2024 NFL Season: 5 key statistics for Week 5 you need to know
There are just two unbeaten teams left in the NFL this season, one in each conference. There’s the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, winners of three of the past five Super Bowls and a franchise looking for an unprecedented third consecutive Lombardi Trophy. In the NFC, there’s the Minnesota Vikings. The Purple Gang has never won a Super Bowl and last played in one back in 1976.
As for the only winless team in the league, there are the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, recent history says that they have a good chance to break into the win column this Sunday.
It’s Week 5, hence here is another set of numbers that may open some eyes. The Lions, Chargers, Eagles, and Titans all have the week off.
9
Last week, Shane Steichen’s Indianapolis Colts knocked the Pittsburgh Steelers out of the ranks of the unbeaten, holding on for a 27-24 victory. Now comes the real test, as they face the division-rival Jaguars on the road. Doug Pederson’s team is the lone winless club in the league, sporting an 0-4 mark this year.
What makes this a bigger challenge than facing Mike Tomlin’s 3-0 team a week ago? The last time the Colts won a “road” game in this series was back in 2014. That’s nine straight losses in this series, eight in Jacksonville and one in London in 2016. Those nine setbacks have come by a combined score of 269-124.
45
What a difference a year makes (as well as losing your starting quarterback). Four games into 2023, the Miami Dolphins, led by Tua Tagovailoa, had already scored 15 points and their offensive unit had reached the end zone an amazing 20 times. They owned a 3-1 record, and their lowest scoring total over that stretch was points.
This season, Mike McDaniel’s team is 1-3 and is dead last in the league in scoring with (not a typo) 45 points. They’ve utilized four different quarterbacks and the offense has reached the end zone only four times. Amazingly, a total of 13 players have scored at least four offensive TDs in 2024.
22
It’s not shocking news that when you put up at least 30 points in a game, your chances of victory are pretty damn good. A year ago, teams owned a gaudy 108-15 mark (.878) in the regular season, and 7-2 in the postseason if they managed to reached the 30-point mark. So far in 2024, it’s been more of the same and perhaps a little better, although it’s obviously early.
All told, there have been 23 instances of a club scoring at least 30 points, and on 22 occasions the club has come up with a victory. The lone loss here is by the Bengals, who came up short at home vs. the Commanders, 38-33, on a Monday night in Week 3.
35
How impressive has the NFC North been after four weeks of play? The Minnesota Vikings (4-0) are the only team in the conference without a loss, and the defending division champion Detroit Lions (3-1) are right on their heels. The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears are both 2-2. This quartet owns a combined 11-5 record—best in the NFL.
All four clubs own a positive scoring differential this season, something no other division can claim. The Packers (12), Vikings (10) and Bears (8, tied with the Saints) are the top three clubs in the league in terms of takeaways, and the four teams have forced a combined 35 turnovers.
8
The Chiefs are one of two teams off to a 4-0 start, and the only club in the AFC to win its first four games in 2024. They have been far from dominating, but what else is new as of late. Dating back to Week 17 of 2023 and including this past season’s playoffs, Andy Reid’s team has won 10 consecutive games.
mazingly, nine of those victories have come by eight points or less. The only exception was the team’s 26-7 playoff victory over Miami at Arrowhead Stadium. Reid’s club hosts the New Orleans Saints on Monday night. Dennis Allen’s club has dropped two straight to the Eagles (15-12) and Falcons (26-24).