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When it comes to the NFL preseason, the games are generally viewed as being pretty meaningless. What happens during the preseason doesn’t really translate to whether a team will have any success in the regular-season. (Just ask the 2008 Lions and 2017 Browns about that. Both teams went 4-0 in the preseason before going 0-16 in the regular-season.)
Although the preseason doesn’t really serve as a good predictor for the regular season, there has been one stat that has somehow translated to regular-season success and that’s point differential. And if you’re a fan of the Chicago Bears, this is where you’re going to want to start paying attention.
Thanks to their 34-21 win over the Chiefs on Thursday night, the Bears will finish the preseason with a record of 4-0. In those four games, the Bears outscored their opponents by 68 points. As someone on Reddit pointed out, that was the highest preseason point differential by any team since 2013.
So, does a high preseason point differential mean anything? It turns out that it might.
The Bears are the seventh team since 2009 to finish a preseason with a point differential of +60 or more, and the six previous teams ALL MADE THE PLAYOFFS, including two teams that went on to win the Super Bow.
Let’s check out the other six teams on the list:
Preseason record: 3-1Point differential: +69Regular-season: 13-3
The Saints started the regular season 13-0 on their way to winning the NFC South. In the playoffs, things got even better as they ended up winning the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.
2011 Detroit Lions
Preseason record: 4-0Point differential: +67Regular-season: 10-6
After going 11 years without a playoff berth, the Lions drought finally ended. It came during a season where they blew everyone out in the preseason.
Preseason record: 4-0Point differential: +78Regular-season: 11-5
During Russell Wilson’s rookie…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/bears-pull-off-rare-preseason-feat-thats-produced-2-super-bowl-champs-6-playoff-teams-over-past-15-years/
Author : John Breech
Publish date : 2024-08-23 16:35:15
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