NFL

5 NFL Stats to Know From Week 12

Sunday was a historical day for Frank Gore. What other statistically noteworthy events took place in Week 12?

Week 12 of the 2019 NFL season saw the New England Patriots improve to 10-1 on the year, their 17th consecutive season with at least 10 wins. This is the longest such streak in NFL history. The hapless Cincinnati Bengals lost again, this time to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and are now 0-11 to start the season.

There were a few notable individual landmarks achieved this week too. Zach Ertz became the second-fastest tight end to reach 500 career receptions, getting there in his 102nd career game. Also, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas became the fifth player in NFL history to have 100 receptions and 1,200+ yards in three consecutive seasons.

There was another big game for Cleveland Browns linebacker Joe Schobert, who was featured in this article last week. He had another two interceptions for the Browns against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, making him the first linebacker since Cato June back in 2005 to have back to back multi-interception games.

Here are five other stats to know -- both traditional and via our advanced statistics -- from Week 12 of the season.

Ryan Tannehill Passed for Two touchdowns and Ran for Two More

Just as we thought it would, the 2019 season has seen the emergence of Ryan Tannehill as a fantasy-relevant quarterback. Coming into Week 12, Tannehill had scored at least 19 fantasy points in four consecutive games. A steady if unspectacular output, I’m sure you’d agree.

Then against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Tannehill exploded for 32.4 fantasy points, the most among all quarterbacks prior to Monday Night. His big day was bolstered by two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. Tannehill is the third quarterback to achieve this feat in 2019 along with Russell Wilson and Daniel Jones, and the first Tennessee Titans quarterback to manage it since Steve McNair back in 2001. McNair’s big day also came at the expense of the Jaguars.

Tannehill led the Titans to 28 points in the third quarter, with two Derrick Henry rushing touchdowns accompanied by Tannehill passing to offensive lineman Dennis Kelly and rookie wide receiver A.J. Brown. This is the most points scored by the Titans in a single quarter in team history…although the Houston Oilers also managed 28 points in a single quarter against the Denver Broncos in 1991.

Tannehill should remain on the streaming radar in Week 13 against the Indianapolis Colts, who have allowed all the quarterbacks they’ve faced -- not named Joe Flacco or Mason Rudolph -- to amass at least 13.1 fantasy points against them in 2019. Tannehill is still available in almost 85% of ESPN leagues.

Chris Godwin Scored 37.4 PPR Points

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin got off to a torrid start to the 2019 season, going over 100-yards in four of his first six games. He hadn’t enjoyed that much success of late, with a high of 74 yards in his last four.

But then the Bucs took on the Atlanta Falcons, and Godwin got his mojo working again. Godwin caught seven of his eight targets for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 71-yard catch-and-run on his way to 37.4 PPR points. No wide receiver scored more fantasy points this week than Godwin.

It was the third time this season that Godwin had more than 30 PPR points in a single game, a tie for the most such games among wide receivers in 2019. The only other player with three 30-point games this season is Godwin’s teammate Mike Evans. Evans and Godwin each have three games with more than 150 receiving yards this season, making them the first teammates to have three such performances in a single season in NFL history.

Both Godwin and Evans went over 1,000 yards receiving for the season on Sunday. For Evans, it was his sixth consecutive 1,000-yard campaign, making him only the second player in NFL history with 1,000 or more yards in each of his first six seasons in the NFL. The other is Hall of Famer Randy Moss. Godwin and Evans are the fourth pair of teammates with at least 1,000 yards in their team's first 11 games of a season in NFL history.

Players Team Season
Don Maynard and George Sauer Jets 1968
Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce Rams 2000
Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas Broncos 2014
Chris Godwin and Mike Evans Bucs 2019


Sam Darnold Scored 28.2 Fantasy Points

For a time, it appeared that Sam Darnold's 2019 season would be remembered for his contracting mono and an oft-repeated soundbite regarding his difficulties in dealing with the New England Patriots defense. But his play of late has improved significantly, and Sunday was further evidence of this.

Darnold passed for 315 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, as he led the New York Jets to their third consecutive victory. Darnold also scored his second rushing touchdown in his last three games. His deeds gave him 28.2 fantasy points, his third game in a row with 21 or more fantasy points.

Darnold is the third Jets quarterback to have such a streak since 2010 and the first since Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2015. His 28.2 points were a career-high and the third-most by a Jets quarterback since 2010. Josh McCown scored 31.1 in Week 13 of the 2017 season, while Fitzpatrick had 29.2 in Week 12 of the 2015 campaign.

Darnold, like his old AFC East rival Ryan Tannehill, is a player that fans of streaming quarterbacks should be targeting in the next few weeks. The Jets take on the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins in their next two games. Darnold is sitting on the waiver wire in more than 80% of ESPN leagues

Carson Wentz Averaged -0.25 Net Expected Points Per Play

The Philadelphia Eagles came into the season as one of the team experts believed had a strong chance to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. The performance of Carson Wentz, thanks to the pieces put in place around him, were thought to be a major driver behind this optimism.

It’s safe to say that things have not gone according to plan, and Sunday was another example of this. Wentz attempted 45 passes against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, completing 33 of them at an impressive 73.3% rate. However, his 33 completions brought him a mere 256 yards and one touchdown. In addition, he also tied season-highs with two interceptions and two fumbles.

The yardage was the most for Wentz since Week 6, which was the last time he threw for 300 yards in a game. That was also the last time he passed for more than a single touchdown in a game. On a per play basis, Wentz was quite awful. He averaged -0.25 Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) per play, the second-lowest mark among quarterbacks with at least 30 pass attempts in Week 12. Wentz had the exact same NEP in Week 11 against the Patriots.

It wasn’t as if the Seahawks were a formidable foe either. They were without Jadeveon Clowney, and even with him in the lineup going into Sunday, they were ranked 17th in terms of Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP per play in the NFL. It was no help at all to Wentz that his wide receiver corps consisted of J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Greg Ward, and Jordan Matthews. But Wentz was simply awful and acknowledged that the Eagles fans were right to boo him during the later stages of the game.

Assuming Wentz is healthy enough to play in Week 13, he couldn’t ask for a better matchup. The Eagles are traveling to Miami to take on a Dolphins team that has allowed multiple touchdowns in 9 of their 11 games in 2019. But seriously, who among the Eagles skill position players is going to step up and make a play?

Frank Gore has the Third-Most Rushing Yards in NFL History

The Buffalo Bills push for the playoffs continued on Sunday with a convincing 20-3 victory over the listless Denver Broncos. Veteran running back Frank Gore, held to 34 yards or less in each of his last four games, finished with 65 yards on the ground in the victory. These yards helped him achieve a very special landmark.

Gore now has 15,289 rushing yards in his NFL career, the third-most by a single player in NFL history. Only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton have more yards on the ground than Gore.

PlayerRushing Yards
Emmitt Smith18,355
Walter Payton16,726
Frank Gore15,289
Barry Sanders15,269
Curtis Martin14,101

Gore has 611 yards from scrimmage in 2019, his first season with the Bills. This is the 15th season in a row for Gore with at least 600 yards from scrimmage. At the time of writing, only Tony Gonzalez has had a longer streak in NFL history, although Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals needs seven yards in the rest of 2019 to give him 16 such seasons.

Gore’s achievement is one to be celebrated, and he deserves all the praise he has received for continuing to thrive as an old man in a young man's game. Though, from a fantasy point of view, Gore is offering absolutely nothing of late. He hasn’t scored more than 8.9 PPR points in a single game since Week 5. That was also the last time he caught more than one pass in a game. Gore hasn’t scored a rushing touchdown since Week 3. So we can celebrate him and his deeds, but we can do so with him on the waiver wire -- not in your starting lineup.