How Texans, Seahawks, Broncos defenses can rule NFL playoffs

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Defense wins championships.

This, like many things my dad tried to convince me of when I was 8, is not really true. (All kids have to give their Reese's to their dads on Halloween was another lie.) Healthy teams win championships. Balanced teams win championships. Lucky teams win championships. If we're forced to split the hair between the two sides of the ball ... offensive teams generally win championships.

I didn't have advanced analytics when I was 8, so I couldn't tell my dad this: Of the 30 teams that made the Super Bowl in the past 15 seasons, 27 had an average offense or better. The league average for points per drive over those 15 years…