From coldhard footbal facts .com
The Cold, Hard Football Facts show some major trends:
• New England's offense has improved more dramatically than Indy's offense -- The 2003 Patriots ranked 12th in scoring offense and 17th in total offense; the 2004 Patriots rank 4th in scoring offense and 7th in total offense.
• Indy’s total defense and passing defense have declined dramatically -- the 2003 Colts ranked 11th in total defense; the 2004 Colts rank 29th in total defense. The 2003 Colts ranked 5th in pass defense; the 2004 Colts rank 28th.
• New England’s total and scoring defense have declined marginally -- the 2003 Patriots ranked 7th in total defense; the 2004 Patriots rank 9th in total defense. The 2003 Patriots ranked 1st in scoring defense; the 2004 Patriots rank 2nd.
• New England’s rush offense is the single most improved unit on either team, climbing from 27th in 2003 to 7th in 2004.
• The gap between the Indy offense and the New England offense is not nearly as dramatic as the gaping chasm that divides the Indy defense and the New England defense.
• The 2003 Colts were a better road team than the 2004 Colts.
Here's a comparison of every unit over the two-year period. Keep in mind that offense was up around the league this season. For example, teams averaged 20.8 points per game in 2003 and 21.5 points per game in 2004. Therefore, we also show how Indy and New England rank among all 32 NFL teams each season, to give a more accurate indication of how each has fared relative to the rest of the league.
Scoring offense, PPG (rank)
NE 03 – 21.7 (12)........NE 04 – 27.3 (4) -- (+5.6 PPG)
Indy 03 – 27.9 (2).........Indy 04 – 32.6 (1) -- (+4.7 PPG)
Total offense, YPG
NE 03 – 314.9 (17).......NE 04 – 357.6 (7) -- (+42.7 YPG)
Indy 03 – 367.1 (3)....... Indy 04 – 404.7 (2) -- (+37.6 YPG)
Yards per play
NE 03 – 4.8 (20)......NE 04 – 5.5 (9) -- (+0.7 YPP)
Indy 03 – 5.6 (4).......Indy 04 – 6.7 (1) -- (+1.1 YPP)
Rushing offense, YPG
NE 03 – 100.4 (27).......NE 04 – 133.4 (7) -- (+33.0 YPG)
Indy 03 – 105.9 (19).....Indy 04 – 115.8 (15) -- (+9.9 YPG)
Passing offense, YPG
NE 03 – 214.5 (9).........NE 04 – 224.2 (11) -- (+9.7 YPG)
Indy 03 – 261.2 (1).......Indy 04 – 288.9 (1) -- (+27.7 YPG)
Scoring defense, PPG
NE 03 – 14.9 (1).........NE 04 – 16.2 (2) -- (+1.3 PPG)
Indy 03 – 21.0 (20).....Indy 04 – 21.9 (18) -- (+0.9 PPG)
Total defense, YPG
NE 03 – 291.6 (7)...........NE 04 – 310.8 (9) -- (+19.2 YPG)
Indy 03 – 299.3 (11).......Indy 04 – 370.6 (29) -- (+71.3 YPG)
Opponent yards per play
NE 03 – 4.4 (4)..........NE 04 – 5.0 (9) -- (+0.6 YPP)
Indy 03 – 5.2 (18)......Indy 04 – 5.7 (27) -- (+0.5 YPP)
Rushing defense, YPG
NE 03 – 89.6 (4).............NE 04 – 98.2 (6) -- (+8.6 YPG)
Indy 03 – 123.8 (20)......Indy 04 – 127.3 (24) -- (+3.5 YPG)
Passing defense, YPG
NE 03 – 202.0 (15)..........NE 04 – 212.5 (17) -- (+10.5 YPG)
Indy 03 – 175.6 (5)...........Indy 04 –243.2 (28) -- (+67.6 YPG)
New England at home; Indy on the road
NE 03 – 8-0..........NE 04 – 8-0
Indy 03 – 7-1.........Indy 04 – 5-3
Field goal kickers
Vinatieri 03 – 25/34; long, 48...........Vinatieri 04 – 31/33; long, 48
Vanderjagt 03 – 37/37; long, 50......Vanderjagt 04 – 20/25; long, 47
keep up the good contributions!!! two possible pitfalls with the vikes -- feeling TOO satisfied w/ the pack win (complacency) and/or weather taking away the vikes deep threats.
