The Broncos are going to London; their fans are just going barmy.
I’m not going to lie to you. This week’s version of the Stats That Don’t Lie aren’t cracking. In fact, they are quite beastly.
In what seems like a bad horror movie marathon, these stats just keep cutting deeper and deeper.
This week, in an attempt to keep you gobsmacked, I not only compared the Broncos to the league average in each category, I decided to give you their ranking as well. I wanted you to see just how bad it’s become.
So without further delay, let’s get to the stats, which are always on the job and never stop to take a mick.
The Broncos Through 7 Weeks - Offense
| Team | Yards / Game | Yards / Play | Rushing Yards / Game | Rushing Yards / Play | Passing Yards / Game | Passing Yards / Play | Interception Rate | Sacks / Pass Attempt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN | 358.6 | 5.44 | 68.4 | 2.85 | 290.1 | 7.36 | 1.45% | 6.16% |
| NFL | 334.2 | 5.3 | 112.5 | 4.17 | 221.7 | 6.54 | 3.03% | 6.45% |
| Differences | 24.4 | 0.14 | -44.1 | -1.32 | 68.4 | 0.82 | -1.58% | -0.29% |
| NFL Rank | 10 | 10 | 32 | 32 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 16 |
| Team | First Downs / Game | Punt Return Avg | Kickoff Return Avg | 3rd Down Pct | 4th Down Pct | Red Zone Pct | Goal to Go% | Avg Time of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN | 19.6 | 10.1 | 24.8 | 38.24% | 27.27% | 38.46% | 70.00% | 29:48:00 |
| NFL | 18.9 | 9.3 | 23.2 | 38.43% | 47.94% | 49.76% | 69.23% | 30:00:00 |
| Differences | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.6 | -0.19% | -20.67% | -11.30% | 0.77% | -0.67% |
| NFL Rank | 14 | 10 | 10 | 19 | 26 | 28 | 19 | 19 |
It’s hard to do much analysis on these numbers when things are so painfully obvious. While the Broncos’ passing attack still ranks highly, it’s a bunch of codswallop when their running attack ranks last in yards per game and yards per play. Talk about getting bonked from both sides.
Two more stats are worth mentioning. First, there’s 3rd-down efficiency, where the Broncos have regressed to the mean. Second, the Broncos are 28th in red-zone efficiency. Am I just daft or does this number get worse and worse each week? On the bright side, they can only fall 4 more places before they hit bottom. Both of these stats should further dampen any enthusiasm you might have for the so-called 4th-ranked passing offense. What a load of cobblers.
Probably the two positive bits you can take away from these stats are the punt- and kickoff-return numbers, which are both ranked 10th in the league.
The Broncos Through 7 Weeks - Defense
| Team | Yards / Game | Yards / Play | Rushing Yards / Game | Rushing Yards / Play | Passing Yards / Game | Passing Yards / Play | Interception Rate | Sacks / Pass Attempt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN | 361.9 | 5.78 | 156.3 | 4.82 | 205.6 | 7.12 | 2.48% | 4.46% |
| NFL | 334.2 | 5.3 | 112.5 | 4.17 | 221.7 | 6.54 | 3.03% | 6.45% |
| Differences | 27.7 | 0.48 | 43.8 | 0.65 | -16.1 | 0.58 | -0.55% | -1.99% |
| Rank | 25 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 10 | 25 | 20 | 27 |
| Team | First Downs / Game | Punt Return Avg | Kickoff Return Avg | 3rd Down Pct | 4th Down Pct | Red Zone Pct | Goal to Go% | Points / Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN | 20 | 11.1 | 27.4 | 43.02% | 50.00% | 70.00% | 76.92% | 28.4 |
| NFL | 18.9 | 9.3 | 23.2 | 38.43% | 47.94% | 49.76% | 69.23% | 21.5 |
| Differences | 1.1 | 1.8 | 4.2 | 4.59% | 2.06% | 20.24% | 7.69% | 6.9 |
| Rank | 24 | 24 | 28 | 27 | 15 | 30 | 22 | 30 |
As twit-like as the offense has been running the ball, the defense has matched them stopping the run. Perhaps the D-Line should be detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure when they step off the plane in England. There’s not much farther for this rushing defense to fall.
One might draw at least a little faith from the passing yards allowed per game, in which the Broncos rank 10th in the league. However, these wankers rank 25th in passing yards per play, which is another way of saying teams don’t need to pass much on the Broncos (as they can gore them with the running game), but when they do, the yards still come in waves.
The Broncos’ defense ranks 27th in 3rd-down efficiency and 30th in the red zone, where opponents are 70%. Clearly, the Broncos aren’t swotting the offense’s tendencies in the red zone. Perhaps here at Fat Man, we can help them do that this week in our 5-Course Meal game preview.
The rest of the stats I’ll leave you to nosh. Feel free to express your frustrations in the comments below.
If the Broncos come out with another shambolic performance this week in London, I’ll save you the numbers—things will just be sixes and sevens.
If you like to see The Dude slack off 24/7, you can always find him on Facebook and Twitter. Or you can email him at: tjthedudejohnson@gmail.com. He assumes you are following It’s All Over, Fat Man! on Facebook and Twitter, but if you are not, that’s nihilistic.
