Fun NextGen Stats from Week 13

By Rhys Knott

It was a great weekend for deep passes but a pretty ordinary one for run plays. There was some gnarly weather, a couple of nail biters and a lot of backup QB’s on show. But more importantly there was some fun NextGen stats.

Fastest Ball Carries of Week 13

Embed from Getty Images

DK Metcalf recorded the fastest speed, not just of the week but of the season against the Cowboys. His 73-yard touchdown reception was his first touch of the ball and saw him clock 22.23 mph! That’s the fastest speed NextGen has recorded since Raheem Mostert hit 23.09 mph in Week 1 of the 2020 season! Mostert also clocked 22.73mph in Week 2 of the 2020 season. If that doesn’t throw the gauntlet down at Tyreek Hill’s feet, I’m not sure what does. 

For his part Tyreek was the second fastest player this week, but second is first loser as the old saying goes. He clocked 21.68 mph on a 78-yard touchdown reception. That was Hill’s second fastest speed of the season. And it means that six of the top 10 speeds in 2023 have been recorded by Dolphin players! 

Puka Nacua is third. He traveled at 21.35mph on a 70-yard touchdown reception. It was some week for deep touchdown passes 

Nico Collins didn’t score a deep touchdown when he recorded 21.15mph but he did it on a 52-yard reception. In a normal week that would be one of the longest passes of the week! 

JaMarr Chase nixes the chance of there being any defensive representation in this week’s top 5. Andrew van Ginkel was fifth until Monday Night Football. It would be a Dolphins defender. There really are some quick guys in Miami. Van Ginkel hit 20.76mph. But Chase was clocked at 20.78mph. That’s why they pay the skill players the big bucks.  

NextGen Remarkable Rushes of Week 13

Tyquan Thornton! Yes, that Tyquan Thornton. Shockingly a Patriots’ player did something good on offense. Even more surprisingly Thornton didn’t drop the ball. His 39-yard rush was 34 yards over expected. Although it seems unlikely any Patriots run play will go for positive yardage when you watch them. 

Jahmyr Gibbs is second this week, the rookie seems to be finally hitting his straps even if the Lions are having a bit of a wobble. He had a 36-yard rush that was 31 yards over expected. 

Another rookie appears in the third spot. Bengal Chase Brown looked like he’d been fired out of cannon when he got his hands on the ball in Jacksonville. He averaged 6.8 yards per carry, not bad for his 7th game in the league. Brown’s 29-yard run in EverBank Stadium was 29 yards over expected. 

Rachaad White is doing his best to keep the Buccaneers trucking in the NFC South. And he’s doing a very good job of it. His 30-yard run against the Panthers was 27 yards over expected. 

Brian Robinson is a shining light on a Commanders offense that seems built for the run game. But they’ve passed about 60% of the time, which is suboptimal. It’s partly because they are playing from behind so often, but with their pass blocking that’s still seems like a terrible plan. 

Robinson only carried seven times against the Dolphins but his longest carry of the day, a 29-yard rush was 25 yards over expected. 

It’s a tie for fifth spot this week because James Conner led the Cardinals charge against the Steelers with 105 yards on the ground. He also went 25 yards over expected when he carried for 29 yards. That was Conner’s longest carry of the day too. Spooky. 

NextGen Fastest Sacks of Week 13

The fastest sack of Week 13 came from an unblocked Josh Allen on Monday Night Football. But NextGen stats haven’t added it to their site. Their Week 13 list begins with 2. PJ Locke. But Allen’s second sack of Jake Browning took him just 1.90 seconds. That’s why it’s always a good idea to block him. 

Broncos’ free safety P.J Locke made the second fastest sack of the week; he only took 2.73 seconds to get CJ Stroud on the ground as the Texans offensive line became a revolving door in Houston. 

T.J Watt is very, very good. So, it’s a bit of a shock that he hasn’t been in more top 5 lists this season. He’s made 14 sacks after all. And this week he only took 2.75 seconds to get Kyler Murray on the deck in a weather effected game a Acrisure Stadium. Alex Highsmith was in on that sack too, so technically he was also third on the list. 

Kwity Paye of the Colts is slowly starting to look like a first round pick (bit too slowly though, he was drafted in 2022). He took just 2.84 seconds to get to Will Levis in their AFC South divisional clash.  

In that same game Harold Landry sacked Gardner Minshew in just 2.88 seconds. That didn’t stop Minshew throwing the winning pass in OT though. 

Feature Image Credit: Sport Illustrated

RHYS KNOTT

NFL/FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYST

Rhys has been watching the NFL for 30 something years and still hasn’t managed to pick a team to support. When he’s not fixatED on pass rushers you can find him blithering on about most sports on Twitter @wrhys_writes

5/5