Season Recap - 2011 Cleveland Browns

Final Record: 4-12

Finished: 4^th Place in the AFC North
2012 Draft Position: 4^th

Preseason Ranking: 18

Week 1: Lost to the Cincinnati Bengals, 27-17
    Ranked - 28
    For a team expected to be one of the surprise teams of the 2011 season, the Browns certainly laid an egg in their opening game against the Bengals.

Week 2: Defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 27-19
    Ranked - 23
    The Browns should be 2-0 now, but a bad loss to the Bengals still has people wondering if Cleveland can rise above the underachievement of the past few seasons and actually challenge for the playoffs. When Miami comes to town this week, the Browns better win if they hope to start building any positive momentum this season.

Week 3: Defeated the Miami Dolphins, 17-16
    Ranked - 18
    Note to self: Never give up the never-give-up attitude. Is the glass half-full or half-empty? Let's just say it has potential. Signed, Colt McCoy

Week 4: Lost to the Tennessee Titans, 31-13
    Ranked - 22
    Looks like Cleveland fans are in for another long season of underachievement.

Week 5: BYE WEEK
    Ranked - 21
    Like the Chiefs, Cleveland's only wins have come against winless opponents. A trip to Oakland coming out of their bye week will do little to change their fortunes.

Week 6: Lost at the Oakland Raiders, 24-17
    Ranked - 23     Indiana Jones Style Recap
    Coach Pat Shurmur: [Looks around in dismay at his underachieving players] Does anyone understand a word I'm saying here? This is intolerable!

Week 7: Defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 6-3
    Ranked - 21
    Yuck. At least the Browns rewarded their fans with a win after this miserable outing.

Week 8: Lost at the San Francisco 49ers, 20-10
    Ranked - 23
    Cleveland's disappointing start this season is made even more profound by Cincinnati's great start. Who would have thought before the season the Browns, not the Bengals, would be the team left out of the AFC North mix?

Week 9: Lost at the Houston Texans, 30-12
    Ranked - 26
    The Browns continue to be one of the biggest disappointments of the 2011 season.

Week 10: Lost to the St. Louis Rams, 13-12
    Ranked - 29
    Congrats! You even lost to the Rams. Now what?

Week 11: Defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, 14-10
    Ranked - 23
    Cleveland's season is all but mathematically over. Barely defeating a struggling Jacksonville team does little to change that perception.

Week 12: Lost at the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20
    Ranked - 25
    The Browns continue to disappoint in 2011.

Week 13: Lost to the Baltimore Ravens, 24-10
    Ranked - 26
    Three games out of four against the Ravens and the Steelers should put the exclamation point on Cleveland's forgettable 2011 campaign.

Week 14: Lost at the Pittsburgh Steelers, 14-3
    Ranked - 27
    Nobody expected the Browns to win last week. It's nice they didn’t disappoint anybody.

Week 15: Lost at the Arizona Cardinals, 20-17
    Ranked - 28
    The Browns had the game against the Cardinals in the bag until they collapsed in the fourth quarter before losing the game outright in overtime.

Week 16: Lost at the Baltimore Ravens, 20-14
    Ranked - 28
    The Browns have been whipped by every other team in the AFC North. I don’t see the Steelers letting them off easy the final week of the season when Pittsburgh has so much to play for.

Week 17: Lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 13-9


Final Ranking: 28

Tomorrow, the 2011 Tampa Bay Buccaneers...

Season Recap - 2011 Minnesota Vikings

Final Record: 3-13

Finished: 4^th Place in the NFC North
2012 Draft Position: 3^rd

Preseason Ranking: 25

Week 1: Lost at the San Diego Chargers, 24-17
    Ranked - 23
    There is a new kind of play now allowed in the NFL where the quarterback takes a few steps back and then throws the ball forward to what is called a receiver. The receiver then catches the ball and runs for a few more yards, if possible, thereby advancing closer to the opponent's goal line. Granted, this kind of play seems weird, since it is so much easier to just have the quarterback hand the ball off to Adrian Peterson, but trust me, this so called "passing" play works. In fact, some teams have even turned it into an art form. Maybe the Vikings should try it out and see if it makes a difference.

Week 2: Lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24-20
    Ranked - 26
    Two straight weeks, two straight fourth quarter collapses. At least the Vikings are consistent. Defensively, the Vikings have failed to stop anybody for long stretches of time and offensively, the Vikes have struggled to string together successful drives resulting in touchdowns. It will be a long, tough season in Minnesota if their only hope for victory each game is that the defense contains the opposing offense just enough so that Adrian Peterson can breakaway for the winning score. Three more weeks of ineptness and Christian Ponder should be named the starting quarterback.

Week 3: Lost to the Detroit Lions, 26-23
    Ranked - 28
    Note to self: When up by two touchdowns, let Peterson run the ball. Also, don't forget the game lasts a full 60 minutes. I think that's a new rule this year. Signed, Leslie Frazier.

Week 4: Lost at the Kansas City Chiefs, 22-17
    Ranked - 27
    Possibly the best of the winless teams, Minnesota needs to improve all aspects of their game starting now if they want to salvage any shred of hope for this season. Another loss should be the last one before Christian Ponder is given the reigns and the experience he will need to lead this team into the future.

Week 5: Defeated the Arizona Cardinals, 34-10
    Ranked - 24
    Wow. The Vikings finally managed to hold onto a big first half lead. If they had figured out how to do that earlier this season, they might actually have been relevant the rest of the year.

Week 6: Lost at the Chicago Bears, 39-10
    Ranked - 25     Indiana Jones Style Recap
    [Christian Ponder stands at midfield following his first game against the Green Bay Packers and talks with Aaron Rodgers]
    Aaron Rodgers: You lost today, kid, but that doesn't mean you have to like it.

Week 7: Lost to the Green Bay Packers, 33-27
    Ranked - 29
    One of the best 1-6 teams in the history of the league, Ponder provided a spark for the Vikings on Sunday. Too bad the rest of the team wasn't up to the challenge of playing a full four quarters against the Packers. Three quarters of solid play will never be good enough.

Week 8: Defeated the Carolina Panthers, 24-21
    Ranked - 25
    The Vikings dodged a bullet on Sunday, but at least they have hope for the future with Ponder looking confident at quarterback.

Week 9: BYE WEEK
    Ranked - 27
    The Vikings have one last shot at the Packers and the NFL has given them a bye week and one extra day to prepare. They will have no excuses when they get blown out this weekend at Lambeau.

Week 10: Lost at the Green Bay Packers, 45-7
    Ranked - 30
    Yes, the Packers are scary good. But on national TV, against a hated division rival, you'd think the Vikings would have mustered a little bit more effort.

Week 11: Lost to the Oakland Raiders, 27-21
    Ranked - 30
    It's surprising to see the Vikings so bad and in search of an identity after all that has happened with this franchise in the past three years.

Week 12: Lost at the Atlanta Falcons, 24-14
    Ranked - 30
    The slide continues for a team just two years removed from the NFC Championship game.

Week 13: Lost to the Denver Broncos, 35-32
    Ranked - 30
    If the Vikings could just win half of the games they were leading at some point, just think how good their record could be.

Week 14: Lost at the Detroit Lions, 34-28
    Ranked - 30
    The Vikings continue to implode.

Week 15: Lost to the New Orleans Saints, 42-20
    Ranked - 32
    Drew Brees had a career day in just three quarters against the Vikings. I wouldn’t expect Minnesota to get an interception until 2012.

Week 16: Defeated the Washington Redskins, 33-26
    Ranked - 29
    That was, quite possibly, the worst ever regular season victory in franchise history.

Week 17: Lost to the Chicago Bears, 17-13


Final Ranking: 29


Tomorrow, the 2011 Cleveland Browns...

Season Recap - 2011 St. Louis Rams

Final Record: 2-14

Finished: 4^th Place in the NFC West
2012 Draft Position: 2^nd

Preseason Ranking: 13

Week 1: Lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 31-13
    Ranked - 29
    Ouch. The Eagles put the hurt on the Rams and with so many early season injuries, St. Louis could be hard-pressed to challenge for the division title.

Week 2: Lost at the New York Giants, 28-16
    Ranked - 30
    The Rams are better than their 0-2 record and are probably better than their 30th ranking, but injuries and bad decisions have St. Louis trying to figure out what is going on. The game against the Giants was sloppy and not the best way to highlight your talents in primetime. Like Seattle, the Rams still have more than a good chance in the NFC West, but how truly terrible is the division if two of its four teams are considered Forked?

Week 3: Lost to the Baltimore Ravens, 37-7
    Ranked - 31
    Note to self: Bruised, but not broken. Shaken, but not stirred. Winless, but not out of it. Signed, Sam Bradford.

Week 4: Lost to the Washington Redskins, 17-10
    Ranked - 32
    Even in the NFC West the Rams won't be able to overcome their horrible start.

Week 5: BYE WEEK
    Ranked - 32
    Normally teams that start winless look forward to coming out of the bye weeks locked and loaded for their first win of the season. Unfortunately for the Rams, they have the Packers waiting for them this week in Lambeau. That can’t be good.

Week 6: Lost at the Green Bay Packers, 24-3
    Ranked - 32     Indiana Jones Style Recap
    [At a press conference discussing the Rams woeful 0-5 start]
    Coach Spagnuolo: We have top men working on it now.
    Media Member #1: Who?
    Coach Spagnuolo: Top... men.

Week 7: Lost at the Dallas Cowboys, 34-7
    Ranked - 32
    The Rams keep looking worse every week. They haven't even been close to winning a game all season.

Week 8: Defeated the New Orleans Saints, 31-21
    Ranked - 30
    Unfortunately for the Rams, and the people of St. Louis, the Cardinals can’t celebrate a World Series championship at the Edward Jones Dome every Sunday.

Week 9: Lost at the Arizona Cardinals, 19-13
    Ranked - 31
    Giving up a 99-yard punt return touchdown is a devastating way to lose in overtime. But scoring 4 points in the third quarter on the strength of two safeties was pretty cool. The Rams have that going for them… if nothing else.

Week 10: Defeated the Cleveland Browns, 13-12
    Ranked - 31
    Just when you think the Rams might have figured out how to gain the #1 overall pick, they go and win another one against a suspect team like the Browns.

Week 11: Lost to the Seattle Seahawks, 24-7
    Ranked - 31
    The Rams should have been so much better this year.

Week 12: Lost to the Arizona Cardinals, 23-20
    Ranked - 31
    The Rams have been close to breaking through all season, but they just aren’t good enough.

Week 13: Lost at the San Francisco 49ers, 26-0
    Ranked - 31
    Nothing says "we haven't given up" like scoring 0 points against your division rival.

Week 14: Lost at the Seattle Seahawks, 30-13
    Ranked - 31
    The Rams have showed just enough promise to avoid earning the #1 overall pick next year, but that's about it.

Week 15: Lost to the Cincinnati Bengals, 20-13
    Ranked - 30
    The Rams are having a devil of a time winning this year, but their strength of schedule could end up hurting them come draft time if they end up tied with the Vikings.

Week 16: Lost at the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-0
    Ranked - 31
    The Rams could be on the clock as early as 4:00pm Eastern on Sunday… if Indianapolis can get past Jacksonville.

Week 17: Lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 34-27


Final Ranking: 32


Tomorrow, the 2011 Minnesota Vikings...

Season Recap - 2011 Indianapolis Colts

Final Record: 2-14

Finished: 4^th Place in the AFC South
2012 Draft Position: 1^st

Preseason Ranking: 12

Week 1: Lost at the Houston Texans, 34-7
    Ranked - 31
    Without Manning, the Colts looked helpless. The team will rally around Collins in the coming weeks, but these Colts are merely Ponies without their fearless leader at the helm.

Week 2: Lost to the Cleveland Browns, 27-19
    Ranked - 29
    I really thought the Colts would rally around Collins enough to get by the Browns without incident, but Indy looks completely out of their element without Manning behind center. The Colts have been designed for a vertical passing game led by their formerly indestructible general and are now forced into a balanced attack with an emphasis on defense. That can be a formula for success in the long run, but the 2011 season is all but lost.

Week 3: Lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 23-20
    Ranked - 30
    Note to self: With Manning most likely gone for the year, talk with coaches about manufacturing some "Luck" for our future. Signed, Jim Irsay.

Week 4: Lost at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24-17
    Ranked - 30
    Painter is no Manning, but after his gutty performance against the Buccaneers, he showed he can be far more useful than your typical clipboard holder.

Week 5: Lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, 28-24
    Ranked - 30
    Painter has provided a spark to the Manning-less offense, but the defense of the Colts has always been suspect, even when Manning took the field.

Week 6: Lost at the Cincinnati Bengals, 27-17
    Ranked - 30     Indiana-Jones Style Recap
    Reggie Wayne: We're in trouble!
    Peyton Manning: Trouble? What kind of trouble?
    Reggie Wayne: It's a long story. Better hurry up or you won't get to hear it.

Week 7: Lost at the New Orleans Saints, 62-7
    Ranked - 31
    Horrible effort by the Colts last Sunday night in New Orleans. They were never going to win that game, but they certainly should not have been blown out that bad. 45-7, sure. But 62-7, that's ridiculous.

Week 8: Lost at the Tennessee Titans, 27-10
    Ranked - 32
    Even without Manning at the helm, the Indianapolis Colts shouldn’t be this bad. Could 0-16 really be a possibility? If they get to 0-14, I hope Coach Caldwell benches his starting players to make 0-16 a reality. If it was good enough for 14-0, it's good enough for 0-14.

Week 9: Lost to the Atlanta Falcons, 31-7
    Ranked - 32
    The bye week can’t come soon enough for Indianapolis.

Week 10: Lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 17-3
    Ranked - 32
    The bye week has finally arrived for the Colts.

Week 11: BYE WEEK
    Ranked - 32
    Unfortunately the season is not over yet for the Colts. Although they didn’t lose last week. They have that going for them.

Week 12: Lost to the Carolina Panthers, 27-19
    Ranked - 32
    The Colts were unwilling to try for perfection a few years back, content to settle for a 14-2 record. Are the football gods punishing them now by having them go 0-16?

Week 13: Lost at the New England Patriots, 31-24
    Ranked - 32
    The misery of the Colts season continues.

Week 14: Lost at the Baltimore Ravens, 24-10
    Ranked - 32
    About the best thing that can be said about the Colts is that their season will be over in three weeks.

Week 15: Defeated the Tennessee Titans, 27-13
    Ranked - 31
    Defeated no more, the Colts can now tank their remaining two games with a clear conscience.

Week 16: Defeated the Houston Texans, 19-16
    Ranked - 30
    Indy is on a two-game winning streak. One more victory and they can kiss all those Manning-Luck conversations goodbye.

Week 17: Lost at the Jacksonville Jaguars, 19-13


Final Ranking: 31


Tomorrow, the 2011 St. Louis Rams...

Super Bowl XLVI

Congratulations to the New York Giants!

Last season's "If Real football Used Fantasy Scoring..." champions have shown they can do it on the real football field as well. How nice for Giants fans everywhere.


Team season recaps start on Monday, February 13th. Relive the glory (or misfortune) of your favorite team's 2011 campaign in the next few weeks...

Predictions of Creative Misfortune - Super Bowl XLVI

A rematch of Super Bowl XLII... and we have no clearly predicted winner. It should be a great game!


Super Bowl XLVI Predictions:

New York Giants vs New England Patriots
     Creative Misfortune's Pick: New England Patriots 27, New York Giants 23. The Patriots have not forgotten their loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII. The sting of that defeat will never go away, but a bit of redemption can be had by a New England victory in Super Bowl XLVI.

     Scottie V's Pick: New York Giants 27, New England Patriots 23. Eli continues to emerge from Peyton's shadow snatching his second Lombardi Trophy with a brilliant 300-yard, no turnover performance.

     Vegas Lines Pick: New England Patriots 30, New York Giants 26. Patriots by 3, Over/Under 54.

     Best Record Wins Pick: New England Patriots 20, New York Giants 17. Patriots better at 15-3.

     Home Team Wins Pick: New York Giants 20, New England Patriots 17. The Giants play their home games in MetLife Stadium, just 711 miles away from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, whereas Gillette Stadium in Foxboro sits 975 miles away. New York gains home-field advantage by having slightly less distance to travel.


Next week, once the Super Bowl celebrations have wound down and the champion has been duly praised, complete season recaps for all teams will begin. Don't miss out on your chance to relive the glory (or misfortune) of your favorite team's 2011 season!

Super Bowl XLVI Preview - Franchise Comparisons - New England Patriots vs New York Giants

Two storied franchises are set to battle it out in Indianapolis on Sunday to determine which one will become even more storied. We’ve compared the offenses. We’ve compared the defenses. Now let’s compare the organizations as a whole and see how they stack up to each other.

Founded -

            New England Patriots: 1960

            New York Giants: 1925

            Comment of Misfortune: New York is older by 35 years and was part of the original National Football League.

            Team Advantage: New York
            Score: New York, 1-0

Stadium Capacity -

            New England Patriots: 68,756
            New York Giants: 82,566
            Comment of Misfortune: Since 82,566 is a few more drunken fans more than 68,756, I gotta rule in favor of New York.

            Team Advantage: New York
            Score: New York, 2-0

Uniform Colors -

            New England Patriots: All the colors of the great U.S. of A
            New York Giants: Blue and Gray

            Comment of Misfortune: The Patriots fly the colors of the greatest nation on Earth. How can New York's Civil War colors possibly compare?
            Team Advantage: New England
            Score: New York, 2-1

Nickname -

            New England Patriots: Patriots, Evil Empire, Homeland Defense, Patsies, The Pats

            New York Giants: Giants, Big Blue Wrecking Crew, Crunch Bunch, "Earth, Wind and Fire", G Men, Jet Blue, Thunder & Lightning

            Comment of Misfortune: The Giants have more nicknames and none of theirs have to do with long periods of ineptness, such as the Patsies, however, the Evil Empire is a cool way to refer to the Patriots of the Belichick era.
            Team Advantage: New York
            Score: New York, 3-1

2011 Record -

            New England Patriots: 13-3 (2-0)

            New York Giants: 9-7 (3-0)

            Comment of Misfortune: New England clearly stands apart from New York in this category at 15-3 vs 12-7... but they stood out four years ago when they were 18-0 as well.

            Team Advantage: New England
            Score: New York, 3-2

All-Time Regular Season Record -

            New England Patriots: 414-365-9 (.525 win %, since 1960)

            New York Giants: 645-531-33 (.534 win %, since 1925)

            Comment of Misfortune: Not only has New York played more games than New England, they've won a higher percentage of them, too.

            Team Advantage: New York

            Score: New York, 4-2

All-Time Playoff Record -

            New England Patriots: 23-15 (.605 win %)

            New York Giants: 23-24 (.489 win %)

            Comment of Misfortune: Come playoff time, however, New England has won a higher percentage of games than New York.

            Team Advantage: New England

            Score: New York, 4-3

2011 Touchdowns Scored -

            New England Patriots: 69 (regular season, 61; playoffs, 8)

            New York Giants: 56 (regular season, 47; playoffs 9)

            Comment of Misfortune: The Patriots offense has been quite prolific through most of the season and they have punched the ball into the end zone 13 more times than the Giants.

            Team Advantage: New England

            Score: Tied, 4-4

2011 Field Goals Scored -

            New England Patriots: 32 (regular season, 28; playoffs, 4)

            New York Giants: 25 (regular season, 19; playoffs, 6)

            Comment of Misfortune: In close, defensive battles, field goals can be of utmost importance. The Patriots, surprisingly, have a significant edge here.

            Team Advantage: New England
            Score: New England, 5-4

Super Bowl Titles -

            New England Patriots: 3 ~ Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX

            New York Giants: 3 ~ Super Bowls XXI, XXV, XLII

            Comment of Misfortune: They have each won three Super Bowls, but I can't overlook the value of New York's victory in Super Bowl XLII in this category.
            Team Advantage: New York
            Score: Tied, 5-5

 

Other Championships -

            New England Patriots: None
            New York Giants: 4 ~ NFL Championships in 1927, 1934, 1938 and 1956

            Comment of Misfortune: While their Super Bowls may need a tiebreaker, the Giants clearly win the Other Championships category by being older and more successful during the first half of the 20th century.

            Team Advantage: New York
            Score: New York, 6-5

All-Time Record vs Each Other -

            New England Patriots: 5-5

            New York Giants: 5-5

            Comment of Misfortune: The all-time series is tied up between these two, but only because the Giants defeated the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Again, that victory cannot be overlooked when all other things appear to be equal…

            Team Advantage: New York
            Score: New York, 7-5

Record in Last 10 Games vs Each Other (since October 1970) -

            New England Patriots: 5-5

            New York Giants: 5-5
            Comment of Misfortune: The Giants have won the last two meetings (this season and Super Bowl XLII), but prior to those games, the Patriots owned New York between 1996 and 2007.
            Team Advantage: New England

            Score: New York, 7-6

Biggest All-Time Victory vs Each Other -

            New England Patriots: 11 points (NE 17, NYG 6; October 12, 2003)

            New York Giants: 16 points (NYG 16, Boston Patriots 0; October 18, 1970)

            Comment of Misfortune: Neither team has ever been able to crush the other one. Looks like we are set up for another close game on Sunday, if the current versions of these franchises hold true to history.
            Team Advantage: New York
            Score: New York, 8-6

Total Franchise All-Pro Players -

            New England Patriots: 30 Players (named a total of 50 times)

            New York Giants: 58 Players (named a total of 110 times)

            Comment of Misfortune: When it comes to Pro's Pros, New York has had almost twice as many All-Pro players on their rosters as the Patriots.

            Team Advantage: New York
            Score: New York, 9-6

Total Franchise Pro Bowl Players -

            New England Patriots: 88 Players (named a total of 199 times)

            New York Giants: 117 Players (named a total of 258 times)

            Comment of Misfortune: When it comes to fan balloting, both teams have had a similar number of Pro Bowl players, but New York should have had far more than New England since they have been in existence 35 years longer.

            Team Advantage: New England

            Score: New York, 9-7

Pac-10 Players on Roster -

            New England Patriots: 10 - Josh Barrett (Arizona State), Andre Carter (California), Patrick Chung (Oregon), Christian Cox (Utah), Rob Gronkowski (Arizona), Bret Lockett (UCLA), Chad Ochocinco (oregon State), Matthew Slater (UCLA), Nate Solder (Colorado) and Shane Vereen (California)
            New York Giants: 2 - Spencer Paysinger (Oregon) and Terrell Thomas (USC)         
            Comment of Misfortune: What's with all the non-Pac-10 players, New York? Clearly only one of these teams suffers from an extreme case of East Coast bias. Left Coast Advantage - New England.

            Team Advantage: New England

            Score: New York, 9-8

Final Judgment:

            Both franchises are among the true elites of the National Football League, but history is on New York's side as they get the nod in 9 of the 17 franchise categories. Will their edge in intangibles lead to another surprising victory in Super Bowl XLVI? Only a few more days until we find out.

Check back tomorrow for the predictions of Creative Misfortune for Super Bowl XLVI…Will either team be a unanimous pick by all prediction systems?

Super Bowl XLVI Preview - New York's Offense vs New England's Defense

The New York Giants have been playing on a shoe-string and a prayer since their first victory in Dallas late in the regular season. Having to win out in order to win it all, the Giants are one win away from a championship run that seemed nearly impossible just a few months ago when this team was mired in their longest losing streak of the season. Eli Manning has won more playof games on the road than any other quarterback in NFL history and has a chance to once again lead his team against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Despite the weapons that Manning has at his disposal - a power running game, a deep receiving corps led by the breakout star of the season, Victor Cruz, and a strong offensive line - the Giants offense will be no match for New England if their defense can't slow down Brady and his talented offense.

The Patriots, for their part, have improved greatly on defense during the second half of the season. When the offense stumbled against the Ravens in the AFC Championship game, the defense picked up the slack and punched New England's ticket to the Super Bowl. The Patriots D will have to play better than average if they want to get Manning off the field and put the ball back into Brady's hands.


Super Bowl XLVI Statistical Matchup
            *Note: None of these stats “mean” anything, but let’s have fun with them anyway… Numbers include playoff games


            Stat Keys:
                        Passing Points = Total Passing Touchdowns + ½ Total Field Goal Points
                        Rushing Points = Total Rushing Touchdowns + ½ Total Field Goal Points


                        Points per Passing Yard = Passing Points / Total Yards Passing
                        Points per Rushing Yard = Rushing Points / Total Yards Rushing

Category	Giants Offense vs	Patriots Defense Allowed	When They Collide…
Rushing Values
Rushing Points	162	131
Rushing Yards	1779	2134	Each rushing yard worth
Points per Rushing Yard	0.091	0.061	0.076
At their Best (DEF worst)	172 yards	252 yards	212 yards = 16.1 pts = 16 pts
2011 Average	93 yards	119 yards	106 yards = 8.1 pts = 8 pts
At their Worst (DEF Best)	29 yards	73 yards	51 yards = 3.9 pts = 4 pts
Passing Values
Passing Points	295	229
Passing Yards	5596	5093	Each passing yard worth
Points per Passing Yard	0.053	0.045	0.049
At their Best (DEF Worst)	400 yards	393 yards	397 yards = 19.5 pts = 20 pts
2011 Average	295 yards	283 yards	289 yards = 14.2 pts = 14 pts
At their Worst (DEF Best)	204 yards	108 yards	156 yards =   7.6 pts =   8 pts
Projected Score Breakdown	Rushing + Passing	Combined Points
At their Best	16 pts + 20 pts	36
2011 Average	8 pts + 14 pts	22
At their Worst	4 pts +   8 pts	12

Projected Super Bowl XLVI Score for the New York Giants: 23 points

Based on the New England projections from yesterday versus the New York defense -

If both offenses come out blazing and the defenses stumble, expect New England to win a relatively close shoot-out, 42-36.

If both teams play as they have tended to play all season, expect another close game with New England coming out on top, 26-23.

In a knock-down, drag-out defensive struggle takes place, expect this to be the first Super Bowl that finishes in overtime as both teams battle to a 12-12 (or 14-14) draw in regulation. At that point, all bets are off on who will win the game.

Based on these statistical comparisons, if New York hopes to win, they will need to force some turnovers to give their offense extra help and break off some dynamic returns with their special teams. If any team can overcome the potential threat of an opposing offense, the Giants can.


Check back tomorrow to see how these two Super Bowl franchises stack up to each other both in history and intangibles…