Jules
The Colts Fan
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Interesting comparisons to me. For the teams in the playoffs or in current contention he finds a past Super Bowl winner to compare them to. And why it will work and won't.
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/20/playoff-contenders-and-super-bowl-blueprints/
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/20/playoff-contenders-and-super-bowl-blueprints/
Green Bay Packers (13-1)
Super Bowl blueprint: 1989 San Francisco 49ers
No team has quite the Super Bowl profile of this year’s Packers. Not only does Green Bay have the league’s best record by two full games, but the Packers have also outscored their opponents by 183 points, by far the most in the N.F.L. We could compare them to a number of past Super Bowl champions, and they look even stronger than last year’s championship team on paper.
Like the 1989 49ers, the Packers are the defending Super Bowl champs. The 49ers went 14-2 in a year when no other team won more than 12 games. San Francisco had by far the largest points differential in the 1989 season. Joe Montana was named M.V.P. and the 49er passing offense led the league in yards per attempt, adjusted yards per attempt, net yards per attempt, adjusted net yards per attempt and quarterback rating. Aaron Rodgers is almost certainly going to win the M.V.P. award, and the Packers lead the league in yards per attempt, adjusted yards per attempt, net yards per attempt, adjusted net yards per attempt and quarterback rating. Both the ’89 49ers and this year’s Packers led the N.F.L. in scoring. San Francisco scored 126 points in three playoff wins, and it’s not hard to imagine the Packers doing the same.
Why the blueprint fails: The ’89 49ers had a defense that ranked in the top 10 in both rushing and passing yards per attempt allowed. Green Bay’s defense has been vulnerable against both the run and the pass this season, and may need to win three shootouts to capture the franchise’s fifth Lombardi Trophy. Can the defense play well enough for three straight weeks? With injuries to receiver Greg Jennings and to multiple offensive linemen in the past two weeks, the Packers’ offense may be trending downward. But make no mistake: Green Bay is your clear Super Bowl favorite.