The Pittsburgh Steelers failed to convert two two-point conversions in their game against the Dallas Cowboys. Both on incomplete passes by Ben Roethlisberger.

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The San Diego Chargers saw their goal-line chance evaporate after Philip Rivers threw an interception in the fourth quarter, one of four on the day for Rivers.

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The failures — all of which were pivotal in the outcomes of those games — begs the question of what teams should be doing when it comes to those goal-line situations. Based on the current trends of 2016, it was pretty surprising the Patriots didn’t score. It turns out, the NFL as a whole has been more effective rushing for touchdowns this season, particularly in short-yardage situations.

In 2016, teams are scoring one rushing touchdown per every 76 plays, a huge increase over the past few years and the highest rate since the 2009 season.

Part of the reason for the increased scoring efficiency in the running game is the propensity for teams to run the ball more in goal-to-go situations. Last season, teams ran the ball 47 percent of the time in these circumstances, but this season that has up ticked to 48.7 percent. Yet that pales in comparison to the improvement in the percentage of short-yardage rushing plays that ended with a touchdown this season, which has risen from 29.3 to 35.9 percent in just one season.

One driver of that improvement is an offensive line’s ability to block in power situations, which Football Outsiders defines as runs on third or fourth down, two yards or less to go. This year, teams are converting 66 percent of power opportunities into first downs or touchdowns, the highest rate in almost a decade.

This is helping quarterbacks to score on their own. In 2015, a third of all quarterback sneaks in goal-line situations made their way into the end zone, but this year they are scoring at a 43.2 percent clip, the highest since 2013.

The best has been Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott. He has four rushing touchdowns at the goal line this season, the most among active quarterbacks. Dual-threat quarterback Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers has three and Tyrod Taylor, another mobile passer, is tied with three other quarterbacks at two.