The cold, hard football facts

A look at this weekend’s NFL action, through the eyes of the football stat experts at Coldhardfootballfacts.com.

The mother of all stats

Passer rating differential is the “mother stat” of football analysis, because 60 percent of all NFL
champions since 1940finished No. 1 or No. 2 in the indicator. The 2009 Saints and 2010 Packers were each tops:
   
It merely takes a team’s passer rating and subtracts its defensive passer rating (the total performance of other QBs against its
defense).
   
The top five in the NFL through Week 4:
1. Green Bay +32.2
2. Tennessee +31.5
3. N.Y. Giants +28.8
4. Detroit +26.5
5. Houston +24.2
   
The bottom five:
28. Indianapolis -20.2
29. Philadelphia -21.1
30. Miami -28.6
31. Denver  29.8
32. Jacksonville -33.5

Ffchamps.com’s ‘Start and Sit’
   
Start him
Atlanta Falcons WR Roddy White is on pace for another 100-reception, 1,000-yard season, and he’ll improve his stats even more in Week 5 when the Falcons play the Packers on Sunday night. Surprisingly, Green Bay has given up the fifth-most points to
opposing WRs this season.
   
Sit him
Tennessee WR Nate Washington struggled as the Titans’ No. 1 receiver last weekend, with just two catches for 62 yards at Cleveland. Fantasy owners shouldn’t be willing to gamble that he will fare better this weekend against a stingy Pittsburgh defensive unit.