Are bad games by definition low-scoring games?

[Rain Man]

I was pondering this in light of the alleged game last night.

We obviously had poor play by the offenses, and nobody crossed the goal line. It's hard to tell if the defenses were good or bad because the offenses were self-destructing without much work by the defenses.

Then we hear this morning in the media about other "bad games" in NFL history, and they're always games where a smattering of field goals was the only scoring.

So I have a two-part question based on that discussion.

First, if you have a game that ends up with a 59-48 score, either the offenses were completely dominant or the defenses were terrible. Is that a "bad game"? Or is a bad game solely the realm of bad offenses?

Second, if you have a game that ends up with a 12-9 score, is it always a bad game? Can you have a game where the defenses are amazing and they're shutting down adequate offenses? Is that a good game?

Last night's game was obviously bad, and after thinking about it, I've concluded that it was bad in large part because the two quarterbacks spent a lot of time chucking the ball into empty parts of the field or into the sidelines. Is that what's really the identifier of a bad game? I can kind of see that, because it's a non-productive play that probably wasn't the result of good defense and probably was the result of uncontested errors that essentially waste time.

What do you think? What's the driving force that makes a bad game a bad game?

[zigbazah]

i think it's pretty childish if someone can only enjoy a game where every drive is a touchdown. last night's game was particularly sloppy offensively, but not every game needs to be 49-42.

[kccrow]

My definition of a good game lies in:

1. The teams combine for at least 31 points and no more than 65 points.
2. The point margin during any point of the game is <= 14.
3. Penalties did not dictate the outcome.

In this way, the game is never too far out of reach and there has to be some ability by the teams to score and stop each other.

If it falls outside of that range, for me, it's a bad game in some way. One of the teams, at minimum, was completely inept in one facet of the game or another.

If I look at last night, both offenses were complete shit and it wasn't really because the defenses played otherworldly. If I were ever to consider a 12-9 game good, it'd have to be an extreme outlier as if the 2000 Ravens played the 2002 Bucs.

[irafreak]

It's all a matter of opinion. Give me a solid defensive battle. Watching big plays because defenders are falling down and out of position is only fun when the chiefs are profiting from it. Otherwise shitty football sucks.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by kccrow

My definition of a good game lies in:

1. The teams combine for at least 31 points and no more than 65 points.
2. The point margin during any point of the game is <= 14.
3. Penalties did not dictate the outcome.

In this way, the game is never too far out of reach and there has to be some ability by the teams to score and stop each other.

If it falls outside of that range, for me, it's a bad game in some way. One of the teams, at minimum, was completely inept in one facet of the game or another.

If I look at last night, both offenses were complete shit and it wasn't really because the defenses played otherworldly. If I were ever to consider a 12-9 game good, it'd have to be an extreme outlier as if the 2000 Ravens played the 2002 Bucs.

So what's your take on SB 28-3?

All your hallmarks of a bad game [well JUST short of >65pts], and objectively one of the most epic and gripping games ever played, and I don't even like either of the teams a little bit.

[kccrow]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

So what's your take on SB 28-3?

All your hallmarks of a bad game [well JUST short of >65pts], and objectively one of the most epic and gripping games ever played, and I don't even like either of the teams a little bit.

One team played horribly in each half. Just because the end was dramatic doesn't make it a great game to me.

Kind of the same thing with the Chiefs on their SB run. Texans team played good and lucky for a quarter then got absolutely dominated the remainder of the game. It was good for us, obviously, as fans and winning. Not a good game. It was really just a blowout.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Zebedee DuBois

Americans Like Scoring.

Its one reason the other football game, sometimes called soccer, has trouble catching on.

Not speaking for all Americans, but I think a large part of the boring nature of soccer is they lack of scoring chances.... I think it would be a lot more exciting if you saw 20 or 30 shots on goal, even if only 1 or 2 went in.

Imagine if football had 30 yard downs, so once you got inside the 30, you had 4 chances to score a TD (for the most part) or else that was it.... the play between the 20s would largely look the same, except the number of reasonable scoring chances would go way down. That's soccer.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by kccrow

One team played horribly in each half. Just because the end was dramatic doesn't make it a great game to me.

Kind of the same thing with the Chiefs on their SB run. Texans team played good and lucky for a quarter then got absolutely dominated the remainder of the game. It was good for us, obviously, as fans and winning. Not a good game. It was really just a blowout.

I disagree.

A game, any game, is essentially a contrived situation to reveal human nature.

And the 28-3 game revealed the vagaries and complexities of human nature in ways seldom seen in human history, in a compelling and gripping way.

It can be interesting to see a team executing the perfect game plan for the entire 60 minutes. It can be interesting to see evenly-matched teams walk a tightrope to see who blinks first.

But this game showed both how one team can overcome vast obstables placed in their way AND how another team can crumble even with vast factors in their favor.

And it shows how sharp the edge is between success and failure. Things that are reliable can crumble and things that are underachieving can buck up and crack down.

And each and every play you don't know what's going to happen until the moment it does.

You could write a new book of The Bible from the events and lessons of that game.

Pretty good for a 3 hour improv drama.

[tyecopeland]

The Seahawks lions game last week is a good counter point game.

It was in my opinion a bad game because neither defense was competent. But it was more entertaining to me than the shit show that was last night's game.

[tk13]

It was a bad game because both teams had offensive chances and their QBs made all kinds of mistakes.

It's different when you're watching the 2000 Ravens vs the 2000 Steelers and both teams have elite defenses full of talent flying all over the field making plays. There aren't many defenses like that today though.

[Best22]

Originally Posted by Zebedee DuBois

Americans Like Scoring.

Its one reason the other football game, sometimes called soccer, has trouble catching on.

Defensive football games are (and especially used to be) more exciting than 1-1 soccer games because of all the hitting

Battles between CB and WR, sacks, trucks, athletic catches/picks and big hits make even a 14-10 football game gunner to watch than a 1-1 soccer game.

[scho63]

If a game is all great defense, I can easily get into a low scoring game.

But if it's a mistake laden, penalty filled, bad passing, many drops, injuries, bad calls, missed FGs, and fumbles like Thursday's shit show, then it's a real miserable watch. The game thread made it fun and bearable as it turned into a joke.

[CatfishBob2]

Originally Posted by scho63

If a game is all great defense, I can easily get into a low scoring game.

But if it's a mistake laden, penalty filled, bad passing, many drops, injuries, bad calls, missed FGs, and fumbles like Thursday's shit show, then it's a real miserable watch. The game thread made it fun and bearable as it turned into a joke.

I was just about to say this, but I'll also say I'll turn off a high scoring game if it's filled with busted assignments, poor tackling and no effort on defense

[Bl00dyBizkitz]

Originally Posted by kccrow

One team played horribly in each half. Just because the end was dramatic doesn't make it a great game to me.

Kind of the same thing with the Chiefs on their SB run. Texans team played good and lucky for a quarter then got absolutely dominated the remainder of the game. It was good for us, obviously, as fans and winning. Not a good game. It was really just a blowout.

The only entertaining part was the "comeback" aspect, which lasted one quarter. There has to be something that keeps the game entertaining for all 4 quarters.

Chiefs vs Buffalo in the Divisional was an example of a "perfect game" Both teams were equally skilled and it was close from beginning to end.

[jd1020]

I would say with how little defenses are allowed to actually play in todays NFL, the only reason a game is low scoring is because its a bad game. A low scoring game doesnt have to be bad, but right now it is. A good offense playing well shouldn't have trouble scoring.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by jd1020

I would say with how little defenses are allowed to actually play in todays NFL, the only reason a game is low scoring is because its a bad game. A low scoring game doesnt have to be bad, but right now it is. A good offense playing well shouldn't have trouble scoring.

That's a really good observation.