Stats Are For Losers @ Buffalo

This segment will continue to garner truth as the season progresses, but I think we learned a lot about The Patriots last Sunday. These Patriots are NOT a veteran team. These Patriots make mistakes, and the season has taken a wrong turn. What will they do next? That's the question on everybody's minds...

A statistical average is great for predicting how many yards or points or turnovers a team may have, but no single statistic can quantify a formula of how to win the game. The Patriots have felt like a veteran team that wins close games (almost always) for many years. Losing two games on the last play (and with bad 4th quarter, 60 minute consistency) is unlike Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Still, how do the stats look...

The Patriots
   Defense 
10th in pts against (64) (21.3/game)
12th fewest in D snaps (187)
14th yards/game (343)
12th 3rd down D (36%)
11th Time on D (28:45)
   Offense
10th pts for (82) (27.3/game)
3rd plays on O (222)
9th in yards/game (391)
8th in 3rd down O (43%)
12 in T.O.P. (31:15)

The Bills
   Defense
23rd in pts against (79) (26.3/game)
18th in D snaps (194)
17th yards/game (348)
25th 3rd down D (46%)
16th Time on D (29:40)
   Offense
6th in pts for (87) (29/game)
23rd in plays on O (183)
11th yards/game (371)
8th 3rd down O (43%)
17th Time on O (30:20)

So, this match-up is intriguing on paper, but these stats are pretty much useless. There are injuries to Fred Jackson, CJ Spiller, and Aaron Hernandez that change these numbers drastically. The numbers are averaged over 3 games, and are flawed but they do tell us a few things.
  1. The Patriots Defense is still a question mark, but the numbers indicate a lot of improvement from last year. The 3rd down percentage is pretty good. Allowing 21 points per game despite going 1-2 is encouraging as well.
  2. The Bills Offense has been great on 3rd downs, and The Patriots are converting the same 46%. The Patriots look to get better, but Fitzpatrick looks to keep it up.
  3. A Bills Offense scoring 29 points/game against A Patriots Offense scoring 27 is a total Mike Tirico fun fact. Too bad, we're dealing with the CBS B-team on Sunday. 
Really, nothing jumps off the page when looking at the team stats, but if anyone has some interesting stats, please post in the comments below..


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