Big sack attack
Maybe Bears quarterback Jay Cutler needed the week off anyway. He clearly needs to clear his head after suffering a concussion against the New York Giants, but he also might need to rest his body, given the abuse he has endured so far this season. Cutler has been sacked a whopping 17 times and has been knocked down 25 times, according to STATS. By contrast, Matt Cassel has been sacked twice, Peyton Manning four times and Aaron Rodgers five times.
FEWEST BROKEN TACKLES ALLOWED
Before the debacle last Sunday, the Bears' defense was ranked seventh in the NFL. After a strong first half, the Bears didn't finish the game well against the Giants, and a troubling issue has emerged.
Team Broken tackles
Dallas Cowboys 0
Baltimore Ravens 4
San Francisco 49ers 4
Buffalo Bills 5
Cleveland Browns 5
Denver Broncos 5
Jacksonville Jaguars 5
Pittsburgh Steelers 5
San Diego Chargers 5
Green Bay Packers 6
Minnesota Vikings 6
New England Patriots 6
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6
New York Jets 7
Washington Redskins 7
New York Giants 8
Seattle Seahawks 8
Cincinnati Bengals 9
Houston Texans 9
Miami Dolphins 9
New Orleans Saints 9
Oakland Raiders 9
St. Louis Rams 9
Arizona Cardinals 10
Philadelphia Eagles 11
Carolina Panthers 12
BEARS 12
Atlanta Falcons 13
Kansas City Chiefs 13
Detroit Lions 14
Indianapolis Colts 16
Tennessee Titans 16
NFL average 8.2 (263/32)
MOST CLUTCH
Perhaps it's not just sheer volume but the quality of catches a receiver makes. Here's a look at the most ''clutch'' receivers in the NFL. STATS defines clutch catches as any receptions on third- or fourth-down that result in a touchdown or first down. The list doesn't really include many surprises.
Rank Player/team Clutch catches
1 Anquan Boldin, Ravens 10
2t Davone Bess, Dolphins 8
2t Tony Gonzalez, Falcons 8
4t Antonio Gates, Chargers 7
4t Todd Heap, Ravens 7
4t Brandon Marshall, Dolphins 7
4t Reggie Wayne, Colts 7
4t Roddy White, Falcons 7
9t Mark Clayton, Rams 6
9t Donald Driver, Packers 6
9t Terrell Owens, Bengals 6
9t Jordan Shipley, Bengals 6
9t Steve Smith, Panthers 6
9t Wes Welker, Patriots 6
9t Kellen Winslow, Buccaneers 6
PROTECT THE ROCK
Protecting the ball is a key for successful teams, but neither the Bears nor the Panthers has proved an ability to do that consistently. Here's a look at the percent of offensive drives that have ended in turnovers this season:
Team Turnover pct.
New York Jets 2.1 (1/47)
Philadelphia Eagles 6.5 (3/46)
Washington Redskins 7.0 (3/43)
Kansas City Chiefs 7.9 (3/38)
Atlanta Falcons 8.7 (4/46)
Denver Broncos 9.1 (4/44)
Indianapolis Colts 9.3 (4/43)
Houston Texans 10.9 (5/46)
New England Patriots 11.1 (4/36)
New Orleans Saints 11.1 (5/45)
Pittsburgh Steelers 11.1 (5/45)
Buffalo Bills 11.4 (5/44)
Tampa Bay Bucs 11.4 (4/35)
Cincinnati Bengals 12.2 (6/49)
St. Louis Rams 12.2 (6/49)
Cleveland Browns 12.8 (6/47)
Dallas Cowboys 13.3 (4/30)
Green Bay Packers 14.6 (6/41)
Jacksonville Jaguars 15.6 (7/45)
BEARS 16.0 (8/50)
Oakland Raiders 16.0 (8/50)
Tennessee Titans 16.0 (8/50)
Miami Dolphins 16.7 (7/42)
Seattle Seahawks 17.4 (8/46)
San Diego Chargers 18.0 (9/50)
San Francisco 49ers 19.0 (8/42)
Baltimore Ravens 19.1 (9/47)
Detroit Lions 19.2 (10/52)
Minnesota Vikings 23.5 (8/34)
Arizona Cardinals 23.9 (11/46)
New York Giants 25.0 (13/52)
Carolina Panthers 26.1 (12/46)
NFL average 14.3 (204/1,426)
1
Michael Vick
Eagles
28
Knockdowns
11
Sacks
2
JAY
CUTLER
BEARS
25
Knockdowns
17
Sacks
3
David Garrard
Jaguars
24
Knockdowns
10
Sacks
4
Alex Smith
49ers
24
Knockdowns
8
Sacks
5
Sam Bradford
Rams
23
Knockdowns
10
Sacks