Analysis
9/28/21
3 min read
Inside the Numbers: Week 3 Losers
Yesterday, The 33rd Team analyzed five winners from Week 3 by looking at specific trends that impacted each game. Today, we are focusing on the losers from this past week by pinpointing where they went wrong.
Denver Broncos 26 – New York Jets 0
Jets Key Stat: -0.615 EPA per Play on Offense
For the third straight week, the Jets offense struggled immensely. According to PFF’s EPA/Play metric, this was the worst offensive performance of the season. They only accumulated 162 yards and 11 first downs and didn't score a single point, while turning the ball over twice and allowing five sacks. The Jets offense has been heading in the wrong direction and desperately needs to turn it around quickly if they are to salvage their season.
Los Angeles Chargers 30 – Kansas City Chiefs 24
Chiefs Key Stat: 4 Turnovers : 0 Takeaways
Teams that win the turnover battle by three or more have won at a rate of 92.54% since 2000, so losing the turnover battle by four is pretty much a death sentence, even if you do have Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs outgained the Chargers by 85 yards and racked up 12 more first downs, but the turnovers made that obsolete in the end. Mahomes’ second interception was the death blow as it directly set up the Chargers for their eventual game-winning drive.
Buffalo Bills 43 – Washington Football Team 21
Football Team Key Stat: 2/11 3rd Down Conversion Rate For : 9/15 3rd Down Conversion Rate Against
Washington had a lot of statistical factors working against them in this one, losing the turnover margin by 3, which as I’ve already mentioned, means a team will lose 92.54% of the time. Washington was also outgained by 191 yards, which translates to their struggles on 3rd downs on both sides of the ball. Washington's struggle to sustain drives while also allowing Buffalo to move down the field with ease isn’t a winning formula.
Cincinnati Bengals 24 – Pittsburgh Steelers 10
Steelers Key Stat: 10 Dropped Passes
Pittsburgh had a very difficult day offensively, and their propensity to drop passes made life even tougher on them. Rookie RB Najee Harris had half of the team’s drops as he failed to catch 5 of his 20 targets. Roethlisberger definitely struggled in this game and must take some responsibility for the loss and the offensive struggles, but half of his incompletions were drops, so clearly his receiving group must also take some of the blame.
 Los Angeles Rams 34 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24
Buccaneers Key Stat: 130.4 Passer Rating Allowed
Tampa Bay’s secondary injuries finally caught up to them in this game, as they couldn’t stop Matt Stafford and the Rams’ passing game. Cooper Kupp and DeSean Jackson combined for 12 catches for 216 yards and 3 TDs and just kept finding holes in the defense. Brady and the Buccaneers offense had a solid day, racking up tons of yards and moving the ball quite well against an elite defense, but they were never really in the game, as Los Angeles’ offense made sure of that.
