A look at this weekend’s NFL action through the eyes of the football stat experts at coldhardfootballfacts.com.
Stats point to Packers repeat
NFL teams win championships when they dominate through the air. Simply look at Passer
Rating Differential, which subtracts a team’s Defensive Passer Rating from its Offensive Passer Rating. We call it the “mother of all stats” because 60 percent of NFL champions since 1940 were No. 1 or No. 2 in PRD.
The 8-0 Packers are on pace for the second-best PRD since 1966 (the Super Bowl era). Here’s a look at the top 10 since then (nonstrike years). Teams in bold won the Super Bowl.
1. 1966 Packers (+56.0 PRD, 12-2 record)
2. 2011 Packers (+47.0, 8-0)
3. 1989 49ers (+46.3, 14-2)
4. 1975 Vikings (+44.6, 12-2)
5. 1975 Steelers (+43.9, 12-2)
6. 1994 49ers (+43.3, 13-3)
7. 1999 Rams (+42.5, 13-3)
8. 1975 Bengals (+42.1, 11-3)
9. 1976 Lions (+40.9, 6-8)
10. 1996 Pack (+40.3, 13-3)
FFchamps.com’s ‘Start and Sit’
Start him
Denver RB Willis McGahee might be 30, but this Bronco is a long way from the glue factory. He’s
averaged 103 rushing yards over his six starts, with a high of 163 last week against Oakland.
Sit him
Bucs RB LeGarrette Blount is running hard, but his production has been greatly compromised by Tampa Bay being forced to throw a lot while in catch-up mode. And they’re almost always in catch-up mode.
