green Bay	4690	344	13.63
Houston	5824	431	13.51
Philadelphia	5206	388	13.42
St. Louis	5602	429	13.06
New Orleans	4994	398	12.55
Arizona	4729	387	12.22
Tennessee	5110	421	12.14

By Kerry Byrne

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