Alabama was seconds away from another national championship in the 2016 season. And its defense was being mentioned among the greatest in school history.

So finding areas where this team can improve for the upcoming season might seem like the ultimate needle-in-the-haystack pursuit.

However, there were some statistics from last season – even on defense – that Nick Saban and his staff would probably like to see improved.

Here are some numbers to pay attention to for the Crimson Tide this season:

Pass defense on first down

The numbers suggested that last season, if opponents wanted to make a dent in Alabama’s defense, they should have gone to the air early.

The Crimson Tide ranked ninth in the SEC last season in opponent completion percentage on first down (60.8 percent). Alabama fans could certainly defend the high percentage as simply the result of opponents having to throw on first down and going for short, conservative completions.

However, Alabama’s defense also allowed 15 pass plays of 25 or more yards on first down last season. Only Tennessee and Mississippi State allowed more such plays.

Third-down conversions

Overall, Alabama’s numbers on third down last season were impressive. In fact, the Crimson Tide led the SEC in third-down conversion at 43.8 percent. In the first two months of the season, they were converting almost half of their third-down plays (49.1 percent).

But from the start of November, Alabama’s ability to convert on third down waned. Over their last seven games, the Tide were held to 37.8 percent on third-down conversion tries. And it got even worse in the College Football Playoff, where Alabama converted on just 6 of 29 chances (20.7 percent).

In the CFP National Championship Game against Clemson, the Tide was 2 of 15 (13.3 percent). It was a disturbing downward trend that Alabama fans hopes will go away.

Opponent TD percentage in the Red Zone

Again, this wasn’t a situation where Alabama struggled all season. In fact, no team in the FBS allowed opponents fewer trips to the Red Zone last season than the Tide (25). And during the regular season, Alabama allowed opponents to score just six touchdowns in 18 trips inside the 20-yard line.

But during the SEC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff, teams that did get inside the Alabama 20-yard line were able to get in the end zone. The Alabama defense allowed six touchdowns in seven opponent Red Zone trips in those three games, including a perfect 4-for-4 by Clemson in the national title game.

When you go 14-1 and finish runner-up to the national champions, there aren’t many areas to improve. But if Alabama can turn some of these trends in the opposite direction, along with its dominance in seemingly every other area, expect to see the Crimson Tide in the hunt for yet another national championship.