The Steelers, the top ranked defense in the NFL 2011, had given up exactly 2 passes of 40+ yards all season (league low). Until they met the Broncos. Though the game winning play was not a bomb (but it sure went for 82 yards), it counts as 40+. After that last long one, the Steelers completed their embarrassment- 4 passes for over 40 yards completed. The Broncos averaged 31.6 yards on each completed pass- all 10 of them. That's nuts.
Since we have a bunch of rocket launchers for playoff teams this year, just who is set up for getting burned? The Packers, Patriots, Saints and Giants are the 4 worst pass defenses in the league.
Giving up the Big One 40+ Yards
New Orleans - 14 (led league)
Broncos- 13
San Francisco- 12
Packers- 10
Patriots- 9
Ravens- 8
Giants- 7
Texans -6
Giving up the Pretty Big One- 20+ Yards
Patriots- 79
Packers- 71
Giants- 60
Saints- 49
49ers- 48
Broncos- 46
Ravens- 46
Texans- 45
OFFENSE: completions of 40+ made
Giants- 18
Packers- 16
Patriots- 14
Saints- 11
Texans- 11 (but no Matt Schaub, right?)
Broncos- 8
Ravens- 7
49ers- 6
It's BOMBS AWAY in this league.
Looks like a wild game in New England on Saturday. Saints-49ers should be exciting, with Brees getting the big one multiple times (unless Aldon Smith goes sack happy), Green Bay- Giants should be a festival of frozen spheroids hurtling in the air, and Baltimore-Houston should be about 6-3 and the most boring playoff game of 2011. Maybe the last 10 years.
As Walkfish pointed out yesterday, no team with a lower than 8th ranking in defense has ever won the Super Bowl (2006 Colts). If we use that as the yardstick...
Best to worst D in the playoffs, and their season rank
Texans (2)
Ravens (3)
49ers (4)
Broncos (20)
Saints (24)
Giants (27)
Patriots (31)
Packers (32)
Lots of teams with suspect D have reached the Super Bowl, but they don't win it. Looks bad for the Pack, Pats, Giants, Saints and Broncos. 49ers have trouble scoring, and the object of the game is to score more than the other team. Texans need small miracle, with their 14th string QB, to get by the Ravens, so....just going by the stats...
Super Bowl
Ravens- Saints
(Packers have no running game at all, I'm sorry)
Ravens win.
However, this may be the year that stat (nobody below 8th D ever won) gets blown up.
Tee Up the Ball!!
