Analysis
12/7/20
6 min read
NFL Week 13 Statistical Review
Let's take a look at some interesting numbers from Sunday's NFL action:
Browns vs. Titans
Baker Explosion vs. the Titans
First Half
- The Browns scored a FG, a TD then another TD on the first three drives (17 unanswered points)
- They scored on their first five drives for the first time since 1999 (per CBS)
- Baker Mayfield had the half of his career: He threw for 4 TDs in the first half (career record), most TDs by a Browns QB in the first half since Otto Graham in 1951 (per Andrew Siciliano)
- The Browns scored 38 points (franchise record for first-half points)
- Going into this game, Mayfield had struggled to get the passing offense going consistently throughout the season, as he has had under 200 passing yards in six games this season; in this game, Mayfield had over 200 yards passing in the first 30 minutes
- Mayfield only threw 2 TDs in Weeks 8-12 and doubled that number on the first five drives
- Not only did Mayfield set Browns records with his 4 TDs in the first half, he also was the first NFL QB to do it since Patrick Mahomes in Week 2 of 2019
- The Titans hadn’t allowed 38 points in any game this season
- Mayfield’s success can be attributed to the OL play (only 2 pressures allowed on 26 dropbacks, both coming from DBs, per Mina Kimes
Second Half
- Cleveland came out in the second half flat compared to the offensive firepower in the first half
- They scored 3 points in the second half while the Titans outscored them 28-3
- This includes the Titans scoring 14 points in 55 seconds toward the end of the fourth quarter
- Mayfield fumbled on a fourth-and-1 to set up 7 of those 14 points
- Derrick Henry had 20 straight games with 18-plus carries prior to this game
- This streak was snapped in this matchup, as he only rushed 15 times for 60 yards due to the early deficit
- The goal for the Titans should be getting Henry 20-plus carries each and every game. When they do, they are 7-0 on the season
- When he rushes 20 or fewer times, they are 1-4 (via RoadtoCFB)
- This has to do with gameflow but shows the Titans’ inability to be a pass-heavy/pass-first offense
Raiders vs. Jets
Unexpected Thriller
First Half
- The Jets scored a TD on their opening drive in this matchup (Sam Darnold’s first TD pass since Week 3). They now have 2 TDs and 4 FGs in their last six opening drives
- The Raiders game plan was to exploit the Jets’ lack of ability in the middle of their defense, which they did early and often. The Jets allow a completion percentage of 76% in the short middle (0-14 air yards) and 64% in the deep middle (15-plus air yards). Especially on second down, where they allow a combined 85.5% completion percentage over the middle
- The beneficiary of the Raiders middle attack was Darren Waller, who finished with 8 receptions, 123 yards and 2 TDs on 11 targets in the first half
- Waller has caught a TD in three of the last five games and had his second game of 100-plus yards this season
- Waller joins Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe (Week 7, 2002 at K.C.) as the only TEs in the last 30 seasons with 8-plus receptions, 120-plus receiving yards and 2-plus receiving TDs in a single half of a game, per NFL Research
- The Jets continued on after their first drive by find Jamison Crowder again for a TD and going into the half down 17-13 after the missed extra point
Second Half
- After 26 pass plays and 8 rushes in the first half (14 total rush yards), the Raiders’ first drive (a TD) consisted of 9 run plays
- The Jets failed to score on their first drive in the second half but got going with a Darnold TD with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter
- The Jets defense forced a Henry Ruggs fumble leading to Ty Johnson's first career TD to give the Jets the 28-24 lead
- The Jets held the Raiders to 0 points and a failed fourth-down conversion in the red zone on their next drive
- Jets got the ball back with 1:37 left in the fourth and at this point the Jets had an 89.02% win percentage (per numberfire)
- The Jets had a three-and-out and the Raiders got the ball back with 42 seconds left
- The Raiders worked their way to the Jets’ 46-yard line with 19 seconds left (92.11% win percentage for the Jets)
- On third-and-10, the Derek Carr hit Henry Ruggs on a deep ball along the left sideline for a TD to win the game (86.51% jump in win percentage)
- Before Sunday, there had been 251 pass plays since 2006 in which a team trailed by 4-8 points with 15 seconds or less to play and needed 40 or more yards for a game-winning score. In none of those 251 situations did the defense use six or more pass rushers. The Jets sent seven pass rushers.
- The Jets fell to 0-12 for the first time in franchise history, which is tied for the longest losing streak in team history (per Brian Costello)
- Waller finished with 13 receptions, 200 receiving yards and 2 TDs on 17 targets (he had 104 yards after catch, the only TE with 100-plus YAC this season, per PFF)
- The Jets rushed for 206 yards and had a 100-yard rusher for the first time since Isaiah Crowell vs. the Broncos in 2018.
Other Interesting Stats
- Vikings rookie WR Justin Jefferson became just the fifth player in the Super Bowl era to top 1,000 receiving yards in his first 12 career games. The others are Odell Beckham Jr., Marques Colston, Anquan Boldin and Randy Moss.
- Dolphins CB Xavien Howard has an INT in each of the last four games, and he also had a 4-game streak with an INT from Weeks 3-6
- When Deshaun Watson is sacked twice or fewer in a game, his career record is 15-2; when he’s sacked three or more time, he’s 13-17
- In Weeks 1-12, the Bears averaged 82.1 rushing yards per game and scored 2 rushing TDs; In the first half vs. Detroit, Chicago ran for 106 yards and 3 TDs.
- In the Chargers’ 45-0 loss to New England, they allowed a punt-return TD and had a FG blocked and returned for a TD. On two punts, they had just 10 men on the field; on another punt, they were flagged for having 12 players on the field.
- The Chargers currently rank last in the NFL in special teams DVOA. From 2014-19, they ranked 31st or 32nd three times and never finished better than 23rd.
