NFL Week 4 AAP Rankings: All About Points Top 10

In football (as in nearly all team sports), there are two statistics that rise above all others in importance: the number of points scored and the number of points allowed.

It's obvious that this is important.

It is, in fact, the "bottom line." Regardless of the number of yards a team's offense gains or the number of turnovers a defense forces, in the end, it is all about points.

It's simple to store this as a statistic. For convenience on this list, I'm going to call it the AAP Ratio (all about points), and it refers to the ratio of points scored per game to points allowed per game.

A ratio of 1.000 means that a team has scored the same number of points that it has allowed. If it's higher than 1.000, a team has scored more points than it has allowed. If it's lower than 1.000, a team has surrendered more points than it has accumulated.

It's all very black and white. And, not surprisingly, it correlates very closely with a team's win-loss record. But the ratio does tell you a little bit more than just a win-loss record.

The teams near or at the top of the list tend to be those with both a good offense and a good defense. A team that is great on one side of the ball but only average on the other may win games, but they won't be as high on this list.

How that bodes for playoff success in 2001 remains to be seen.

You'll see the usual great teams on the list, although the order might surprise you.

Without further delay, here are your Top 10 AAP Rankings from the 2011 NFL season's Week 4.

No. 10: San Francisco 49ers

Team: San Francisco 49ers

Rank: 10

Games Played: 4

Points Scored per game: 23.5

Points Allowed per game: 18.75

AAP Ratio: 1.253

Record: 3-1

Last Week: Defeated the Philadelphia Eagles on the road, 24-23

This Week: At home vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

No. 9: New Orleans Saints

Team: New Orleans Saints

Rank: 9

Games Played: 4

Points Scored per game: 31.75

Points Allowed per game: 24.5

AAP Ratio: 1.296

Record: 3-1

Last Week: Defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road, 23-10

This Week: On the road vs. the Carolina Panthers

No. 8: Washington Redskins

Team: Washington Redskins

Rank: 8

Games Played: 4

Points Scored per game: 20.75

Points Allowed per game: 15.75

AAP Ratio: 1.317

Record: 3-1

Last Week: Defeated the St. Louis Rams on the road, 17-10

This Week: Bye

No. 7: New England Patriots

Team: New England Patriots

Rank: 7

Games Played: 4

Points Scored per game: 33.75

Points Allowed per game: 24.5

AAP Ratio: 1.378

Record: 3-1

Last Week: Defeated the Oakland Raiders on the road, 31-19

This Week: At home vs. the New York Jets

No. 6: Buffalo Bills

Team: Buffalo Bills

Rank: 6

Games Played: 4

Points Scored per game: 33.25

Points Allowed per game: 24

AAP Ratio: 1.385

Record: 3-1

Last Week: Lost to the Cincinnati Bengals on the road, 23-20

This Week: At home vs. the Philadelphia Eagles

No. 5: Green Bay Packers

Team: Green Bay Packers

Rank: 5

Games Played: 4

Points Scored per game: 37

Points Allowed per game: 24.25

AAP Ratio: 1.526

Record: 4-0

Last Week: Defeated the Denver Broncos at home, 49-23

This Week: On the road vs. the Atlanta Falcons

No. 4: Houston Texans

Team: Houston Texans

Rank: 4

Games Played: 4

Points Scored per game: 26.75

Points Allowed per game: 17.5

AAP Ratio: 1.529

Record: 3-1

Last Week: Defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers at home, 17-10

This Week: At home vs. the Tennessee Titans

No. 3: Tennessee Titans

Team: Tennessee Titans

Rank: 3

Games Played: 4

Points Scored per game: 22

Points Allowed per game: 14

AAP Ratio: 1.571

Record: 3-1

Last Week: Defeated the Cleveland Browns on the road, 31-13

This Week: On the road vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers

No. 2: Detroit Lions

Team: Detroit Lions

Rank: 2

Games Played: 4

Points Scored per game: 33.75

Points Allowed per game: 19

AAP Ratio: 1.776

Record: 4-0

Last Week: Defeated the Dallas Cowboys on the road, 34-30

This Week: At home vs. the Chicago Bears

No. 1: Baltimore Ravens

Team: Baltimore Ravens

Rank: 1

Games Played: 4

Points Scored per game: 29.75

Points Allowed per game: 14.25

AAP Ratio: 2.088

Record: 3-1

Last Week: Defeated the New York Jets at home, 34-17

This Week: Bye

Additional AAP Stats

To wrap up, we'll take a look at some other statistical tidbits after Week 4 of the 2011 NFL season.

Best margin of points scored to points allowed:

Baltimore Ravens (15.5)
Detroit Lions (14.75)
Green Bay Packers (12.75)
Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots (9.25) 

Most points scored per game:

Green Bay Packers (37)
Detroit Lions, New England Patriots (33.75)
Buffalo Bills (33.25)
New Orleans Saints (31.75) 

Fewest points allowed per game:

Tennessee Titans (14)
Baltimore Ravens (14.25)
Washington Redskins (15.75)
Houston Texans (17.5)
Pittsburgh Steelers (18) 

Best AAP Ratio for a...

2-2 team: Cincinnati Bengals (1.081, 80 PF, 74 PA)

1-3 team: Philadelphia Eagles (1.000, 101 PF, 101 PA)

0-4 team: Minnesota Vikings (0.802, 77 PF, 96 PA)

We'll check again on the AAP ratios next week. Stay tuned.