The Absolute Saddest Stats For Week 16 Of The NFL

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Christmas might now be over, but plenty of season tis left for coal and disappointment. While Buffalo received a shipment of Cole a couple weeks ago, Santa delivered the real coal to many inhabitants of the Island of Misfit Fans over the Christmas weekend. So gather around the Charlie Brown Christmas tree with the other sad fans as we show off our shinny sooty lumps and remind ourselves just like we do every year that "we'll have Christmas next year". 

Sad Stat #1: The Broncos suffered the worst loss of any favored team this season

It's entirely possible this might have had something to do with Nathaniel Hackett's firing. Before Week 16, the Chargers getting blown out by the Jaguars in Week 3 was the worst upset of the season. I covered in Sad Stats Week 7 that the Broncos had the worst implied score across the first seven weeks ever which basically means that their offense was so bad - not even Vegas could predict how bad they would continue to be. And giving up 51 to a team with a quarterback who's been on the team for two weeks was the last straw for easily the most embarrassing "Super Bowl hopeful" team ever. 

Sad Stat #2 - The Ravens scored a passing touchdown to a wide receiver for the first time since Week 3

That's 11 weeks in a row of basically having every wide receiver lined up named Julio Jones. Luckily they were able to end this streak but it was close after the play went to review. This is by far the worst streak this year with the Lions and Jets each next with an eight-week drought from Week 5 - 11 (five weeks accounting for byes). Naturally, I couldn't help myself but look back to see if there's been any worse droughts and it looks like there was only one. The 2004 New York Football Giants of the Tiki Barber/Jeremy Shockey era had a drought from Week 3 - 16, making this a 13-game drought. 

Sad Stat #3 - Tua throwing three interceptions in a row has nothing on Ryan Fitzpatrick

One of the best parts of these weekly sad stat blogs is the occasional Ryan Fitzpatrick ricochet cameo and boy do we have a good one here. Tua ended the game with three consecutive interceptions which is only half as impressive as Fitzpatrick's interceptions on his final six drives as a Jet in Week 3 of 2016. It seems his tutelage of the young gun is now in full swing after all courses of the Ryan Fitzpatrick School of Quarterbacking have come to light.

Course 1: Be bad to anchor expectations

Course 2: Ok, now be good to prove how wrong everyone was about you

Course 3: Time to re-anchor

Sad Stat #4 -  The Colts went 0-10 on third downs 

It's a sad state of affairs for the Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks. I don't know what advice Matt Ryan gave Nick Foles in preparation for this game on the pickle ball court but things are just bad. Ryan went 0-10 on third down marking only the second time this year a team failed to convert a single third down in a game. Don't tell TuAnon that Tua was the other quarterback vs the 49ers. But if you do, don't tell them you heard it from me. And if we don't count defensive penalties resulting in first downs - the Colts were also unable to make a third down in Week 9 on 14 attempts. 

This team just flat sucks. It's the saddest year on record for NFL fandoms in the horse community and it's not even close. 

Sad Stat #5 - DeAndre Hopkins averaged .4 yards per target in Week 16

Here we have a list of very sad receivers, tight ends and running backs. They are sad because it's pretty evident their quarterback failed at getting them the ball despite trying to over and over again. But Trace McSorley put the other quarterbacks who are behind these sad receivers to absolute shame. The last time a receiver with ten-plus targets averaged less was Cecil Shorts in 2014 who had three yards instead of four also on ten targets. While bad, Shorts' three yards were three more than Chad Johnson in Week 4 of 2002. You might think Akili Smith is the only early 2000's quarterback who was equipped to hang ten targets to a star receiver with zero completions. You would be correct. 

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That's enough for Week 16. It's been a really tough year for many teams and I just want to end by saying that the big black lump of coal left dirtying up your hands this past weekend is only temporary. It's always darkest before the dawn. We'll have Christmas next year. 

- Jeffro