Fun NextGen Stats from Week 7
By Rhys Knott
A NextGen Stats post without a single Dolphins player you say? Why, yes. Tyreek Hill was only sixth in the fastest carries stakes this week in case you were worried about him.
NextGen Fastest Carries in Week 7
In an unusual turn of events for the Browns an offensive player lit up their game. Jerome Ford carried the ball 69 yards for a touchdown and clocked 21.13 mph while doing it.
That was just 0.08 mph faster than Denver Bronco Courtland Sutton managed on his 33 yard touchdown reception against the Packers.
Continuing a run of players who you wouldn’t expect to see lighting up defences in the 2023 NFL season is Tyler Scott (I know what you’re thinking and no, he’s not Travis’ brother). Scott reached 20.95 mph, which is impressive. But it’s even more impressive when you know that he did over just 8 yards!
Joshua Kelley is a more regular contributor to the Chargers offense than the rest of the top four are to their teams. But his backup role doesn’t usually offer him the chance to shine. In Week 7 he traveled at 20.86mph as he he scored a 49 yard rushing touchdown in front of Taylor Swift.
You’ve heard all about him since the draft (and swapping him for D’Andre Swift might be the Lions only error in recent times) but finally Jahmyr Gibbs flashed some talent. He touched 20.70mph as he scored on a 21 yard touchdown run on a bad day for the Lions.
NextGen Remarkable Rushes from Week 7
Unsurprisingly Jerome Ford’s 69 yard touchdown run was also the most remarkable rush of the week. It should have been a 5 yard carry, Ford’s 64 yards over expected was 20 yards more than the second placed run.
That was Joshua Kelley’s touchdown run against KC. Kelley was also expected to go for just five yards on his scoring run. The Chiefs defense just said “I Forgot You Existed” as Kelley sauntered into the endzone.
Baker Mayfield makes an unusual appearance on thus list, not just unusual because he’s a Buccaneer and they pass 56% of the time but also because he’s a quarterback. There isn’t a quarterback in the top 20 remarkable rushed in 2023. Mayfield’s 31 yard scramble in a loss to the Falcons saw him go for 25 yards over expected.
Another surprise visitor to the top five this week is Justice Hill. The Ravens “picking names out of a hat” approach to their run game seems to hinder the offense more than help it. Hill has only carried 41 times this season, that’s 28 fewer attempts than Lamar Jackson has managed in 2023. Hill’s 27 yard rush against the Lions was 23 yards more than expected.
Another Bronco makes a top five NextGen list in Week 7 (maybe they’ve turned their season around? Or maybe it’s a Packers thing). Javonte Williams’ remarkable rush might not have been the longest of the week, but it could be the most impressive. He carried for 21 yards against the Packers. That was 21 more yards than expected!
Breaking down Javonte Williams per @jagibbs_23 request for Beyond The Boxscore on @FFToday (check our YT page).
— Dan Schneier (@DanSchneierNFL) October 23, 2023
He definitely showed flashes of that UNC burst in Week 7.
This was the run that really stood out to me. pic.twitter.com/qwTzJG9ess
The Fastest Sacks from Week 7
Shaq Barrett’s 13th strip sack since joining the Bucs in 2019 is most in the league over that span 🤯👏 pic.twitter.com/lndCMyViMH
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 23, 2023
Another Buccaneer leads the fastest sack list. It’s amazing they lost that game! Shaq Barrett got to Desmond Ridder in just 3.1 sacks in the NFC South battle.
Former Steeler Arthur Maulet is second in the top 5. He’s the only cornerback in the top14 this week. The Ravens sacked Jared Goff 5 times and Maulet got to him in 3.13 seconds.
Chase Young is the first defensive lineman in the top 5 this week. The Commander recorded two sacks against the Giants as his renaissance continues. Young only recorded 1.5 sacks in the last two seasons, he’s already up to 5 this year. One of his two sacks of Tyrod Taylor saw him get to the quarterback in 3.17 yards.
That time was matched by Myles Garrett on one of his two sacks against the Colts. Colts’ players are probably still having nightmares about Garrett’s display on Sunday. He made 7 solo tackles, defended a pass and blocked a field goal to go with the two sacks. Garrett’s other sack took slightly longer at 3.2 seconds. That was the fifth fastest of the week.
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