Reader Dennis Lyons pointed out that the Broncos defense was a much better fantasy group in the first half of the season than the second. I thought I'd see how they compared to the other three Championship game defenses in this regard.
Turns out the Broncos were the only one of the four that was markedly better in the first eight games of the season than the final eight games (in key fantasy areas of sacks, interceptions, fumble recoveries, and defensive touchdowns). The Cardinals, for those interested in how these defenses were trending, were markedly better in the final eight games than the first eight games in three of those four categories.
Carolina and New England were more of a wash; better or equal in two of the four areas in the first half of the season, better or equal in the other two in the second half.
The table below shows the differences in performance for each of the four fantasy defenses in the first eight games compared to the final eight games. The better averages are indicated in bold. Worth noting that even while Denver slipped in the second half, it still had a strong pass rush -- equal or better to the other three teams in that regard.
| CHAMPIONSHIP DEFENSES, GAMES 1-8 VERSUS 9-16 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | N.E. | Den | Ariz. | Car. |
| Sacks 1-8 | 27 | 29 | 13 | 25 |
| INTs 1-8 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 13 |
| FR 1-8 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 5 |
| TDs 1-8 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Avg. Sk | 3.4 | 3.6 | 1.6 | 3.1 |
| Avg. INT | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Avg. FR | 0.4 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| Avg. TD | 0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Sacks 9-16 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 19 |
| INTs 9-16 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 11 |
| FR 9-16 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 10 |
| TDs 9-16 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Avg. Sk | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.4 |
| Avg. Int | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.4 |
| Avg. FR | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| Avg. TD | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 |
--Andy Richardson