NFL SOAP BOX WEEKLY REPORTS- 3.15.24

1. Friday March 15, 2024 Covering all 50 states and 58 nations abroad! GridironGoose@msn.com
***COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: As of Friday March 15, 2024, there are just 174 days remaining before the 2024 NFL regular season
kicks off! That breaks down to 24 weeks and 6 days, 4,176 hours, 250,560 minutes, and 15,033,600 seconds! No problemo.***
QUARTERBACKS PASS ATTEMPT PER TD (Min. 20 TDs)
PLAYER, 2023 TEAM ATTS. TDS. APTD
C.J. Stroud, HOU 319 23 13.9
Brock Purdy, SF 444 31 14.3
Dak Prescott, DAL 590 36 16.4
Russell Wilson, DEN 447 26 17.2
Jordan Love, GB 579 32 18.1
Lamar Jackson, BAL 457 24 19.0
Tua Tagovailoa, MIA 560 29 19.3
Jared Goff, DET 605 30 20.16
Baker Mayfield, CLE 566 28 20.21
Josh Allen, BUF 579 29 20.0
Matthew Stafford, LAR 521 24 21.7
Derek Carr, NO 548 25 21.9
Patrick Mahomes, KC 597 27 22.1
Justin Herbert, LAC 456 20 22.8
Jalen Hurts, PHI 538 23 23.4
Geno Smith, SEA 499 20 25.0
Trevor Lawrence, JAC 564 21 26.9
Sam Howell, WAS 612 21 29.1
RECEIVERS RECEPTIONS PER TD (Min. 9 TDs)
PLAYER, 2023 TEAM RECS. TDS. RCPTD
Courtland Sutton, DEN 59 10 5.9
Mike Evans, TB 79 13 6.1
Jordan Addison, MIN 70 10 7.0
Sam LaPorta, DET (TE) 86 10 8.6
Tyreek Hill, KC 119 13 9.2
CeeDee Lamb, DAL 135 12 11.3
Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET 119 10 11.9
10 Players --- 9 ---
RUNNING BACKS CARRIES PER TD (Min. 8 TDs)
PLAYER, 2023 TEAM CARRIES TDS. RNPTD
Raheem Mostert, MIA 209 18 11.6
De'Von Achane, MIA 103 8 12.9
Kareem Hunt, CLE 135 9 15.0
Gus Edwards, BAL 198 13 15.2
David Montgomery, DET 219 13 16.9
Jahmyr Gibbs, DET 182 10 18.2
Kyren Williams, LAR 228 12 19.0
Christian McCaffrey, SF 272 14 19.4
Derrick Henry, TEN 280 12 23.3
Travis Etienne, JAC 267 11 24.3
Kenneth Walker III, SEA 219 8 27.4
Joe Mixon, CIN 257 9 28.6
Najee Harris, PIT 255 8 31.9
CJ STOUD NOTES
Averaged just 13.9 pass attempts to score each of his 23
touchdowns. His 4,108 pass yards this past season was the
3rd-most passing yardage by rookie in NFL history. Six times
Stroud passed for 300 yards which tied-most in NFL & tied
2nd-most ever by a rookie.
BROCK PURDY NOTES
In ‘23, former Mr. Irrelevant threw the 3rd most TD passes (31)
and averaged just 14.3 attempts per TD. Purdy also registered
4 games with +3 TDs and +140.0 quarterback ratings, both
tying all-time league records. In addition, Purdy posted 8
games with a passer rating of 120.0-or-higher tying for 2nd-
most in a single season in NFL history.
COURTLAND SUTTON NOTES
In a mostly mundane 6 years to date, Bronco receiver,
Courtland Sutton put up a career-high 10 TDs in 2023. 8 of
those scores were in his first 10 games. After that, only 2 in his
last 7. What looks the former SMU Mustang got, he made the
most of it by scoring a touchdown every 5.9 receptions.
KAREEM HUNT NOTES
Browns brought Hunt back to fill in for Nick Chubb, and the
results were mixed. He scored a career-best 9 TDs on every
15 carries, but averaged just 3 yds. a pop, and has no 100-yd.
game in the last 3 years and only 2 since 10/1/18.

2. Derrick Henry brings his talents that will lead the Ravens
back to the Super Bowl
Ravens Land Derrick Henry
Baltimore Ravens Editorial Director Ryan Mink
King Henry will rule in Baltimore.
The Ravens have agreed to terms with veteran running back
Derrick Henry on a two-year deal.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, it's for a reported $16
million. Henry confirmed the agreement on Tuesday, which is
reportedly worth a max of $20 million and has $9 million
guaranteed in Year 1.
While the running back market was hot at the start of the legal
tampering period, the Ravens and Henry were patient, and a
match made in heaven long rumored to be in the works, dating
back to last year’s trade deadline, came to fruition.
In Henry, the Ravens would get the most productive rusher in
recent NFL history and a dangerous complement to two-time
MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Since 2017, Henry leads the NFL in almost all rushing
categories, including rushing yards (9,012), rushing
touchdowns (85), rushing yards per game (86.7), rushing
attempts (1,920) and rushes of 10-plus yards (220).
Derrick Henry's Top Career Plays
The Ravens know this firsthand. Henry has had some of his
biggest performances against them. He knocked the Ravens
out of the 2019 playoffs with 30 carries for 195 yards and a
leaping touchdown pass. The following year, Henry iced an
overtime Titans win in Baltimore with a 29-yard touchdown run.
The questions pundits and fans have is whether he will
continue to be at or among the league's top backs. Henry's age
and workload are likely the reason why he wasn't scooped up
in the first wave of running back signings. He turned 30 in
January and has the most rushing attempts since 2018
(1,744).
Reaction to Derrick Henry (Reported) Addition
The counterpoint is that Henry has shown no signs of wearing
down. The stats show it and so do the advanced metrics.
Last season, he still finished second in the league in rushing
yards (1,167) and tied for seventh with 12 rushing touchdowns.
He's still breaking tackles. Henry had the second-most rushing
yards after contact in the league (930), only trailing San
Francisco's Christian McCaffrey, per Pro Football Focus (PFF).
He's still running away from defenders. Henry's breakaway run
percentage ranked sixth-best among running backs with at
least 50 attempts, per PFF.
He's still fast. Henry hit a max speed of 21.68 mph on a run in
the Titans' regular-season finale last season. It was the
second-fastest speed he reached in the past five seasons, per
Next Gen Stats. He had the fifth-best sustained high speed
(21.52 mph) of any running back in the league last year.
Generally, the league has determined that 30 is the magic
number when it comes to running back decline. But there are
exceptions to every rule, and the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Henry
may be that exception.
There's also reason to believe that in Baltimore, Henry will be
set up for even more success than he had in Tennessee,
where he played the past eight seasons and left with the
second-most rushing yards in franchise history, only trailing
Eddie George. The Ravens had had one of the league's top
rushing attacks for several years, in part because of Jackson's
legs. Henry's power, combined with Jackson's speed, should
cause nightmares for defenses. Linebackers and safeties, in
particular, have to be wary of Jackson's ability to pull the ball
and beat them around the edge. That forces them to hesitate.
But when Jackson hands off to Henry, any hesitation may get a
defender run over.
RAVENS NEWS, VIDEOS, PHOTOS AND MORE!
www.BaltimoreRavens.com

3. MOST & LEAST IMPROVED- OFFENSIVE PASSING/RECEIVING YPG.
TEAM 2023 2022 DIFF.
Los Angeles Rams 239.0 (10) 182.8 (27) +56.2
Chicago Bears 182.1 (27) 130.5 (32) +51.6
Houston Texans 245.5 (7) 196.7 (25) +48.8
Atlanta Falcons 207.3 (22) 158.8 (31) +48.5
Dallas Cowboys 258.6 (3) 219.8 (14) +38.8
Baltimore Ravens 213.8 (21) 178.8 (28) +35.0
San Francisco 49ers 257.9 (4) 226.8 (13) +31.1
Green Bay Packers 233.4 (12) 213.6 (17) +19.8
New Orleans Saints 234.7 (11) 217.2 (16) +17.5
Cleveland Browns 217.2 (19) 202.6 (22) +14.6
Indianapolis Colts 215.6 (20) 201.9 (23) +13.7
Jacksonville Jaguars 242.7 (9) 232.9 (10) +9.8
Tennessee Titans 180.4 (29) 171.4 (30) +9.0
Detroit Lions 258.9 (2) 251.8 (8) +7.1
Miami Dolphins 265.5 (1) 265.4 (4) +0.1
Seattle Seahawks 230.0 (14) 231.4 (11t) -1.4
Minnesota Vikings 256.4 (5) 263.8 (6) -7.4
Buffalo Bills 244.4 (8) 258.1 (7) -13.7
Pittsburgh Steelers 186.1 (25) 200.6 (24) -14.5
Washington Commanders 219.1 (8) 204.2 (21) -14.9
Carolina Panthers 161.2 (32) 176.2 (29) -15.0
New York Giants 169.8 (31) 185.7 (26) -15.9
Philadelphia Eagles 225.5 (16) 241.5 (9) -16.0
Denver Broncos 191.9 (24) 211.3 (19) -19.4
New England Patriots 180.5 (28) 208.0 (20) -27.5
Arizona Cardinals 184.9 (26) 213.3 (18) -28.4
Las Vegas Raiders 198.8 (23) 231.4 (11t) -32.6
Cincinnati Bengals 229.1 (15) 265.0 (5) -35.9
Los Angeles Chargers 232.8 (13) 269.6 (3) -36.8
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 224.2 (17) 269.8 (2) -45.6
New York Jets 171.7 (30) 219.0 (15) -47.3
Kansas City Chiefs 246.4 (6) 297.8 (1) -51.4
AVE. OPP. PASS/REC. YPG. 218.9 218.5 +0.4
With the return of Matthew Stafford so the Rams returned to the postseason.
You’ll remember just two years ago, the Rams won Super Bowl LVI, defeating
Cincinnati 23-20. In defense of their title, Stafford missed 8 games after suffering
a spinal cord contusion. Cooper Kupp was also forced out for 8 games after he
sustained a high ankle sprain. The start of last season turned out on a sour note
as Kupp was placed on IR for the first 4 games due to a hamstring injury. Even
with Kupp back in the lineup, the Rams continued to struggle. At the mid-point of
last season, the Rams found themselves 3-6-0. Enter rookie Puka Nacua stage
right. After being selected 177th and the 20th wide receiver drafted, the BYU
product shocked even the Rams staff by recording six 100-yard performances
and rewriting rookie record books. Nacua finished his first year ranked 4th in
receiving yards, 9th in receptions and 6 touchdowns. Basically, the Rams have
kept their core of talent, and if RB Kyren Williams continues to develop and they
can add depth on the defense, we should see the Rams go well into the playoffs.
2024 GMS VS TOP-TEN PASS DEFS.
2023 TOP-TEN PASS DEFENSES
RK TEAM
1 Cleveland Browns
2 New York Jets
3 Carolina Panthers
4 Kansas City Chiefs
5 Dallas Cowboys
6 Baltimore Ravens
7 Buffalo Bills
8 Atlanta Falcons
9 Green Bay Packers
10 New Orleans Saints
2024 GMS VS TOP-TEN PASS DEFS.
TEAM H-A-T
Green Bay Packers 1-0-1
New York Jets 1-1-2
Chicago Bears 2-1-3
Indianapolis Colts 1-2-3
Tennessee Titans 2-1-3
Buffalo Bills 2-2-4
Detroit Lions 2-2-4
Jacksonville Jaguars 3-1-4
Los Angeles Rams 2-2-4
Minnesota Vikings 3-1-4
New England Patriots 2-2-4
Seattle Seahawks 2-2-4
Arizona Cardinals 2-3-5
Baltimore Ravens 2-3-5
Cleveland Browns 3-2-5
Dallas Cowboys 2-3-5
Miami Dolphins 2-3-5
San Francisco 49ers 3-2-5
Atlanta Falcons 4-2-6
Carolina Panthers 4-2-6
Houston Texans 2-4-6
Kansas City Chiefs 2-4-6
Cincinnati Bengals 2-5-7
Las Vegas Raiders 4-3-7
Los Angeles Chargers 3-4-7
New York Giants 3-4-7
Washington Commanders 4-3-7
Denver Broncos 4-4-8
New Orleans Saints 3-5-8
Philadelphia Eagles 5-3-8
Pittsburgh Steelers 5-3-8
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-5-9
By all indications, Packers Jordan Love and
Jets Aaron Rodgers should have a relatively
easy go of it this upcoming season.
Love, who amassed the NFL’s 7th most
yards (4,159) in 2023 and will battle just the
#10 Saints pass defense at home. Even
sweeter is the Packers will face no top-ten
pass defense on the road. Last season,
Green Bay competed against top-ten pass
defenses 3 times, and in the process, Love
was held to under 300 yards passing each
time, yet scored 8 TDs (7 pass, 1 rush).
It's not quite as easy figuring out how the
aging Rodgers will do. He’s coming off a
nasty left ankle injury and he’ll be 41 come
next December. Also, does he really have
the supporting cast he’ll need to succeed?

4. MOST & LEAST IMPROVED- OPPONENT PASS/RECEIVING YPG.
Team 2023 2022 DIFF.
Carolina Panthers 171.5 (3) 227.5 (22) -56.0
Tennessee Titans 227.4 (18) 274.8 (32) -47.4
Kansas City Chiefs 176.5 (4) 220.9 (18) -44.4
Baltimore Ravens 191.9 (6) 232.2 (26) -40.3
Cleveland Browns 164.7 (1) 196.2 (5) -31.5
Minnesota Vikings 234.5 (24) 265.6 (31) -31.1
Las Vegas Raiders 212.4 (12) 242.9 (29) -30.5
Atlanta Falcons 202.9 (8) 231.9 (25) -29.0
New York Jets 168.3 (2) 189.4 (3) -21.1
Buffalo Bills 196.6 (7) 214.6 (15) -18.0
Arizona Cardinals 212.5 (13) 230.3 (24) -17.8
Miami Dolphins 221.2 (15) 234.8 (27) -13.6
Dallas Cowboys 187.4 (5) 200.9 (8) -13.5
San Francisco 49ers 214.2 (14) 222.9 (20) -8.7
New England Patriots 208.4 (11) 216.5 (16) -8.1
Jacksonville Jaguars 239.8 (26) 238.5 (28) +1.3
Detroit Lions 247.4 (27) 245.8 (30) +1.6
Pittsburgh Steelers 227.1 (17) 222.3 (19) +4.8
Los Angeles Rams 231.1 (20) 226.0 (21) +5.1
Green Bay Packers 206.8 (9) 197.0 (6) +9.8
New York Giants 229.3 (10) 214.0 (14) +15.3
Indianapolis Colts 226.0 (16) 209.9 (11) +16.1
Chicago Bears 237.8 (28) 218.6 (17) +19.2
Cincinnati Bengals 248.4 (28) 229.1 (23) +19.3
Seattle Seahawks 233.0 (21) 211.5 (13) +21.5
New Orleans Saints 207.3 (10) 184.4 (2) +22.9
Denver Broncos 233.6 (22) 210.2 (12) +23.4
Houston Texans 234.1 (23) 209.3 (10) +24.8
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 248.9 (29) 203.6 (9) +45.3
Los Angeles Chargers 249.8 (30) 200.4 (7) +49.4
Washington Commanders 262.2 (32) 191.3 (4) +70.9
Philadelphia Eagles 252.7 (31) 179.8 (1) +72.9
AVE. OPP. PASS/REC. YPG. 218.9 218.5 +0.4
Oddly enough, only 3 of the top-9 most improved pass defenses made the
playoffs: Chiefs (-44.4), Ravens (-40.3) and Browns (-44.4). Despite their
improvements stopping opposing receivers, the remaining 6 top-9 pass defenses
did NOT make the postseason, and most notably Carolina. Their back-seven
surrendered 56 less yards through the air than in 2022, and ranked 3rd following
a 22nd rating the year prior. Too bad that’s the only silver lining we could find.
Look further down to the very bottom and you’ll see that just 3 of the NFL’s
eleven least improved pass defenses reached the postseason, including the
Eagles, who were constantly torched by opposing QBs, WRs, and waterboys;
ultimately gifting 73 more yards per game than they did two years ago. Things
were so bad for Philly that by season’s end they nose dove from #1 versus the
pass to 31st, aka next-to-last.
AGREE? DISAGREE? COMPIMENTS? E-mail: GridironGoose@msn.com
2024 GMS VS TEN-WORST PASS DEF.
2023 TEN-WORST PASS DEFENSES
RK TEAM
23 Houston Texans
24 Minnesota Vikings
25 Chicago Bears
26 Jacksonville Jaguars
27 Detroit Lions
28 Cincinnati Bengals
29 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
30 L.A. Chargers
31 Philadelphia Eagles
32 Washington Commanders
2024 GMS VS TEN-WORST PASS DEF.
TEAM H-A-T
Tennessee Titans 4-6-10
Green Bay Packers 4-5-9
Dallas Cowboys 6-2-8
Carolina Panthers 3-4-7
Chicago Bears 3-4-7
Indianapolis Colts 4-3-7
New York Giants 5-2-7
Atlanta Falcons 2-4-6
Baltimore Ravens 2-4-6
Cleveland Browns 2-4-6
Detroit Lions 4-2-6
Jacksonville Jaguars 3-4-6
Minnesota Vikings 3-3-6
Arizona Cardinals 4-1-5
Houston Texans 3-2-5
Kansas City Chiefs 4-1-5
Las Vegas Raiders 2-3-5
New England Patriots 2-3-5
New Orleans Saints 3-2-5
Philadelphia Eagles 2-3-5
Pittsburgh Steelers 2-3-5
Washington Commanders 2-3-5
Denver Broncos 1-3-4
Los Angeles Rams 2-2-4
San Francisco 49ers 2-2-4
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-2-4
Buffalo Bills 1-2-3
Cincinnati Bengals 2-1-3
New York Jets 1-2-3
Seattle Seahawks 1-2-3
Los Angeles Chargers 2-0-2
Miami Dolphins 1-1-2
Weep ye, bewail ye, oh Nashville! Here, your
Titans are scheduled to play 10 of their 17
games against the NFL’s absolute worst
pass defenses. Normally, teams and fans
alike would be eating, drinking and making
merry. But not so. Not only is your beloved
Derrick Henry gone, but there’s nowhere
enough at your receiving and tight end
positions to take full advantage of the
opportunity that’s been presented to you.
Let’s take a deeper examine of the situation.
You just signed Tony Pollard, Calvin Ridley,
and once the Titans decide to get some
quality OLs and WRs, then Will Levis can
shine. Plus, the defense didn’t totally suck
and with some upgrades they’ve made so
far, one day, someday, their woes shall
come to pass. Until then, sackcloth and
ashes are the designated uniform of the day.

5. STEELERS UNDER TOMLIN
• The Steelers are 8-10 (.444) during the Tomlin era in the
postseason, with four of the seven losses being by six points or
less.
• Tomlin has led the Steelers to the playoffs 11 times in his
career. His 11 playoff appearances are tied for the 10th-most
by a head coach since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
• Tomlin’s 11 playoff appearances are tied for the fifth-most by
an active head coach and tied for the fourth-most by a head
coach since 2007.
• Pittsburgh is 9-14 (.391) all-time on the road in the
postseason, including winning five of their previous ten.
• Pittsburgh’s 21 playoff home victories are the third-most
since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, and their .656 playoff home
winning percentage is the eighth-highest since the 1970 AFL-
NFL merger (min. 20 games).
STEELERS TEAM NOTES
Pittsburgh has recorded 20 consecutive seasons with a .500
record or better, which is the longest active streak in the NFL
and the longest streak in team history (previous record was 13,
1972-1984).
Pittsburgh has a league-best 40 seasons since the 1970 AFL-
NFL merger in which the team has finished above .500. The
Steelers also have 20 consecutive winning seasons from 2004-
23, the second longest streak in NFL history.
Pittsburgh played eight regular-season games last season vs.
2023 playoff teams (four at home and four on the road), which
tied for the eighth-most in the NFL this season.
The Steelers finished the 2023 regular season with three
consecutive victories, including a pair of road wins at Seattle
and Baltimore. Pittsburgh ended a regular season with at least
a three-game winning streak for the second straight seasons
(the Steelers won their last four games of the 2022 campaign).
Pittsburgh has now closed the regular season with a winning
streak of at least three games on 13 occasions since the 1970
AFL-NFL merger, including six times since 2007, when Mike
Tomlin took the reigns as head coach of the Steelers.
Pittsburgh is 17-9 (.654) in the regular-season since Week 10
of 2022. Only San Francisco (21), Kansas City (19), Detroit
(19), Buffalo (18) and Dallas (18) have more victories in that
span.
The Steelers had +11 turnover margin this past season, which
was tied for the third-best in the NFL, and tied for the sixth-best
by the Steelers since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
Pittsburgh committed just 16 turnovers in 2023, which was tied
for the second-fewest in the NFL, and tied for the sixth-fewest
by the Steelers since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
Steeler QBs threw just nine interceptions this season, which
was tied for the fourth-fewest in the NFL, and tied for the
fewest by the Steelers since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger
Pittsburgh owns an overall record of 96-42-1 (.694), including
playoffs games, against the AFC North. Their 91 regular-
season wins and .693 regular-season winning percentage
against division opponents are the second-most and second
highest among all NFL teams in divisional games (New
England, 96; New England, .727).
The Steelers own an overall home record of 52-19 (.732) vs.
AFC North, including home record of 49-17 (.742) vs. AFC
North. Their .742 regular-season home winning percentage vs.
AFC North is the highest of any divisional team.
Pittsburgh’s 49 regular-season home wins and .742 regular-
season home winning percentage against division opponents
are the second-most and second-highest among all NFL teams
in divisional games (New England, 52; New England, .788).
The Steelers’ .609 regular-season winning percentage against
the AFC since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger is the highest among
AFC teams. Dating back to the 2022 season, the Packers have
not allowed a touchdown on an opening drive in 20 of their last
22 games. Pittsburgh is 163-156-2 (.511) in regular-season
road games against the AFC and those 163 regular-season
road victories are most in the AFC since the 1970 AFL-NFL
merger.
Of the 53 players on the Steelers’ 2023 roster, 21 of them
(39.6 pct.) were drafted by the Steelers. Of the 53 players, 13
of them (24.5 pct.) were not selected in the NFL draft. A total of
25 of the 53 players (47.2 pct.) are in their third NFL season or
less. A total of 50 of the 53 players (94.3 pct.) are 30 years old
or younger.
The Steelers rallied from seven-point deficits at the end of the
third quarter in back-to-back games (Week 5 vs. Baltimore and
Week 7 at L.A. Rams) and a three-point deficit at the end of
the third quarter (Week 9 vs. Tennessee). Pittsburgh outscored
the Ravens, Rams, Titans, Green Bay and Cincinnati, 57-6, in
the fourth quarter. The Steelers won four games when trailing
at the end of the third quarter in 2023, which was tied for the
most in the NFL.
Pittsburgh has won 13 games when trailing at halftime since
the start of the 2020 season, which is the second-most in the
NFL over the span, and their 31 victories in one-score games
are the most in the NFL since the start of the 2020 season.
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