NFL
By Keith Richards
On February 12th, two teams will play in the 57th NFL Super Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Over the past 56 Super Bowls, we’ve seen it all: Blowouts, defensive battles, improbable comebacks, and much more. By the numbers, you can find interesting tidbits that can sway your bets, squares, and hopes. Let’s look at a few!
By the numbers, the most successful division in Super Bowl history is the NFC East. Their 13 titles beat the next best division by four, which is the AFC East with nine. There is a logjam at third with the AFC West, AFC North, and NFC West with eight. So, if you’re an Eagles fan, you’re feeling pretty good with the NFC East holding 23% of the titles.
By the numbers, neither conference should be a supreme favorite in Super Bowl 57. The NFC holds a slim lead over the AFC with 29 titles versus 27. While the NFC holds the overall lead, the AFC has been the better team recently. Over the last ten Super Bowls, the AFC has won six and the NFC has won four. So, by the numbers, the smart money would be on the conference that has 60% of the last ten titles. Bengals and Chiefs fans, place your bets!
By the numbers, if you want to win the title, you better be prepared to run the ball. Three of the last five Super Bowl winners all outrushed their opponents. Even more, in a league that leans heavily toward passing, three of those last five Super Bowls also had both teams run for over 100 yards. So, while the running game might not hold the importance it used to, it’s not dead. Not yet.
By the numbers, even if this offense-driven league of today, no team has surpassed 50 points since 1993. The closest team to 50 was the Buccaneers in 2003 with 48 points. In fact, that 50-point barrier has only been broken twice. The Cowboys in 1993 and the 49ers in 1990. Of the four teams remaining, three were in the top four this season in points per game: The Chiefs (29.1), Eagles (28.6), and 49ers (26.8). The Bengals were not far off in 7th with 26.1 points per game. Will we see someone point up a 50 burger on February 12th? Those planning to bet the over sure hope so.
Last, but not least, by the numbers, scoring first matters in the Super Bowl. Historically, the team that scores first holds a record of 37-19. That means if you score first, you have a 66% of winning the game. In a game that can be won by inches, and has so many other factors, that’s a big one.
Of course, it doesn’t guarantee a win, but recent history drives that point home. In the last ten Super Bowls, the team that scores first has won 70% of the time. Interestingly enough, that’s lower than the NFL season average. As of 2021, in the regular season, the team that scored first won 86% of the games. That’s a 20% dip! It’s also understandable, though, as the competition should be much stiffer in a championship game.
One thing numbers cannot measure is the quality of the game itself. So, we here at Team NBS hope it’s a great game! We will have plenty of coverage, so don’t miss it. It’s still not too late to rep your team either. The NFL Shop is always open!
