5 NFL Stats to Know Through Week 2
The Saints' 0.34 Adjusted Defensive NEP per Play is Worst in NFL
Before we talk Saints, let's talk NEP.
NEP, or Net Expected Points, is numberFire's very own metric that compares every single play over a season to how a league-average team should perform on that play. For more about NEP, check out our glossary.
Now as for those New Orleans Saints, their defense ranked 30th last season with 0.14 Adjusted Defensive NEP per play, and have been even worse so far this year. They're at or near the bottom of the league in most major defensive categories, with their pass defense being especially vulnerable.
| Category | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Adj. D NEP/P | 0.34 | 32nd |
| Adj. D Passing NEP/P | 0.68 | 32nd |
| Adj. D Rushing NEP/P | 0.02 | T-18th |
| Points Allowed/G | 32.5 | 31st |
| Yards Allowed/G | 5125 | 32nd |
| Yards Allowed/P | 7.6 | 32nd |
| Rush Yards Allowed/G | 124.0 | 25th |
| Pass Yards Allowed/G | 388.5 | 32nd |
| Interceptions | 0 | T-24th |
| Sacks | 3 | T-24th |
Of course, two games is a small sample size -- and one of those games was against the New England Patriots, whose 0.24 Adjusted Passing NEP per play was tied for the fifth-best mark last season -- but the Saints' defensive efficiency thus far has been historically bad.
Since 2000, the worst Adjusted Defensive NEP per play mark of any team was set by -- wait for it, wait for it -- the 2015 Saints, with 0.22. Much like this year, that defense struggled largely in the passing game, with a 0.36 Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP per play.
With Drew Brees et al traveling to Carolina, it's little surprise that our projections have Cam Newton putting up the second-most FanDuel points of any player in Week 3.
