30 Statistical Observations From NFL Sunday

By Eric Moody | October 7, 2019

How has your fantasy football team fared in Week 5? This article will share 30 statistical observations from Sunday’s slate of games. 

Denver Broncos 20, Los Angeles Chargers 13

Phillip Lindsay was a key contributor in the Broncos (1-4) win over the Chargers (2-3). He rushed 15 times for 114 yards and one touchdown. Lindsay also caught all four of his targets for 33 receiving yards. He can be viewed as a low-end RB2 moving forward.  Denver’s defense shut down Los Angeles’ offense and forced three turnovers in Vic Fangio’s first victory as the Broncos head coach. Did you know that this was Denver’s 500th franchise victory according to Pro Football Reference? 

Joe Flacco completed 14 of 20 passes for 182 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The Broncos jumped out to a 17-0 lead and the 34-year old quarterback wasn’t asked to do much after that. The Chargers turned the football over twice inside the Broncos five-yard line. Philip Rivers completed 32 of 48 passes for 211 yards and two interceptions. He wasn’t on the same wavelength with his receivers in this one. Rivers finds himself on the QB2 radar against the Steelers next week. 

Austin Ekeler caught 15 of 16 targets for 86 receiving yards and rushed three times for seven yards as the Chargers abandoned the running game. He can be viewed as a low-end RB1 as Gordon gets back in the groove. Gordon rushed 12 times for 31 yards and caught four of six targets for seven yards. 

Mike Williams was targeted 13 times and caught six of them for 74 yards as teammate Keenan Allen was severely limited for cornerback Chris Harris. Courtland Sutton caught six of nine targets for 62 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He remains a weekly WR3 with upside. Emmanuel Sanders and Noah Fant were only targeted once. 

Statistical Observations

  • Williams’ 13 targets were a career-high. He led the Chargers in air yards. 
  • The Chargers were averaging 103.5 rushing yards per game, but were held to 35.
  • Sutton is now leading the Broncos in air yards through five games. 

Houston Texans 53, Atlanta Falcons 32

Deshaun Watson bounced back in Week 5 with five touchdown passes in the Texans (3-2) win over the Falcons (1-4). He completed 28 of 33 passes for 426 yards and five touchdowns without taking a sack. Three of those touchdown passes were caught by Will Fuller. The 25-year old receiver finally went boom catching 14 of 16 targets for 217 yards and three touchdowns as the Falcons secondary went all out to contain DeAndre Hopkins. It’s unlikely that Fuller will see this high of a target share in a game this season, but is still a weekly high-end WR3. The Texans face the Chiefs in Week 6. 

Carlos Hyde rushed 21 times for 60 yards and a touchdown. He continues to dominate the early-down and goal-line opportunities while Duke Johnson operates as the change of pace and receiving back. Hyde continues to be on the RB3 radar. 

Matt Ryan completed 32 of 46 passes for 330 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. He is still on the QB1 radar. Julio Jones only caught three of seven targets for 42 receiving yards and no touchdowns. He’s still a WR1 and is likely to go boom against the Cardinals secondary next week. 

This game was a track meet and Atlanta simply didn’t have the speed to keep up.  

Statistical Observations

  • Watson was the first quarterback to throw for 400 or more yards against the Falcons defense since Week 16 of 2012 according to Pro Football Reference. 
  • Fuller accumulated 143 air yards and 109 yards after the catch. 
  • Fuller’s 14 receptions and three receiving touchdowns are tied with Andre Johnson for the most in a game in Texans franchise history according to Pro Football Reference. 
  • Jones has 94 receiving yards on 14 targets with no touchdowns over the Falcons last two games. 

Carolina Panthers 34, Jacksonville Jaguars 27

Christian McCaffrey pounded the Jaguars (2-3) as the Panthers (3-2) hold them off to get the win. He rushed 19 times for 176 yards and two touchdowns. McCaffrey caught six of nine targets for 61 yards and a receiving touchdown. He continues to be an elite RB1 with his rushing and receiving ability. One name to monitor or stash on your bench is Reggie Bonnafon. He replaced McCaffrey late in the game due to leg cramps. Bonnafon turned five rushing attempts into 80 rushing yards and a touchdown. If McCaffrey were ever to miss time (it’s in the realm of possibilities considering his opportunity share) then Bonnafon could be deployed a workhorse. 

Gardner Minshew completed 26 of 44 passes for 374 yards and two touchdowns. He also finished the game with three fumbles. Minshew is still an upside QB2. The Panthers defense stepped up to halt Jacksonville’s final two scoring drives. Leonard Fournette rushed 23 times for 108 yards and a touchdown. He also caught four of seven targets for 29 receiving yards. Fournette’s usage continues to be encouraging even though his efficiency is not. He’s still a high-end RB2. D.J. Chark caught eight of 11 targets for 164 yards and two touchdowns. He has Minshew trust and is a monster at coming down with contested catches. Is it absurd to view Chark as a WR2? I think not. 

Statistical Observations

  • Chark led the Jaguars with 175 air yards. 
  • Luke Kuechly became the fastest player to reach 1,000 career tackles according to Pro Football Reference. 
  • McCaffrey became the first player to post 10 or more receptions and 120 or more rushing yards in two career games according to NFL Research. 

New England Patriots 33, Washington Redskins 7

Tom Brady and the Patriots (5-0) pulverized the Redskins (0-5) to remain unbeaten. This was the fifth time in New England’s franchise history that the team has started 5-0 with the most recent being 2007 according to Pro Football Reference. The 42-year old quarterback completed 28 of 42 passes for 348 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Brady remains on the QB1 radar. 

Julian Edelman caught eight of nine targets for 110 yards and a touchdown. He continues to be a high-end WR2 in one of the NFL’s most lethal and consistent offenses. Josh Gordon caught five of eight targets for 59 yards. Brady overthrew him for what would have been a long touchdown. Gordon remains a weekly WR2. James White rushed for 26 yards on six carries while catching six of nine targets for 46 yards. Sony Michel rushed 16 times for 91 yards and a touchdown. He surprisingly added three receptions for 32 yards. White and Michel continue to be matchup based upside RB3s. 

The Redskins only had 220 total yards and only converted one third down. Terry McLaurin was the only bright spot. He caught three of seven targets for 51 receiving yards. 

Statistical Observations

  • Brady moved back Brett Favre into third place on the career list with 71,923 passing yards according to Pro Football Reference. He now only trails Peyton Manning (71,940) and Drew Brees (74,845). 
  • Gordon led the Patriots receivers with 91 air yards. 
  • McLaurin led the Redskins receivers with 123 air yards. 

Baltimore Ravens 26, Pittsburgh Steelers 23

The Ravens (3-2) snapped a two-game losing streak by defeating their bitter division Steelers (1-4) on the road in overtime. Mason Rudolph left the game with a concussion on an illegal hit and was taken to a local hospital for further observation. The Steelers had to depend on undrafted free agent Devlin Hodges. Lamar Jackson completed 19 of 28 passes for 161 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. He saved his fantasy day with 14 rushing attempts for 70 yards. Jackson is a QB1, but there will be ups and downs with his quality of play. Mark Ingram led the Ravens with 19 rushing attempts for 44 yards and one touchdown. He also had two receptions for five yards and remains a high-end RB2. 

JuJu Smith-Schuster bounced back by catching all seven of his targets for 75 yards and one touchdown. A costly fumbled in overtime ultimately cost the Steelers the game. Smith-Schuster is more of an upside WR3. This game does provide fantasy players with a sell-high opportunity. 

Statistical Observations

  • Brown set a season-low in air yards with 32. 
  • JuJu Smith-Schuster (7.7) had a lower aDOT (average depth of target) than Diontae Johnson (9.4). 

Philadelphia Eagles 31, New York Jets 6

The Eagles routed the Jets (0-4) behind a suffocating defensive performance to improve to 3-2. Carson Wentz completed 17 of 29 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown. He’s still a weekly low-end QB1. Jordan Howard rushed 13 times for 62 yards and one touchdown. Zach Ertz caught five of seven targets for 57 yards and a touchdown. He’s a TE1. Alshon Jeffery caught six of eight targets for 52 receiving yards. He’s a high-end WR3 with a difficult matchup against Xavier Rhodes and the Vikings defense in Week 6. 

The one positive about the Jets offense was that Le’Veon Bell continues to see a high number of opportunities per game. He rushed 15 times for 43 yards while catching seven of nine targets for 45 receiving yards. Bell’s volume keeps him on the RB1 radar. Sam Darnold cannot come back soon enough. 

Statistical Observations

  • Darren Sproles moved past Tim Brown into fifth place on the NFL’s all-time list for all-purpose yards according to Pro Football Reference. 
  • Demaryius Thomas led the Jets with 89 air yards. 

Minnesota Vikings 28, New York Giants 10

The Vikings (3-2) passing game came to life as Kirk Cousins and Adam Thielen were too much for the Giants (2-3). Cousins completed 22 of 27 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns. Did you know that this was his first game with 300 or more passing yards since Week 11 of last season? Thielen was finally in sync with Cousins. He caught seven of eight targets for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Thielen is still an upside WR3 considering how often the Vikings run the football. Minnesota’s running game also continued to be dominant with Dalvin Cook. He rushed 21 times for 132 yards while catching all six of his targets for 86 receiving yards. Cook remains a matchup-proof RB1. Stefon Diggs had an interesting week as a missed practice sparked rumors of a trade. He was only targeted four times in the Vikings win finishing with 44 receiving yards. Diggs continues to be a low-end WR3. Minnesota gained 490 yards of offense while their stout defense limited the Giants to only 211 total yards.

Daniel Jones completed 21 of 38 pass attempts for 182 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. One word that could be used to describe his play is inconsistent. Evan Engram caught six of 11 targets for 42 receiving yards and remains a TE1. Sterling Shepard caught five of 10 targets for 49 receiving yards. He’s still on the WR3 radar. Golden Tate operated primarily out of the slot and caught three of six targets for only 13 receiving yards. He could eventually return WR3 value, but the Giants face a suffocating Patriots defense this week on Thursday Night Football. Wayne Gallman was concussed in the first quarter. 

Statistical Observations

  • Cook had a career-high 218 total yards today. This was the most by a Vikings player since Adrian Peterson in Week 13, 2012 (220 total yards) according to NFL Research. 
  • Thielen finished with an aDOT of 10.9 yards. He has a history of bouncing back from bad games. Last week’s two reception game was Thielen’s second-lowest since 2016. He followed that up a career-high 202 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the Packers. 

New Orleans Saints 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24

Teddy Bridgewater surprised everyone with this performance as the magic of the New Orleans Superdome propelled him to his first game with 300 yards passing since late 2015. He completed 26 of 34 passes for 314 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception in the Saints (4-1) win over the Buccaneers (2-3). Michael Thomas caught 11 of 13 targets for 182 yards and two touchdowns. He’s still a weekly WR1 radar.

Alvin Kamara rushed 16 times for 62 yards while adding six receptions for 42 receiving yards. He’s still an RB1. Jared Cook finally came to life and rewarded fantasy players who stuck with him. He caught four of six targets for 41 receiving yards and a touchdown. Cook is still a weekly TE2. The Saints’ defense was dominant in this game sacking Jameis Winston six times. 

Winston only completed 15 of 27 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns. This was a significant drop off from his 385 yards and four-touchdown performance against the Rams last week. Mike Evans was only targeted three times and finished with zero catches. He was held hostage by Marshon Lattimore. Evans is a someone to buy low on as he remains a weekly WR1.

O.J. Howard continued to be non-existent. The Buccaneers’ running game was unproductive. Ronald Jones rushed nine times for 35 yards. He also had two receptions for 21 receiving yards. The only bright spot offensively was Chris Godwin. He caught seven of nine targets for 125 receiving yards and two touchdowns. 

Statistical Observations

  • Michael Thomas accumulated 144 air yards. 
  • Chris Godwin finished with an aDOT of 15.2 yards. 

Oakland Raiders 24, Chicago Bears 21

The narrative during the week leading up to the Raiders matchup against the Bears in London was about how Chicago’s defense was going to steamroll Oakland’s offense. That didn’t go according to plan. The Raiders offensive line and rookie Josh Jacobs came to play. The 24th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft rushed 26 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns in the Raiders (3-2) over the Bears (3-2). Jacobs also had three receptions for 20 receiving yards. He can be viewed as a strong RB2 once Oakland comes out of their bye week. 

Chase Daniel completed 22 of 30 passes for only 231 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. It was disappointing to not see him threaten the Raiders defense deep considering the offensive weapons at his disposal. Allen Robinson caught seven of eight targets for 97 receiving yards and two touchdowns. While David Montgomery only rushed 11 times for 25 yards and a touchdown. He also added one reception for 11 yards.

Statistical Observations

  • Jacobs became the first running back with 140 or more total yards and two touchdowns against the Bears since LeSean McCoy (162 total yards and two touchdowns) in Week 16, 2013 according to NFL Research. 
  • Robinson led the Bears with 108 air yards. 

Buffalo Bills 14, Tennessee Titans 7

This matchup was projected to be a defensive battle. The Titans defense is ranked fourth in points allowed per game with 15.5 while the Bills are ranked fifth only allowed 15.8. Josh Allen’s ability to protect the football was vital as the Bills (4-1) defeated the Titans (2-3) on the road. According to Pro Football Reference, this is the first time Buffalo has won three consecutive road games for the first time since 2004. Allen completed 23 of 32 passes for 219 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also added 27 rushing yards on 10 attempts. John Brown caught five passes for 75 yards. He’s still a weekly WR2. Frank Gore rushed 14 times for 60 yards. His time as an RB3 is likely to come to an end with Devin Singletary expected to return next week. 

Marcus Mariota only completed 13 of 22 passes for 183 yards. He’s a low-end QB2. Derrick Henry was the only bright spot on the Titans offense as a touchdown-dependent RB2. He rushed 20 times for 78 yards and a touchdown. This game provides those with Henry on their roster to sell high. 

Statistical Observations

  • Brown’s 58 air yards was his second-lowest total of the season.  

Arizona Cardinals 26, Cincinnati Bengals 23

We have watched Kyler Murray mature as an NFL quarterback before our eyes. He took the game into his own hands and led the Cardinals to their first win. The Bengals, on the other hand, find themselves with an 0-5 record. Cincinnati is 0-5 for the first time since 2008. According to Pro Football Reference, this is the seventh time the Bengals have opened the season 0-5 since 1990. Were you aware that this is the most in the NFL over that time frame? The Bengals also haven’t won a playoff game since 1990. Cincinnati is tied with the Redskins for the fifth-longest streak in NFL history. Washington relieved head coach Jay Gruden of his head coaching duties this morning. 

Murray completed 20 of 32 passes for 253 yards. He also set a career-high in rushing yards with 93 and also scored a rushing touchdown. He can still be viewed as an upside QB2 as the Cardinals take on the free-falling Falcons in Week 6. 

Green Bay Packers 34, Dallas Cowboys 24

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers continue to haunt the dreams of the Cowboys. He completed 22 of 34 passes for 238 yards in the Packers (4-1) win over the Cowboys (3-2). He still remains a weekly QB1. 

Running back Aaron Jones grew up in El Paso, Texas and played college football at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He had a family and friends in the stands during a career game. Jones rushed for 107 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries. He caught seven of eight targets for 75 receiving yards. Jones led the Packers in receiving. Jones remains an RB1 against the Lions in Week 6. 

Prescott and the Cowboys offense were in catchup mode as the Packers had a commanding 31-3 lead. He completed 27 of 44 passes for 463 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Prescott also had four rushing attempts for 27 yards. He’ll be a QB1 against the Jets in Week 6. Amari Cooper caught 11 of 14 targets for a career-high 226 yards and a touchdown. He’s on the WR1 radar. Michael Gallup returned and contributed immediately even if a high percentage of his production was in garbage time. He caught seven of 14 targets for 113 receiving yards and a touchdown. Gallup can be viewed as a WR2 with upside. 

Statistical Observations

  • Jones became the first Packers back to rush for four touchdowns since Dorsey Levens back in 2000 according to Pro Football Reference. 
  • Prescott set a career-high in passing with 463 yards. 
  • Cooper set a career-high with 226 receiving yards. 

Indianapolis Colts 19, Kansas City Chiefs 13

The Colts (3-2) defense surprised many by shutting down the line of scrimmage and containing the explosive Chiefs (4-1) offense. Marlon Mack had 29 carries for 132 yards and had three receptions for 16 yards. He continues to be an upside RB2. T.Y. Hilton returned to the fold and finished with four receptions for 37 receiving yards. He’ll be a high-end WR2 once the Colts return from their bye week. Jacoby Brissett wasn’t asked to do much. He completed 18 of 29 passes for 151 yards and an interception. Brissett can be viewed as an upside QB2. The Colts defense allowed points on the Chiefs’ first two series before shutting them out for the rest of the game. This was impressive considering Indianapolis was missing two starters in the secondary.

Patrick Mahomes completed 22 of 39 passes for 321 yards and a touchdown. Sammy Watkins left the game on the Chiefs’ first offensive drive and the third-year quarterback also tweaked his ankle. Mahomes remains an elite QB1 and has a favorable matchup in Week 6 against the Texans secondary. He may also have Tyreek Hill at his disposal in this game. Travis Kelce caught four of 10 targets for 70 receiving yards. His catch rate was surprising, but he remains an elite TE1. Demarcus Robinson only caught three of six targets for 31 yards. Mecole Hardman caught four of six targets for 79 receiving. The biggest surprise was Byron Pringle. He caught six of nine targets for 103 receiving yards and a touchdown as a result of Watkins being out of the game. The Chiefs backfield continues to favor whichever player has the hot hand. Negative game flow prevented LeSean McCoy and Damien Williams from being heavily involved in the offense. 

Statistical Observations

  • The Chiefs have now allowed three running backs to exceed 100 or more rushing yards this season. That’s tied with the Dolphins and Cardinals for most 100-yard rushers allowed through Week 5 according to NFL Research. 
  • Mahomes reached 7,000 passing yards in only his 22nd career game. He is the fastest player to achieve that milestone in the Super Bowl era according to NFL Research. 

Conclusion

The Brown and the 49ers will face off against each other on Monday Night Football. Be on the lookout for the Week 6 edition of Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em, my Week 6 rankings, and an analysis of some of our Advanced Metrics. If you have questions don’t hesitate to reach out to me on Twitter (@EricNMoody). Thanks for reading and please sign up for FantasyData Premium. 

Eric Moody
Eric Moody is a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers Association). His writing has been featured at FantasyPros, Gridiron Experts, RotoViz, and TwoQBs. He has a lifelong passion for the game and even played at the collegiate level as an offensive lineman. Eric also participated in Dan Hatman's Scouting Academy in order to learn the process of player evaluation at an NFL level. When Eric provides advice, he uses game film, analytics, and statistics to help you understand his perspective. He enjoys time with his family, Netflix, music, bass guitar, and coffee
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