The Final 2017 NFL Score Report

And I'll start with one of the biggest numbers of them all, related today:

• The final NFL ratings show a roughly 10% (9.7% to be precise) drop in the ratings this year.

The #NFLBoycott is real.  NFL ratings, on a two-year basis, are now down between 16-17%.

Now (and we probably get word on the timeframe within the month), we're going to find out from Vince and the White Right Football League whether it is actually working.

All right.  I'll dispense with Week 17 and just go to the year-end numbers:

• The average game in the 2017 regular season scored 43.4375 points.  (2016:  44.933  2015:  45.625  2014:  45.1875  2013:  46.707)

You hit 'em, you hurt 'em, you put 'em out, you win.  That was the mantra of 2017, and why scoring was down another point and a half a game this year.

• Home teams were 142-109 this year.  (Four games in London, one in Mexico City)  Percentage:  .5657 (2016:  .5853  2015:  .5494  2014:  .589)

After Week 7, home teams were 52-51.  Week 10:  80-75.  The last seven weeks of the year, home teams were 62-34.

• I did the Over percentages as a function of games per week over .500 on last year's thread.  This year, the Over was 114-134-8, a game-plus under .500.  (Last year was a half-game a week above .500; two years ago, a full game a week under .500.)

Again, injurious defenses.

• Favorites were 133-113-9 against the number this year - a game-plus a week over .500.  (Last year:  123-115-7.  Two years ago they were a game a week under .500.)
• Straight up:  181-74 this year, 161-83-1 last year -- there were a number of games last year with either pick 'em starts or variances to not make a clear favorite.

This was obvious -- when teams got bad, they got BAD.

• Cliffhangers:  49 this year, 50 last year, 57 two years ago, 40 three years ago, 56 four years ago.)
• 48 Last Chance Misses this year -- 70 last year.
• Percentage of competitive games (games which were within eight points at some point in fourth quarter):  This year:  66.02%.  2016:  71.1%.  2015:  67.57%  2014:  62.89%  2013:  68%

Again, indicative of the disparity between good teams and those who, plainly, sucked...