In 2011, the Broncos scored 309 points and allowed 390 points. Despite being outscored by 81 points, the Tim Tebow express still made it into the post-season. In June, I speculated that the 2012 Broncos might set the record for the largest increase in pass completions in one year, and they did just that on Sunday. They also moved into fourth place on another list.
With 481 points and 289 points allowed, Denver outscored its opponents by 192 points in 2012. Peyton Manning and Von Miller have turned the Broncos into one of the best teams in the league a year after they were one of the worst (at least, as measured by points differential). Denver improving their points differential by a whopping 273 points this year relative to 2011, the fourth largest increase in football history.
| Rank | Year | Team | PF | PA | Diff | N-1 PF | N-1 PA | N-1 Diff | Impr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1999 | St. Louis Rams | 526 | 242 | 284 | 285 | 378 | -93 | 377 |
| 2 | 1929 | New York Giants | 312 | 86 | 226 | 79 | 136 | -57 | 283 |
| 3 | 2001 | Chicago Bears | 338 | 203 | 135 | 216 | 355 | -139 | 274 |
| 4 | 2012 | Denver Broncos | 481 | 289 | 192 | 309 | 390 | -81 | 273 |
| 5 | 1998 | Minnesota Vikings | 556 | 296 | 260 | 354 | 359 | -5 | 265 |
| 6 | 1975 | Baltimore Colts | 395 | 269 | 126 | 190 | 329 | -139 | 265 |
| 7 | 2004 | San Diego Chargers | 446 | 313 | 133 | 313 | 441 | -128 | 261 |
| 8 | 2006 | New Orleans Saints | 413 | 322 | 91 | 235 | 398 | -163 | 254 |
| 9 | 1965 | Chicago Bears | 409 | 275 | 134 | 260 | 379 | -119 | 253 |
| 10 | 2008 | Baltimore Ravens | 385 | 244 | 141 | 275 | 384 | -109 | 250 |
| 11 | 1955 | Washington Redskins | 246 | 222 | 24 | 207 | 432 | -225 | 249 |
| 12 | 1976 | New England Patriots | 376 | 236 | 140 | 258 | 358 | -100 | 240 |
| 13 | 1963 | Oakland Raiders | 363 | 282 | 81 | 213 | 370 | -157 | 238 |
| 14 | 1997 | New York Jets | 348 | 287 | 61 | 279 | 454 | -175 | 236 |
| 15 | 1923 | Columbus Tigers | 119 | 35 | 84 | 24 | 174 | -150 | 234 |
| 16 | 1987 | Indianapolis Colts | 300 | 238 | 62 | 229 | 400 | -171 | 233 |
| 17 | 1991 | Cleveland Browns | 293 | 298 | -5 | 228 | 462 | -234 | 229 |
| 18 | 1967 | New York Giants | 369 | 379 | -10 | 263 | 501 | -238 | 228 |
| 19 | 1969 | Atlanta Falcons | 276 | 268 | 8 | 170 | 389 | -219 | 227 |
| 20 | 2010 | Detroit Lions | 362 | 369 | -7 | 262 | 494 | -232 | 225 |
| 21 | 1976 | Chicago Bears | 253 | 216 | 37 | 191 | 379 | -188 | 225 |
| 22 | 2001 | Cleveland Browns | 285 | 319 | -34 | 161 | 419 | -258 | 224 |
| 23 | 1999 | Indianapolis Colts | 423 | 333 | 90 | 310 | 444 | -134 | 224 |
| 24 | 2000 | New Orleans Saints | 354 | 305 | 49 | 260 | 434 | -174 | 223 |
| 25 | 2010 | St. Louis Rams | 289 | 328 | -39 | 175 | 436 | -261 | 222 |