After this weekends series of games the New York Jets currently have the #1 Ranked Defense in the NFL for both points allowed and yardage allowed. So out of curiosity I decided to look back in time and see how the NFL Defensive leaders have fared in seasons past.
When you look through the NFL Yardage allowed leaders you need to go back 11 years to find a team that did not make the playoffs and that team was quarterbacked by Ryan Leaf. The remainder of the teams have all made the playoffs with ranging results from two Super Bowl victories to several Wildcard round defeats.
The NFL Defensive Scoring Leaders provide a much brighter picture. I went back in time 26 seasons (my lifetime) without finding a single team that led the NFL in Points Allowed that failed to make the playoffs. These teams also had a remarkable amount of success in the postseason. Only two of the 26 teams failed to reach the Divisional round of the playoffs both teams happened to be the Saints of the early 90s. Nine of the 26 teams won the Superbowl while another team made it to the Superbowl.
The 2009 Jets hold a slim margin on both the Points Allowed and Yardage Allowed categories, but if they maintain those leads and yet somehow manage to miss out on the playoffs than they would have secured a spot in NFL Underachievement History.
Yardage Allowed
When you look through the NFL Yardage allowed leaders you need to go back 11 years to find a team that did not make the playoffs and that team was quarterbacked by Ryan Leaf. The remainder of the teams have all made the playoffs with ranging results from two Super Bowl victories to several Wildcard round defeats.
Points Allowed
The NFL Defensive Scoring Leaders provide a much brighter picture. I went back in time 26 seasons (my lifetime) without finding a single team that led the NFL in Points Allowed that failed to make the playoffs. These teams also had a remarkable amount of success in the postseason. Only two of the 26 teams failed to reach the Divisional round of the playoffs both teams happened to be the Saints of the early 90s. Nine of the 26 teams won the Superbowl while another team made it to the Superbowl.
The 2009 Jets hold a slim margin on both the Points Allowed and Yardage Allowed categories, but if they maintain those leads and yet somehow manage to miss out on the playoffs than they would have secured a spot in NFL Underachievement History.
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