Breaking Down The Patriots vs. Playoff Teams
BOSTON (CBS) - I've been reading and hearing a lot of theories when it comes to records against playoff opponents for these upcoming NFL playoffs.
I did some number crunching just before last year's NFL postseason and was convinced that the Patriots were the best team coming in. But then we had to watch as the Pats fell to the Jets 28-21 in Foxboro.
So with that said, here is a look at the records of teams that made the playoffs against all the other teams that are in:
2011
- The Patriots have played three teams that have made the play-offs and are 1-2. They beat Denver and lost to Pittsburgh and the NY Giants.
- The team with the best record in the AFC against other playoff teams is Baltimore at 6-0. After that, it goes Houston (3-2), Pittsburgh (3-4), Denver (1-3), and Cincinnati (0-7).
- Green Bay leads the NFC with a 6-0 record. New Orleans (5-1) is next followed by San Francisco (4-1), the Giants (1-3), Atlanta (1-4), and Detroit (1-5).
Read: Dan Roche's Sports Blog
So what does this all mean? Who knows? But let's look at some previous years:
2010
Last year the Patriots were 14-2 overall and 6-1 against all other teams that made the playoffs. The only other NFL team with a winning record against playoff teams last year was Atlanta at 4-3. There wasn't one other team with a winning record. But the Pats lost while the Super Bowl champion Packers were 3-3 against postseason teams. Pittsburgh beat the Jets to go to the Super Bowl, and both those teams were 2-4 against those that qualified for postseason play.
2009
The Patriots went 10-6 in the regular season and had a 2-3 mark against all other teams that made the playoffs. The Pats lost in the first round to Baltimore.
2004
When the Patriots won their third Super Bowl in four years they went 14-2 in the regular season and 5-1 against all other teams that qualified for the postseason.
Read: Levan Reid's Patriots Blog
2003
The Pats won the Super Bowl and went 14-2 in the regular season. They were 5-0 in the regular season against other playoff teams.
2001
When the Pats shocked the world by beating the St Louis Rams for their first ever title they were 11-5 in the regular season and went 2-3 against teams that made the postseason that year.
So, there you go. Make of these numbers what you will, but all the fun begins this weekend.
Follow WBZ-TV's Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ
