"CLOSE GAMES BOOST INTEREST"

In today’s (September 25) USA Today, pro football writer Jarrett Bell says, "Call ‘em what you want: Nailbiters. Cliffhangers. Heart-stoppers...Close finishes increasingly are becoming an NFL thing...much to the delight of network executives."

Bell cites the following statistics:

* Through four weeks, 13 games were decided by a score after the two-minute warning, more than doubling the 1996 four-week count (six).

* 46 percent of games (26 of 56) have been decided by seven points or fewer, up 5 percent from this point in 1996.

* 29 percent of games (16 of 56) have been decided by three points or fewer compared to 14 percent last year.

USA Today also notes that more points have been scored in the fourth quarter (743) this year than any other quarter...and that overall scoring is up this year to 42.7 points per game (incluidng 262 touchdowns) compared to 38.1 points per game (including 232 touchdowns) last year after four weeks.