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Death of the Blowout: 2016 Is the Most Closely Contested Season in NFL History
- Updated: November 30, 2016
What exactly is the definition of a blowout? There’s no universal answer, and it’s probably safe to say blowouts exist only in the eye of the beholder. But I think most of us can agree that an NFL game decided by 30 or more points qualifies.
The 2016 NFL season has failed to satisfy plenty of fans, and not just in Cleveland or San Francisco. With the league dealing with an uptick in penalties and what feels like a rash of poor officiating while still battling PR nightmares related to concussions, domestic violence and national anthem protests, television rates have plummeted.
And yet, believe it or not, the NFL has now gone nine consecutive weeks without a single team winning or losing by 30 or more points—tied for the longest stretch in modern NFL history (post-1970 AFL-NFL merger).
Altogether, dating back to when the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-3 in Week 3, 131 consecutive games have been decided by fewer than 30 points.
The Browns, 49ers, Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t won much, but they also haven’t been losing by large margins. The Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs haven’t lost much, but they also haven’t been winning by large margins.
Nobody has.
Usually, about 13 or 14 games per season are decided by 30-plus points. The NFL had at least 12 30-point games in each of the last 11 years. But this year, with the season 69 percent complete, there have been just two games that meet that criteria—Philly-Pittsburgh in Week 3 and a 40-7 Arizona Cardinals victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers one week earlier.
That’s it.
Typically, there is higher frequency of lopsided games late in the year, but not enough to account for why the NFL is experiencing so many fewer blowouts this season. At this point last season, there had been six 30-point games. At this point in that blowout-deprived 2004 season …
