2024 NFL Season: 5 key statistics for Week 13 that you must know
There are a handful of playoff berths on the line this week, one that has all 32 teams in action. There are three games on Thanksgiving, one on “Black Friday,” and the rest on Sunday and Monday night. Six teams return to action this week, including the first-place Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills. It’s a football feast (pun intended).
Enjoy the holiday. Here is the weekly look at the kind of numbers that make the NFL so fascinating.
7
They are the talk of the league as they continue to dominate their opponents on a regular basis. The Detroit Lions own a 10-1 mark, lead the highly-competitive NFC North and are riding a nine-game winning streak. They host the rival Chicago Bears in their traditional Turkey Day contest, a tradition that dates back to 1934.
The Lions have certainly had their issues on this holiday (and other days). Their Thanksgiving Day record stands at 37-45-2. While Dan Campbell’s team is on a roll, there’s one streak that the Men from Motown hope to end. The Lions have dropped seven in a row on Turkey Day dating back to 2017.
5
It's been another disappointing year for the Raiders, who ironically play the Chiefs on “Black Friday.” But there is no “Silver” lining for Antonio Pierce’s club, which is in the midst of a troubling seven-game losing streak—the longest-current skid in the league.
Defensively, Las Vegas is a respectable 14th in the league in yards allowed per game. However, Pierce’s club has totaled only 20 sacks, the fourth-fewest total in the NFL, and the Raiders are dead last with five takeaways (5 interceptions, 0 opponent fumble recoveries) in 11 outings. Worth noting that the 2018 49ers set a dubious NFL record with only seven takeaways.
57
On Monday night at SoFi Stadium, the Ravens outlasted the Chargers, 30-23, in the latest edition of the Brothers Harbaugh saga. The Bolts have had quite the turnaround after a 5-12 showing and last-place finish in 2023. The club is 7-4 after 11 outings and appears to be on course for a playoff spot.
While quarterback Justin Herbert gets plenty of attention, Los Angeles has spent most of the season allowing the fewest points per game in the NFL, as is the case at the moment. However, it’s noteworthy that Jim Harbaugh’s club has given up a combined 57 points in their last two outings (118 in their first 9 games).
20
It’s been a very disappointing year for a team that was very busy this offseason adding talent on both sides of the ball. However, via a 32-27 upset of the first-place Texans at Houston, it’s good to be a member of the Tennessee Titans at the moment. New head coach Brian Callahan has been patient with second-year quarterback Will Levis, and that may be paying off.
The club features one of the top defenses in the league when it comes to giving up yardage. However, after 11 games, there has been a very simple formula for success. Callahan’s club is 3-0 when it scores 20-plus points, and winless (0-8) when it doesn’t.
2,717
A season ago, San Francisco 49ers’ running back Christian McCaffrey won the league rushing title with 1,459 yards, on his way to being named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year. Barring a major injury or slump, at least two players could pass that total over the next few weeks.
Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley leads the league with 1,392 yards on the ground, followed closely by Baltimore’s Derrick Henry (1,325). Both are averaging well over 100 yards per game, and Barkley is coming off a 255-yard showing (2 TDs) vs. the Rams. The dup has combined for 2,717 rushing yards, and these standouts meet Sunday at Baltimore.