Tag: Stat

One key metric shows just how bad Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney played vs. Lions

This key metric is a good indicator of just how bad #Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney played against the Lions on Thursday night.

If there was any doubt that receiver Kadarius Toney cost the Kansas City Chiefs a Week 1 victory over the Detroit Lions on Thursday night, one statistic shows that he was clearly to blame.

The metric in question is called “expected points added per target”. This key statistic measures how many points a team can expect to score on average when they throw the ball to a certain player.

Usually, players earn a decimal value, whether positive or negative, in this category. For example, .5 expected points added per target would mean that a player could be expected to score one touchdown in every 12 targets.

Toney’s mark was -2.19, which means that Kansas City was expected to throw a pick-six every three times they threw the ball his way.

In a game that came down to a one-point margin of loss, this metric clearly shows that Toney was the issue for the Chiefs on offense.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1]

The Saints are on the wrong side of this terrible Cardinals stat

The Saints are on the wrong side of this terrible Cardinals stat. 12 of the last 13 teams to travel to Arizona have left with a win, but not Dennis Allen’s squad:

Yikes. The New Orleans Saints are really bad this year, but they caught a stray in this gnarly stat ripping an entirely different team: the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona fell to 4-9 on the season after a loss to the New England Patriots at home on Monday night, with franchise quarterback Kyler Murray leaving early due to a non-contact knee injury. It means they’ve won just a single home game at State Farm Stadium since Oct. 24, 2021 (when they drummed the Houston Texans by 31-5). The Cardinals are 1-12 in the span since that game.

Any guesses as to who lost to them in front of the birds’ home crowd?

Yeah, it’s the Saints. New Orleans traveled to Arizona for a Thursday night game earlier this season and lost 42-34, fueled by two defensive touchdowns scored off of Andy Dalton interceptions. The Cardinals ran all over what had been a vaunted Saints run defense, and Murray was allowed to complete 20 of his 29 pass attempts for 204 yards and a score. The Saints pass rush only sacked him twice.

So that’s frustrating. Every other team that’s traveled out to the desert has left Arizona with a win over the last year, but not Dennis Allen’s team. The Saints aren’t winning the games they should be closing out. They aren’t stealing many wins against better opponents, either. It’s been a massive fall from grace in the wake of twin departures for Drew Brees and Sean Payton. If things don’t improve for the Cardinals down the stretch, could Payton end up coaching their team in the not-so-distant future?

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[listicle id=119272]

Linebacker Christian Kirksey recorded 700th career tackle vs. Commanders

Kirksey became just the 11th active player to cross the 700-tackle threshold in the #Texans’ loss to the #Commanders in Week 11

Houston Texans linebacker Christian Kirksey recorded the 700th tackle of his career against the Washington Commanders in the team’s Week 11 loss at NRG Stadium. He became just the 11th active player in the NFL to achieve the feat and is just nine tackles shy of reaching the top 10, which may be a possibility for him by the end of the season.

While the final score of the matchup was far from ideal, Kirksey’s contributions were paramount to the Texans’ ability to keep it from getting completely out of hand. They managed to lose by just 13 points in the game after trailing by an even 20 heading into halftime.

The Texans have had their share of poor performances over the course of the 2022 season, but Kirksey’s presence has helped buoy their young defense amid what is turning out to be the beginning of an arduous rebuilding process. Houston’s coaching staff and front office will want to tear their roster down to the bare studs in the offseason, and Kirksey has proven with his consistently competent play that he deserves to be part of the defense next year.

What is becoming increasingly unclear, however, is the commitment of the team to Kirksey moving forward. Though he hasn’t been a liability for the Texans, they drafted up-and-coming linebacker, Christian Harris, back in April, and may look to a youth movement to solve some of the structural issues plaguing their team in 2023.

Veterans like Kirksey are a necessary component of any well-formed roster, but with the results that the Texans have drawn from their 2022 campaign, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them part with a significant amount of the older talent currently taking up space on their team. Time will tell if Kirksey is able to crack their roster once again next season, or if this milestone might serve as the last signficant accomplishment he makes in a Texans uniform.

Russell Wilson can join elite club of QBs in rare stat this season

Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Brett Favre are the only QBs who defeated all 32 NFL teams. Russell Wilson can join them this fall.

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson has beaten 30 NFL teams in his career. The only two teams he hasn’t beaten are the Los Angeles Chargers and his former team, the Seattle Seahawks.

Wilson will have had an opportunity to have beaten all 32 teams by the end of next season as the Broncos are scheduled to face the Seahawks in Seattle this fall and Denver takes on the division-rival Chargers twice a year every season.

If the Broncos defeat the Seahawks and win at least one of their games against the Chargers, Wilson will join an elite club of quarterbacks who share the stat.

The only other NFL QBs who have beaten all 32 teams are Tom Brady (who defeated the New England Patriots last year), Peyton Manning (who defeated the Indianapolis Colts in 2014) Brett Favre (who defeated the Green Bay Packers in 2009) and Drew Brees (in who defeated the San Diego Chargers in 2008).

Favre was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016, followed by Manning in 2021. Brees will be eligible for Canton in 2026 and Brady will be eligible for the Hall of Fame five years after he retires.

Wilson will aim to follow the lead of those QBs and defeat teams Nos. 31 and 32 this season.

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

[pickup_prop id=”21493″]

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen joined elite company with today’s performance

Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen joined elite company with today’s performance

A big part of Wisconsin’s turnaround this season has been true freshman running back Braelon Allen.

The 17-year-old running back topped 100 yards for the fifth consecutive game during Wisconsin’s route of Rutgers today.

He finished the game with 15 carries, 129 yards and 1 touchdown. The performance moves his season totals to 93 carries, 661 yards, 7.1 yards per carry and 6 rushing touchdowns. Impressive numbers for anybody, let alone a true freshman.

Allen’s performance today made him the first Wisconsin freshman to top 100 yards in five straight games since Badger great Anthony Davis did it back in 2001. As was the case with Melvin Gordon’s record-setting game years back, Allen did it in only three quarters.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

[listicle id=38351]