Remarkable Stats on the AFC North Division

by | Aug 22, 2017 | Football

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The Steelers were easily the king of the AFC North in 2016, and look posed to repeat with receiver Martavis Bryant re-joining an already lethal offense. Pittsburgh’s D, meanwhile, is young, mobile, and ascendant. The Ravens must overcome a rash of early injuries — including to QB Joe Flacco — and establish greater balance between their passing and running game to pose a threat. The Bengals hope that a pair of rookies and a healthy A.J. Green can inject life into a listless offense. And the Browns? At least they still have Joe Thomas protecting the blind side of whomever wins the club’s latest QB competition.

Baltimore Ravens

  • With the club’s running game struggling, the Baltimore Ravens threw the ball 65.1% of the time (679 Pass Attempts/1,043 plays) last season (NFL Rank: 1st of 32; League Avg: 57.9%)

  • Joe Flacco averaged just 9.9 Yards per Completion (4,317 yards/436 completions) last season (NFL Rank: 29th of 31 Qualified QBs; League Avg: 11.3)
  • Mike Wallace gained 40+ yards on 5 of his 72 receptions (6.9%) last season (NFL Rank: 4th of 39 Qualified WRs; League Avg: 3.6%)

  • The Ravens defense averaged a turnover percentage of 3.0% (29 / 961) last season (NFL Rank: 1st of 32; League Avg: 2.2%)

  • The Ravens defense allowed first downs on 19.8% of rush attempts last season (NFL Rank: 1st of 32; League Avg: 23.7%)
  • The Ravens defense allowed 15.5 Yards per Reception (419 yards/27 catches) on slant routes last season (NFL Rank: 32nd of 32; League Avg: 11.1)

Cincinnati Bengals

  • A.J. Green gained 40+ yards on 6 of his 66 receptions (9.1%) last season (NFL Rank: 1st of 39 Qualified WRs; League Avg: 3.6%)
  • The Bengals drafted Joe Mixon in part to add a home run threat to a running game that lacked one in 2016. Incumbent starter Jeremy Hill rushed for 10 or more yards on 13 of his 222 carries (5.9%) last season (NFL Rank: 35th of 36 Qualified RBs; League Avg: 10.2%)

  • Andy Dalton completed 74.3% of passes (136 completions/183 attempts) on 1st down last season (NFL Rank: 4th of 29 Qualified QBs; League Avg: 67.7%)
  • Andy Dalton needs to do a better job when defenses ramp up the pressure. Dalton threw 97 catchable balls on 156 pass attempts (62.2%) against the blitz last season (NFL Rank: 25th of 29 Qualified QBs; League Avg: 66.7%)

  • The Bengals defense blitzed on just 10.5% of plays last season (NFL Rank: 29th of 32; League Avg: 15.5%)

  • Offenses facing the Bengals defense threw deep balls on just 9.3% of pass attempts (55/593) last season (NFL Rank: 30th of 32; League Avg: 11.6%)

Cleveland Browns

  • No matter who takes snaps at QB for Cleveland, they’ll have to do a better job of protecting him. The Browns were sacked on 11.6% of pass attempts (66/567) last season (NFL Rank: 1st of 32; League Avg: 6.1%)
  • Cleveland’s new number one receiver Kenny Britt averaged 14.7 Yards from Scrimmage Per Touch (1,002 yards / 68 touches) last season (NFL Rank: 4th of 40 Qualified WRs; League Avg: 12.5)
  • Isaiah Crowell averaged 3.3 yards after contact per carry (87 carries) on plays up the middle last season (NFL Rank: 1st of 41 Qualified RBs; League Avg: 1.9)
  • Duke Johnson averaged 6.9 Yards from Scrimmage Per Touch (872 yards / 126 touches) last season (NFL Rank: 1st of 42 Qualified RBs; League Avg: 4.8)

  • Cleveland hopes 1st overall pick Myles Garrett will bring pressure — particularly in the red zone. The Browns defense sacked opposing QBs just once on 78 pass attempts on plays in the red zone last season (NFL Rank: 30th of 32; League Avg: 19.6)
  • The Browns defense allowed first downs on 48.5% of plays on 3rd down last season (NFL Rank: 31st of 32; League Avg: 42.6%)

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Le’Veon Bell is the league’s ultimate workhorse. Bell averaged 21.8 carries per game (261 carries /12 games) last season (NFL Rank: 1st of 36 Qualified RBs; League Avg: 8.1). He was also targeted 7.8 times per game (94/12) last season (NFL Rank: 1st of 38 Qualified RBs; League Avg: 2.3).

RB Carries per Game

RB Targets per Game

  • The Steelers ranked 10th in points allowed per game (20.4) in 2016. To emerge as an elite defense, Pittsburgh needs two of its young stars to do a better job of wrapping up opponents. Ryan Shazier missed 19 tackles last season (NFL Rank: 4th most among LBs), and Sean Davis missed 14 tackles (NFL Rank: 4th most among DBs).

Missed Tackles among LBs

Missed Tackles Among DBs

  • Antonio Brown had 18 first down receptions in close and late situations* last season (NFL Rank: 1st among WRs)

*A lead of less than 16 points in the 4th quarter with more than 5 minutes left to play, or a lead of less than 8 points with under 5 minutes left

  • Ben Roethlisberger threw deep balls on 19.8% of pass attempts (56/283) on the road last season (NFL Rank: 1st of 29 Qualified QBs; League Avg: 11.6%)
  • 1st-round draft pick T.J. Watt should only benefit a Steelers defense that already blitzed opposing QB effectively. The Steelers defense sacked opposing QBs on 12.2% of pass attempts (21/172) when blitzing last season (NFL Rank: 3rd of 32; League Avg: 7.9%)
  • The Pittsburgh Steelers were sacked on just 3.5% of pass attempts (21/596) last season (NFL Rank: 2nd lowest of 32; League Avg: 6.1%)

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