For you stat fans out there, a comparison between the Stillers and Patriots.�
The defending World Champions come to Heinz Field in a re-match of last
season�s AFC Championship Game.� Last
regular season, the Stillers humbled the Pats on
National TV and ended their winning streak.�
On Sunday, the Pats have an opportunity to end the Stillers�
regular season winning streak at 17.�
Stats normally help one determine trends.� With only two games under each team�s belt,
it may be difficult to determine trends at this point but hopefully this will
give the reader a quick snapshot of both teams.
|
CATEGORY |
Patriots |
STILLERS |
REMARKS |
|
Record |
1-1 |
2-0 |
The Pats are coming off a 27-17 loss against |
|
QB rating |
Brady is 105.8 at home and 69.3 on the road.� 86.2 overall has Tom # 11 in the NFL. |
Roethlisberger is a perfect 158.3 at home and 139.8 on the road.� Ben�s overall rating off 153.6 is # 1 in
the league. |
Two of the top NFL QB�s will go
head to head.� Both are composed,
athletic and smart. |
|
Interceptions |
Brady has one pick in two games. |
Big Ben is, knock on wood, perfect with zero. |
While Ben�s rating is superior and off the charts, I
really don�t care about that all that much.�
His zero interceptions is a key stat. |
|
Getting sacked when passing |
Brady has been sacked twice. |
Ben has hit the dirt once. |
This should demonstrate the effectiveness of both team�s
O-Lines.� Edge to the Pats; however,
due to their schedule. |
|
Sacking |
Roosevelt, Green and Vrabel each
have a sack thus far. |
Troy P, Haggans and Porter each
have two sacks.� Coke, Frazier,
Harrison and Townsend each chipped in one. |
Troy P. is tied for # 1 in the
NFL with sacks. |
|
|
Brady is # 19 in the NFL at 57.3% |
Ben is # 1 in the NFL at 71.9 |
Ben is 23/32 while Brady is 47/82.� Yes, 82 passing attemps
for Brady in two games.� This indicates
that the Stillers must pressure the Pats &
Brady. |
|
TDs |
Dillon:� 2 Branch, Graham, Dwight and Vrabel
each have one. |
Willie P and Hines have two while Haynes, Miller (our TE),
and ARE each have one. |
|
|
Gross punting average |
EX-Stiller Josh Miller is # 46.5. |
Gardocki is not
on the leader board at all. |
Due to having booted the ball three times in two
games.� This is a great stat for the
offensive unit. |
|
Kick Off average |
Adam V: 65.7 |
Reed:� 65.3 |
Reed made a marked improvement on kick-offs last week. |
|
Fumbles |
Brady and Watson have both fumbled once. |
The Stillers have yet to fumble. |
|
|
Average yards per game, offense |
333.5 |
406 |
Only the Bungles and the Iggles
are ahead of the B&G. |
|
Penalties |
19 |
8 |
|
|
Penalty yards |
132 |
67 |
I never thought I�d see the Stillers
play close to penalty free ball.� To
put into perspective, last Monday night, the four teams playing combined for
318 penalty yards. |
|
Time of possession average |
30.11 |
29.58 |
The Pats just edge the Stillers
in the category. |
|
Turnovers |
Takeaways:� 2 Giveaways: 3 |
Takeaways: 5 Giveaways: 0 |
Very good statistic. |
|
Field Goals |
100% |
100% |
Reed is now the all time (consecutive) Stillers
FG kicker surpassing |
|
Passing, average yards per game |
196 |
157 |
|
|
Rushing, average yards per game |
98 |
105 |
Willie Parker has started three games (one last season
against the Bills) and has been over 100 yards each.� He is now second in the NFL.� Hard to believe this guy didn�t start for
NC State. |
|
Average points per game |
23.5 |
30.5 |
|
|
Defense, average yards per game |
295 |
262 |
The Stillers are # 5 in the
NFL.� The B&G have been giving up
to much yardage, particularly on the rush against poor rushing teams. |
|
Third down conversion % |
33.3% |
47.8% |
This is a marked improvement from last season. |
|
Fourth down conversion % |
0% |
50% |
The Pats have tried and missed. |
Series Notes:
Last Meeting:� January
23, 2005 (AFC Championship Game).� Patriots:
41, Stillers: 27.
All time record:� Stillers are 13-8-0
At home:� 10-6-0
Away:� 3-2-0
Neutral field:� 0-0-0
Projected Game Weather:
Temp:� High 81 degrees
Precip:�
Chance of Rain/Thunderstorms.
Triv�s Questions/Comments for the Game:
- Will
we see a Tight End integrated into the passing game?
- Will
we see more pressure on the QB from the base 3-4?
- Will
we see Willie Parker rush and catch?
- I
have high regards for Belichick as a coach.� Is he a genius or his he missing Weiss
and Crennel?
- What
is up with the Bungles?� Hopefully
that Who-Dey guy won�t be hanging around our
boards.� That said, I�d pay a little
more attention to this team.
- I�m
excited for this game.� Like many,
I�m still upset about last January and the spanking we took at home ending
a close to perfect season without a ring.�
This game will be a great litmus test for the Stillers.� They�ve bullied some mediocre teams and
this will be a great test to see where we are.�� The Pats aren�t lighting the NFL on
fire, but they are a very solid team.�
They work well together and exemplify the word �team.�� A Stiller victory will be an enormous
momentum builder for the rest of the season.
- I was
wishing our bye week was later in the season, but during week four, it may
turn out to be a blessing in disguise.�