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The Stats from the Rams’ Win Tell a Story of Firsts
Posted by: Stats Doctor
http://www.101sports.com/2015/09/17/the-stats-from-the-rams-win-tell-a-story-of-firsts/
Season openers haven’t been particularly kind to the Rams in recent years.
Although the Rams entered Sunday’s Seattle game with a franchise record of 39-38 in the opening game, they had only won twice in the last ten openers.
ramsseahawks-4
Rams QB Nick Foles makes a pass during the first half of Sunday’s game versus the Seahawks.
During that time frame, the team had no games with more touchdowns than field goals as they scored nine touchdowns while recording 26 field goals. Three times, there were losses by at least 28 points.
But, this year was different.
The Rams came up with a pulsating 34-31 overtime win that was a statistician’s dream.
One statistic that tends to be the most telling for determining wins and losses is the turnover ratio. In general, teams that win the turnover battle win approximately 75 percent of the time. But, there are exceptions.
On Sunday, the Rams were minus-two in turnovers and walked away with a win. The last time the Rams were minus-two or worse in this category and still won was in the 2012 home opener 31-28 triumph over the Redskins.
This was only the 40th time in the last 75 years that the Rams had won a game when minus-two or worse.
Points off of turnovers are even more predictive of the outcome of a game. For example, in the 49 Super Bowls played to date, only twice has the winner been outscored in that department (Super Bowls XLIX and XIX). The Seahawks had a ten point margin in points off turnovers (13-3), but still flew back to the Pacific Northwest with a loss.
Last Sunday’s game was the first season opener in NFL history that featured a punt return touchdown for both teams. Overall, this has only happened ten times and Jeff Fisher’s teams have been involved in three of the last four occasions.
ramsseahawks-6
Seahawks QB Russell Wilson plays during Sunday’s game at the Edward Jones Dome.
The only other time this happened in a Rams game was four years ago against Arizona when Nick Miller opened the scoring with an 88-yard touchdown return for the Rams. Patrick Peterson of the Cardinals countered with an 80-yard punt return touchdown as Arizona won, 23-20. Fisher’s Titans defeated the Falcons 38-31 in 2003 when Justin McCareins and Allen Rossum both had punt return touchdowns.
During the Jeff Fisher Show Monday night, the coach mentioned how rare it is to win a game in the NFL when allowing both a punt return touchdown and a fumble return for a touchdown.
Fisher has a very good sense of league history, as only 12 times in the past 75 years has a team won a game given those parameters, and the Rams victory was the first meeting those criteria in the past 12 years.
The season opener also marked the first start for Nick Foles in a Rams uniform and his debut did not get off to an auspicious start. His opening pass to Tavon Austin resulted in a nine-yard loss, but the situation improved. Foles ended up Sunday with 297 yards on 18 completions.
Eight of those completions were “explosive” plays that covered at least 20 yards and they went to five different players. The eight explosive pass plays were the most since Mark Bulger’s performance against the Steelers in Pittsburgh in 2003 when half of his 22 completions went at least 20 yards. The last time the Rams had more than five players with 20-yard receptions was also in an overtime win as six players had explosive receptions in season-ending 32-29 win against the Jets in St. Louis.
On first down passes, Foles was 8-10 for 144 yards with one sack. Russell Wilson was also effective on first down for the Seahawks—when he was able to actually throw the ball. Wilson was 15-17 for 133 yards on first down, but he was also sacked three times.
Third down passing was a more telling difference. Foles went 6-9 for 97 yards, good for five first downs on third down passes. Wilson attempted to pass on ten of the 19 Seattle third down plays. He was sacked three times for 23 yards and went 3-7 for a mere ten yards good for only one first down (the touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham) with one interception.
ramsseahawks-3
Rams receiver Tavon Austin celebrates a second quarter touchdown versus the Seahawks.
The Seahawks following the first play of the fourth quarter were 5-13 on third downs with each conversion coming on a third-and-one play—the Rams defense held Seattle to no conversions on plays of two or more yards to go to that point. Holding a team to 8-19 on third downs when their average third down play had 4.5 yards to go is a true accomplishment. Although the Seahawks were 5-5 on third-and-one for the game, they were 0-1 on fourth-and-one and that stop of Marshawn Lynch ended the day’s proceedings.
One other note about Foles involves his one-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter…When Austin scored on a 16-yard run on the first play of the second quarter, that marked the first time since Robert Holcombe’s game-winning one-yard touchdown against Denver in 2000 that a player not named Marshall Faulk or Steven Jackson scored a rushing touchdown for the Rams in a season opener.
Foles is the first Rams quarterback in 26 years to have a rushing touchdown in a season opener. Jim Everett ran one in from 13 yards out in a Rams 31-21 win over the Falcons in Atlanta that marked the debut of Deion Sanders who ran back his first punt return for a touchdown in that game.
The Rams’ one drive of at least ten plays resulted in the game-tying touchdown pass from Foles to Lance Kendricks with 53 seconds remaining in regulation.
The 31-31 score after four quarters tied the highest score of a Rams game going into overtime. This was also the first time the Rams had gone into overtime under the new modified overtime rules and, in turn, this was the first time the Rams opened the overtime scoring and didn’t end the game. It was the first season opener to go into a “fifth” quarter since the 2001 20-17 win at Philadelphia.
Also, the 34 points scored by the Rams was their highest output in a season opener since their 41-34 triumph over the Broncos in 2000—and was more than twice the number of points allowed per game by the Seahawks last season.
The scene changes this Sunday when the Rams play their first road contest versus the Washington Redskins. For the Rams, this is an opportunity to open a season with two victories for the first time since 2001 when they started with an overtime win and then followed with a road victory.
It would be nice to see that kind of history repeat itself.
Posted by: Stats Doctor
http://www.101sports.com/2015/09/17/the-stats-from-the-rams-win-tell-a-story-of-firsts/
Season openers haven’t been particularly kind to the Rams in recent years.
Although the Rams entered Sunday’s Seattle game with a franchise record of 39-38 in the opening game, they had only won twice in the last ten openers.
ramsseahawks-4
Rams QB Nick Foles makes a pass during the first half of Sunday’s game versus the Seahawks.
During that time frame, the team had no games with more touchdowns than field goals as they scored nine touchdowns while recording 26 field goals. Three times, there were losses by at least 28 points.
But, this year was different.
The Rams came up with a pulsating 34-31 overtime win that was a statistician’s dream.
One statistic that tends to be the most telling for determining wins and losses is the turnover ratio. In general, teams that win the turnover battle win approximately 75 percent of the time. But, there are exceptions.
On Sunday, the Rams were minus-two in turnovers and walked away with a win. The last time the Rams were minus-two or worse in this category and still won was in the 2012 home opener 31-28 triumph over the Redskins.
This was only the 40th time in the last 75 years that the Rams had won a game when minus-two or worse.
Points off of turnovers are even more predictive of the outcome of a game. For example, in the 49 Super Bowls played to date, only twice has the winner been outscored in that department (Super Bowls XLIX and XIX). The Seahawks had a ten point margin in points off turnovers (13-3), but still flew back to the Pacific Northwest with a loss.
Last Sunday’s game was the first season opener in NFL history that featured a punt return touchdown for both teams. Overall, this has only happened ten times and Jeff Fisher’s teams have been involved in three of the last four occasions.
ramsseahawks-6
Seahawks QB Russell Wilson plays during Sunday’s game at the Edward Jones Dome.
The only other time this happened in a Rams game was four years ago against Arizona when Nick Miller opened the scoring with an 88-yard touchdown return for the Rams. Patrick Peterson of the Cardinals countered with an 80-yard punt return touchdown as Arizona won, 23-20. Fisher’s Titans defeated the Falcons 38-31 in 2003 when Justin McCareins and Allen Rossum both had punt return touchdowns.
During the Jeff Fisher Show Monday night, the coach mentioned how rare it is to win a game in the NFL when allowing both a punt return touchdown and a fumble return for a touchdown.
Fisher has a very good sense of league history, as only 12 times in the past 75 years has a team won a game given those parameters, and the Rams victory was the first meeting those criteria in the past 12 years.
The season opener also marked the first start for Nick Foles in a Rams uniform and his debut did not get off to an auspicious start. His opening pass to Tavon Austin resulted in a nine-yard loss, but the situation improved. Foles ended up Sunday with 297 yards on 18 completions.
Eight of those completions were “explosive” plays that covered at least 20 yards and they went to five different players. The eight explosive pass plays were the most since Mark Bulger’s performance against the Steelers in Pittsburgh in 2003 when half of his 22 completions went at least 20 yards. The last time the Rams had more than five players with 20-yard receptions was also in an overtime win as six players had explosive receptions in season-ending 32-29 win against the Jets in St. Louis.
On first down passes, Foles was 8-10 for 144 yards with one sack. Russell Wilson was also effective on first down for the Seahawks—when he was able to actually throw the ball. Wilson was 15-17 for 133 yards on first down, but he was also sacked three times.
Third down passing was a more telling difference. Foles went 6-9 for 97 yards, good for five first downs on third down passes. Wilson attempted to pass on ten of the 19 Seattle third down plays. He was sacked three times for 23 yards and went 3-7 for a mere ten yards good for only one first down (the touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham) with one interception.
ramsseahawks-3
Rams receiver Tavon Austin celebrates a second quarter touchdown versus the Seahawks.
The Seahawks following the first play of the fourth quarter were 5-13 on third downs with each conversion coming on a third-and-one play—the Rams defense held Seattle to no conversions on plays of two or more yards to go to that point. Holding a team to 8-19 on third downs when their average third down play had 4.5 yards to go is a true accomplishment. Although the Seahawks were 5-5 on third-and-one for the game, they were 0-1 on fourth-and-one and that stop of Marshawn Lynch ended the day’s proceedings.
One other note about Foles involves his one-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter…When Austin scored on a 16-yard run on the first play of the second quarter, that marked the first time since Robert Holcombe’s game-winning one-yard touchdown against Denver in 2000 that a player not named Marshall Faulk or Steven Jackson scored a rushing touchdown for the Rams in a season opener.
Foles is the first Rams quarterback in 26 years to have a rushing touchdown in a season opener. Jim Everett ran one in from 13 yards out in a Rams 31-21 win over the Falcons in Atlanta that marked the debut of Deion Sanders who ran back his first punt return for a touchdown in that game.
The Rams’ one drive of at least ten plays resulted in the game-tying touchdown pass from Foles to Lance Kendricks with 53 seconds remaining in regulation.
The 31-31 score after four quarters tied the highest score of a Rams game going into overtime. This was also the first time the Rams had gone into overtime under the new modified overtime rules and, in turn, this was the first time the Rams opened the overtime scoring and didn’t end the game. It was the first season opener to go into a “fifth” quarter since the 2001 20-17 win at Philadelphia.
Also, the 34 points scored by the Rams was their highest output in a season opener since their 41-34 triumph over the Broncos in 2000—and was more than twice the number of points allowed per game by the Seahawks last season.
The scene changes this Sunday when the Rams play their first road contest versus the Washington Redskins. For the Rams, this is an opportunity to open a season with two victories for the first time since 2001 when they started with an overtime win and then followed with a road victory.
It would be nice to see that kind of history repeat itself.
