Final Score Update: Week 17 and 2001-2011 averages per game

Well, that's it for the regular season, and here's what we had on a wild Week 17 in the NFL:

Week 17 averaged 47.4375 points per game -- even with that 7-3 stinkeroo in Denver!

2007 averaged 49.25
2011 was second to that.
There were four years below 40 -- 2010 was 37.75!!

And that means that 2011 is the highest-scoring season in the NFL, going back at least to 2001!

2011: 44.371
2008: 44.059
2010: 44.027
2002: 43.414
2007: 43.359
2004: 43.015
2009: 42.855
2003: 41.664
2006: 41.348
2005: 41.273
2001: 40.583

Some other interesting 2011 scoring quips:

• There were only five shutouts in the entire 2011 NFL regular season. (Pittsburgh 24-0 Seahawks Week 2, Chiefs 28-0 Raiders in Oakland in Week 7, Buffalo 23-0 Washington Week 8, San Francisco 26-0 St. Louis Week 13, Pittsburgh 27-0 St. Louis Week 16). Pittsburgh had two, while Kansas City, Buffalo, and San Francisco had one each.
• Lowest-scoring game of the year was NOT the 7-3 debacle in Mile High yesterday. That "honor" went to Cleveland and Seattle in Week 7. Cleveland 6 - Seattle 3.
• Only five games in the NFL had the total points scored under 20.
• In contrast, here's the list of games in which the teams scored 70 points or more:
  

1. Green Bay 42 - New Orleans 34 (Week 1, the opener) 76
   
2. Buffalo 38 - Oakland 35 (Week 2) 73
3. New Orleans 40 - Houston 33 (Week 3) 73
4. Green Bay 49 - Denver 23 (Week 4) 72
5. Green Bay 45 - San Diego 38 (Week 9) 83
6. Detroit 49 - Carolina 35 (Week 11) 84
7. New Orleans 49 - New York Giants 24 (Week 12 MNF) 73
8. Green Bay 38 - New York Giants 35 (Week 13) 73
   
9. New England 49 - Buffalo 21 (Week 17 -- NE scores 49 straight to take AFC home-field) 70
   
10. Green Bay 45 - Detroit 41 (Week 17 -- all sorts of passing records entertain the brutes) 86

So, when you order them:

1. Green Bay-Detroit Week 17 with the highest scoring game of the year.
2. Detroit-Carolina was next
3. Then Green Bay-San Diego
4. Then Green Bay-New Orleans
5. Then a tie between Green Bay-New York Giants, Buffalo-Oakland, New Orleans-New York Giants, New Orleans-Houston

Of the 10 games, Green Bay was involved in half of them (5-0), New Orleans in three (2-1), Detroit in 2 (1-1), New York Giants in two (0-2). All four teams are in the NFC playoffs.

Think all this doesn't have a lot to do with what's going on in the NFL right now? Year of the Quarterback and all?