NFL – 2024 WEEK 14 – STATS THAT STICK OUT
PASSING – JOSH ALLEN (QB, BILLS) BUF 42 at LAR 44
I’m doing something a little different with this section of the blog this week. Instead of showcasing the actual passing leader (Joe Burrow, Bengals QB, 33-44, 369 yards, 3 passing TDs, 1 Int.), I’m going to feature the extraordinary performance of another QB in Week 14 and discuss the game he played in: One that became such a statistical bonanza, it demands recognition… If you haven’t guessed already, I’m talking about Bills QB Josh Allen and Week 14’s historic thriller when his 6 TDs weren’t enough for the Bills to beat the Rams on the road. That’s not a typo, by the way. The 7-year QB scored 3 passing TDs and 3 rushing TDs himself in the game. He was the first person to ever do this in the regular season. The last person to have 3 pass/3 rush TDs in a game was Otto Graham in 1954 (and it was a playoff game). Additionally, with his 342 passing yards and 82 rushing yards performance, Allen joined Michael Vick as the only 2 players to ever have 3+ passing TDs, 2 rushing TDs, 300+ passing yards and 75+ rushing yards in a single game. It was also the fifth career game Allen had multiple passing and multiple rushing TDs, breaking a tie with Steve Young for the most in NFL history. And per ESPN, his 51.88 fantasy points were the most by a QB in a game since 1950. But at the end of the day, despite Allen’s heroics and the team coming back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter, Buffalo ultimately succumbed to the Rams. The result was a game for the ages. While the Bills had 445 total yards, the Rams surpassed them with 457. LA also outproduced Buffalo in first downs (28 vs 25), total plays (72 vs 54), and time of possession (38:30 vs 21:30). All told, the teams combined for 86 points, 12 TDs, 902 total yards and incredibly, 0 turnovers. Not one interception, not one fumble… This was the highest point total in any game this season, the first in NFL history with 850+ combined yards and 0 sacks or turnovers, and the first game in which both teams scored 40+ points and had 0 turnovers. I’ll add a final whopper: In Week 14 the Bills became the first (and only) team in 246 games to lose with at least 6 TDs and 0 turnovers (including the playoffs)…
RUSHING – ZACH CHARBONNET (RB, SEAHAWKS) SEA 30 at ARI 18
Seattle’s offensive line has been shuffled around quite a bit since the season started due to various injuries and the abrupt mid-season retirement of their starting center, Connor Williams. As a result, continuity (and performance) has been an issue for the big men up front most of the season. It helps explain the team’s overall poor ground game this year and the high number of sacks allowed on QB Geno Smith (40- third most in the NFL). But Seattle’s O-Line seems to have found a comfortable combination lately and the benefits are starting to pay off. In Week 14’s road win at Arizona, the Seahawks did not allow any sacks on QB Geno Smith for the first time this season and the team rushed for a season-high 176 yards. Doing most of the rushing work was sophomore RB Zach Charbonnet who replaced injured starting RB Kenneth Walker. In 22 carries, the 23-year-old Native Californian rushed for 134 yards (a career high) and had 2 rushing TDs, plus he had 7 receptions for 59 yards for a total 193 yards from scrimmage (another career high). Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald indicated on Monday that the O-Line development has been a long time coming. “It is nice to have some continuity to that group… I think you’re seeing them play with more confidence and I’m happy for these guys. They work really hard, they practice incredibly hard every day, and we’re not going to lack reps around here. So they’re getting it and they’re building off of it, and that’s all you can ask right now. So we’re excited about it.” Just in the nick of time, too. With only 4 games left in the season and at 8-5 along with a close lead in a very competitive division, Seattle now eyes the post season. Veteran left guard Laken Tomlinson said on Sunday that the team is already in “playoff mode”. He added, “We understand the position we’ve got right now. We’re in first place. But we’re trying to take it all the way. All we can do is focus on the next game. It’s back to work tomorrow.”
RECEIVING – JA’MARR CHASE (WR, BENGALS) CIN 27 at DAL 20
Only 12 different NFL players have ever finished the season as the leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs, also known as the “Triple Crown”. Only 2 have done it in the 21st century (Steve Smith, Sr.-2005 & Cooper Kupp -2021) and most of the others are Hall of Famers. No Cincinnati Bengals are on the list. But in this 2024 season, 24-year-old Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase may be on a collision course towards becoming the 13th player to achieve this immense accomplishment. Through Week 14, Chase holds the league lead in all three criteria (93 rec, 1319 yds, 15 TDs) and there are 4 more games left in the season that give him the opportunity to pad his stats. Certainly, if he plays like he did in Week 14 (14 rec, 177 yards, 2 TDs) when the Bengals beat the Cowboys on MNF, he will give himself a great chance. Obviously, his hopes will depend on the other part of his elite tandem (QB Joe Burrow) who has had an historic season himself with a league-best 335 completions to 490 attempts for an NFL-best 3706 yards and 33 TDs. The 28-year-old QB has also only had 6 interceptions through Week 14 with a passer rating of 107.9… To highlight just how important the relationship between Burrow and Chase have been in their careers, check out this stat per Greg Harvey: “Only 1 QB-Receiver duo has ever connected for 14+ TDs in both a collegiate season and an NFL season: Joe Burrow & Ja’Marr Chase- 20 TDs at LSU in 2019 and 15 TDs with Bengals in 2024.” Prior to the game on Monday, Burrow explained to the media what he feels has been working. “I think I’ve been play-to-play better than I’ve ever …I think I’m creating better than I ever have. I think experience (is a big reason). I think my wrist is feeling good right now. That’s improved throughout the season. I wasn’t throwing it quite the way that I wanted to early in the year, and that’s improved. Early in the year, I didn’t throw a ton on the run. I wasn’t doing all my different arm angles, and as my wrist has improved, I’ve been able to expand that part of my game. I think I’m working on it more than I ever have throughout practice. I think that’s translating to on-field success in that department.” Translation: If Burrow is feeling good and thinks he’s having a career year, then it will be all the best for Chase who literally is chasing the Triple Crown.
DEFENSE – YETUR GROSS-MATOS (DT, 49ERS) CHI 13 at SF 38
It’s nice to see a Niner receive recognition during a very tough season for the 6-7 team that has been ravaged by injuries. In the case of 5-year San Fran DL Yetur Gross-Matos, he not only has been bitten by the Niners injury bug himself this season, but he has also benefitted from it. While fellow Niner and former Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa has been out the last 3 games with hip and oblique issues, other defensive players have had to step up to the plate in his absence like Gross-Matos. And boy has the 26-year-old delivered, especially in Week 14 when had a career day with a 3-sack showing from 4 tackles (3 for a loss), plus 3 QB hits. For this performance, Gross-Matos was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week, the first of his career and just the second time a Niners DL has earned the nod since 2005. Nick Bosa did it 5 other times… It’s not been the easiest of roads for Gross-Matos to get this point in his career, the highest it’s ever been. After he had a productive collegiate career at Penn State, he was selected by the Panthers in the second-round of 2020 draft. But during 4 years with that team, the Virginia native sustained his share of injuries which has limited his potential. (In 32 starts- 13 sacks.) Fast forward to March 2024: Gross-Matos inked a 2-year deal with San Fran, but a knee injury in the preseason disrupted his performance on/off the early part of the season. He would eventually land on the Injured Reserve list for several weeks. But when he would return in Week 11, Gross-Matos had the best stretch of his career with 14 combined tackles, 4 sacks and 5 QB hits. And of course, he would have his breakout game in Week 14 when he would become the only player in the NFC to record 2+ sacks and 3+ tackles… It’s clear that Gross-Matos has developed as a competitive pass-rusher in the short period time (and with limited reps) while with the Niners. It’ll be interesting to see how much farther he can bring his talent while he is healthy and has the chance to showcase it.
SPECIAL TEAMS – MATTHEW WRIGHT (K, CHIEFS) LAC 17 at KC 19
In Week 14, the two-time reigning Super Bowl Champions Kansas City Chiefs won their 10th game of the season by 7 or fewer points. This tied the record previously held for over 46 years for the same feat by the 1978 Houston Oilers. KC has also won 3 times this season via a walk-off field goal and last week, they became the only team in league history to do so with 3 different kickers (Butker – Week 2; Shrader – Week 12; Wright – Week 14). According to US News & World Report, those 10 games were only a small part of the bigger number (114) of overall league-wide games that have been decided by 7 or fewer points – the most in NFL history through Week 14. Meaning, there’s been a record number of games won by 7 or fewer points across the league this season. So, should we be surprised the Chiefs are a part of this trend? Yes and no. Since Patrick Mahomes became the starting QB of KC, the team is 51-19 in games decided by 7 or fewer points, the best mark ever among the 131 QBs with at least 40 starts in close games. On the other side of the coin, the Chiefs have grown increasingly reliant on field goals this year while the offensive passing numbers as well as QB performance are down. We’re not talking huge downturns in these numbers, but when we look at Red Zone Scoring, KC has slipped significantly since 2022. As of Week 14 this year, KC is only scoring 50.98% in the RZ (25th ranked). And in the last 3 games, the Chiefs have only scored 30.77% in Red Zone. In 2022, they finished the season 2nd in this area (71%). This is something to take notice of, particularly since they lost their starting kicker (Harrison Butker) on IR in mid-November due to a knee injury. His replacement Spencer Shrader was sidelined in Week 13 due to a hamstring issue. They are now on their third-string kicker (Matthew Wright) who they signed just weeks ago. Luckily for KC, Wright is a veteran player and had previously done 2 prior stints with the team in 2022. And, in Week 14 he was clutch, converting all 4 of his field goals including a 31-yard game winner as the clock ran down to zero. Not surprisingly, he earned the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for this performance. The further good news is that Butker appears to be on the mend and may be able to return to play soon. But even with a good kicker, whether that is the first, second or third stringer in KC’s case, it still doesn’t fix the Chiefs other problems on offense. They can only go so far with low Red Zone Scoring… right?
DISCUSSION – THE CHIEFS LOW POINT DIFFERENTIAL. IS IT A BIG DEAL?
Another interesting statistic about the Chiefs in 2024 is the “win margin” for their 12 wins.
Through Week 14, KC’s total number of points they scored over their opponents (minus their one loss) is only +56, which the lowest for any 12-1 team in NFL history since the 1970 merger.
And to highlight just how tight their games have been with their opponents this season: In 10 of their 12 wins, the Chiefs have won by one score. Five of them have been by 3 or less points.
They’ve only had 2 double-digit wins in Week 5 (13) and 7 (10).
The capper: In their 12 wins, 8 have come down to a game-winning play.
Some of those wins have been downright fluky, too, including a field goal that hit a crossbar and a fumbled snap in field-goal range by their opponent.
So, what is this all about? How are the Chiefs standing at 12-1 and have the best record in the AFC?
Is it luck?
The combo of Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid?
Divine Intervention?
They’re just that good?
Do those close wins with lesser opponents mean anything if they just win the damned games?
In the end, all these stats probably don’t mean much because these 2024 Chiefs continue to find ways to win despite declining offensive numbers and third-string kickers.
But it sure is fun to wonder if this team (which has won 3 of the last 5 Super Bowls) and are close to doing what no other team has ever done (3-peat) can beat the odds and make history.
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