NFL Point Differential for Every Team That Started 11-1

Key points from the chart

Point differential is points scored minus points allowed, as the chart’s footer explains.
47 NFL teams have started a season 11-1. The 2024 Kansas City Chiefs had the lowest point differential of all of them at that stage, +54, ranked 47th.
The 1962 Green Bay Packers had the highest, +254.
The 2024 Detroit Lions, also 11-1 at the same point, were at +180.
11 of the Chiefs’ first 12 games were wins, 9 of them by 8 points or fewer, which explains the low total.

Point differential for every NFL team that started 11-1

Title: “Point differential for every team that started 11-1”. Subtitle: “47 teams have started off 11-1, the 2024 Chiefs point differential of +54 is ranked 47th”. The bar chart sorts the teams from highest to lowest; a white dot marks a team that won the championship (or the Super Bowl in the Super Bowl era) and an asterisk marks a team that won the league on regular season record with no playoffs.

Rank	Team and season	Point differential at 11-1	Marker
1	GB-1962	+254	Won championship
2	MIN-1969	+250
3	BAL-1968	+241
4	SF-1948	+233
5	PHI-1949	+230	Won championship
6	WAS-1991	+219	Won championship
7	OAK-1967	+219
8	SD-1961	+200
9	GB-1931	+198	Won league on regular season record (no playoffs)
10	PIT-1975	+197	Won championship
11	BAL-1964	+192
12	MIA-1984	+190
13	CLE-1953	+186
14	MIN-1975	+182
15	DET-2024	+180
16	MIA-1973	+179	Won championship
17	CLE-1951	+179
18	JAX-1999	+176
19	MIN-1998	+174
20	CHI-1948	+169
21	PHI-1980	+160
22	PHI-2004	+159
23	SEA-2013	+154	Won championship
24	SF-1984	+151	Won championship

Rank	Team and season	Point differential at 11-1	Marker
25	DAL-2007	+147
26	SF-1997	+146
27	NYG-2008	+146
28	NE-2004	+141	Won championship
29	KC-2003	+139
30	WAS-1972	+135
31	HOU-2012	+130
32	TEN-2008	+129
33	DEN-1977	+126
34	DEN-1996	+125
35	PIT-2020	+123
36	LAR-2018	+121
37	KC-2020	+116
38	PHI-2022	+112
39	RAM-1969	+111
40	DAL-2016	+105
41	DEN-1984	+98
42	BUF-1988	+98
43	SF-1990	+95
44	PIT-2004	+89
45	ATL-2012	+88
46	OAK-1976	+74	Won championship
47	KC-2024	+54

Chiefs point differential by game (inset)

Game 1 v BAL: +7
Game 2 v CIN: +1
Game 3 v ATL: +5
Game 4 v LAC: +7
Game 5 v NO: +13
Game 6 v SF: +10
Game 7 v LV: +7
Game 8 v TB: +6
Game 9 v DEN: +2
Game 10 v BUF: -9
Game 11 v CAR: +3
Game 12 v LVR (printed as Gm 11): +2

Annotation: “2024 Lions have the 14th highest PD for an 11-1 team”. Footer: “Data from Stathead.com (Point Differential = points scored – points allowed)” and “u/JPAnalyst | @jaydpauley on Threads | @jaydpauley.bsky.social”.

Does point differential predict a title?

Of the 47 teams, 9 won the championship that season according to the chart’s markers: GB-1962, PHI-1949, WAS-1991, PIT-1975, MIA-1973, SEA-2013, SF-1984, NE-2004, OAK-1976. They are spread across the whole range, from the top bar (1962 Packers, +254) to the second lowest (1976 Raiders, +74). Several of the highest differentials, including the 1969 Vikings (+250) and 1968 Colts (+241), did not win a title.

Neither 2024 team won the Super Bowl. Both finished the regular season 15-2. The Lions lost 45-31 to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round [2]. The Chiefs beat the Houston Texans and the Buffalo Bills to reach Super Bowl LIX, where they lost 40-22 to the Philadelphia Eagles [1].

Notes on this infographic

Lions rank. The annotation calls the Lions’ +180 the 14th highest, but 14 teams on the chart have a higher differential, which makes it 15th. The difference may come from counting the two teams tied at +219 as one rank.
Game numbers. The inset labels two games as “Gm 11” (Carolina and Las Vegas); the second is game 12. Las Vegas is also printed as both “LV” and “LVR”.
Only loss. The -9 against Buffalo in game 10 matches the 30-21 regular season defeat in Buffalo described in the Chiefs’ season record [1].
Data date. The chart was made during the 2024 season, after the Chiefs’ 12th game.

Questions about NFL point differential

What is point differential in the NFL?

It is the number of points a team has scored minus the number it has allowed, over a set of games or a season. The chart uses this definition, with data from Stathead. A team at 11-1 with +54 has scored 54 more points than it has conceded across its 12 games.

What is the biggest point differential in NFL history?

For a full season since 1967, StatMuse lists the 2007 New England Patriots as the highest, at +315 [3]. This chart measures something narrower, the differential after an 11-1 start, where the 1962 Packers lead with +254.