Scoreability

 

Highly efficient offenses in 2010 made for great regular seasons ... but not so much luck in the playoffs.

 

New England finished No. 1 in Scoreability, with an incredible 11.24 Yards Per Point Scored. They topped the AFC, with a 14-2 record. Atlanta finished No. 2 in Scoreability, with 13.18 Yards Per Point Scored. They topped the NFC, with a 13-3 record.

 

Of course, this efficiency didn't help either team in the playoffs: both were bounced, at home, in the divisional round, failing to win even a single postseason game.

 

Overall, though, dominance in efficiency (as measured by Scoreability and Bendability) led to dominance on the scoreboard. In fact, Scoreability-Bendability had the highest Correlation to Victory of any of our Quality Stats: teams that won the efficiency battle in 2010 went an incredible 216-40 (84.4%).

 

The 2010 Patriots, by the way, fll just shy of the Scoreability (since we started keeping track in 2004) record set by the famous 2007 Patriots. The 2010 team needed 11.24 Yards Per Point Scored; the 2007 Patriots set the standard with 11.17 Yards Per Point Scored.

 

Finally, to understand the importance of scoring efficiency, look at the top and bottom teams in the league in terms of yards needed to produce seven points.

 

The top-ranked 2010 Patriots (11.24 YPPS) needed a breezy 78.7 yards to score the equivalent of a touchdown and extra point. There was little wasted effort in that offense.

 

The 32nd-ranked 2010 Panthers (21.1 YPPS) needed a daunting 147.7 yards simply to score the equivalent of a touchdown and extra point. The team ranked last in scoring offense, largely because they had a lot of wasted, empty yards that turned up nothing.

 

Oh, and it's no coincidence that the most efficient offense in 2010 belonged to the team with the best record in football, and that the least efficient offense in 2010 belonged to the team with the worst record in football.