It has been a fascinating start to the National Football League’s 105th campaign. It’s only three weeks old, but it’s interesting to note that six of the 14 teams that made the playoffs a year ago are one game under .500. That includes the team with the best record in the league (Ravens) in 2023, as well as fellow reigning division champions Dallas and San Francisco.
Three of the five teams with 3-0 marks (Bills, Steelers, and Chiefs) reside in the AFC. Of course, all three 0-3 clubs (Bengals, Jaguars, and Titans) all reside in the same conference.
On a weekly basis, there are always some very interesting numbers to contemplate. Here is the latest edition.
5
The numbers continue to change as the National Football League expands its schedule, as well as the number of postseason participants. From 1970-77, there were a total of eight playoff teams (4 in each conference). That number increased to 10 in 1978, and that lasted until 1989.
From 1990-2019, there were a dozen postseason clubs, and that figures now stands at 14. The latter total dates back to 2020. Over the past four seasons, 15 of the 17 teams that opened 3-0 reached the playoffs. That bodes well for this year’s Bills, Chiefs, Vikings, Steelers, and Seahawks. All five clubs play on the road in Week 4.
6
It’s something only the 1981 New York Jets, 1982 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1992 San Diego Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions, 1998 Buffalo Bills and 2018 Houston Texans managed to do. Lose your first three games of the season, or in the case of the Bolts' first four contests, and managed to reach the playoffs.
That’s the task ahead for this season’s Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans. Of course, things are supposedly a little “easier” now that teams play a 17-game schedule. In three games this season, the Jaguars (85), Bengals (80) and Titans (78) are all allowing at least 26.0 points per contest.
24
After a couple of rough seasons in which home-field advantage took a bit of a beating, playing in front of your fans has paid off pretty well once again. Of course, the 2020 NFL season was affected by COVID-19, and home teams combined for a 127-128-1 mark. That improved a bit in 2021 (140-131-1), but there was a huge jump in ’22 (151-118-2) and this past season (151-121).
So, what’s the explanation for the first three weeks of NFL 2024? Home teams are 24-24 to date. The Bills, Chiefs, Vikings, and Seahawks are all 2-0 at home, while the Steelers are perfect (2-0) on the road. It’s early, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.
7
You have to hand it to Packers’ head coach Matt LaFleur. He and the Green Bay Packers took their lumps early in 2023, but settled in down the stretch and reached the playoffs thanks in part to the hot hand of Jordan Love. In the season opener at Brazil, Love went down with a sprained MCL, but backup Malik Willis has been exceptional the past two weeks.
So has defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s unit, at least when it comes to opportunistic football. The Pack leads the league with nine takeaways, meaning they’re halfway to last season’s total (18). Green Bay has also picked off an NFL-high seven passes, as many as in 2023.
0
It’s safe to say that the Washington Commanders suffered through a forgettable 2023. The team dropped its final eight games and finished with a 4-13 mark. The club dropped all six games vs. their divisional foes. The Commanders allowed a whopping 518 points, the third-highest single-season total in NFL annals.
Enter Dan Quinn, new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. After stubbing their toes in Tampa, the club has knocked off the Giants and Bengals, the latter on the road. A year after giving up the ball 32 times, the Commanders are the only team in the NFL without a turnover.