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The last few years we’ve been sending out a weekly stat package e-mail to help get you ready for the weekend’s games.
* Only two teams rank in the Top 10 in Total Points Per Play on both offense and defense – the Bills (2nd and 7th, respectively) and the Chiefs (6th and 4th). The big imbalances are with the Ravens (1st and 25th) and Chargers (28th and 1st).
* The 49ers have the highest ranking among teams with a .500 or worse record. They check in at No. 7 overall and rank No. 7 on offense and No. 11 on defense.
* Eleven teams have a worse record than the 3-4 Cowboys but Dallas ranks 31st overall in Total Points Per Play. The Cowboys rank 26th on offense and 31st on defense.
* Best game by a QB last week per Points Above Average? That was by Bo Nix, who now ranks 3rd in Total Points and 4th in Total Points Per Play among quarterbacks this season. On a per-play basis, he’s been a match for Patrick Mahomes.
* George Kittle had a big game against the Cowboys with 6 receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown. He widened his lead in Total Points among tight ends (he has 23, next-closest is 18) and took over the top spot in Totals Points Per Play (3.6) in that win.
* A.J. Terrell led all cornerbacks with 10 Pass Defense Points Saved in Week 8 and vaulted to No.3 among cornerbacks in Total Points for the season. Terrell, a second-team All-Pro selection in 2021 had an interception in the Falcons’ win over the Buccaneers. His 40 tackles in 2024 are only 5 fewer than he had all last season.
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Click here for the full Total Points StatPack
Total Points Power Rankings
The Top 10 teams in the NFL when taking into account Total Points Per Play for offense, defense, and special teams.
1. Lions
2. Bills
3. Chiefs
4. Broncos
5. Ravens
6. Vikings
7. 49ers
8. Falcons
9. Seahawks
10. Chargers
Top 5 Offenses
1. Ravens
2. Bills
3. Lions
4. Falcons
5. Commanders
Top 5 Defenses
1. Chargers
2. Broncos
3. Titans
4. Chiefs
5. Texans
Total Points Leaders: Quarterbacks
1. Lamar Jackson
2. Joe Burrow
3. Bo Nix
4. Patrick Mahomes
5. Jalen Hurts
Total Points Leaders: Running Backs
1. James Conner
2. Derrick Henry
3. Najee Harris
4. Kenneth Walker III
5. Justice Hill
Total Points Leaders: Wide Receivers
1. Chris Godwin
2. Nico Collins
3. A.J. Brown
4. Khalil Shakir
5. Ja’Marr Chase
Total Points Leaders: Defensive Ends
1. T.J. Watt
2. Aidan Hutchinson
3. Myles Garrett
4. Will McDonald IV
5. Greg Rousseau
Total Points Leaders: Linebackers
1. Fred Warner
2. Brian Burns
3. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
4. Jamien Sherwood
5. Andrew Van Ginkel
Total Points Leaders: Cornerbacks
1. Jaylon Jones
2. Pat Surtain II
3. A.J. Terrell
4. D.J. Reed
5. Mike Hughes
Total Points Leaders: Safeties
1. Kerby Joseph
2. Julian Love
3. Amani Hooker
4. Nick Cross
5. Xavier McKinney
Note: These rankings are based on unrounded totals which virtually eliminates ties between players or teams
Charting Leaderboards
Leaderboards in various statistical categories based on video review by our staff, including long passes, yards after contact, and pressures.
* Only two quarterbacks have completed more than half of their pass attempts thrown more than 20 yards downfield – Jared Goff (8-of-13) and Sam Darnold (14-of-24). Darnold’s 14 deep completions lead the NFL. He leads in deep completions but ranks outside the Top 15 in deep pass attempts.
* Najee Harris continues to just battle against opposing defenses. He’s had three straight 100-yard rushing games, netting at least 70 yards after contact in each one. Harris has 239 rushing yards after contact the last three games after totaling 206 in his first five games.
* Broncos defensive end Zach Allen has played six seasons in the NFL and has never garnered any awards for his play. But 2024 might be different. Allen ranks 2nd in the NFL in both pressures (37) and Pressures Above Expectation (11.4).
Most Completions, Pass Attempts 20+ Yards Downfield
1. Sam Darnold 14
2. Trevor Lawrence 13
3. Jordan Love, Dak Prescott 12
5. Bo Nix, Aaron Rodgers, Brock Purdy, Justin Herbert, Kirk Cousins, Josh Allen 11
Most Receptions, Targets 20+ Yards Downfield
1. George Pickens 9
2. Darnell Mooney 8
3. DK Metcalf 7
4. Terry McLaurin, Justin Jefferson, Brian Thomas Jr., Marvin Harrison Jr., Alec Pierce 6
Most Yards After Contact (Rushing)
1. Najee Harris 445
2. Derrick Henry 443
3. Josh Jacobs 422
4. Jordan Mason 410
5. Saquon Barkley 404
Most QB Pressures
1. Aidan Hutchinson 38
2. Zach Allen 37
3. Trey Hendrickson 35
4. Will McDonald IV, Brian Burns, Nick Bosa 34
Most Pressures Above Expectation
1. Aidan Hutchinson 16.5
2. Zach Allen 11.4
3. Trey Hendrickson 10.7
4. Dexter Lawrence 9.8
5. Jonathan Greenard 9.2
Matchups and Mismatches
When we look at matchups by unit and comparing the teams playing a particular game, there are intriguing matchups and mismatches each week.
Here are some we noticed:
(All references to rankings are in the context of Total Points Per Play)
* One of the most interesting games of Week 9 is a matchup of the No. 1 Passing and No. 1 Receiving Ravens team and the No. 1 Broncos Pass Coverage group.
* The Falcons have another highly favorable matchup with an offense that ranks in the top 10 in Passing, Rushing, and Receiving going against a Cowboys defense that ranks among the bottom three teams in Run Defense, Pass Rush, and Pass Coverage.
Similarly the Bengals No. 2 Passing and No. 12 Receiving units have a good matchup with a Raiders team that ranks No. 26 in Pass Rush and No. 28 in Pass Coverage.
And the Chiefs No. 4 Passing and No. 7 Receiving groups look to be in good shape against a Buccaneers team that ranks No. 24 in Pass Rush and No. 31 in Pass Coverage.
Find your own matchups and mismatches here. You can also find much of this information at the SIS Datahub.
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If you’ve read all the way through this newsletter, e-mail mark@sportsinfosolutions.com for a free one-week subscription to our DataHub Pro, which allows you access to a wealth of information about NFL team and player performance.
