2024 NFL Season: 5 key statistics for Week 8 that you must know
The 2024 NFL season is quickly closing in on the halfway point, and this week’s schedule is full—as in all 32 teams in action. Three teams are looking to complete divisional sweeps, while the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens are looking to extend their impressive winning streaks.
Here is a look at some interesting numbers when it comes to the games this week, and perhaps some teams beyond. There are eight more interconference contests this week, and a few quarterbacking changes as well.
3
On Sunday, the Patriots host the Green and White, the Buccaneers welcome the Falcons to Tampa, and the Colts travel to Houston. These are rematches from earlier this season, and the Jets, Falcons, and Texans are all looking to complete sweeps of their divisional rivals. It’s far more likely that a team takes two from a club during the regular-season than not.
In 2023, there were 25 sweeps by clubs opposed to 23 splits. In ’22, it was the opposite—24 splits and 22 sweeps (there were ties in 2 series that prevented a sweep). Dating back to 2014, there have been more sweeps than splits in nine of the past 10 seasons.
5
Last week, Commanders’ rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels went down with a rib injury late in the first quarter. Journeyman Marcus Mariota (who may star this weeks) took over, and the team had its way with Carolina’s shoddy defense. The results were a 40-7 victory, and Dan Quinn’s club remained in first place in the NFC East with a 5-2 mark. That’s one more victory than this last-place team managed a year ago.
This week, Washington hosts the Bears. Matt Eberflus’s team finished in the NFC North basement last season, and is riding a three-game winning streak. Could both clubs go from last in ’23 to playoff berths in 2024?
16
The defending NFL champion Kansas City Chiefs have won 12 consecutive games dating back to Week 17 of 2023. That includes the team’s four-game postseason run that was capped off by their 25-22 overtime over the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. However, Andy Reid’s team not only didn’t score at least 30 points in any of those victories, the Chiefs haven’t reached the 30-point mark in each of their last 16 outings.
Speaking of that number, it’s not a happy one for the Raiders. While they were the last team to knock off Kansas City (Week 16 of ’23), Antonio Pierce’s club has committed an NFL-high 16 turnovers this season.
70
The disappointing Miami Dolphins must be ecstatic to have starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa back for this season’s second meeting with the rival New England Patriots. However, it’s also worth pointing out that while last year’s NFL leader in passing yards did start the team’s first two games this season, Mike McDaniel’s offense has been stuck in neutral in 2024.
Miami has more turnovers (8) than offensive touchdowns (6), and hasn’t scored more than 20 points in any game this season. In fact, the ‘Fins have scored exactly 70 points this season—something they managed to do vs. the Broncos in Week 3 of 2023.
9
Back to that aforementioned 30-point number that involves the defending Super Bowl champions, as well as Mike McDaniel’s struggling Miami Dolphins. There are a total of nine teams in the league, be it in either six or seven games this season, that have yet to reach that figure—including the Chiefs. The others are the Browns (1-6), Raiders (2-5), Chargers (3-3), Rams (2-4), Dolphins (2-4), Patriots (1-6), Giants (2-5), and Jets (2-5).
While Kansas City boasts a perfect 6-0 mark, the other eight clubs are a combined 15-38 this season, and only Jim Harbaugh’s club does not have a losing record. Which team will end their scoring issues first?