I've been playing this game for 35+ years now, in multiple leagues. I've seen a lot of things happen. And I've forgotten much of it, because my memory ain't what it used to be.
Going back to the OP - yes, you've had some bad luck......but it is in no way unique. One of my leagues now awards part of the prize pool to the high points scorer for the season, after having 1 team dominate in that aspect while missing the playoffs.
I'm currently #1 in total points in one league with a 7-5 record and 3rd place in my division. May or may not make the playoffs. I had a 3-week run where I lost all 3 games by a total of 2.85 points. That hurt..... The #2 scoring team in that league is 5-7 and will NOT make the playoffs.
In another league, I am far and away the #1 scoring team, in 2nd place to a team that has scored over 300 points less (1934 - 1613). The team in 3rd place in that division has outscored that team by about 140 points, and will only make the playoffs because the final playoff spot in that league goes to the team with the highest total points that isn't currently in the playoffs.
I've had plenty of seasons where I would score the 2nd highest points in a week and lose......but one memory that stands out was a week from about 25 years ago. At the time in that league, an average scoring week was about 100 or 110 points. A great scoring week was 140-150. I put up a 199 score, which ended up being the 2nd highest score in the league for the entire year, with the next highest being a distant 30+ behind that. The highest score of that year? Yes, it was that same week, and happened to be my opponent for that week. What are the odds of that?
Conversely, I know that I've had inferior teams that happened to match up the right weeks to give me a winning team. Luck works both ways. In the long run, it tends to even out. Usually.
There are plenty of options for mitigating HTH's luck factor, including Victory Points (not mentioned in this thread that I recall) and the option mentioned above of reserving a playoff spot for the highest-scoring team that hasn't otherwise qualified. There are advantages for keeping HTH, such as more teams staying in the running later (I don't have anything to back that up, but I've heard it to be true).