Tag: nfl stats

3-and-out: A concept the Lions defense needs to embrace

No defense forced a lower rate of 3-and-outs from the opposing offense in 2021 than the Detroit Lions, and it wasn’t even close

The Detroit Lions defense was one of the most generous to opposing offenses in 2021. Coordinator Aaron Glenn’s unit allowed 476 points, the second-most in the entire NFL. Only the New York Jets (507) gave up more points last season.

Among the many reasons for the struggles and prodigious point total allowed is an inability to get off the field. The Lions really struggled to create 3-and-outs on defense. Between poor pressure on the opposing QB, too many missed tackles and leaky coverage over the middle of the field by the injury-ravaged unit, teams kept on driving against Detroit.

The NFL average for forcing 3-and-outs (three offensive plays followed by a punt or field goal attempt) is just over 20 percent. The 2021 Lions weren’t even close to that mark.

Detroit came in dead last in forcing 3-and-outs in both quantity and percentage of opposing drives. The Lions couldn’t even crack 15 percent at just 14.1%. The next-worst team was Minnesota at 16.8 percent.

Graphic courtesy of NFL Inside Edge

The Lions actually had games where the defense did not force a single 3-and-out. The most they forced in a game was four in the overtime tie with Pittsburgh, albeit in 14 Steelers drives. The defense managed just one 3-and-out drive in the first half of the game in the first six weeks, a definite contributing factor to the winless start.

It got progressively worse in the second half of games, amazingly enough. From NFL Inside Edge,

One of the corollary effects of the defense struggling to get off the field quickly is the rest it allows the opposing defense. Being able to force a quick punt after the offense just went on a long scoring drive is a fantastic way for the Lions offense to keep playing downhill. That needs to happen more in 2022.

The Lions’ league-worst tackling must improve in 2022

If the Detroit Lions defense wants to improve in 2022 it must tackle better than its league-worst tackling in 2021

Among the many reasons the Detroit Lions finished 3-13-1 in 2021, the tackling by the defense is one of the big ones. At all three levels of the Detroit defense, the Lions struggled to terminate plays more than any other team.

The Lions were runaway leaders in allowing broken tackles last season, according to NFL Inside Edge’s data mining. Detroit allowed 75 broken tackles, six more than the next-worst tackling team, the Atlanta Falcons.

The data from Pro Football Focus reinforces the tackling issue. Detroit scored a 32.7 grade from PFF in the tackling department, ranking 32nd out of 32. PFF charted 172 missed tackles, which encompasses broken tackles as well as missed tackling opportunities.

It wasn’t one particular player or position group that bore full responsibility. While linebacker Alex Anzalone posted a team-high 21 misses per PFF (15 of those came in the first eight games), he actually had a better tackling percentage than EDGEs Romeo Okwara and Austin Bryant. Rookie CB AJ Parker, NT John Penisini, CB Amani Oruwariye and LBs Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Jamie Collins all posted missed tackle rates that are far too high.

Reeves-Maybin and Collins are now gone, but the others all return. A switch to a 4-man front should help in the run game, where the linebackers have less responsibility to both take on blocks and finish plays at the same time. The Lions added sure tacklers in the draft in DE Aidan Hutchinson, DL Josh Paschal and LB Malcolm Rodriguez, too. But the coaching staff needs to coax better tackling out of the defense if the Lions are to rise up in the standings, no question about it.

Jared Goff was one of the NFL’s best passers vs. the blitz in 2021

Goff didn’t have a great season but he did perform well vs. the blitz in 2021

Jared Goff didn’t exactly light up the Detroit sky in his first season with the Lions, but the veteran quarterback did have his moments. One of the areas where Goff performed quite well at quarterback in 2021 was when facing a blitz.

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Goff had the third-best completion percentage of all quarterbacks when blitzed last season. His 68.1 percent completion rate finished behind only Patrick Mahomes and Teddy Bridgewater. Goff was one spot ahead of the man he replaced in Detroit, Matthew Stafford of the Rams.

From NFL Inside Edge, the best and worst QBs at completion rate vs. the blitz:

Goff’s overall performance versus the blitz is better measured in QB Rating. And the Lions QB still finished respectably, ranking 10th:

Given how poorly Goff played early on, it’s a somewhat impressive finish to make the top 10. One thing that helped Goff — he did not throw a single interception against the blitz all season, joining Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins and Carson Wentz with clean slates.

Lions had best team’s best rushing attack in almost 20 years in 2021

The Lions had the best team’s best rushing attack in almost 20 years in 2021

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One of the strengths of the 2021 Detroit Lions was the offensive rushing attack. The Lions relied on a good offensive line and a trio of skilled backs to produce the most prolific ground game in Detroit in a long time.

The Lions averaged 110.9 rushing yards per game in 2021 and did so by averaging 4.4 yards per carry. The 110.9 yards ranked the Lions 18th while the 4.4 YPC just missed cracking the top 10, tying for 11th in the NFL.

It’s been almost 20 seasons since the Lions averaged over 110 yards per game on the ground and 4.4 yards per carry. The last time the team topped each benchmark was the 2004 season. Those Lions, who finished 6-10 under Steve Mariucci as head coach, averaged 111.1 yards per game on the ground at a 4.4 YPC clip.

For those that don’t remember or (mercifully) blocked out the futile Lions’ first decade of this century, Kevin Jones had a quietly great year in 2004. Jones trucked his way to 1,133 yards and five TDs on 241 carries, a 4.7 YPC average. Shawn Bryson chipped in 264 yards at 5.3 YPC, too. Artose Pinner and Joey Harrington posted almost identical rushing stats that brought the average YPC back a little.

Detroit didn’t top 100 yards per game on the ground again until 2009. The 2013 Lions ran for 112 yards per game but averaged just 4.0 yards per carry, with Reggie Bush and Joique Bell sharing the RB duties. The 2020 Lions ran for 93.7 yards per game at 4.1 YPC.

Detroit’s running attack in 2021:

Carries Yards YPC
Jamaal Williams 153 601 3.9
D’Andre Swift 151 617 4.1
Craig Reynolds 55 230 4.2
Godwin Igwebuike 18 118 6.6
Jared Goff 17 87 5.1
Jermar Jefferson 15 74 4.9
Amon-Ra St. Brown 7 61 8.7

After the bye week in Week 9, Detroit averaged 116 yards per game on the ground and averaged 4.7 yards per carry in those games.

Jared Goff’s season splits show major improvement once Dan Campbell took over the offense

Jared Goff’s season splits show major improvement in Lions passing offense once Dan Campbell took over the offense

There is no doubt about it. Jared Goff’s performance in the first few games of his Detroit Lions career was not exactly inspiring. Goff ranked near the bottom in air yards per attempt and efficiency, and the Lions offense sputtered.

Other than some garbage-time stat padding in the losses to Green Bay and San Francisco, the Lions passing offense was dreadfully ineffective. However, a midseason change in the offensive coaching changed things for both Goff and the Detroit passing game.

When Dan Campbell took over the offense from coordinator Anthony Lynn, Goff’s game expanded. With a rejuvenated passing scheme designed by tight ends coach (and likely new offensive coordinator) Ben Johnson, Goff started to throw the ball down the field more, and more effectively.

The season splits from before and after the change, coinciding with the Lions’ bye in Week 11:

First 8 games: 206-of-308 (66.9%), 6.5 yards per attempt, 8 TD, 6 INT, 85.3 passer rating
Last 5 games: 105-of-156 (67.3%), 7.1 Y/A, 9 TD, 2 INT, 99.1 passer rating

Four of the five post-bye games were among Goff’s six best of the season. A clunker against Denver (24-of-39, 215 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) dilute the late-season surge. Goff also missed the Week 16 and 17 games with a knee injury and COVID-19.

A look at passing charts from NFL Next Gen Stats reveals the change. First, the distribution chart from the Week 6 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals:

Compare that to the Week 15 win over Minnesota.

Goff started using more of the field, both vertically and laterally. The tight cluster in the short middle spread out. That’s a direct result of the changes Campbell and Johnson implemented. His eight completions beyond 10 yards down the field in this game match Goff’s total from Weeks 5 through 8.

There are other factors at play, too. Adding wide receiver Josh Reynolds helped, as did the increasing emergence and attention to detail from rookie WR Amon-Ra St. Brown. Losing TE T.J. Hockenson and RB D’Andre Swift —by far the team’s top two targets before the bye week — also changed the focus of the passing game. Better pass protection with rookie Penei Sewell shifting to his more natural right tackle spot and the return of veteran LT Taylor Decker helped, too.

The confluence of the changes produced a viable NFL passing attack and helped lead the Lions to three wins in the final six games after a brutal 0-10-1 start. It also elevated Goff into looking more like a legitimate, quality starting quarterback.

Lions earned the lowest penalty benefit of any team in 2021

The Detroit Lions earned the lowest penalty benefit of any team in 2021 based on added win probability

Officiating bias is always an issue in the NFL, whether the perception is reality or not. For Detroit Lions fans, the perception of a bias against the team just got a little more ammunition.

No team earned less positive penalty impact in 2021 than the Lions. That’s according to data mined based on added win probability from each penalty committed in a game. The Lions had the lowest added bump to overall win probability in games from penalties committed by the opposing team.

The Lions ranked 22nd in total raw penalty yards assessed against their opponents (818 yards), but the impact on the games was a lot less than the 10 other teams who received less opposing penalty yardage.

From Twitter:

Final stat leaders for the Chargers in 2021

Find out which Chargers players stood atop of each statistical category.

While most of the attention has been shifted to what the offseason will hold, it’s still appropriate to reflect on this past season for the Chargers.

With that, here are Los Angeles’ final stat leaders from the 2021 regular season.

Team-by-team statistical leaders for the 2021 NFL season

Touchdown Wire runs down the final stat leaders for each team from the 2021 NFL season.

The 2021 NFL regular season is in the books.

But before we dive headlong into postseason analysis, it’s worth taking a moment to salute the statistical leaders from the league’s first 17-game schedule.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady took advantage of the extra game to become the oldest player in NFL history to throw for at least 5,000 yards in a season, compiling a career-best 5,316 passing yards to lead the league at age 44.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor led the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards, far ahead of Cleveland Browns tailback Nick Chubb, who ranked second with 1,259.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp led the league with 1,947 receiving yards, falling just short of Calvin Johnson’s NFL record of 1,964.

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt tied the NFL record with 22½ sacks, equaling Michael Strahan’s mark from 2001, and Atlanta Falcons linebacker Foyesade Oluokun led the NFL with 192 tackles.

Finally, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs led the league with 11 interceptions, tying Everson Walls’ franchise record from 1981.

With all that in mind, Touchdown Wire commemorates the team 2021 season leaders in passing, rushing, receiving, tackling, sacks and interceptions for all 32 franchises below.

Lions finish the 2021 season with the most presnap penalties of any team

The Lions had 47 presnap penalties (offsides, false starts, illegal formation, etc.) in 17 games in 2021

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When Lions head coach Dan Campbell looks back at the 2021 season in Detroit, one of the things that will surely bother him was the volume of presnap penalties committed by his young team. No NFL team was guilty of more presnap penalties than Campbell’s Lions in 2021.

The Lions held a slight lead over the Cleveland Browns entering Week 18, 46 to 45. Each team was guilty of one, with OLB Julian Okwara committing a neutral zone infraction on defense for the Lions, giving the Packers a fourth-down conversion in the process. Detroit’s 47 were 13 more than the 2020 Lions committed, though they did play one extra game in 2021.

For the season, rookie right tackle Penei Sewell led the Lions with five, all of them false starts. Tight end T.J. Hockenson and left tackle Taylor Decker had four false starts apiece.

It was an issue coach Campbell mentioned in postgame press conferences a few times

On the positive front, the Lions were better overall in penalties. Detroit was flagged for 105 total accepted penalties, 18th in the league. Between penalties assessed to the Lions and the opponent, Detroit had a net penalty yardage differential of minus-6, 16th in the league. No team was closer to even on penalty yardage differential than the Lions.

All data is from NFL Penalties.

 

Lions vs. Packers: Everything we know from the Week 18 matchup

Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers: Score, stats, keys to the game, top Lions players and more from Week 18

The Detroit Lions closed out a disappointing 2021 season with a treat for the home fans inside Ford Field. Detroit and Green Bay played a thoroughly entertaining, engaging game in Week 18 that produced several highlight-reel plays for both sides.

In the end, the Lions picked up their third win of the season thanks to creativity, turnovers and strong play from a few key pieces for the 2022 season that should help grow into something bigger and better.