Patriots are the NFL's #1 Offense, Not the Most Efficient

The Patriots have made it back to the top of the league in points per game. New England is scoring 31.6 points per game, ahead of the Packers (31.1), Colts (30.3), Eagles (29.7), and Broncos (29.1).

First off, that's awesome and well deserved for a team that's overcome plenty of question marks over the first half of the season.

Secondly, the Patriots may lead the league in points, but the offense isn't the most efficient. Courtesy of the Patriots defense and special teams play, there are five touchdowns not from the offense (Chandler Jones, Julian Edelman, Rob Ninkovich, and Kyle Arrington x2).

Third? The Patriots have had 13 more drives on offense than the Green Bay Packers, whose 140 drives are the lowest in the entire league.

So when you look at production, the Packers are scoring 2.89 points per drive, compared to the second ranked Patriots' 2.67 points per drive. The Broncos are third with 2.51 PFPD, followed by the Cowboys (2.48), Ravens (2.47), Saints (2.45), and Colts (2.43). The high flying Eagles don't even rank in the top 10 due to the nature of their league leading 175 drives.

There's a difference between scoring a lot and scoring efficiently; luckily the Patriots can do both. But keep in mind that when looking at the raw stat- the total numbers or the rate statistics- the whole picture isn't presented.