Charean Williams’ NFL Blitz for Week 8

Posted Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009 Comments   (0) Print Share Share Reprints
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The blitz

After catching 34 passes for 411 yards and four touchdowns in the first four games of the season, New York Giants receiver Steve Smith has had 11 catches for 183 yards and no touchdowns in the past three. Smith still leads the NFC with 45 receptions for 594 yards.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb has completed just 4 of 19 passes for 40 yards against the blitz this season. He has a 39.6 passer rating against the blitz.

Houston Texans running back Steve Slaton has an NFL-high four lost fumbles this season and six in 23 career games.

Jake Delhomme has been intercepted a league-high 13 times this season, two of which have been returned for touchdowns. Five others have resulted in touchdowns, including four that were returned to the Carolina 10-yard line or closer.

The Indianapolis Colts have won 15 consecutive regular-season games. That’s five off New England’s league record.

The Washington Redskins are averaging only 13.7 points per game despite becoming the first team to face six consecutive winless foes.

Texans quarterback Matt Schaub is averaging 373 yards a game on the road. He has 10 touchdown passes and two interceptions in three games away from Reliant Stadium.

The New Orleans Saints (6-0) are off to their second-best start in team history, trailing only the 1991 team that opened 7-0.

Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward, who is 33 years old, is second in the league in receiving yards with 602. He is averaging 14.3 yards per catch and 86 yards per game.

The Detroit Lions haven’t used the Victory Formation in 23 months and 26 days. In their last two wins — vs. Kansas City in Game 15 of 2007, and vs. Washington this season — Detroit’s defense was on the field for the last play of the game. The last time the offense was on the field for the last game was vs. Denver on Nov. 4, 2007. Center Dominic Raiola snapped the ball to quarterback Jon Kitna for the kneel-down.

Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, road teams have never ended up with a winning record overall. Last season, for example, road teams went 109-146-1, for a winning percentage of .428. This decade, NFL road teams have never done better than a .469 winning percentage (in 2006). They have been as bad as .387 in 2003, compiling a record of 99-157 that season.

Since the bye-week format started in 1990, teams coming out of byes have won 52.5 percent of the time.

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