Official release from the NFL
THE NFL... HOPE IS ALIVE!
Every year the NFL is full of excitement and surprise. Take the 2009 season, for example.
Passing records broken...historic rushing milestones reached... the Colts and Saints flirting with perfection...new teams making the playoffs... impact rookies... and it all came down to Week 17 with 17 teams still in Super Bowl XLIV contention!
The 2010 season should be no different. Every team enters the new year with hope!
"Any time you get a win in this league, it's big," says Indianapolis Colts head coach JIM CALDWELL, whose club opened the 2009 season with a 14-game winning streak.
Last season, six teams - Cincinnati, Dallas, Green Bay, New England, New Orleans and the New York Jets- made the playoffs that were not in the postseason the year before. That marked the 14th consecutive season in which at least five teams (out of 12) accomplished the feat.
|
SEASON |
PLAYOFF TEAMS NOT IN PREVIOUS SEASON'S PLAYOFFS |
|
1996 |
5 (Carolina, Denver, Jacksonville, Minnesota, New England) |
|
1997 |
5 (Detroit, Kansas City, Miami, New York Giants, Tampa Bay) |
|
1998 |
5 (Arizona, Atlanta, Buffalo, Dallas, New York Jets) |
|
1999 |
7 (Detroit, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Washington) |
|
2000 |
6 (Baltimore, Denver, New Orleans, New York Giants, Oakland, Philadelphia) |
|
2001 |
6 (Chicago, Green Bay, New England, New York Jets, Pittsburgh, San Francisco) |
|
2002 |
5 (Atlanta, Cleveland, Indianapolis, New York Giants, Tennessee) |
|
2003 |
8 (Baltimore, Carolina, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, New England, St. Louis, Seattle) |
|
2004 |
5 (Atlanta, Minnesota, New York Jets, Pittsburgh, San Diego) |
|
2005 |
7 (Carolina, Chicago, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, New York Giants, Tampa Bay, Washington) |
|
2006 |
7 (Baltimore, Dallas, Kansas City, New Orleans, New York Jets, Philadelphia, San Diego) |
|
2007 |
6 (Green Bay, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Washington) |
|
2008 |
7 (Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Carolina, Miami, Minnesota, Philadelphia) |
|
2009 |
6 (Cincinnati, Dallas, Green Bay, New England, New Orleans, New York Jets) |
New Orleans rebounded to win the NFC South after a last-place finish in 2008. This marked the NFL-record seventh consecutive season that a team went from "worst-to-first" in its division. Of the 32 teams to go from "worst-to-first" in NFL annals, 15 of them have done so in the past 10 years (2000-2009).
THE NFL IS SO UNPREDICTABLE THAT IN 2009...
Nothing exhibits the unpredictability of the NFL more than the tightness of NFL games:
- "You only get 16 games and you never know what can happen in the National Football League," saysMonday Night FootballanalystJON GRUDEN. In 2009, 34 percent were decided in the last two minutes or overtime. In 14 percent of the games, apotentialgame-winning/tying drive oractualgame-winning drive reached the red zone with two minutes to go.
Games continued to be this close. Nearly 65% were within one score in the fourth quarter:
|
GAMES DECIDED BY ONE SCORE |
|
GAMES WITHIN ONE SCORE AT ANY POINT IN 4TH QUARTER |
||||
|
POINTS |
GAMES |
PCT. |
|
POINTS |
GAMES |
PCT. |
|
8 or Less |
120 of 256 |
46.9% |
|
8 or Less |
166 of 256 |
64.8% |
|
7 or Less |
110 of 256 |
42.9% |
|
7 or Less |
160 of 256 |
62.5% |
|
3 or Less |
54 of 256 |
21.1% |
|
3 or Less |
113 of 256 |
44.1% |
- There werefive new division winners- Cincinnati, Dallas, Indianapolis, New England, and New Orleans - on the heels of the recording-tying six from 2008 (since realignment in 2002).
"It's so funny how things can change in a week in this league," says running back THOMAS JONES of the Kansas City Chiefs.
- The outstanding competition on the field kept fans tuning in on TV. ESPN, FOX, NBC and NFL Network each had its most-viewed NFL season ever, while CBS had its most-watched season ever with the AFC package.
- Super Bowl XLIV reached atotal audienceof 153.4 million viewers, making it themost-watched show in U.S. television historyaccording to Nielsen Media Research.
KICKOFF WEEKEND RECORDS OF NFL TEAMS
|
|
|
|
|
|
Longest Streaks |
|
|
|
|
|
Longest Streaks |
||||
|
AFC |
W |
L |
T |
Pct. |
Win |
Loss |
Current |
NFC |
W |
L |
T |
Pct. |
Win |
Loss |
Current |
|
Denver |
32 |
17 |
1 |
.653 |
4 |
4 |
W-3 |
Dallas |
34 |
15 |
1 |
.694 |
17 |
5 |
W-3 |
|
Jacksonville |
9 |
6 |
0 |
.600 |
6 |
3 |
L-3 |
N.Y. Giants |
48 |
32 |
5 |
.600 |
4 |
3 |
W-2 |
|
San Diego |
29 |
21 |
0 |
.580 |
6 |
6 |
W-1 |
Chicago |
50 |
35 |
5 |
.588 |
9 |
6 |
L-1 |
|
Pittsburgh |
39 |
32 |
4 |
.549 |
7 |
3 |
W-7 |
Minnesota |
28 |
20 |
1 |
.583 |
5 |
3 |
W-1 |
|
Miami |
23 |
20 |
1 |
.535 |
11 |
5 |
L-4 |
Green Bay |
50 |
36 |
3 |
.581 |
5 |
6 |
W-3 |
|
Indianapolis |
34 |
31 |
1 |
.523 |
8 |
8 |
W-1 |
Atlanta |
24 |
20 |
0 |
.545 |
5 |
3 |
W-2 |
|
Kansas City |
26 |
24 |
0 |
.520 |
7 |
4 |
L-4 |
Detroit |
42 |
36 |
2 |
.538 |
10 |
4 |
L-2 |
|
New England |
26 |
24 |
0 |
.520 |
6 |
3 |
W-6 |
St. Louis |
38 |
34 |
0 |
.528 |
5 |
6 |
L-3 |
|
Tennessee |
26 |
24 |
0 |
.520 |
4 |
3 |
L-1 |
San Francisco |
31 |
28 |
1 |
.525 |
5 |
3 |
W-1 |
|
Oakland |
24 |
26 |
0 |
.480 |
5 |
7 |
L-7 |
Washington |
37 |
37 |
4 |
.500 |
6 |
5 |
L-2 |
|
Cleveland |
27 |
30 |
0 |
.474 |
5 |
6 |
L-5 |
Philadelphia |
31 |
44 |
1 |
.413 |
5 |
9 |
W-2 |
|
Cincinnati |
19 |
23 |
0 |
.452 |
4 |
4 |
L-2 |
Arizona |
35 |
52 |
2 |
.402 |
6 |
7 |
L-1 |
|
N.Y. Jets |
22 |
28 |
0 |
.440 |
3 |
5 |
W-2 |
Carolina |
6 |
9 |
0 |
.400 |
3 |
4 |
L-1 |
|
Baltimore |
6 |
8 |
0 |
.429 |
2 |
4 |
W-2 |
Tampa Bay |
13 |
21 |
0 |
.382 |
3 |
5 |
L-4 |
|
Buffalo |
20 |
30 |
0 |
.400 |
6 |
5 |
L-1 |
Seattle |
12 |
22 |
0 |
.353 |
3 |
8 |
W-1 |
|
Houston |
3 |
5 |
0 |
.375 |
2 |
3 |
L-2 |
New Orleans |
15 |
28 |
0 |
.349 |
2 |
6 |
W-2 |
FROM WORST TO FIRST
Competitive balance in the NFL is so strong that a team going from "worst-to-first" in its division is becoming an annual tradition. For the seventh consecutive season - an NFL record - at least one team has finished in first place in their division the season after finishing in last place. In fact, out of the 32 teams in NFL annals to go from "worst-to-first," 15 of them have done so in the past 10 years (2000-09), including an NFL-record three such teams in 2006.
One of the teams to make the remarkable turnaround in 2006 did so again in 2009...all the way to a Super Bowl victory. The New Orleans Saints, whose 8-8 record saw them finish last in the NFC South in 2008, improved by five wins en route to a 13-3 record and a division title for the second time in four seasons. The Saints also became just the third to go from "worst-to-first" and cap the season with a win in the Super Bowl, following the 1999 St. Louis Rams and 2001New England Patriots.
"One of your early goals is to win your division and generally that's the first way to get in the playoffs," says New Orleans Saints head coach SEAN PAYTON. "So we were pleased with that."
The teams to go from "worst-to-first" in their division since 2000:
|
SEASON |
TEAM |
RECORD |
PRIOR SEASON RECORD |
|
2000 |
New Orleans |
10-6 |
3-13 |
|
2001 |
Chicago |
13-3 |
5-11 |
|
2001 |
New England** |
11-5 |
5-11 |
|
2003 |
Carolina |
11-5 |
7-9 |
|
2003 |
Kansas City |
13-3 |
8-8* |
|
2004 |
Atlanta |
11-5 |
5-11 |
|
2004 |
San Diego |
12-4 |
4-12* |
|
2005 |
Chicago |
11-5 |
5-11 |
|
2005 |
Tampa Bay |
11-5 |
5-11 |
|
2006 |
Baltimore |
13-3 |
6-10* |
|
2006 |
New Orleans |
10-6 |
3-13 |
|
2006 |
Philadelphia |
10-6 |
6-10 |
|
2007 |
Tampa Bay |
9-7 |
4-12 |
|
2008 |
Miami |
11-5 |
1-15 |
|
2009 |
New Orleans** |
13-3 |
8-8 |
|
* Tied for last place ** Won Super Bowl |
|||
KICKOFF WEEKEND RECORDS OF NFL HEAD COACHES
AFC HEAD COACHES |
NFC HEAD COACHES |
||||
|
Team |
Coach |
W-L |
Team |
Coach |
W-L |
|
Baltimore |
John Harbaugh |
2-0 |
Arizona |
Ken Whisenhunt |
1-2 |
|
Buffalo |
Chan Gailey |
2-0 |
Atlanta |
Mike Smith |
2-0 |
|
Cincinnati |
Marvin Lewis |
2-5 |
Carolina |
John Fox |
4-4 |
|
Cleveland |
Eric Mangini |
2-2 |
Chicago |
Lovie Smith |
2-4 |
|
Denver |
Josh McDaniels |
1-0 |
Dallas |
Wade Phillips |
5-3 |
|
Houston |
Gary Kubiak |
1-3 |
Detroit |
Jim Schwartz |
0-1 |
|
Indianapolis |
Jim Caldwell |
1-0 |
Green Bay |
Mike McCarthy |
3-1 |
|
Jacksonville |
Jack Del Rio |
3-4 |
Minnesota |
Brad Childress |
3-1 |
|
Kansas City |
Todd Haley |
0-1 |
New Orleans |
Sean Payton |
3-1 |
|
Miami |
Tony Sparano |
0-2 |
N.Y. Giants |
Tom Coughlin |
9-5 |
|
New England |
Bill Belichick |
9-6 |
Philadelphia |
Andy Reid |
5-6 |
|
N.Y. Jets |
Rex Ryan |
1-0 |
St. Louis |
Steve Spagnuolo |
0-1 |
|
Oakland |
Tom Cable |
0-1 |
San Francisco |
Mike Singletary |
1-0 |
|
Pittsburgh |
Mike Tomlin |
3-0 |
Seattle |
Pete Carroll |
3-1 |
|
San Diego |
Norv Turner |
5-7 |
Tampa Bay |
Raheem Morris |
0-1 |
|
Tennessee |
Jeff Fisher |
9-6 |
Washington |
Mike Shanahan |
12-4 |