Our Biggest Offensive Weakness Remains 3rd Down (3rd and 7+, specifically)
It isn't the whole story, but we were 1st in 4th down conversions last year despite our 3rd down rate being an all time low. I think it could have made a difference in the playoffs last year, as we were 2/9 on 3rd down against Minnesota in the div. round, and could not score until the 4th quarter. IMO, the dismal 3rd down rate came back to bite us in the end.
We also didn't face a lot of 3rd downs in 2009 or 2011 either, but were still in the top 6 both years in 3rd down conversion percentage. We're 11th overall in 3rd down this year. Our 3rd down woes from last year seemed to carry over into the 1st part of the season too, but this has gotten better as of late, so that, too, would affect the overall percentage.
Here's a breakdown of the last game. It's actually pretty good especially considering that it was against the #1 3rd down defense in the league... great, even.
It will be very interesting to see how this all plays out. When we NEED to convert on 3rd and 7+, however, it would be nice to be able to. This is a game of inches, after all.
It isn't the whole story, but we were 1st in 4th down conversions last year despite our 3rd down rate being an all time low. I think it could have made a difference in the playoffs last year, as we were 2/9 on 3rd down against Minnesota in the div. round, and could not score until the 4th quarter. IMO, the dismal 3rd down rate came back to bite us in the end.
We also didn't face a lot of 3rd downs in 2009 or 2011 either, but were still in the top 6 both years in 3rd down conversion percentage. We're 11th overall in 3rd down this year. Our 3rd down woes from last year seemed to carry over into the 1st part of the season too, but this has gotten better as of late, so that, too, would affect the overall percentage.
Here's a breakdown of the last game. It's actually pretty good especially considering that it was against the #1 3rd down defense in the league... great, even.
It will be very interesting to see how this all plays out. When we NEED to convert on 3rd and 7+, however, it would be nice to be able to. This is a game of inches, after all.