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After beating the Eagles there are several key stats that pop out, the easiest to list and go over are the stats provided by rookie RB David Johnson.
David Johnson
David Johnson came into the game with four rushing TDs, four receiving TDs and one specials teams TD. He entered the game one TD behind the Cardinals franchise record for most TDs as a rookie. Currently Johnson’s TD total is now at 12, a Cardinals franchise record for a rookie.
Just a side note as it’s not a key stat, David Johnson is now tied at 14th for most points scored by a non-kicker in a season through 14 games. One of the guys he’s tied with is Larry Fitzgerald after his ridiculous 2008 season.
Run game? WE HAVE A RUN GAME?!
David Johnson ran for a staggering 189 yards on 29 carries. He also had a combined 229 total yards on 33 touches, which is seven yards per touch! On the day the Cardinals rushed for 230 yards, a 5.9 average. Kerwynn Williams also saw some touches and was effective. A healthy Andre Ellington will make this offense impossible to scheme against.
Getting First Downs
The Cardinals had 28 first downs in the game, 15 in the air, 12 on the ground and a 57% (8/14) conversion rate on third down.
Getting Yards
The David Johnson led offense also amassed a total of 493 yards, Johnson accounting for 46% of those yards! The offense averaged 6.7 yards per play and had zero turnovers for the fourth straight game. The offense also only had one penalty on the game.
Red Zone
In the Red Zone the offense performed very well, converting three of four chances for TDs and settling for just one field goal.
Playing Smart
The Cardinals only allowed one penalty on the day, a holding call by Jared Veldheer when Carson Palmer decided to run for a first down.
TOP
Overall the Cardinals offense dominated the TOP 37:28 to 22:32, though the Eagles offensive scheme does skew that number.
Turnovers = W's
On defense the Cardinals forced four turnovers, one going for a TD! Since 2008 teams that win the turnover margin win 78.6% of the time, and team that have a three plus turnover margin win 93% of the time!
Defense
The defense allowed 19 first downs to the Eagles, 350 passing yards and failed to get off the field six of the 12 times the Eagles had third down, however they only allowed 17 points and held the Eagles to 0-2 in the Red Zone.
Vote? Why bother.
I’m not going to do a poll because everyone is going to vote for David Johnson and if you don’t want to vote for him it’s either because you’re crazy or a contrarian!