5 NFL Stats to Know Through Week 1

The Los Angeles Rams’ -0.38 Adjusted NEP Per Play Was Historically Bad

The top overall pick in this year’s draft, Jared Goff, was a healthy scratch Monday night. Instead the Los Angeles Rams opened the season with Case Keenum under center. He completed 17 of 35 passes for 130 yards and 2 interceptions, finishing dead last among all quarterbacks in the NFL with a -0.41 Passing NEP per drop back.

The Rams struggled on the ground, as well, with Todd Gurley only managing 47 yards on 17 carries.

Since we began tracking schedule-adjusted NEP per play in 2000, only 14 times has a team fared worse in a given week. All 14 of those came in the first four games of a season, and 10 of the instances were in Week 1.

The Rams did not score any points in the game, becoming the first team since 2009 to get shutout in a season-opening game. Coincidentally, that last team to put up a doughnut on the scoreboard in Week 1 was also the Rams. This is the second year in a row that the San Francisco 49ers allowed the least amount of points in Week 1 as they held the Minnesota Vikings to only a field goal to begin the 2015 season.