Are we nearing the end of the 30-carry running back in an NFL game?
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.
Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy in Week One was a big part of the success enjoyed by his team as they stunned the Washington Redskins 33-27. McCoy amassed 184 yards on 31 carries. McCoy’s 31 carries was the first time a Philadelphia running back had 30-plus rushing attempts in a game since McCoy had 30 in an October30, 2011 contest against Dallas.
What’s interesting about McCoy’s stat line was the 31 carries. Not only did he have the most carries by a running back in Week One, but he was the only running back to have 30 or more rushing attempts. Week Two had no runners with 30-plus carries, and based on stats from the past several seasons, the 30-carry running back may become extinct. (Obviously the greater focus on the passing-game has been a major factor in teams not running a back 30 or more times in a game. That’s a topic for another time.)
Last season there were only nine games where a running back had 30-plus carries in a contest. Kansas City’s Jamaal Charles and Vikings’ running back Adrian Peterson both did it twice last season. The nine games was the lowest this century.
Going back to 2000, a game with a runner carrying the ball 30 or more times was more frequent. Here’s a quick look at the number of 30-plus carry games each season since 2000.
2012: 9
2011: 11
2010: 11
2009: 12
2008: 11
2007: 18
2006: 26
2005: 22
2004: 44 (most in a season since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970)
2003: 36
2002: 26
2001: 23
2000: 34
The nine games last season was the lowest number of 30-carry games in the NFL since 1990 when there was only eight. Looking at stats from 1970 to today (1970 was the first year of the AFL-NFL merger) the decade of the seventies saw an average of 7.7 games with one running back carrying the ball 30-plus times in a game; in the 1980s, the average went up to 16.4 games per season; in the 1990’s the average increased again to 19.1 games per season; in the first decade of this century, that average skyrocketed to 25.2 games per season. Over the last three seasons (2010-2012) the average plummeted to an average of only 10.3 games per season.
As mentioned above, this was the first 30-carry rusher for the Eagles since 2011. The Miami Dolphins, have the league’s longest drought when it comes to a runner with 30-plus carries. The last time Miami handed the ball to one back 30 or more times was in a game in 2003 when Ricky Williams carried it 31 times against Dallas.
Following is the last time each NFL team had one runner with 30 or more carries in a game.
Last season with a 30-carry runner in a game
2003: Miami
2004: Detroit, New England, New Orleans
2005: Dallas, Indianapolis
2006: Arizona, San Diego
2007: Chicago, Tampa Bay
2008: Green Bay, St. Louis
2009: Carolina
2010: Atlanta, Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Tennessee
2011: Cleveland, Houston, Jacksonville, San Francisco, Seattle
2012: Denver, Kansas City, Minnesota, New York Giants, New York Jets, Oakland, Washington
2013: Philadelphia
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Isn’t scoring 28 points enough to win in the NFL?
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.
You would think that scoring 28 or more points in an NFL game would be enough to win that game, right? Think again.
From 2008-2012, teams that scored 28 or more points in a game won just over 86 percent of those games. In Week One of this season, 10 teams scored 28 or more points; of those 10, seven won. The three games where a team scoring 28 or more points lost: San Francisco over Green Bay, 34-28; Dallas over the New York Giants, 36-31; and Houston over San Diego, 31-28.
For the Packers, it was the eighth time since 2008 that they have lost a game when scoring 28 or more points (regular season and playoff games included). That’s one more loss than the Cowboys and Saints who each lost seven games since 2008 after scoring 28 or more points.
On the other side of the coin, the Saints have won 10 games since 2008 after giving up 28 or more points in a game.
Here’s a look at how many games (regular season and playoff games) NFL teams have lost when they scored 28 or more points and how many they won when giving up 28 or more points in games since 2008.
Scored 28 or more points in a game and lost
8 games: Green Bay
7 games: Dallas, New Orleans
6 games: Buffalo, Detroit
5 games: Carolina, Kansas City, Minnesota, New England, San Diego, Washington
4 games: New York Giants, Philadelphia
3 games: Arizona, Cincinnati, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Miami, Oakland, Seattle
2 games: Baltimore, Cleveland, Jacksonville, New York Jets, Tampa Bay, Tennessee
1 game: Atlanta, Pittsburgh, San Francisco
0 games: Chicago, St. Louis
Allowed 28 or more points in a game and won
10 games: New Orleans
8 games: New York Giants
6 games: Atlanta, Baltimore, Houston, New England
5 games: Dallas, Denver, San Francisco
4 games: Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Philadelphia
3 games: Carolina, New York Jets, Tampa Bay, Washington
2 games: Jacksonville, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, San Diego, St. Louis, Tennessee
1 game: Arizona, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Miami, Oakland, Seattle
0: Kansas City
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99 Stats Until Kickoff (#89) Best individual performances in a Super Bowl loss
Jake Delhomme (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
From May 30 and every day until September 5… the start of the 2013 NFL season… Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ will publish “99 Stats Until Kickoff” a daily dose of NFL stats that will get you ready for the 2013 NFL season.)
We all remember Joe Montana, Dwight Clark and “The Catch.” Or Joe Namath’s guarantee. Or Lynn Swann’s great catch. Or how about Jerry Rice… Bart Starr’s two MVP awards. Yes, we remember the great performances from the teams that won the Super Bowl.
But what about the great performances from players whose team lost? Here’s my list of the 20 best (offensive) performances from players who were on the losing side of the Super Bowl. Had things been a little different, some of these listed may have been hoisting an MVP trophy.
What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Who would be at the top of your list?
1. Jake Delhomme, Carolina, QB (Super Bowl 38; lost to New England 32-29) 16 of 33, 323 yards, three TDs, no interceptions. 113.6 passer rating. Nine of 13 in the fourth quarter for 212 yards and two scores.
2. Thurman Thomas, Buffalo, RB (Super Bowl 25; lost to New York Giants 20-19) 15 rushing attempts for 135 yards, one touchdown. Five receptions for 55 yards. Had 68 yards on four carries in the fourth quarter.
3. Kurt Warner, Arizona, QB (Super Bowl 43; lost to Pittsburgh 27-23) 31 of 43, 377 yards, three TDs and one interception. 112.3 passer rating. Fourteen of 19 in the fourth quarter with two TDs. Second most passing yards in a Super Bowl game.
4. Antonio Freeman, Green Bay, WR (Super Bowl 32; lost to Denver 31-24) Nine catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Also returned six kickoffs for 104 yards.
5. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona, WR (Super Bowl 43, lost to Pittsburgh 27-23) Seven catches for 127 yards and two scores. Six of his seven catches came in the fourth quarter.
6. Eddie George, Tennessee, RB (Super Bowl 34; lost to St. Louis 23-16) Rushed for 92 yards on 28 carries with two touchdowns. Two receptions for 35 yards.
7. Dan Ross, Cincinnati, TE (Super Bowl 16; lost to San Francisco 26-21) Eleven receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Six of his 11 catches and his two TDs came in the fourth quarter. Tied with three other players for most receptions in a Super Bowl game.
8. Andre Reed, Buffalo, WR (Super Bowl 27; lost to Dallas 52-17) Eight catches for 152 yards. Tied for fifth on the all-time list for most receiving yards in a Super Bowl.
9. Tom Matte, Baltimore, RB (Super Bowl 3; lost to New York Jets 16-7) Eleven carries for 116 yards. Two receptions for 30 yards. Second-most rushing yards for a player from the losing team.
10. Joseph Addai, Indianapolis, RB (Super Bowl 44; lost to New Orleans 31-17) Thirteen carries for 77 yards and a touchdown; seven receptions for 58 yards.
11. Brett Favre, Green Bay, QB (Super Bowl 32; lost to Denver 31-24) Completed 25 of 42 passes for 256 yards. Three TDs and one interception. Passer rating of 91.0.
12. Dorsey Levens, Green Bay, RB (Super Bowl 32; lost to Denver 31-24) Nineteen carries for 90 yards; six receptions for 56 yards. Had four runs of 10 yards or more. Had five catches in the fourth quarter.
13. Terrell Owens, Philadelphia, WR (Super Bowl 39; lost to New England 24-21) Nine catches for 122 yards.
14. Muhsin Muhammad, Carolina, WR (Super Bowl 38; lost to New England 32-29) Four receptions for 140 yards (three catches for 117 yards in the fourth quarter).
15. Tony Dorsett, Dallas, RB (Super Bowl 13; lost to Pittsburgh 35-31) Ninety-six yards on 18 carries. Five catches for 44 yards.
16. Roger Staubach, Dallas, QB (Super Bowl 13; lost to Pittsburgh 35-31) Seventeen completions in 30 pass attempts for 228 yards. Three TDs and one interception. Passer rating of 100.4. Rushed for 37 yards on four carries. Completed 11 of 16 with two scores in the final period.
17. Vance Johnson, Denver, WR (Super Bowl 21; lost to New York Giants 39-20) Five receptions for 121 yards. Had catches of 47 and 54 yards.
18. Bill Miller, Oakland, WR (Super Bowl 2; lost to Green Bay 33-14) Had a pair of 23-yard touchdowns. Five catches for 84 yards.
19. Kenny Anderson, Cincinnati, QB (Super Bowl 16; lost to San Francisco 26-21) Completed 25 of 34 passes for 300 yards with two TDs and two picks. Passer rating of 95.2. Rushed for a TD. Completed 10 of 12 with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
20. Wes Welker, New England, WR (Super Bowl 42; lost to New York Giants 17-14) Had 11 catches for 103 yards. Also returned a punt 15 yards. Tied with three other players for most receptions in a Super Bowl game.
“99 Stats Before Kickoff” (Stats you need to know before the start of the 2013 NFL season) is available from e-book publisher Smashwords. Go to www.smashwords.com to download a copy, including a pdf version which can be viewed on your home computer. Cost is $2.99.
99 Stats Until Kickoff: (#26) Tony Romo’s great game in Dallas’ season opener was no surprise
From May 30 and every day until September 5… the start of the 2013 NFL season… Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ will publish “99 Stats Until Kickoff” a daily dose of NFL stats that will get you ready for the 2013 NFL season.)
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The fact that Tony Romo had three touchdowns, 307 yards passing and a Passer Rating of 129.5 in the Cowboys 24-17 season-opening win in 2012 over the New York Giants should not have come as a surprise to NFL enthusiasts and Dallas fans. In his previous five season-opening games, Romo had a Passer Rating over 100 in four of those five games with a high of 140.6 in 2009.
From 1960-2012, there were 149 times when a quarterback had a Passer Rating of 120 or more in his team’s first game of the season (minimum of 10 passes attempted to qualify). Teams won 128, lost 19, with two ties in those games (a .866 winning percentage).
Last season, seven QBs had a Passer Rating of 120 or more in the NFL’s opening week. They were:
Robert Griffin, III, Washington, 139.9 (vs. New Orleans)
Matt Ryan, Atlanta, 136.4 (vs. Kansas City)
Tony Romo, Dallas, 129.5 (vs. New York Giants)
Peyton Manning, Denver, 129.2 (vs. Pittsburgh)
Joe Flacco, Baltimore, 128.4 (vs. Cincinnati)
Alex Smith, San Francisco, 125.6 (vs. Green Bay)
Mark Sanchez, New York Jets, 123.4 (vs. Buffalo)
Following are the NFL quarterbacks who have had the most season-opening games with a Passer Rating of 120 or higher (1960-2011). With his 129.5 Passer Rating in last year’s Opening Game contest, Romo became the 11th QB since 1960 to have three or more season-opening games with a 120 or higher Passer Rating.
Season-opening games with 120+ rating, quarterbacks
Four: Drew Brees, Brett Favre, Dan Fouts, Dan Marino
Three: Terry Bradshaw, Tom Brady, Len Dawson, Jay Fiedler, Chad Pennington, Fran Tarkenton, Tony Romo
Four quarterbacks had a perfect Passer Rating of 158.3 in their team’s first game of the year. The last time it happened was in 2005 when Ben Roethlisberger had a 158.3 Passer Rating in Pittsburgh’s season-opening game against the Tennessee Titans. Roethlisberger was 9-for-11 for 218 yards and two touchdowns in that game.
Here are the quarterbacks that have had the highest Passer Rating on the NFL’s opening weekend since 1960:
Passer Rating, Quarterback, Season
158.3: Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh (2005); Dick Shiner, Atlanta (1973); Daryle Lamonica, Oakland (1972); Len Dawson, Kansas City (1963)
157.6: Phil Simms, NY Giants (1984)
157.1: Dan Fouts, San Diego (1981)
156.6: Steve Bono, Seattle (1995)
153.3: Craig Morton, Dallas (1971)
152.1: John Brodie, San Francisco, 1965)
151.8: Don Meredith, Dallas (1968)
151.4: Eddie LeBaron, Dallas (1961)
151.1: Len Dawson, Kansas City (1966)
150.4: Dan Marino, Miami (1984)
Note: There have been five quarterbacks who had a Passer Rating of 0.0 in an opening game since 1960. They were: Al Dorow (in 1962 with Buffalo), Earl Morrall (in 1965 with the N.Y. Giants), James Harris (in 1975 with the L.A. Rams), Jim Plunkett (in 1977 with San Francisco) and Joe Ferguson (in 1978 with Buffalo). The last QB to have a Passer Rating under 20.0 in an opening game of the season happened in 2012: Cleveland’s Brandon Weeden, in his NFL debut with the Browns against Philadelphia, completed only 12 of 35 passes for 118 yards with four interceptions and no TDs. His Passer Rating for that game was 5.1.
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20 best performances by players whose team lost the Super Bowl
Jake Delhomme-Best performance by a player from a team that lost in the Super Bowl?... Image via Wikipedia
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a biweekly blog published every Wednesday and Sunday with a bonus “SIX STATS…” posting every Friday.
We all remember Joe Montana, Dwight Clark and “The Catch.” Or Joe Namath’s guarantee. Or Lynn Swann’s great catch. Or how about Jerry Rice… Bart Starr’s two MVP awards. Yes, we remember the great performances from the teams that won the Super Bowl.
But what about the great performances from players whose team lost? Here’s my list of the 20 best (offensive) performances from players who were on the losing side of the Super Bowl. Had things been a little different, some of these listed may have been hoisting an MVP trophy.
What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Who would be at the top of your list?
1. Jake Delhomme, Carolina, QB (Super Bowl 38; lost to New England 32-29) 16 of 33, 323 yards, three TDs, no interceptions. 113.6 passer rating. Nine of 13 in the fourth quarter for 212 yards and two scores.
2. Thurman Thomas, Buffalo, RB (Super Bowl 25; lost to New York Giants 20-19) 15 rushing attempts for 135 yards, one touchdown. Five receptions for 55 yards. Had 68 yards on four carries in the fourth quarter.
3. Kurt Warner, Arizona, QB (Super Bowl 43; lost to Pittsburgh 27-23) 31 of 43, 377 yards, three TDs and one interception. 112.3 passer rating. Fourteen of 19 in the fourth quarter with two TDs. Second most passing yards in a Super Bowl game.
4. Antonio Freeman, Green Bay, WR (Super Bowl 32; lost to Denver 31-24) Nine catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Also returned six kickoffs for 104 yards.
5. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona, WR (Super Bowl 43, lost to Pittsburgh 27-23) Seven catches for 127 yards and two scores. Six of his seven catches came in the fourth quarter.
6. Eddie George, Tennessee, RB (Super Bowl 34; lost to St. Louis 23-16) Rushed for 92 yards on 28 carries with two touchdowns. Two receptions for 35 yards.
7. Dan Ross, Cincinnati, TE (Super Bowl 16; lost to San Francisco 26-21) Eleven receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Six of his 11 catches and his two TDs came in the fourth quarter. Tied with three other players for most receptions in a Super Bowl game.
8. Andre Reed, Buffalo, WR (Super Bowl 27; lost to Dallas 52-17) Eight catches for 152 yards. Tied for fifth on the all-time list for most receiving yards in a Super Bowl.
9. Tom Matte, Baltimore, RB (Super Bowl 3; lost to New York Jets 16-7) Eleven carries for 116 yards. Two receptions for 30 yards. Second-most rushing yards for a player from the losing team.
10. Joseph Addai, Indianapolis, RB (Super Bowl 44; lost to New Orleans 31-17) Thirteen carries for 77 yards and a touchdown; seven receptions for 58 yards.
11. Brett Favre, Green Bay, QB (Super Bowl 32; lost to Denver 31-24) Completed 25 of 42 passes for 256 yards. Three TDs and one interception. Passer rating of 91.0.
12. Dorsey Levens, Green Bay, RB (Super Bowl 32; lost to Denver 31-24) Nineteen carries for 90 yards; six receptions for 56 yards. Had four runs of 10 yards or more. Had five catches in the fourth quarter.
13. Terrell Owens, Philadelphia, WR (Super Bowl 39; lost to New England 24-21) Nine catches for 122 yards.
14. Muhsin Muhammad, Carolina, WR (Super Bowl 38; lost to New England 32-29) Four receptions for 140 yards (three catches for 117 yards in the fourth quarter).
15. Tony Dorsett, Dallas, RB (Super Bowl 13; lost to Pittsburgh 35-31) Ninety-six yards on 18 carries. Five catches for 44 yards.
16. Roger Staubach, Dallas, QB (Super Bowl 13; lost to Pitsburgh 35-31) Seventeen completions in 30 pass attempts for 228 yards. Three TDs and one interception. Passer rating of 100.4. Rushed for 37 yards on four carries. Completed 11 of 16 with two scores in the final period.
17. Vance Johnson, Denver, WR (Super Bowl 21; lost to New York Giants 39-20) Five receptions for 121 yards. Had catches of 47 and 54 yards.
18. Bill Miller, Oakland, WR (Super Bowl 2; lost to Green Bay 33-14) Had a pair of 23-yard touchdowns. Five catches for 84 yards.
19. Kenny Anderson, Cincinnati, QB (Super Bowl 16; lost to San Francisco 26-21) Completed 25 of 34 passes for 300 yards with two TDs and two picks. Passer rating of 95.2. Rushed for a TD. Completed 10 of 12 with two touchdowns in the fourth qaurter.
20. Wes Welker, New England, WR (Super Bowl 42; lost to New York Giants 17-14) Had 11 catches for 103 yards. Also returned a punt 15 yards. Tied with three other players for most receptions in a Super Bowl game.
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