Quote:
Originally Posted by duncan_idaho
To answer your first question: It looks like the answer is simply "more possessions." More plays doesn't automatically mean a team can't get off the field... They didn't have trouble getting off the field, as you propose for the reason they faced so many plays... They actually had the third-best third down percentage rate, allowing just 34 percent of third downs to be converted (the Chiefs were 6th, at 37 percent).
I call them top 10 because they were top 10 in scoring defense (7th) and yards per play (tied for 5th with the Chiefs), which are two of the most important measures of a defense, IMO. Leading the NFL in takeaways factors into that, too. They also were top 5 in 3rd down defense.
Those factors (per play average, 3rd down defense, takeawys) matter more than just total defense. Total defense is an important stat, but sometimes it doesn't tell the whole story when you look at some of the contextual factors.
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That's pretty easy to do when you face the Jaguars and Titans twice, the Redskins, Raiders and Browns, all of whom they beat last year.
If they had faced San Diego & Denver twice, along with New England, Seattle, Dolphins, Cards and Steelers, the outcome would have been much, much different.