Final 2015-16 NFL Season Score Report

Well, our long national nightmare is (almost) over -- the 2015-16 NFL regular season is over.

Here's what we have:

• For Week 17:  42.9375 PPG (Last year:  41.5)
• Home teams were 9-7 (Last year:  9-7)
• Over was 5-11, including the first six afternoon games on the board. (Last year:  6-10)
• Favorites were also 5-11 against the number, including the last five games on the board.
• Only 191 penalties in Week 17, a little less than 12 a game and a penalty and a half per game lower than a standard week this year.
• Two Cliffhangers, neither in a relevant game of any realistic kind.  St. Louis and San Francisco won with last-play field goals, the 49ers' coming in overtime.  (Last year:  1.)
• Eight other games finished within one score.
• Two other games were within a score at some point in the fourth quarter, leading to 12 competitive Week 17 matchups, same as last year.

So, with all the numbers in, this is what we have:

• The average regular-season NFL contest for this season averaged 45.625 points per game.  About a half-point higher than last year's 45.1875, but a full point below the record 46.707 from two years ago.
• With three London games, the home team won 139 out of 253 contests, losing 114.  That is a .5494 winning percentage.  That is four full percentage points below last year's .589.
• The Over was between about one-half game per week to one full game per week under .500, depending on where you shopped.  The best strategy would still have left a bettor betting one unit on the Over in all 256 games played at a loss of about 21 units, about 1 1/3 units per week lost.  (About a half a unit per week better than last year, though!  Last year, you'd have lost 28!)
• Favorites were one game a week under .500 (plus a possible two for a couple of variable games) for the season.  This meant betting one unit on every favorite vs. the number was a net loss of 27.1 units for the season, right about what last year's Over would've gotten you.  I did not keep track of the statistic last year.
• We ended the year with 57 games decided with a score in the last two minutes or overtime.  57 Cliffhangers means the percentage this year was 22.27%.  (Last year:  40.  Two years ago:  56.)
• The biggest anomaly of the year was the number of games actually decided by one score (8 points or less).  That occurred in 141 of the 256 games, 55.07% of all NFL contests.  (Two years ago, Brian Tuohy reported that percentage at 48%, last year was a little less than 42%, 107.  Meaning that two full games a week, 34 total, more than last year for games decided within one score.)
• 173 of the 256 contests were within 8 points or less at some point in the fourth quarter: 67.57%, in line with the 68% figure Brian gave from two years ago, up almost 5% from last year's 62.89, for 161.  Meaning about three-quarters of a game per week increase.