The Lions took their fourth-level aggression to the next level in a win over the Chargers
Inside the Numbers dives into NFL statistics, series and trends each week.
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Inside the Numbers dives into NFL statistics, series and trends each week.
To learn more about the numbers, go here.
Detroit coach Dan Campbell took the aggressiveness from Wednesday to a new level last week.
In an era when more coaches are embracing analytics, Campbell helped deliver the Lions a win over the Los Angeles Chargers thanks in part to some bold decisions that even the usually aggressive computer models deemed risky.
The biggest one came when the Lions faced a fourth-and-2 from the Chargers 26 with 1: 47 remaining in a tie game.
Instead of opting for the field goal that would have given Detroit the lead but allowed Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert plenty of time to drive for a tying or go-ahead score, Campbell went for it and was rewarded when Jared Goff completed a 6-yard pass to Sam LaPorta.
Detroit ran down the clock and won the game on a field goal on the final play.
The Lions were the fourth team ever to bypass a field goal in a tie game from inside the 30 in the final two minutes of regulation, according to Sportradar records that go back to 2000.
Detroit was the first to do so when more than one yard was needed for a first down.
The entire game was a struggle with fourth-down aggression, with Campbell and Chargers coach Brandon Staley often making good plays.
The Lions converted 4 of 5 fourth-down tries, with the Chargers going 3 for 3 — not counting another fourth-down conversion that came on a penalty — to tie for the second-most converted fourth downs in a game since at least 1991. Only a New England-Buffalo game in 2021 had more successful fourth-down tries with eight.
The Chargers got three of their five touchdowns on fourth down, becoming the first team to do that in a regular-season game since at least 1991. Pittsburgh did it in a divisional round loss to Jacksonville following the 2017 season.
In all, there have been 416 fourth-down tries this season — seven off the record-setting pace through 10 weeks set in 2021. Teams have converted 51.2% of those attempts with more than half of the drives — 103 out of 201 — that have a successful fourth-down try ending in touchdowns.
RARE ROOKIE C.J.
Stroud may be Houston’s No.
2 draft pick, but he’s No.
1 through 10 weeks among all quarterbacks with 291.
8 passing yards per game.
That number would be the highest ever for a rookie, surpassing Herbert’s 289.
1 in 2020.
If it holds, Stroud could become the top rookie quarterback first since before World War II to lead the league in yards per game.
According to the NFL, the only rookies to lead in passing yards per game while playing at least 75% of the games were Davey O’Brien, who averaged 120.
4 yards in 1939, and Sammy Baugh, who averaged 102, 5 yards in 1937.
If Stroud maintains his current level of play, he could also have a chance to join Jim Brown as the only rookies to win the MVP award.
Brown did it in 1957 for Cleveland.
DALLAS DOMINATE The Dallas Cowboys will be upset to face the New York Giants this season.
The Cowboys defeated their longtime NFC East rival, winning 40-0 in the opener and 49-17 on Sunday.
This is the seventh time in the Super Bowl era that a team has outscored its opponent by at least 72 points in a season.
New England was the last team to do so in 2007, when the Patriots led Buffalo by 77 points.
Dallas outgained New York by 468 yards in Sunday’s game, the largest margin since Nov.
4, 1979, when the Rams outgained Seattle by 482 yards.
The win over the Giants extended the impressive streak of Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Prescott has his third straight game with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdown passes.
Only Steve Young (five straight in 1998), Patrick Mahomes (four straight in 2018) and Peyton Manning (four straight in 2012) have had longer streaks in a season.
Lamb becomes the sixth player since the merger with three consecutive games of at least 150 receiving yards.
He joins Josh Gordon (2013), Isaac Bruce (1995), Andre Rison (1990), James Lofton (1984) and Roy Green (1984) as the only players to do so.
He can become the first person to win four straight games when Dallas faces Carolina this week.
INCREDIBLE STEEL Pittsburgh continues to find a way to get on the scoreboard despite the threat of being dominated on the field.
The Steelers became the 22nd team since 1960 to fall behind in each of the first nine games of the season, but they still posted a 6-3 record.
No team has ever had a record of big wins in a season while trailing in every game.
The 21 teams dominated in the first nine games since 1960 have a combined record of 33-152-4 for a winning percentage of .
185.
PATHETIC PATS Coach Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots are in uncharted territory thanks to his successful tenure that has brought him six Super Bowl titles since his arrival in 2000.
New England is in sole possession of the last place in the AFC with a score of 2-8.
the worst record for the franchise since Belichick’s first season.
With another loss, the Patriots will have consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1992-93.
Belichick now has 173 losses in the regular season and playoffs, five fewer than the record once held by Tom Landry.
The most recent was a 10-6 loss to Indianapolis in Germany, ending New England’s 94-game winning streak in the regular season and playoffs while allowing 10 points or fewer.
The most recent loss was on September 23, 2001, when the Jets beat New England 10-3.
Drew Bledsoe was injured late in that game, paving the way for Tom Brady to step into the quarterback position and begin the New England dynasty.
