NFL's Most Surprising Statistics
The Numbers No One Expected to See During the 2007 NFL Season
League leaders, major disappointments, road warriors and breakout rookies that could not be predicted.
Statistics defined the 2007 NFL season, thanks in large part to the New England Patriots. A perfect 16-0 record, 50 touchdown passes by quarterback Tom Brady and 23 TD receptions by wide receiver Randy Moss. But buried under those highly-anticipated figures are some numbers that caught the league off guard. Here are the year’s five most surprising stats:
1. Ben Roethlisberger threw more touchdown passes than Peyton Manning: Yes, it’s true. Big Ben tossed 32, topping America’s favorite advertiser by one. He also posted a higher quarterback rating (104.1 to 98.0) and was picked off fewer times (11 to 14). Quite a recovery from his 23 interceptions and 75.4 rating in 2006. Until now, praise for Roethlisberger was generally lukewarm and included words like “efficient” and “solid game manager.” He did win a Super Bowl in 2005, but attempted only 268 passes all year. In his fourth season, the former first-round draft pick proved he is a bona fide gunslinger. Critics who say Roethlisberger’s emergence is all because of new head coach Mike Tomlin’s deviance from old-fashioned Steeler-ball should consider this: Big Ben actually threw 65 fewer passes this season than he did during miserable 2006 under Bill Cowher.
2. Adam Vinatieri ranked 27th in field goal percentage: The legendary place kicker, whose resume includes two Super Bowl-winning kicks and possibly the greatest postseason boot of all time (that 45-yarder through a blizzard in the Snow Bowl), was mediocre at best in 2007. Vinatieri connected on just 79.3 percent of his attempts, worse than no-names like Shaun Suisham and Mike Nugent. He didn’t make a single field goal of more than 39 yards, marking the first time in his 12-year career that he didn’t hit one from at least 48 yards out. The lowest point came in a 23-21 Week 10 loss at San Diego, when Vinatieri went 0 for 2, including a 29-yard shank that would have saved the Colts from their second straight defeat.
3. Giants reached Super Bowl despite losing record at home: Of the 84 teams to reach the Super Bowl, only the 2007 New York Giants had a losing home record during the regular season. The G-Men were just 3-5 at Giants Stadium but 7-1 on the road. The one loss came in the season opener at Dallas. After that, New York strung together 10 straight victories as a visitor, including playoff wins at Tampa Bay, Dallas and Green Bay. The offense was consistent (23.8 ppg away vs. 22.4 ppg home), but the defense improved by more than a touchdown on foreign soil (17.5 ppg away vs. 26.1 home).
4. Peterson rushed for 296 yards and Cromartie returned FG 109 yards in same game: A Week 9 matchup between teams that were at or below .500 at the end of the day, turned into something special when Vikings rookie running back Adrian Peterson broke the NFL’s single-game rushing record and Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie returned a field goal for a touchdown on the longest play in league history. Cromartie camped out under the crossbar on Ryan Longwell’s 57-yard attempt at the end of the first half. The kick was just short, and the second-year corner stretched to pluck the ball out of the air before dashing from one end zone to the other. At the time, Peterson had only 43 rushing yards, but the former Oklahoma standout exploded for 253 more in the second half, eclipsing Jamal Lewis’s record of 295, set in 2003.
5. Patrick Willis’s 174 tackles lead NFL: It’s not shocking that the 49ers’ linebacker had a strong rookie campaign. After all, he was the 11th overall draft pick and showed freakish speed at the combine when he ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash. But no one expected him to rack up 33 more tackles than the nearest competitor. The AP Defensive Rookie of the Year took over the tackle title, which in the last five seasons has been won by Zach Thomas (twice), Jonathan Vilma, Keith Bullock and Jamie Sharper. That’s pretty good company. What’s even more impressive is that Willis did it on a 5-11 team that lost eight straight at one point.
