Jamaal Charles leads the Chiefs on the ground and in the air
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.
Jamaal Charles (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Among the reasons for the improved play of the 4-0 Kansas City Chiefs this year has been running back Jamaal Charles. The sixth-year running back from Texas has been a go-to player for the K.C. offense. He has accumulated over 100 yards in offense via running and receiving in each of those first four games.
Looking at Charles’ stat line, you will see that he has now had 15 or more carries and five-plus receptions in each of the last three Kansas City victories. He is one of nine players this season who has had 15-plus carries and five-plus receptions for his team in a game. Houston‘s Arian Foster has reached the 15-5 mark twice this season.
Here’s a look at the running backs with the most 15-carry-5 reception games since 2010.
Ray Rice, Baltimore, 17 games
Arian Foster, Houston, 15 games
Matt Forte, Chicago, 7 games
Adrian Peterson, Minnesota, 7 games
LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia, 6 games
Frank Gore, San Francisco, 5 games
Peyton Hollis, Cleveland, 5 games
Fred Jackson, Buffalo, 5 games
Chris Johnson, Tennessee, 5 games
If we take those numbers a little higher, say 20 carries and 10 receptions in a game, the list of running backs who have reached this stat line is very limited; in fact, a running back with 20-plus carries and 10-plus receptions in a game has happened only 30 times since 1970 (AFL-NFL merger). It did, however, already happen here in 2013: Chicago’s Matt Forte on September 15th against Minnesota had 20 carries for 88 yards and 10 receptions for 73 yards in the Bears’ 31-30 win over the Vikings. Prior to that, the last 20-10 running back was in 2008 when Marshawn Lynch had 23 carries and 10 receptions for the Seattle Seahawks. Former Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson leads league with five 20-carry-10-reception games in his career.
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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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NBA teams that miss the playoffs with winning records
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published multiple times weekly focusing on stats that go beyond the numbers.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
If the NBA season ended today, two teams, Phoenix and Utah, would miss the playoffs even though they have a winning record (Phoenix is 31-29; Utah is 31-30). In league history, 26 teams with a regular season winning record did not make the playoffs. In the 1970-71 NBA season, three teams (Boston, Detroit and Phoenix) missed the playoffs yet had a regular season winning percentage over .500; that’s the most teams that have missed the playoffs in a season with winning records.
Six different teams have missed the playoffs two or more times when they finished the regular season with a winning record. Houston tops the list with five; they are followed by Golden State with four, Phoenix with three, and Cleveland, Seattle and Washington with two each.
Following are the times when teams with regular season winning records (over .500) did not make the playoffs.
Winning percentage, team, season
.598 Phoenix, 1971-72
.585 Phoenix, 1970-71… Golden State, 2007-08
.573 Seattle, 1971-72
.561 Phoenix, 2008-09
.549 Detroit, 1970-71… Golden State, 1981-82… Kansas City, 1982-83… Houston, 2000-01
.537 Boston, 1970-71… Golden State, 1973-74… Seattle, 2000-01… Minnesota, 2004-05
.524 Golden State, 1977-78… San Diego, 1978-79… Houston, 2002-03… Houston, 2010-11
.520 Charlotte, 1999-2000
.512 Portland, 1981-82… Washington, 1982-83…. Houston, 1991-92… Cleveland, 1996-97… Washington, 1997-98… Utah, 2003-04… Cleveland, 2004-05… Houston, 2009-10
Did you know? Of the teams that missed the playoffs with regular season winning records, 48% of those teams did make the playoffs the following year. The Golden State Warriors are the only NBA team to miss the playoffs with a winning record one year and then win the NBA title the following season. They won the NBA title in 1975 after missing the 1974 playoffs with a 44-38 record (.537 winning percentage) the previous year.
Run or Pass. What’s been the path to NFL success after three weeks?
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 INTERRUPT THE START OF THIS BLOG FOR A TRIVIA QUESTION. After the first three weeks of the NFL season only five teams are averaging four or more yards on every run and eight or more yards on every pass. Can you name the five teams? Answer to follow.
One expert calls the NFL “a passing league.” Another says “today’s marquee NFL stars are quarterbacks and receivers.” A friend of mine (a football fan) recently said to me, “If you would had asked me to name last year’s top three running backs in the NFL I’m not sure I could name them.” The point is, or maybe better stated, the question is… is the passing game the pathway to success in the NFL?
TRIVIA ANSWER: The five teams that after the first three weeks of the season were averaging four or more yards on every run and eight or more yards on every pass were Green Bay, Houston, New England, New Orleans and Arizona. They have a combined 10-5 record.
Here’s a look at the teams with the best and worst average yards per run and yards per pass:
Top Six rushing yards per play: Minnesota (5.8), Buffalo (5.6), Oakland (5.5), Philadelphia (5.4), Baltimore (5.2), Atlanta (4.8). These teams have a combined record of 9-9.
Top Six passing yards per play: New England (10.0), Dallas (8.9), Green Bay (8.9), Houston (8.9), NY Giants (8.8), Pittsburgh (8.8). These teams have a combined record of 13-5.
Bottom Four rushing yards per play: Tennessee (2.4), San Francisco (2.5), Detroit (2.8), Denver (3.2). These teams have a combined record of 8-4.
Bottom Four passing yards per play: Indianapolis (5.0), Kansas City (5.2), Seattle (5.4), Cleveland (5.7). These teams have a combined record of 3-9.
Let’s take a look at some more average run and average pass yardage stats after the first three weeks and how it translates to wins and losses:
* Teams averaging 8 or more yards per pass have a combined record of 24-12.
* Teams averaging 4.5 or more yards per run are a combined 9-18
* Teams under 7.0 yards per pass play are a combined 11-25.
* Teams averaging 7.5 or more yards per pass are 30-18; those under 7.5 are 18-30.
* If you combine each teams average yards per run and their average yards per pass, there are four teams that total 13.0 or more (Green Bay, New England, Buffalo and Houston). These four teams are a combined 10-2.
* The Tennessee Titans have the largest differential between average yards per run and average yards per pass. They are at 8.3 per pass and 2.4 per run, a difference of 5.9.
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