USA TODAY "If Defense wins Championships, Pack could be in Trouble"

[Bretsky]

this year will be a nice test
The answer is 1964
What is the question ???








When is the last time the 32nd rated defense won a NFL Championship

Source: NFL Network

Hopefully we'll be the new answer to that trivia question

[pbmax]

Everyone has already forgotten the Saints and Colts Super Bowl wins with less than stellar D play. This is not exactly a new trend.

[smuggler]

The top scoring defenses in the NFC are better than the top scoring defenses in the AFC, because the NFC is a noticeably stronger conference.

[Harlan Huckleby]

The problem is that the playoffs are different. Defenses shut down big-time offenses. Remember New England's nearly-undefeated season? The Jints stopped Brady and Company.

What you say has always been true, I just wonder if a corner has been turned. This season has been the full flowering of the pass happy NFL, where the running backs dress in seperate locker rooms with the practice squad guys, and QBs are inspected after games for bruises. Lets see what happens this weekend.

[swede]

What you say has always been true, I just wonder if a corner has been turned. This season has been the full flowering of the pass happy NFL, where the running backs dress in seperate locker rooms with the practice squad guys, and QBs are inspected after games for bruises.

Brush up that resume, Ziggy, your dream job awaits.

[Fritz]

I would put it this way:

You sometimes see defenses shutting down great offenses in the playoffs - see the Giants championship against the Pats.

It's harder for a great offense to score points in the playoffs than it is for a great defense to shut down an offense, even a great one.

[MJZiggy]

Brush up that resume, Ziggy, your dream job awaits.

I always knew there would be a role for me in the NFL someday!!

[Tarlam!]

It's harder for a great offense to score points in the playoffs than it is for a great defense to shut down an offense, even a great one.

What do you put this down to, Fritz?

[swede]

I would put it this way:

You sometimes see defenses shutting down great offenses in the playoffs - see the Giants championship against the Pats.

It's harder for a great offense to score points in the playoffs than it is for a great defense to shut down an offense, even a great one.

Well I can think of a number of great offenses and very few great defenses, so the great offenses are in luck that way.

[Tarlam!]

Well I can think of a number of great offenses and very few great defenses, so the great offenses are in luck that way.

It is for this very reason that I am looking forward to the Saints-49ers game. The 49ers defense has been highly touted this season, so we shall see what we shall see!

[denverYooper]

From the FO NFC Preview:

When this divisional round game was set after New Orleans defeated Detroit last Saturday, the first thought that crossed my mind was, "What does DVOA history say about playoff matchups between an elite offense and an elite defense?" I didn't think this happened all that often, but when I searched our database, I found a whopping 85 playoff games since 1992 with a top-eight offense going against a top-eight defense. In those games, the elite offense went 45-40. Of course, New Orleans will be on the road this Saturday, so what about that subset of games? The elite offense went 15-21 on the road. Now, better teams according to DVOA usually end up having a divisional round home game, so that record might just be a statistical artifact of home field advantage. So what about the subset of games where the elite offense is on the road but is actually the better team overall? In those 15 games, the elite offense went 8-7. All of this suggests that, in playoff matchups between immovable objects and irresistible forces, neither side has a historical advantage.

[Fritz]

Oh.

Never mind.

[MadtownPacker]

I think we can all rest assured now. Fritz gots his ball-less nutsack wound up all the way into his intestines so that means the Packers are gonna dominate those NY bitches!

[Fritz]

Taking one for the team.

[MJZiggy]

Taking one for the team.

I can help you get it fixed after the game if need be...