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By Stats Doctor
http://www.101sports.com/2013/11/02/rams-stats-records-sleepless-seattle/
There are football games that statistically match up with the scoreboard. Last Monday’s game between the Rams and the Seahawks was not exactly one of those games. Granted, the Rams lost the turnover battle by having two passes intercepted, while Seattle played turnover-free football. Yes, one of those turnovers was converted into a touchdown, and those seven points were vital in a game that was decided by five points. Many of the other numbers and stories of the game were decidedly positive in nature. A casual observer not knowing the score or the turnover situation could look at the stats and think for all of the world that the Rams were victorious. Let’s go over some of those encouraging numbers and trends.
These blogs have often included a look first at the offense and then the defense. But, the performance of the defense kept the Rams in this contest throughout the night, and it deserves the first mention in this report. The Rams’ defense allowed only 135 yards of total offense, with 80 yards coming on one play that accounted for 59 percent of their evening’s output. The defense held the Seahawks to 55 yards on the other 39 plays, or a miniscule 1.4 yards per play. The Seahawks were held to their lowest total offense in nearly 13 years. (They gained 125 yards in a two-point win over the Chargers on Nov. 5, 2000.) The last time the Rams allowed fewer yards was on Jan. 3, 2010, when the 49ers were held to 109 yards in a 17-16 San Francisco triumph. The total of 40 plays for the Seahawks was the lowest number of plays by a victorious opponent in the post-World War II era. Previously, Green Bay in a 1960 35-21 win and San Francisco in a 2005 28-25 victory had only 41 plays from scrimmage. It is interesting that the Rams had only 41 plays from scrimmage in their last victory at Houston.
The seven sacks of Russell Wilson for a loss of 41 yards were among the 10 plays that lost yardage for Seattle. Toss in eight incomplete passes by Wilson, three runs from scrimmage that went for no gain and you end up with only 19 out of their 40 plays going for positive yardage – with but four of those 19 plays gaining at least 10 yards. Furthermore, no drive lasted more than six plays, and the most time-consuming drive was the bizarre opening drive that lasted 3:36 even though the Seahawks only advanced two yards from the starting point at their own seven-yard line.
The St. Louis defense was particularly stingy on first- and third-down plays. Seattle averaged exactly one yard on its 16 first-down plays. The Seahawks ran and passed eight times on first down for only 10 and six yards, respectively. On third down, they were only 2-for-11 after starting 2-for-5 based on success with only one and two yards to go. Wilson attempted to go to the air on all 11 conversion attempts, and he managed to complete only four of seven passes for 19 yards. He was sacked four times on third down for a loss of 29 yards, resulting in a net loss of 10 yards on all of the third-down attempts.
As a result, the Seahawks amassed only seven first downs. The last time the Rams allowed fewer first downs in a game was 34 years ago, and this just happened to occur against Seattle. In that game won by the Rams, 24-0, on Nov. 14, 1979, the Seahawks had but one first down – a team record for fewest first downs allowed – on a Jim Zorn completion to Steve Largent, and they were held by the Rams to yet another team record low of -7 yards on 35 plays. Monday night, Seattle actually had more punts (nine) than first downs, and that is a real statistical oddity. The last time that happened was that same 1979 contest when the Seahawks managed but one first down while being forced to punt 11 times. In fact, it has been almost 24 years since an opponent – the Saints – had to punt more often than did the Seahawks.
The Rams’ offense was deliberate, but also was in a rush. The rushing game was very productive, as Zac Stacy led the way with 26 carries for 134 yards – just one yard shy of the Seattle total offense. He became the first Rams running back not named Marshall Faulk or Steven Jackson to gain 100 yards rushing since Brian Leonard gained 102 yards in 18 rushes in an October 2007 game against the Cardinals. Those 134 yards were the most by a rookie since Jackson went for 148 yards against the Eagles in 2004. For the game, the Rams had 12 rushing first downs – their most in 11 years. (They had 16 first downs on the ground in a 37-20 win over those same Seahawks in 2002.) The offense also had nine rushing plays of at least 10 yards (Stacy had six of them himself) after having only 11 10-yard runs in the first seven games. For the game, St. Louis had exactly 200 yards rushing, cracking the 200-yard barrier for the first time in 72 games since the 2008 season finale against the Falcons when the team gained 202 yards on the ground. One would have to go back to a 2005 game against the Jaguars also with exactly 200 rushing yards – 128 total games and 64 home games ago – for the last home game when the offense had 200 yards rushing.
Who would have thought that the Rams would outrush Seattle by 156 yards? Only three other times in franchise history have the Rams enjoyed such a margin in rushing yardage in a losing effort. The Rams outrushed the Redskins by a whopping 258 yards in a 14-10 loss in 1944, San Francisco by 168 yards in a 31-27 loss in 1953 and the Bears by 163 yards in a 27-23 loss in 1979. In the latter contest, Wendell Tyler had 129 of the Rams’ 245 rushing yards, while the Bears were led by Walter Payton, who had half of their 82 yards, including the two-yard, game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.
In the second half, the Rams ran 36 of the last 45 plays of the game, and only seven of those plays were on the Rams’ side of the 50-yard line. That brought the game totals to a 31-play advantage of 71-40. Only four times have the Rams had a higher positive play differential in a loss, topped off by a 48-play advantage (89-41) in a 28-25 loss on the road to the 49ers in 2005. The Rams ran 39 plays more (81-42) than the Cardinals in a 1972 24-14 loss. Twice they had a 35-play advantage only to lose to the Saints, 24-20, in 1990 (78-43) and to the Boston Yanks by a 27-16 count in 1947 (84-49). For the game, St. Louis had 37 plays past midfield, while the Seahawks only managed 10 plays in Rams territory.
Still, when it was all said and done, the Rams fell a yard short of victory. They have now gone 38 quarters and 32 seconds since their last rushing touchdown by Jackson late in the first half of the next-to-last 2012 game in Tampa Bay. This Sunday, the Titans come to town – and they know something about falling a yard short. The Rams will be wearing their throwback uniforms from Super Bowl XXXIV when Mike Jones stopped Kevin Dyson a yard away from a possible overtime. Another Rams victory by a score of, let’s just say, 23-16 again would be a “super” way to get back in the win column.
http://www.101sports.com/2013/11/02/rams-stats-records-sleepless-seattle/
There are football games that statistically match up with the scoreboard. Last Monday’s game between the Rams and the Seahawks was not exactly one of those games. Granted, the Rams lost the turnover battle by having two passes intercepted, while Seattle played turnover-free football. Yes, one of those turnovers was converted into a touchdown, and those seven points were vital in a game that was decided by five points. Many of the other numbers and stories of the game were decidedly positive in nature. A casual observer not knowing the score or the turnover situation could look at the stats and think for all of the world that the Rams were victorious. Let’s go over some of those encouraging numbers and trends.
These blogs have often included a look first at the offense and then the defense. But, the performance of the defense kept the Rams in this contest throughout the night, and it deserves the first mention in this report. The Rams’ defense allowed only 135 yards of total offense, with 80 yards coming on one play that accounted for 59 percent of their evening’s output. The defense held the Seahawks to 55 yards on the other 39 plays, or a miniscule 1.4 yards per play. The Seahawks were held to their lowest total offense in nearly 13 years. (They gained 125 yards in a two-point win over the Chargers on Nov. 5, 2000.) The last time the Rams allowed fewer yards was on Jan. 3, 2010, when the 49ers were held to 109 yards in a 17-16 San Francisco triumph. The total of 40 plays for the Seahawks was the lowest number of plays by a victorious opponent in the post-World War II era. Previously, Green Bay in a 1960 35-21 win and San Francisco in a 2005 28-25 victory had only 41 plays from scrimmage. It is interesting that the Rams had only 41 plays from scrimmage in their last victory at Houston.
The seven sacks of Russell Wilson for a loss of 41 yards were among the 10 plays that lost yardage for Seattle. Toss in eight incomplete passes by Wilson, three runs from scrimmage that went for no gain and you end up with only 19 out of their 40 plays going for positive yardage – with but four of those 19 plays gaining at least 10 yards. Furthermore, no drive lasted more than six plays, and the most time-consuming drive was the bizarre opening drive that lasted 3:36 even though the Seahawks only advanced two yards from the starting point at their own seven-yard line.
The St. Louis defense was particularly stingy on first- and third-down plays. Seattle averaged exactly one yard on its 16 first-down plays. The Seahawks ran and passed eight times on first down for only 10 and six yards, respectively. On third down, they were only 2-for-11 after starting 2-for-5 based on success with only one and two yards to go. Wilson attempted to go to the air on all 11 conversion attempts, and he managed to complete only four of seven passes for 19 yards. He was sacked four times on third down for a loss of 29 yards, resulting in a net loss of 10 yards on all of the third-down attempts.
As a result, the Seahawks amassed only seven first downs. The last time the Rams allowed fewer first downs in a game was 34 years ago, and this just happened to occur against Seattle. In that game won by the Rams, 24-0, on Nov. 14, 1979, the Seahawks had but one first down – a team record for fewest first downs allowed – on a Jim Zorn completion to Steve Largent, and they were held by the Rams to yet another team record low of -7 yards on 35 plays. Monday night, Seattle actually had more punts (nine) than first downs, and that is a real statistical oddity. The last time that happened was that same 1979 contest when the Seahawks managed but one first down while being forced to punt 11 times. In fact, it has been almost 24 years since an opponent – the Saints – had to punt more often than did the Seahawks.
The Rams’ offense was deliberate, but also was in a rush. The rushing game was very productive, as Zac Stacy led the way with 26 carries for 134 yards – just one yard shy of the Seattle total offense. He became the first Rams running back not named Marshall Faulk or Steven Jackson to gain 100 yards rushing since Brian Leonard gained 102 yards in 18 rushes in an October 2007 game against the Cardinals. Those 134 yards were the most by a rookie since Jackson went for 148 yards against the Eagles in 2004. For the game, the Rams had 12 rushing first downs – their most in 11 years. (They had 16 first downs on the ground in a 37-20 win over those same Seahawks in 2002.) The offense also had nine rushing plays of at least 10 yards (Stacy had six of them himself) after having only 11 10-yard runs in the first seven games. For the game, St. Louis had exactly 200 yards rushing, cracking the 200-yard barrier for the first time in 72 games since the 2008 season finale against the Falcons when the team gained 202 yards on the ground. One would have to go back to a 2005 game against the Jaguars also with exactly 200 rushing yards – 128 total games and 64 home games ago – for the last home game when the offense had 200 yards rushing.
Who would have thought that the Rams would outrush Seattle by 156 yards? Only three other times in franchise history have the Rams enjoyed such a margin in rushing yardage in a losing effort. The Rams outrushed the Redskins by a whopping 258 yards in a 14-10 loss in 1944, San Francisco by 168 yards in a 31-27 loss in 1953 and the Bears by 163 yards in a 27-23 loss in 1979. In the latter contest, Wendell Tyler had 129 of the Rams’ 245 rushing yards, while the Bears were led by Walter Payton, who had half of their 82 yards, including the two-yard, game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.
In the second half, the Rams ran 36 of the last 45 plays of the game, and only seven of those plays were on the Rams’ side of the 50-yard line. That brought the game totals to a 31-play advantage of 71-40. Only four times have the Rams had a higher positive play differential in a loss, topped off by a 48-play advantage (89-41) in a 28-25 loss on the road to the 49ers in 2005. The Rams ran 39 plays more (81-42) than the Cardinals in a 1972 24-14 loss. Twice they had a 35-play advantage only to lose to the Saints, 24-20, in 1990 (78-43) and to the Boston Yanks by a 27-16 count in 1947 (84-49). For the game, St. Louis had 37 plays past midfield, while the Seahawks only managed 10 plays in Rams territory.
Still, when it was all said and done, the Rams fell a yard short of victory. They have now gone 38 quarters and 32 seconds since their last rushing touchdown by Jackson late in the first half of the next-to-last 2012 game in Tampa Bay. This Sunday, the Titans come to town – and they know something about falling a yard short. The Rams will be wearing their throwback uniforms from Super Bowl XXXIV when Mike Jones stopped Kevin Dyson a yard away from a possible overtime. Another Rams victory by a score of, let’s just say, 23-16 again would be a “super” way to get back in the win column.
