I like it when a quarterback is used regularly on sneaks at the goal line. It’s a way to pick up some cheap production. And it’s another reason, I think, that Carson Wentz looks pretty appealing in drafts this year.
Wentz is effective on those plays. He ran for 5 TDs last year. And Frank Reich (now his coach) has a track record of using quarterbacks in that capacity. Even last year, with the most immobile quarterback in the league (Philip Rivers) the Colts scored 5 TDs on quarterback runs. They subbed in Jacoby Brissett for 3 such scores, and they lined up Trey Burton at quarterback for another 2.
I’m sure Wentz will pick up some of those scores, helping his statistical cause.
For the weird stat of the day, considering the short-yardage rushing stats for the last two years. Listed here are success rates for “and one” running plays. That is, it’s either third-and-one or fourth-and-one, or the team is on the 1-yard line – any situation where it’s needing to punch out a critical yards.
The chart shows the 40 players who’ve had 15 such carries in the last two years. The two most effective players, oddly, have been Brissett and Wentz – a quarterback that Reich’s had, and the new one coming in.
| SHORT-YARDAGE RUSHING (last 2 years) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | "Good" | Att | Pct |
| Jacoby Brissett (QB) | 20 | 20 | 100.0% |
| Carson Wentz (QB) | 24 | 28 | 85.7% |
| Josh Allen (QB) | 26 | 31 | 83.9% |
| Carlos Hyde | 13 | 16 | 81.3% |
| Taysom Hill (QB) | 17 | 21 | 81.0% |
| Alvin Kamara | 15 | 19 | 78.9% |
| Gus Edwards | 26 | 33 | 78.8% |
| Derrick Henry | 33 | 42 | 78.6% |
| Kenyan Drake | 28 | 36 | 77.8% |
| Cam Newton (QB) | 17 | 22 | 77.3% |
| Jamaal Williams | 17 | 22 | 77.3% |
| Todd Gurley | 23 | 30 | 76.7% |
| Kyler Murray (QB) | 13 | 17 | 76.5% |
| Malcolm Brown | 13 | 17 | 76.5% |
| Ezekiel Elliott | 34 | 45 | 75.6% |
| Chris Carson | 30 | 40 | 75.0% |
| Peyton Barber | 21 | 28 | 75.0% |
| Kalen Ballage | 17 | 23 | 73.9% |
| Leonard Fournette | 21 | 29 | 72.4% |
| Jonathan Taylor | 13 | 18 | 72.2% |
| Ronald Jones | 14 | 20 | 70.0% |
| Dalvin Cook | 27 | 39 | 69.2% |
| Sony Michel | 13 | 19 | 68.4% |
| David Johnson | 16 | 24 | 66.7% |
| James Conner | 14 | 21 | 66.7% |
| Mike Davis | 10 | 15 | 66.7% |
| Myles Gaskin | 10 | 15 | 66.7% |
| Melvin Gordon | 16 | 25 | 64.0% |
| Adrian Peterson | 13 | 21 | 61.9% |
| Joe Mixon | 18 | 30 | 60.0% |
| LeVeon Bell | 12 | 20 | 60.0% |
| Joshua Kelley | 9 | 15 | 60.0% |
| Miles Sanders | 9 | 15 | 60.0% |
| David Montgomery | 18 | 31 | 58.1% |
| Nick Chubb | 15 | 26 | 57.7% |
| Benny Snell | 19 | 33 | 57.6% |
| Christian McCaffrey | 10 | 18 | 55.6% |
| Josh Jacobs | 19 | 35 | 54.3% |
| Aaron Jones | 10 | 22 | 45.5% |
| Frank Gore | 9 | 24 | 37.5% |
—Ian Allan