The NFL regular season is beginning to wrap up. There are only a handful of games left, and teams have already started to clinch playoff berths (and be eliminated from the playoffs). Every year, there are surprising teams and players. In football, especially, there can be a wide range of variance, which can lead to some surprising statistics. Here are three surprising stats from the NFL season so far.
224.3: Josh Allen Pass Yards Per Game
Josh Allen is putting together an MVP season. He is one of the favorites but shockingly, he isn’t in the top ten of many major passing categories. Here are his ranks in some of the major passing stats with the last one being the surprising one for me, the yards per game.
- Completion percentage: 64.6 (20th)
- Passing yards: 2,691 (14th)
- Yards per game: 224.3 (16th)
It is worth noting that Allen is sixth in the NFL, with 20 passing touchdowns. However, the previous numbers and ranks blew my mind! Brock Purdy has thrown for more yards this year (2,707) than Josh Allen. In terms of the yards per game, this is his lowest amount in the last five years.
- 2020: 284.0
- 2021: 259.2
- 2022: 267.7
- 2023: 253.3
- 2024: 224.3
Is Allen declining or having a bad year? Not be any stretch of the imagination. This speaks to a few things. One, Allen is putting up stats at the right time. He is second in QBR (74.5) which weighs quarterback performance with game situations. While the stats are not piling up, he is making the plays when it matters most. Two, it speaks to how balanced the Bills are this year. They have been able to rely on their running game and their defense to win games. They don’t need Allen to play hero-ball. Buffalo is in great shape, even though Allen’s numbers are down.
70.4: Justin Tucker Kicking Percentage
This is the most shocking part of the NFL season. Justin Tucker has missed eight field goals already, which is easily the most he has missed in a season. His kicking percentage is hovering just over 70%. His previous low was all the way back in 2015 when he had a 82.5% (33-40). It is worth noting he has missed two extra points but that’s nothing new. He has done that in past seasons as well.
If you are a Ravens fan, you are in uncharted territory. You have spent the past 11 years having full confidence when your kicker comes on the field. Fans are upset. Analysts are trying to figure out what is wrong. Let me inject some confidence into the situation. This happens with kickers. They have down years, but that doesn’t mean they are washed. Some of the best kickers in NFL history have horrible seasons and then come back next year strong.
- Gary Anderson: 1998 – 100.0, 1999 – 63.3, 2000 – 95.7
- Jason Elam: 2004 – 85.3, 2005 – 75.0, 2006 – 93.1
- Jason Hanson: 2008 – 95.5, 2009 – 75.0, 2010 – 85.7
Anderson was perfect one year, terrible the next, and right back to being elite. This is just a small sample size. Almost every kicker has a down year at some point. Kicking in the NFL is all about rhythm. It isn’t just the kicker but the long snapper and the holder. The yips can happen. While this season may raise Ravens’ fans’ blood pressure a few points, Tucker will likely be back to his elite level next season.
11.5: Sacks By Trey Hendrickson (Leading The NFL)
The Cincinnati Bengals defense is bad. Which is why it is so shocking the sack leader in the NFL is on the Bengals! Hendrickson has a slim lead over Denver’s Nik Bonitto (11.0) heading into week 14. This stat was shocking to me, but I also wanted to highlight the elite season Hendrickson is having. This number is interesting, not so much for the Bengals but for Hendrickson as a player. He is 30-years-old and still has one more year on his deal. According to Spotrac, this year was the year to release him if they wanted for cap savings.
Going into next year, it will be interesting to see how Hendrickson plays his contract. Will he want an extension? That seems unlikely, given Cincinnati has already paid Joe Burrow and has to fork over potentially record-setting money for Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals have historically not been big spenders. Will they try and trade him? Teams are always looking for pass rush help, but the return probably won’t be great for a veteran pass rusher on a one-year deal. Because the Bengals are one of the worst defenses in the NFL, this season likely won’t get talked about much, but he continues to show that he is one of the most consistent pass rushers in the NFL.
Final Thoughts
It’s been a fun NFL season so far. Many players are putting on entertaining performances on a week to week basis. How will everything shake out over the next five weeks? We get to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
