10 Most Important Stats From NFL: Kicking Foibles, Red Zone Problems, & Will the Saints Set a Record
By Jason McIntyre
0: The Tampa Bay Bucs made it into the red zone five times against the Redskins Sunday, and didn’t score one touchdown. The 0-for-5 in the red zone including two field goal misses and one interception. If you toss in a fumble – when the Jacquizz Rodgers had run inside the 20-yard line – it was a complete debacle for Tampa Bay, which fell to 3-6, and their season is over.
4: Cody Parkey, Chicago’s embattled kicker, hit the upright four times Sunday in the win over Detroit. He clanged two extra points, and two field goal attempts. If the Lions were even a decent team, and won because Parkey kicked poorly, he might be looking for a job today.
6: NFL record for most 40-point games this season, which was accomplished by the 2013 Denver Broncos. Well the 2018 New Orleans Saints could threaten that mark. After hanging 51 on the Bengals, the Saints now have five games with 40 or more points (including the opener, which they lost). Considering some of the defensively-challenged teams they’ll play – the Eagles next week at home, the Falcons, two more against the Panthers – the Saints should shatter Denver’s mark.
9: The Saints scored on their first nine drives of the game against the Bengals in one of the biggest beatdowns of the season so far. New Orleans led 35-7 at half and won, 51-14.
9.7: Yards per carry for Aaron Jones, the Packers running back. He carried only 15 times, but gained 145 yards, and if Green Bay is going to make a run toward a playoff spot, they’re going to need a lot more from Jones. He did lose a costly fumble vs the Patriots in Week 9, but it was the long fumble of his young career.
20.48: In one of the truly staggering stats of the season, Raiders punter Johnny Townsend ran at a top speed of 20.48 MPH on a fake punt against the Chargers. That’s faster than Alvin Kamara or Kareem Hunt have run this season.
31: With two TD passes in a win over the Cardinals, Pat Mahomes set a Chiefs single-season record with 31 TD passes. He’s got six games left in the season to extend his own record.
92: Nick Chubb of Cleveland peeled off a 92-yard touchdown run in a win over the Falcons, and not only was it the longest play in NFL this year, but it was also the longest run in franchise history.
501: The Bucs totaled 501 yards against the Redskins, but were only able to muster three points. That’s the fewest points ever scored in the NFL by a team that amassed over 500 yards. The 49ers totaled six points on 501 yards of offense in a loss to the Redskins in 1986.
133: Allen Robinson caught 133 yards worth of passes against the Lions in a blowout win at home Sunday, and it was a landmark game for Robinson. It was his first 100-yard receiving game since December 24, 2016. Robinson feasted on cornerbacks not named Darius Slay (didn’t play) and more importantly his health will be important for the Bears come postseason. If the run game (only 54 rushing yards vs Detroit) stalls, Robinson is going to be the top target of Mitchell Trubisky.