Number 1 defenses

[mcan]

Let's take a look at all the number 1 defenses the last 20ish years, and how that team fared in the postseason. (rankings are for Points, not yards).

2005 Chicago Bears
-Lost to Carolina in Divisional round of the playoffs.
-Offense was ranked 26th

2004 Pittsburgh Steelers
-Lost to Patriots in AFC Championship game.
-Offense was ranked 11th

2003 New England Patriots
-Won the SuperBowl
-Offense was ranked 12th

2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
-Won the SuperBowl
-Offense was ranked 18th

2001 Chicago Bears
-Lost to Philidelphia in the Divisional round of the playoffs
-Offense was ranked 11th

2000 Baltimore Ravens
-Won the SuperBowl
-Offense was ranked 14th

1999 Jacksonville Jaguars
-Lost AFC Championship game to the Titans
-Offense was ranked 6th

1998 Miami Dolphins
-Lost to Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
-Offense was ranked 16th

1997 Kansas City Chiefs
-Lost to Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
-Offense was ranked 6th

1996 Green Bay Packers
-Won the SuperBowl
-Offense was ranked 1st

1995 Kansas City Chiefs
-Lost to Indianapolis in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
-Offense was ranked 12th

1994 Cleveland Browns
-Lost to Pittsburgh in the Divisional round of the playoffs.
-Offense was ranked 11th

1993 New York Giants
-Lost to San Fransisco in the Divisional round of the playoffs.
-Offense was ranked 18th

1992 New Orleans Saints
-Lost to Philidelphia in the Wildcard Round of the playoffs.
-Offense was ranked 10th

1991 New Orleans Saints
-Lost to Atlanta in the Wildcard Round of the playoffs.
-Offense was ranked 8th

1990 New York Giants
-Won the SuperBowl
-Offense was ranked 15th

1989 Denver Broncos
-Lost to San Fransisco in the SuperBowl
-Offense was ranked 9th

1988 Chicago Bears
-Lost to San Fransisco in the NFC Championship game
-Offense was ranked 18th

1987 Indianapolis Colts
-Lost to Cleveland in the Divisional round of the playoffs
-Offense was ranked 18th

1986 Chicago Bears
-Lost to Washington in the Divisional Round of the playoffs
-Offense was ranked 13th

1985 Chicago Bears
-Won the SuperBowl
-Offense was ranked 2nd


What can we determine?
-All of these teams made the playoffs.
-7 of these 21 teams made it to the SuperBowl
-6 of these 21 teams WON the SuperBowl
-The average offensive rank for the teams NOT advancing to the SuperBowl = 13.14
-The average offensive rank for the teams that DID advance to the SuperBowl = 10.14
-Chicago has fielded the top defense 5 times!


Discuss...

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Do we have a similar chart with top offenses? If not, then there really isn't much of a standard of comparison, because we all know that being #1 in a category is good, but how good is this category relative to others?

[mcan]

Do we have a similar chart with top offenses? If not, then there really isn't much of a standard of comparison, because we all know that being #1 in a category is good, but how good is this category relative to others?


I was in the process of making it... It's another thread. I'm going to go back and just do the SuperBowl teams now. See how they stack up.

[PastorMikH]

Kinda sorta looks like you can't just have an O or a D. You really need both. Something our coaching staff hasn't seen or understood in years.

[htismaqe]

#1 defense doesn't mean anything.

Go back and look at the top 10 run defenses over the last 20 years.

Off the top of my head TWO Super Bowl winners in the last 20 years weren't in the top 10 vs. the run.

[Psyko Tek]

chicago has had some gereat defenses,
but they are playing in the NFC North
that's a couple of patsies a year

[noa]

Tampa Bay was the #1 defense in 2005 according to this: http://www.nfl.com/stats/teamsort/NFL/DEF-TOTAL/2005/regular?sort_col_1=4

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Tampa Bay was the #1 defense in 2005 according to this: http://www.nfl.com/stats/teamsort/NFL/DEF-TOTAL/2005/regular?sort_col_1=4

They were also the #1 offense in terms of opposing team's cheerleaders scoring average with each other....

And yet, they lost in the first round :hmmm:

[noa]

They were also the #1 offense in terms of opposing team's cheerleaders scoring average with each other....

And yet, they lost in the first round :hmmm:


That's an injustice. Its also a stat the Chiefs should try to emulate (except for the whole losing in the first round thing).

[mcan]

Tampa Bay was the #1 defense in 2005 according to this: http://www.nfl.com/stats/teamsort/NFL/DEF-TOTAL/2005/regular?sort_col_1=4


Yardage stats are misleading at best, and total junk at worst. I used points for and against to determine the rankings.