Factoid
I like to look at first half versus second half stats. I make no secret about that; compare the first half to the second half, see who moves the most in the various categories, then try to decide why. Scheduling, luck, play-calling, injuries, etc.
In the case of rushing, the team numbers are below.
The Cowboys and Broncos (who went the coach / play-calling route) were the most-proved running teams, followed by Carolina and Tampa Bay. The Bucs took off after they plugged LeGarrette Blount into the lineup. He add some punch to their running game, you might say.
All four of those teams ran for over 340 more yards in the second half of the season (in their final eight games) versus the first half. All also improved by over a yard per carry.
At the other end of the spectrum, six teams declined by over 200 yards (25 yards per game) during the second half – Falcons, Titans, Browns, Giants, Raiders and Kansas City.
MOST IMPROVED RUNNING TEAMS
Teams running for 250-plus more yards in the second half of the season.
Yds
576 Dallas
468 Denver
394 Carolina
341 Tampa Bay
309 Jacksonville
305 Detroit
259 New England
LEAST IMPROVED RUNNING TEAMS
Teams running for 200 or more fewer yards in the second half of the season.
Yds
293 Atlanta
247 Kansas City
241 Tennessee
230 Cleveland
230 NY Giants
202 Oakland
—Ian Allan
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Posted by MICHAEL MAROHN | Feb. 24 at 11:52 PM
Interesting stat...The six "least improved teams" all boast a top ten RB (Turner, Charles, CJ2K, Hillis, Bradshaw and McFadden)...Seems like a case of the top guys slowing down a bit (but still ending up with great numbers)---