Quarter 1 Analysis [GFL]
We're now 4 weeks into the season, and because of my somewhat hectic personal life, I haven't really stepped back from the games to look at the bigger picture of where teams stand and where things might be going.
We're going to look at the by division before taking a broader scope.
Current standings are as follows:
As you can see, things are still really shaping up here and several teams are 2-2, making the future of the league still very uncertain. Perhaps most surprising is only 2 teams remain undefeated this early on.
CONFERENCES
AFC
In the AFC, Oakland's Wheatley is just 0.1 yards average higher than LaDanian Tomlinson, who averages 6.0 per carry, is still the rushing leader with 600 yards in 99 attempts. Wheatley comes in next at just 428 yards. Neither have as many carries as the Jets' Curtis Martin, who's been given 122 chances to make something of himself. Tomlinson also leads in TD's at 7, with Jamal Lewis and Martin tied with 5 under him.
For wide receivers, Miami's Clayton is averaging over 22 yards / catch, but the Chiefs combo of Kelce and Hill stand out. Hill ties Tim Brown for yards at 417, and Kelce is just 1 shy of leading in # of receptions at 35. The top spot there goes to the Texans' Hopkins. Hill's big game in the record-tying game against New England puts him on top for receiving TD's at 6.
With such a devastating performance so far from Tomlinson on the ground, it's no surprise he also leads in total yardage at 735, a well as scoring with 54 points.
Between the backs and receivers, a look at QB's is one-sided in the AFC. Mahomes has the clear top spot in every passing category. With a rating of 132.5, a completion % of 75 and already 1821 yards and 18 TD's. Marino comes in a distant 2nd place. Clearly Mahomes is top in the league right now.
Moving to special teams, Mahomes' teammate Hardman leads KO returns with an amazing average of 32.6 yards. Denver's Bolden, however, is averaging over 53 yards / punt return in just over 5 grabs. New England's Allen just barely leads Punt average and Denver's McManus is the highest scoring kicker, given his several high-FG games. In a bit more of a shock, only 3 kickers are 100% with their FG attempts - Scobee, Kaeding and McManus.
Defensive #'s look more even across the board. Talib for Denver leads INT's with 4, but several people such as Troy Palamalu and Chris Dishman tie for 2nd with 3. Similarly, 3 people share the lead for sacks - Lewis of the Jets, Childress of the Oilers and Merriman of San Diego.
To the surprise of almost nobody, the Chiefs are the leading Offense with over 2200 yards; Miami is the closest 2nd. San Diego leads on the rush with Tomlinson's fancy footwork. Mahomes efforts are so noticeable, that his 455 yards / game average is 50% higher than Marino's 305.
Pittsburgh's high powered Defense comes in top, holding teams to just over 1200 yards. Baltimore actually leads Pittsburgh against the rush, and the Bengals have held teams to the fewest points with just 60. On Turnovers, Jets and Ravens tie with a 1.8 margin.
NFC
In the NFC, Tampa Bay's Bell is averaging 6 yards per carry, but Shawn Alexander leads him in yards at 539. Shawn Alexander is just 2nd in attempts, with Riggins having carried the ball 120 times in just 4 weeks. Alexander remains on top for TDs, still making him the overall rushing leader for the conference, and just a smidge higher than LT (LaDanian Tomlinson) for the league.
In the air, Gray for St. Louis Cardinals is averaging over 26 yards per catch. Steve Smith for Carolina just barely leads yards over Gray, with 425 to Gray's 422. The biggest surprise though is that neither receiver has the most receptions. Ahead of Steve Smith's 28 catches is Marshall Faulk with 31. Gray leads in TD's at 5.
As may be predictable from the above, Marshall Faulk's high combination of rush and pass offense puts him in the lead for combined yardage. This also makes him the highest scoring player at 54 points.
In the QB position, Steve Young holds a slightly higher accuracy than Kurt Warner, but Warner leads everyone in yardage. Delhomme and Theisman are tied in 2nd at 1110 yards. But Theisman is slightly higher than Delhomme for QB rating at 94.5 to Jake's 94.4 (Steve Young is at 94.3) The Cardinal's Hart is strangely the TD king with 10, but the fact that Warner ties Favre for 2nd place shows why Warner is easily considered in the top spot right now.
On special teams, Metcalf of the Cardinals is averaging a whopping over 41 yards each time, putting him in the top spot. Jones for Carolina is the leader in punt returns. Barnhardt for New Orleans is the top punter, but Mosely edges out Morten Andersen with 48 points for kickers. Several kickers still remain 100% on Field Goals, putting them in much better shape than the AFC.
For defense, the Redskins' Murphy is tied with LeBeau of Detroit for interceptions at 4. But the clearest dominant player is Swilling for the Saints, who already has 9 sacks in 4 games; over twice as much as the nearest person.
The Vikings have the #1 offense overall and lead in scoring, but Seattle leads rush offense with 730 yards. The Redskins are just shy of Minnesota in scoring by 3 points, so both teams should be watched in the weeks to come. But of course Warner has the top passing offense, averaging just shy of 300 yards per game.
Eagles have the #1 defense overall, but the Redskins lead against the rush, holding opponents to just 355 yards so far. They also lead in turnover margin at 2.3, The Rams have held teams to just 14.3 pts/game on average, making them leaders in stopping scores. Dallas is the dominant team against the pass, holding teams to just over 163 yards average.
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