The NFL season is now 11.76 percent complete and the Favre-Rodgers comparisons are already well underway and in mid-season form. But there are things we’ve learned that don’t concern those two. Enjoy this batch of almost a dozen stats that you probably haven’t heard yet:

Guess who has the NFL’s most prolific passing game at this point in the NFL season. If you said, “Denver Broncos” you nailed it. The Broncos, who are well regarded for their running game most seasons, are averaging 320.5 passing yards per game (2nd in NFL, behind Philadelphia) and have thrown 6 passing touchdowns (T-1st with San Diego).

But do you know who has thrown the ball most this season? Peyton Manning. He’s tossed the ball up 91 times this season is on pace for 748 pass attempts. Interestingly, Denver’s Jay Cutler has just 4 fewer completions than Manning with 27 fewer attempts.

Everyone knows that Manning has struggled this season, but at least he’s put up decent numbers. These quarterbacks haven’t: David Garrard (3 interceptions-1 touchdown), Derek Anderson (51.8 completion percentage), Matt Hasselbeck (45.5 completion percentage), and Carson Palmer (37.1 quarterback rating). Those quarterbacks also rank 25, 29, 31, and 32 in quarterback rating this season. Yup, Tarvaris Jackson, who has found his way to the bench this week, has a quarterback rating better than three of them and his rating (a 64.8) is only eight-tenths of a point worse than Garrard.

Talk about some young gunslingers. Four of the top five quarterback ratings go to quarterbacks aged 26 and under: Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, Jay Cutler, and Aaron Rodgers. Look a little further down the line and seven of the top ten are 28 and under (Tony Romo, Trent Edwards, and Matt Cassel).

Meanwhile, the four quarterbacks with the most interceptions this season - Jon Kitna, Drew Brees, David Garrard, and Matt Hasselbeck - are 30 or older. Hasselbeck and Garrard have thrown just 1 touchdown this season, too.

The NFL’s top three rushing offenses are collectively 2-3 this season: Baltimore (1-0), Oakland (0-2), and Atlanta (1-1). These three are also the only three running games to be averaging over 200 yards per game on the ground, but, to be fair, the Raiders have already fumbled the ball 5 times this season.

Three of the NFL’s top five leading rushers are starting for the first time this season. Michael Turner ranks 2nd and is averaging 7.3 yards per carry, while the other two on this list - Darren McFadden and Matt Forte - are both rookies.

Brandon Marshall missed the first game of the season with a suspension. He also leads the NFL in receptions with 18. I guess it helps to have a career game every now and then.

The NFL’s receiver with the most yards this season is Greg Jennings.He also leads the NFL in “big catches” with three that have covered 40+ yards. Interestingly, he’s averaging 23.5 yards per catch but still hasn’t found the endzone this season.

When Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner need a first down, who do you think they look for? Reggie Wayne and Larry Fitzgerald? Nope. Anthony Gonzalez and Anquan Boldin have caught 11 passes for first downs. They each have just 14 catches this season. Buffalo’s Lee Evans, meanwhile, has been a perfect 8-for-8.

Looks like Sebastian Janikowski still has one of the NFL’s strongest legs. He’s already kicked 6 touchbacks (on 9 kickoffs), which means he, by far and away, has the highest percentage with 66.7 that have required a knee (the next highest is 50 percent). He’s also kicked the longest field goal this season: a 56 yarder that split the uprights.

Tags: Fun, NFL, Numbers, Observations, Stats

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Entry posted on Thursday, September 18th, 2008 at 7:49 am. Filed under tags: Fun, NFL, Numbers, Observations, Stats,
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