There are 4 games left in the season as of the time I'm beginning to write this piece, and the Hawks are winless throughout the season thus far. There are only 4 winless teams in the history of the league: The S6 and S7 Colorado Yeti went back to back on 0-14 seasons, which I believe is called "pulling a Bucs", the Liberty went 0-14 in S10, and the Austin Copperheads went 0-13 in their inaugural year in the league, Season 16. I'm going to stack up these 4 teams along with the most likely team to join them in over 10 seasons, and see how they compare, as well as, in part, why the Hawks got here.
S27 BALTIMORE HAWKS
Let's start by looking at the Hawks totals per game, as that will give the best comparison to the teams to follow as opposed to totals considering the differing season lengths. The Hawks have scored 14.3 points per game, with a high of 40 vs the San Jose Sabercats in Week 2, and a low of 0 at the Silverbacks in Week 8. The next closest team is the Orange County Otters, with 19.8 points per game. They have given up 38.1 points per game, with a high of 51 against both the Butchers and the Outlaws in Weeks 3 and 9 respectively, and a low of 20 at the Silverbacks in Week 8. The next closest team is the Austin Copperheads, with 26.7 points per game. Their average point differential per game is -23.8. The closest team to them in this category is the Copperheads, again, with -6.1.
As for yards, they are not bottom of the barrel in both of these categories, on offense they actually get more yards per week than 2 other Season 27 teams. Their 346.5 yards per game is more than both the Otters and the Silverbacks (339.4 and 340.4 respectively). My best guess is that this is in large part due to topping 550 yards twice, getting 556 at the Liberty in Week 4 and 576 vs the Sabercats in Week 2. Their lowest yard total in a game is 232 yards in Week 6 vs the Colorado Yeti, although their performances at the Yeti and at the Silverbacks weren't much better at 237 and 236 yards respectively. Their Rush Yards per game are actually 11th, with the Copperheads (64.2), Otters (62.8), and Second Line (61.0) all being noticeably worse than their 72.3 rush yards per game. Their best performance was a 161 yard day vs the Yellowknife Wraiths in Week 5, headlined by 54 and 53 yard rushes from their lead back. Their worst performance was a 24 yard day during that Silverbacks game where they scored no points. Their passing yards per game is flat out average, not even bad, coming in at 9th of 14 with 274.2 yards per game. The worst in the league, to compare, is the Sailfish, with 252.1 yards per game. Their highest output was 444 yards in the Week 4 game at the Liberty, with their lowest coming in their Week 6 game vs the Yeti with 160 yards.
Their defensive yards performance is flat out the worst in the league, giving up 446.6 yards per game, leaving them outgained by just a hair over 100 yards per game. The closest team to them in that category is the Second Line, who give up 398.3 yards per game. The most they gave up was 580 vs the Sabercats, while the least they gave up was 308 vs the Liberty in Week 10. They have given up more rush yards per week than any other team with 167.4 yards per game. The next closest team to them, the Second Line, has given up 113.7 yards per carry, over 50 yards less. The most they gave up was vs the Sabercats, where they gave up 312 yards on the ground. The least they gave up was vs the Wraiths with 115 yards on the ground. As far as Pass D goes, they're actually 8th in the league, giving up 279.2 yards per game. To compare, the worst in the league is the Butchers of all teams with 308.3 yards per game (but they still have the best D by points somehow...). Their worst game was at the Liberty, where they gave up 379 yards. Their best game was vs the Liberty, where they only gave up 148 yards. Please note that this is all before tonight, so this all could get better...or worse.
S16 AUSTIN COPPERHEADS
The Season 16 Austin Copperheads are easily the best team of the 4 winless teams, and not just because they only lost 13 games. Just like the Hawks, they were bottom of the league in both points per game and points allowed per game, but their differential is better: They scored 14.3 points per game and gave up 32.6 points. The closest team to them in both of these categories was the Yeti, who scored 16 points per game and allowed 32.6 points. Yes, both teams allowed exactly 424 points across 13 games. The point differential for the Copperheads was -18.3, and their closest competitor was at -16.6, so less than a 2 point difference. The Copperheads best offensive performance was when they scored 24 points vs the Yeti, and their worst was when they scored 0 at the Sabercats. Their best defensive performance was when they gave up 13 points against the Outlaws, while their worst was the same Sabercats game where they let up 55 points.
The Copperheads ended up last in yards per game, with 313.9 per game (closest to them was, surprise surprise, the Yeti with 331.8). The most they got in a game was 413 at the Otters, while their least was 177 at the Sabercats. Their Rush Yards per game was 133.1, which was 6th of 10 in the league. To compare the Otters were the worst, and only ran for 76.5 yards per game. Their best rushing performance was 209 yards vs those very same Otters, while their worst was only rushing for 87 yards at the Outlaws. They were the worst passing team, though, with 180.8 yards per game through the air. The next closest team was the Wraiths with 204.2 yards per game passing. Their best passing game was 262 yards at the Otters, while their worst was an 88 yard stinker during that dreadful Sabercats game.
The Copperheads were also the worst team in terms of yards given up per game, with 422.8. The next closest team was not the Yeti, but instead the Second Line, with 411.8 yards per game. Their best performance was vs the Outlaws, where they gave up 319 yards, and their worst was, where else, against the Sabercats, where they gave up 583 yards. They gave up 150.5 yards per game rushing, which wasn't actually the worst. The Otters were worse with 150.6 yards per game on the ground. Their lowest total was 81 yards given up in a game at Philadelphia, and they gave up 83 yards at the Wraiths and vs OCO. Their highest was when they gave up 267 yards at New Orleans. The Copperheads also were second from the bottom in terms of Pass Yards allowed per game, with 272.2 yards allowed. The Second Line allowed the most with 290.9 yards per game. The least they gave up was 142 at NOLA, and the most they gave up was 402 at the Wraiths.
S10 PHILADELPHIA LIBERTY
The Liberty were a very, very trash team in this bygone era, being bottom of the league in most stats. They scored the least points in the league, with 11.6 points per game (2nd from the bottom was the Otters with 17.6 points per game), with a high of 22 points vs the Yeti and a low of 3 points vs the Outlaws. They gave up the most points in the league, with 33.9 points per game (The Sabercats gave up the 2nd most points, with 31.9), with their best result coming from when they gave up 14 points vs the Sabercats, and their worst coming from when they gave up 68 points at the Hawks. Their average point differential was -22.3, and the next closest team to them was the Sabercats with an average -13.5 point differential.
In yards per game, they were the worst with 277.0 yards per game. Their most came vs the Yeti, when they got 383 yards, and their worst was at the Hawks where they only got 148 yards. Total. One of their kick returners got more yards than they did, in part due to a kick return for a touchdown. The Liberty actually had the most rush yards per game in the league, with 166.2 per game. The second place team, the Hawks, got 137.9 yards per game. Their most came at the Otters, when they got 219 yards, and their lowest came at the Hawks where they only got 99 yards. The reason they were last in yardage came from them getting only 110.8 yards per game passing. The next closest team, the Outlaws, got 242.3 yards per game passing. The most was when they got 224 passing yards vs the Yeti, and their least came during that Hawks game where they only got 49 passing yards. I'm actually wondering at this point whether that could be a record, although there are still two more shit teams to come so...
In terms of yards given up, they were the worst, with 456.9 yards per game allowed. The second most came from the Sabercats with 445.0 yards per game allowed. Their least given up was when they allowed 363 vs the Yeti, and their most came vs the Second Line when they allowed 585 yards. They gave up the most rushing yards per game with 130.1 (2nd was the Otters, with 125.9), giving up the least vs the Yeti, only 103, and the most coming vs the Hawks, where they gave up 181 yards. The Liberty also gave up the 2nd most passing yards, with 326.9 yards per game. The Sabercats were the only team to give up more, with 330.1 yards per game. The least they gave up was 260 vs the Yeti. The most they gave up was 467, vs the Second Line.
S6 COLORADO YETI
This is the first of 2 Yeti teams back to back to go winless, and I started with them because I'm pretty sure this was the better team. They scored the least amount of points per game in the league, with 14.1. The second worst team was the Second Line, who scored 17.1 points per game. The most points the Yeti scored in a single game was 24 vs the Outlaws, and the least they scored was 6 at the Wraiths. The Yeti gave up the most points per game, with 38.6. Second worst was, again, the Second Line, with 26.9 points per game given up. The least the Yeti gave up was 23 points, vs the Wraiths and at the Second Line, while the most they gave up was 69 points at the Otters. The Yeti's average point differential was -24.5, while the Second Line, who were the closest to them, had a -8.8 point differential.
Offensively, the Yeti had the least yards per game in the entire league, with 276.6 yards per game. The second worst team, the Second Line, got 349.1 yards per game. The most yards the Yeti got was 377, vs the Second Line. The least yards the Yeti got were 134 yards at the Otters. Just like the Liberty, the Yeti had the most rushing yards per game, with 136.9. The Wraiths were second with 125.2 rushing yards per game. The most the Yeti got was vs the Second Line, where they got 219 yards, and the least they got was 36 yards vs the Outlaws. The Yeti had the worst passing attack, with only 139.6 yards per game through the air. The second worst team, the Second Line, got 247.3 yards per game passing. Yes, both of these last 2 teams had the best rushing attack and the worst passing attack by over 100 yards. The most they got in a single game was 204 vs the Outlaws, and the least they got was 29 yards vs the Otters. Yes, 29 yards. To compare, 59 receivers by my count have at least one reception longer than that this season.
Defensively, the Yeti gave up 465.9 yards per game, the most in the league. The Outlaws gave up the second most, with 428.4. The least the Yeti gave up was 356 vs the Second Line, while the most they gave up was 586 yards at the Otters. They gave up the most rushing yards per game, with 117.2 yards per game. The second worst team, the Hawks, gave up 114.9 yards. The least yards the Yeti gave up was 67 yards vs the Sabercats, while the most they gave up was 182 yards at the Second Line. The Yeti also gave up the most yards through the air, with 348.7 per game. The Outlaws were second, with 321.6 per game. The least they gave up was 232 yards vs the Second Line, while the most they gave up was 486 yards at the Otters.
S7 COLORADO YETI
Yeah, this is the worst team of all time from my recollection scrolling back through history, and I'm not sure there's a way for the Hawks to end up considered worse than this. They scored 9.8 points PER GAME, topping out at 20 at the Sabercats and getting shut out by the Wraiths. The Sabercats and Second Line tied for second lowest, with 21.7 per game. The Yeti had the worst defense, giving up 35.8 points per game. The second worst team on D was the Outlaws, who gave up 30.9 points per game. The Sabercats and the Outlaws tied for the 2nd worst point differential, with -5.4 points per game. The Yeti had a whopping -26.0 point differential per game.
Their offense was the worst, gaining 255.6 yards per game. The closest team was the Sabercats, who got 353.8 yards per game. The most yards they got in any game was 350, vs the Hawks. Yes, the most yards they got in any game were less than the average of the 2nd worst team. Their worst total was 176 at the Liberty. They only gained 82.1 yards per game on the ground, actually only 2nd from the bottom. The worst team was the Second Line, who got 80 yards per game flat out of their rushing attack. The most yards they got in a game was 154 at the Otters, while the least they got was 38 yards at the Wraiths. They were the worst team passing, with 173.6 yards per game. The second worst team, the Sabercats, got 269.9 yards per game. The most they got was 241 yards, at the Outlaws. The least they got was 110, at the Liberty.
Defensively, they were the worst by yardage, giving up 472.6 yards per game. The second worst, the Outlaws, gave up 430.1 yards per game. The least they gave up was 352 vs the Hawks, while the most they gave up was 582 yards at the Wraiths. Their rush D was also the worst, giving up 126.2 yards per game. The Sabercats, the second worst, gave up 108 yards per game. The least they gave up was 72 yards vs the Wraiths, while the most they gave up was 204 at those very same Wraiths. And, of course, they were the worst with passing offense, giving up 346.4 yards per game. Second worst, the Outlaws, gave up 334.4 yards per game. The least they gave up was 223 yards vs the Sabercats, while the most was 445 at the Otters.
So, that's a lot of numbers, but how do these teams stack up against each other? Also, where do the Hawks, now 13 games through the season, fit in?
Average Point Differential
S7 Yeti -26.0
S6 Yeti -24.5
S27 Hawks -24.0
S10 Liberty -22.3
S16 Copperheads -18.3
Average Point Differential compared to 2nd Worst Team
S7 Yeti -21.6
S27 Hawks -17.1
S6 Yeti -15.7
S10 Liberty -8.8
S16 Copperheads -1.7
Worst Offense Among Winless Teams
S7 Yeti 9.8 ppg
S10 Liberty 11.6 ppg
S6 Yeti 14.1 ppg
S27 Hawks 14.2 ppg
S16 Copperheads 14.3 ppg
Worst Defense Among Winless Teams
S6 Yeti 38.6 ppg
S27 Hawks 38.2 ppg
S7 Yeti 35.8 ppg
S10 Liberty 33.9 ppg
S16 Copperheads 32.6 ppg
So, what would it take for the Hawks to be the worst team out of this bunch? Well, in their 3 remaining games they'd need to bring their average point differential down 2 more points, which would require them to lose by a total of 104 points in their remaining 3 games. In order to be the worst offense, they'd need to turn back the clock, as the lowest they could get is 11.56. Technically this would put them second, as the Liberty's point per game total is actually 11.57 when expanded out, but I wouldn't hold my breath for back to back to back shutouts. That being said, worst Defense is not only in reach, but the worst defense of all time is in reach. The Season 8 Sabercats gave up 553 points in 14 games for 39.5 ppg. This would require the Hawks to give up 135 points over the next 3 games, which isn't going to be easy, but is certainly doable especially considering they're facing 3 of the top 4 or 5 teams in the league in those next 3. Even easier is to just become the worst defense among winless teams, as they'd only require 121 points, and we're talking about a team that has given up at least 40 points these last 3 games. What would the Hawks need to do to be the best team of this bunch? Well, as far as Defense goes, they have a wiggle room of 25 points before they pass the Copperheads. So it's very easy to see them passing that point before the end of the first half of Week 13, to be quite honest. Being the best offense is much easier, as they're much closer to it. They only need to score 44 points over the next 3 games to tie the S16 Copperheads there. That being said, I can't see a world in which they can become the best team in terms of average point differential, the S16 Yeti were just so much worse than any other team in the league today outside of the Hawks. How about average point differential as a whole? Unfortunately, even if they lost the next 3 games by only 1 point, they'd still have a -19.7 point differential, a full point worse than the Copperheads.
Of course, there is an easy way for this team to be the best of this group. Just win one of your next 3 games.
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S27 BALTIMORE HAWKS
Let's start by looking at the Hawks totals per game, as that will give the best comparison to the teams to follow as opposed to totals considering the differing season lengths. The Hawks have scored 14.3 points per game, with a high of 40 vs the San Jose Sabercats in Week 2, and a low of 0 at the Silverbacks in Week 8. The next closest team is the Orange County Otters, with 19.8 points per game. They have given up 38.1 points per game, with a high of 51 against both the Butchers and the Outlaws in Weeks 3 and 9 respectively, and a low of 20 at the Silverbacks in Week 8. The next closest team is the Austin Copperheads, with 26.7 points per game. Their average point differential per game is -23.8. The closest team to them in this category is the Copperheads, again, with -6.1.
As for yards, they are not bottom of the barrel in both of these categories, on offense they actually get more yards per week than 2 other Season 27 teams. Their 346.5 yards per game is more than both the Otters and the Silverbacks (339.4 and 340.4 respectively). My best guess is that this is in large part due to topping 550 yards twice, getting 556 at the Liberty in Week 4 and 576 vs the Sabercats in Week 2. Their lowest yard total in a game is 232 yards in Week 6 vs the Colorado Yeti, although their performances at the Yeti and at the Silverbacks weren't much better at 237 and 236 yards respectively. Their Rush Yards per game are actually 11th, with the Copperheads (64.2), Otters (62.8), and Second Line (61.0) all being noticeably worse than their 72.3 rush yards per game. Their best performance was a 161 yard day vs the Yellowknife Wraiths in Week 5, headlined by 54 and 53 yard rushes from their lead back. Their worst performance was a 24 yard day during that Silverbacks game where they scored no points. Their passing yards per game is flat out average, not even bad, coming in at 9th of 14 with 274.2 yards per game. The worst in the league, to compare, is the Sailfish, with 252.1 yards per game. Their highest output was 444 yards in the Week 4 game at the Liberty, with their lowest coming in their Week 6 game vs the Yeti with 160 yards.
Their defensive yards performance is flat out the worst in the league, giving up 446.6 yards per game, leaving them outgained by just a hair over 100 yards per game. The closest team to them in that category is the Second Line, who give up 398.3 yards per game. The most they gave up was 580 vs the Sabercats, while the least they gave up was 308 vs the Liberty in Week 10. They have given up more rush yards per week than any other team with 167.4 yards per game. The next closest team to them, the Second Line, has given up 113.7 yards per carry, over 50 yards less. The most they gave up was vs the Sabercats, where they gave up 312 yards on the ground. The least they gave up was vs the Wraiths with 115 yards on the ground. As far as Pass D goes, they're actually 8th in the league, giving up 279.2 yards per game. To compare, the worst in the league is the Butchers of all teams with 308.3 yards per game (but they still have the best D by points somehow...). Their worst game was at the Liberty, where they gave up 379 yards. Their best game was vs the Liberty, where they only gave up 148 yards. Please note that this is all before tonight, so this all could get better...or worse.
S16 AUSTIN COPPERHEADS
The Season 16 Austin Copperheads are easily the best team of the 4 winless teams, and not just because they only lost 13 games. Just like the Hawks, they were bottom of the league in both points per game and points allowed per game, but their differential is better: They scored 14.3 points per game and gave up 32.6 points. The closest team to them in both of these categories was the Yeti, who scored 16 points per game and allowed 32.6 points. Yes, both teams allowed exactly 424 points across 13 games. The point differential for the Copperheads was -18.3, and their closest competitor was at -16.6, so less than a 2 point difference. The Copperheads best offensive performance was when they scored 24 points vs the Yeti, and their worst was when they scored 0 at the Sabercats. Their best defensive performance was when they gave up 13 points against the Outlaws, while their worst was the same Sabercats game where they let up 55 points.
The Copperheads ended up last in yards per game, with 313.9 per game (closest to them was, surprise surprise, the Yeti with 331.8). The most they got in a game was 413 at the Otters, while their least was 177 at the Sabercats. Their Rush Yards per game was 133.1, which was 6th of 10 in the league. To compare the Otters were the worst, and only ran for 76.5 yards per game. Their best rushing performance was 209 yards vs those very same Otters, while their worst was only rushing for 87 yards at the Outlaws. They were the worst passing team, though, with 180.8 yards per game through the air. The next closest team was the Wraiths with 204.2 yards per game passing. Their best passing game was 262 yards at the Otters, while their worst was an 88 yard stinker during that dreadful Sabercats game.
The Copperheads were also the worst team in terms of yards given up per game, with 422.8. The next closest team was not the Yeti, but instead the Second Line, with 411.8 yards per game. Their best performance was vs the Outlaws, where they gave up 319 yards, and their worst was, where else, against the Sabercats, where they gave up 583 yards. They gave up 150.5 yards per game rushing, which wasn't actually the worst. The Otters were worse with 150.6 yards per game on the ground. Their lowest total was 81 yards given up in a game at Philadelphia, and they gave up 83 yards at the Wraiths and vs OCO. Their highest was when they gave up 267 yards at New Orleans. The Copperheads also were second from the bottom in terms of Pass Yards allowed per game, with 272.2 yards allowed. The Second Line allowed the most with 290.9 yards per game. The least they gave up was 142 at NOLA, and the most they gave up was 402 at the Wraiths.
S10 PHILADELPHIA LIBERTY
The Liberty were a very, very trash team in this bygone era, being bottom of the league in most stats. They scored the least points in the league, with 11.6 points per game (2nd from the bottom was the Otters with 17.6 points per game), with a high of 22 points vs the Yeti and a low of 3 points vs the Outlaws. They gave up the most points in the league, with 33.9 points per game (The Sabercats gave up the 2nd most points, with 31.9), with their best result coming from when they gave up 14 points vs the Sabercats, and their worst coming from when they gave up 68 points at the Hawks. Their average point differential was -22.3, and the next closest team to them was the Sabercats with an average -13.5 point differential.
In yards per game, they were the worst with 277.0 yards per game. Their most came vs the Yeti, when they got 383 yards, and their worst was at the Hawks where they only got 148 yards. Total. One of their kick returners got more yards than they did, in part due to a kick return for a touchdown. The Liberty actually had the most rush yards per game in the league, with 166.2 per game. The second place team, the Hawks, got 137.9 yards per game. Their most came at the Otters, when they got 219 yards, and their lowest came at the Hawks where they only got 99 yards. The reason they were last in yardage came from them getting only 110.8 yards per game passing. The next closest team, the Outlaws, got 242.3 yards per game passing. The most was when they got 224 passing yards vs the Yeti, and their least came during that Hawks game where they only got 49 passing yards. I'm actually wondering at this point whether that could be a record, although there are still two more shit teams to come so...
In terms of yards given up, they were the worst, with 456.9 yards per game allowed. The second most came from the Sabercats with 445.0 yards per game allowed. Their least given up was when they allowed 363 vs the Yeti, and their most came vs the Second Line when they allowed 585 yards. They gave up the most rushing yards per game with 130.1 (2nd was the Otters, with 125.9), giving up the least vs the Yeti, only 103, and the most coming vs the Hawks, where they gave up 181 yards. The Liberty also gave up the 2nd most passing yards, with 326.9 yards per game. The Sabercats were the only team to give up more, with 330.1 yards per game. The least they gave up was 260 vs the Yeti. The most they gave up was 467, vs the Second Line.
S6 COLORADO YETI
This is the first of 2 Yeti teams back to back to go winless, and I started with them because I'm pretty sure this was the better team. They scored the least amount of points per game in the league, with 14.1. The second worst team was the Second Line, who scored 17.1 points per game. The most points the Yeti scored in a single game was 24 vs the Outlaws, and the least they scored was 6 at the Wraiths. The Yeti gave up the most points per game, with 38.6. Second worst was, again, the Second Line, with 26.9 points per game given up. The least the Yeti gave up was 23 points, vs the Wraiths and at the Second Line, while the most they gave up was 69 points at the Otters. The Yeti's average point differential was -24.5, while the Second Line, who were the closest to them, had a -8.8 point differential.
Offensively, the Yeti had the least yards per game in the entire league, with 276.6 yards per game. The second worst team, the Second Line, got 349.1 yards per game. The most yards the Yeti got was 377, vs the Second Line. The least yards the Yeti got were 134 yards at the Otters. Just like the Liberty, the Yeti had the most rushing yards per game, with 136.9. The Wraiths were second with 125.2 rushing yards per game. The most the Yeti got was vs the Second Line, where they got 219 yards, and the least they got was 36 yards vs the Outlaws. The Yeti had the worst passing attack, with only 139.6 yards per game through the air. The second worst team, the Second Line, got 247.3 yards per game passing. Yes, both of these last 2 teams had the best rushing attack and the worst passing attack by over 100 yards. The most they got in a single game was 204 vs the Outlaws, and the least they got was 29 yards vs the Otters. Yes, 29 yards. To compare, 59 receivers by my count have at least one reception longer than that this season.
Defensively, the Yeti gave up 465.9 yards per game, the most in the league. The Outlaws gave up the second most, with 428.4. The least the Yeti gave up was 356 vs the Second Line, while the most they gave up was 586 yards at the Otters. They gave up the most rushing yards per game, with 117.2 yards per game. The second worst team, the Hawks, gave up 114.9 yards. The least yards the Yeti gave up was 67 yards vs the Sabercats, while the most they gave up was 182 yards at the Second Line. The Yeti also gave up the most yards through the air, with 348.7 per game. The Outlaws were second, with 321.6 per game. The least they gave up was 232 yards vs the Second Line, while the most they gave up was 486 yards at the Otters.
S7 COLORADO YETI
Yeah, this is the worst team of all time from my recollection scrolling back through history, and I'm not sure there's a way for the Hawks to end up considered worse than this. They scored 9.8 points PER GAME, topping out at 20 at the Sabercats and getting shut out by the Wraiths. The Sabercats and Second Line tied for second lowest, with 21.7 per game. The Yeti had the worst defense, giving up 35.8 points per game. The second worst team on D was the Outlaws, who gave up 30.9 points per game. The Sabercats and the Outlaws tied for the 2nd worst point differential, with -5.4 points per game. The Yeti had a whopping -26.0 point differential per game.
Their offense was the worst, gaining 255.6 yards per game. The closest team was the Sabercats, who got 353.8 yards per game. The most yards they got in any game was 350, vs the Hawks. Yes, the most yards they got in any game were less than the average of the 2nd worst team. Their worst total was 176 at the Liberty. They only gained 82.1 yards per game on the ground, actually only 2nd from the bottom. The worst team was the Second Line, who got 80 yards per game flat out of their rushing attack. The most yards they got in a game was 154 at the Otters, while the least they got was 38 yards at the Wraiths. They were the worst team passing, with 173.6 yards per game. The second worst team, the Sabercats, got 269.9 yards per game. The most they got was 241 yards, at the Outlaws. The least they got was 110, at the Liberty.
Defensively, they were the worst by yardage, giving up 472.6 yards per game. The second worst, the Outlaws, gave up 430.1 yards per game. The least they gave up was 352 vs the Hawks, while the most they gave up was 582 yards at the Wraiths. Their rush D was also the worst, giving up 126.2 yards per game. The Sabercats, the second worst, gave up 108 yards per game. The least they gave up was 72 yards vs the Wraiths, while the most they gave up was 204 at those very same Wraiths. And, of course, they were the worst with passing offense, giving up 346.4 yards per game. Second worst, the Outlaws, gave up 334.4 yards per game. The least they gave up was 223 yards vs the Sabercats, while the most was 445 at the Otters.
So, that's a lot of numbers, but how do these teams stack up against each other? Also, where do the Hawks, now 13 games through the season, fit in?
Average Point Differential
S7 Yeti -26.0
S6 Yeti -24.5
S27 Hawks -24.0
S10 Liberty -22.3
S16 Copperheads -18.3
Average Point Differential compared to 2nd Worst Team
S7 Yeti -21.6
S27 Hawks -17.1
S6 Yeti -15.7
S10 Liberty -8.8
S16 Copperheads -1.7
Worst Offense Among Winless Teams
S7 Yeti 9.8 ppg
S10 Liberty 11.6 ppg
S6 Yeti 14.1 ppg
S27 Hawks 14.2 ppg
S16 Copperheads 14.3 ppg
Worst Defense Among Winless Teams
S6 Yeti 38.6 ppg
S27 Hawks 38.2 ppg
S7 Yeti 35.8 ppg
S10 Liberty 33.9 ppg
S16 Copperheads 32.6 ppg
So, what would it take for the Hawks to be the worst team out of this bunch? Well, in their 3 remaining games they'd need to bring their average point differential down 2 more points, which would require them to lose by a total of 104 points in their remaining 3 games. In order to be the worst offense, they'd need to turn back the clock, as the lowest they could get is 11.56. Technically this would put them second, as the Liberty's point per game total is actually 11.57 when expanded out, but I wouldn't hold my breath for back to back to back shutouts. That being said, worst Defense is not only in reach, but the worst defense of all time is in reach. The Season 8 Sabercats gave up 553 points in 14 games for 39.5 ppg. This would require the Hawks to give up 135 points over the next 3 games, which isn't going to be easy, but is certainly doable especially considering they're facing 3 of the top 4 or 5 teams in the league in those next 3. Even easier is to just become the worst defense among winless teams, as they'd only require 121 points, and we're talking about a team that has given up at least 40 points these last 3 games. What would the Hawks need to do to be the best team of this bunch? Well, as far as Defense goes, they have a wiggle room of 25 points before they pass the Copperheads. So it's very easy to see them passing that point before the end of the first half of Week 13, to be quite honest. Being the best offense is much easier, as they're much closer to it. They only need to score 44 points over the next 3 games to tie the S16 Copperheads there. That being said, I can't see a world in which they can become the best team in terms of average point differential, the S16 Yeti were just so much worse than any other team in the league today outside of the Hawks. How about average point differential as a whole? Unfortunately, even if they lost the next 3 games by only 1 point, they'd still have a -19.7 point differential, a full point worse than the Copperheads.
Of course, there is an easy way for this team to be the best of this group. Just win one of your next 3 games.
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