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At this point in the season, many bad teams are looking at how they can be like the autumn tree leaves and change. Players, coaches and even front office personnel ride the merry-go-round in and out of town for some teams every year, yet some teams are continually bad. If a team wants to know why they are bad, they should look at two key offensive statistics. The first and perhaps most telling statistic is completion percentage. Teams who can execute an aerial attack give themselves a good chance to win games. The Colts are on top of this statistic at 69.9 percent. The Saints are right behind them at 68.4. These teams also have top records. Next come the Steelers (68.0) then Vikings (67.6), with both teams on track to make the playoffs. These four teams are a combined 32-4. An incomplete pass at best results in a loss of down. The teams worst in completion percentage are not surprising either. The Browns are the lowest at 47.3 percent with the Raiders only a tad better at 48.1. Wins on Sunday are rare around these two cities seeing how 26 teams have as many or more wins as their combined total. The Bucs (51.7) and Jets (52.8) come next, but at least these two teams can blame their low numbers on rookie quarterbacks. The next stat builds from the previous one, however it is still important. The number of first downs per game seems to explain a lot. In an ironic twist the top team in this category has recently come under major scrutiny for trying to move the chains. Yes, the Patriots take the first place averaging 23.7 first downs per game. The Colts and Saints are tied for second with 22.2. The teams with the least amount of average first downs per game are as predictable as guessing “Duke” Vitale’s favorite conference. The Raiders (12.1) edge out the Browns (12.7) for the last place, with the Bills (14.4) being the third worst. The numbers don’t lie. A team that does not complete passes probably won’t get many first downs. Few first downs lead to not much ball movement, which results in little if any points on the board. Not being able to score ends in not being able to win. This is why a bad offense can be blamed for a bad record.
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