Interesting team stats

[JoeyBoy718]

I was just taking a look at overall team stats compared to the rest of the league and there were a few things that surprised me. Here are some things I found:

OFFENSE

* Unsurprisingly, we're #2 in the league in rushing yards per game, a hair behind Buffalo. Their QB has almost 500 rushing yards so I think it's safe to say we're the best "traditional" running team in the league.

* Slightly surprisingly, we're only #16 in the league in passing yards per game. On the bright side, I think our QB's efficiency and ability to protect the ball makes us a better passing team than the yards per game indicate.

* We're #4 in total yards per game and #3 in total points. The Saints and Falcons are the only teams ahead of us in both categories. But we appear to be better at protecting the ball than both teams. Dak has 2 INTs and NFL.com says we've lost 5 fumbles on offense, so that's 7 offensive turnovers total, compared to 16 for the Saints (8 INTs and 8 lost fumbles) and 9 for the Falcons (6 INTs and 3 lost fumbles).

* We're also #1 in the league at time of possession at 33:12. For comparison sake, the only team close to us offensively in yards per game, points and ball control, the Falcons, is #19 at time of possession at 29:52.

* Overall, we might be the best offense in the NFL all things considered. We're a dominant run team, we control the time of possession, we're a solid passing team, we get lots of yards but also put up points, and we're excellent at not turning the ball over (might have the fewest offensive turnovers in the league but I couldn't find the stats to verify).

DEFENSE

* I was surprised to see we're #3 in the league at rushing yards per game behind only Baltimore and Carolina. The popular consensus this year has been that our secondary has been our strongest unit on defense.

* Unsurprisingly we're below average in sacks, ranking #24 in the league with 20 sacks. The Bills lead the league with 33. I was surprised to see we're ahead of the Texans, Chiefs and Jets who are all considered some of the better defenses in the league (especially the Chiefs) with a lot more elite talent than we have (even without JJ Watt).

* What's most disappointing is we're #30 in INTs with only 4, only ahead of the Colts and Jags who each have 3. The Chargers lead the league with 14. Fortunately, we still appear to be +3 in the turnover differential despite only getting 4 INTs since Dak has only thrown 2. That means we must have recovered 6 fumbles (if my number posted earlier that we lost 5 fumbles is correct).

* We're #21 in the league in yards per game but tied with the Giants at #8 in the league for points per game. The numbers do kind of support the idea of "bend but don't break defense." I do notice while watching the games that we don't seem to give up many points despite the offense moving against us so easily.

* Overall, our defense isn't doing our offense any favors. They're lucky to have an offense that's able to point up points, keep the defense off the field, and limit turnovers. I can only imagine how bad we'd be without this offense (see last year). The biggest surprise is how bad our pass defense seems to be. Perhaps some more in depth stats can show that it isn't all on the secondary. It did appear that our secondary was playing great, but the numbers make them look pathetic. The lack of turnovers is really disappointing and has been a trend for years now. The plus side is our run defense seems to be okay, but maybe teams don't bother running against us since it's so easy to pass. And more in depth stats might show how our D-line is a big reason why our secondary has been swiss cheese.

 

[LocimusPrime]

Time to invest some " real" resources on the defensive line. Hopefully with some key free agent acquisitions and first and second rd draft picks, we should be better next year.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

Time to invest some " real" resources on the defensive line. Hopefully with some key free agent acquisitions and first and second rd draft picks, we should be better next year.

Is it all on the D-line though? I know the D-line is awful. But the secondary has been one of the worst at forcing turnovers for years. And the defense has been good against the run but awful against the pass. I know a pass rush helps the secondary. But a lot of teams run that quick pass offense to neutralize the pass rush. You have to also have a good secondary. The consensus is our secondary is much improved but the numbers don't support that.

 

[CCBoy]

The additions of Church, Claiborne, and Smith should be a major contribution to a defensive direction.

One additional linebacker and two dominant defensive ends would turn this defense around...the depth is already there.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

The additions of Church, Claiborne, and Smith should be a major contribution to a defensive direction.

One additional linebacker and two dominant defensive ends would turn this defense around...the depth is already there.

Do you see that happening this year? Church will be back, but the timeframe on Claiborne is uncertain and a lot of people are saying he could be done for the year. Also, Smith seems doubtful to play this year too. And Claiborne may not even be here next year. Not to mention, Smith might not even be ready next year.

That being said, I agree that a healthy Claiborne and Smith in 2017 can do this defense good. I still think we should look for an improvement over Church but I don't think he's a liability if he has the right pieces around him. We still sorely lack pass rushers.

If everything works perfectly (big IF), we'd have a solid secondary by bringing back Claiborne and having Brown develop another year. We'd also have a solid LBer corps with Smith and Lee healthy all season and Wilson with a year of starting experience. We'd also have some nice DTs with Collins with a year of experience and McClain back. But we'd still be weak at DE. I don't know if we have a reliable edge rusher currently on this team.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Is it all on the D-line though? I know the D-line is awful. But the secondary has been one of the worst at forcing turnovers for years. And the defense has been good against the run but awful against the pass. I know a pass rush helps the secondary. But a lot of teams run that quick pass offense to neutralize the pass rush. You have to also have a good secondary. The consensus is our secondary is much improved but the numbers don't support that.

The game is won in the trenches. Fix the pass rush, everything else will be better. But start up front then move back. Put as much pressure and be agressive in attacking the QB. A formula that always works.