Regular Season Stats Analysis: Points Scored

The 2016 regular season is officially in the rear-view mirror for fans in the Kingdom, and that means it’s time to analyze the ever-livin’ out of those regular season stats. Your Kansas City Chiefs rank 20^th in the NFL in yards per game, but they rank 13^th in total points per game. Five of the 11 other teams with a playoff berth this year averaged fewer points per game than the Chiefs' 24.3. However, four of the NFL’s five highest-scoring offenses belong to Super Bowl contenders.

The Panthers, Cardinals, Pats, Steelers and Seahawks ranked #1-5 in points per game last year, in that order (with Pittsburgh and Seattle tied.) Each of those teams went to the playoffs and won at least their first game. This indicates that a top-shelf offense strongly correlates with playoff success, but it doesn't necessarily correlate with championships. We need only remember that none of the aforementioned offensive juggernauts won it all in 2015. Last year's Super Bowl-winning Denver Broncos ranked 19th with 22.2 points/game in 2015. They defeated the Panthers, the team that led the league with a 31.2 points-per-game average.

Three AFC playoff teams finished this regular season scoring more points per game than KC. Odds say the Steelers, who rank 10th league wide with 24.9 points per game, will face KC at Arrowhead on January 15th. If the Steelers lose, the Raiders, who rank 7th with 26 points, still need third-string QB Connor Cook to win a playoff road game against Houston today to earn another shot at the Chiefs this year. The New England Patriots, a fearsome foe looming in the distance as KC's potential opponent in the AFC Championship game, rank 3rd in the league with 27.6 points per game.

The two teams presumably standing in KC’s way to a Super Bowl appearance – Pittsburgh and the Pats – are the only other clubs in the AFC with better regular season offensive numbers than KC. If Pittsburgh takes care of business today, KC will face the Steelers at Arrowhead on the 15^th. The last time Pittsburgh traveled to KC was the only time the Chiefs lost a game by more than one possession this year. You better believe the Kingdom will be starving for sweet revenge if we get that chance.

Doug LaCerte apparently has a Twitter account @DLaC67, and he still has Facebook.