On Offense - Running the Ball Ensures Victory
De Angelo Williams, RB Carolina Panthers
As glamorous as those 100-yard receiving and 300-yard passing games are, nothing beats a 100-yard rushing game for ensuring a win.
Last year, teams with a 100-yard rusher won 75.6 percent of the time, compared to 58.2 percent for teams with 100-yard receivers and 62.5 percent for 300-yard passers.
"If you can run the ball and stop the run, you have a heck of a chance to win in this league," says Baltimore Ravens general manager OZZIE NEWSOME (right, at his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1999), whose team went 4-0 in 2008 when it had a 100-yard rusher.
Over the past five seasons, teams with 100-yard rush performances posted a winning percentage near or above .700, besting the highest marks in the other two categories.
Win percentage of teams with a 100-yard rusher compared to 100-yard receiver and 300-yard passer over the past five seasons
100-Yard Rushers
Season | W-L | .Pct | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Source: National Football League | ||||
2004 | 134-44 | .753 | ||
2005 | 112-23 | .830 | ||
2006 | 107-47 | .695 | ||
2007 | 102-37 | .734 | ||
2008 | 93-30 | .756 |
100-Yard Receivers
Season | W-L | .Pct | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Source: National Football League | ||||
2004 | 76-88 | .463 | ||
2005 | 79-74 | .516 | ||
2006 | 81-68 | .544 | ||
2007 | 87-66 | .569 | ||
2008 | 88-63-1 | .582 |
300-Yard Passers
Season | W-L | .Pct | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Source: National Football League | ||||
2004 | 36-45 | .444 | ||
2005 | 31-33 | .484 | ||
2006 | 36-29 | .554 | ||
2007 | 43-38 | .531 | ||
2008 | 47-28-1 | .625 |
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