Previously:
Way back in week 1, the Buffalo Bills beat the Jets with a Game Script of -6.9. That was the worst Game Script by any victorious team all season long, until the Vikings pulled off a remarkable comeback in week 11. The Broncos led 20-0 at halftime, and 23-7 entering the fourth quarter in a game that looked hopeless for Minnesota. And then Kirk Cousins went 9 of 10 (with 1 sack for -1 yard) for 149 passing yards, 5 first downs, and 2 touchdowns in the fourth quarter. In the final frame, he had touchdown throws of 32 and 54 yards, completed 9-yard and 7-yard passes on two 3rd-and-5s, and hit a 21-yard completion as well. It was an outstanding comeback in every sense of the word, but notable here for the win with an awful Game Script.
In week 11, there were three teams that had run/pass ratios far from what you would expect given the Game Script. In a matchup of highly drafted quarterbacks experiencing regression this year, the Rams defeated the Bears, 17-7, in a game that was closer than the score indicates. The game was 10-7 before a late Los Angeles touchdown, and the Rams finished the game on their last possession with five straight runs. Even including those, Los Angeles passed on only 35% of its plays in this tight game (and excluding that final drive, L.A. passed on only 38% of plays): and it’s not like the ground game was dominant. Todd Gurley had 25 carries for 97 yards and 6 first downs (and a lost fumble), while the other Rams rushers (excluding Jared Goff) had 6 carries for 10 yards and 1 first down. This may have been a reflection of the team’s lack of trust in Goff, or perhaps a lack of concern as to what Mitchell Trubisky would be able to do on the other side. Los Angeles opened the second half by gaining just 36 yards and 1 first down on the team’s first five drives.
Of course, there’s another reason why Los Angeles leaned so heavily on the ground game: Robert Woods missed the game due to personal reasons, and Brandin Cooks was out with a concussion. That left TE Johnny Mundt playing the majority of the game, and the other Mike Thomas to be the team’s third receiver.
The full week 11 Game Scripts, below:
| Team | H/R | Opp | Boxscore | PF | PA | Margin | Game Script | Pass | Run | P/R Ratio | Op_P | Op_R | Opp_P/R Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | @ | CAR | Boxscore | 29 | 3 | 26 | 15.2 | 35 | 26 | 57.4% | 55 | 15 | 78.6% |
| BAL | HOU | Boxscore | 41 | 7 | 34 | 13.8 | 28 | 36 | 43.8% | 37 | 20 | 64.9% | |
| NYJ | @ | WAS | Boxscore | 34 | 17 | 17 | 13.8 | 33 | 33 | 50% | 41 | 20 | 67.2% |
| BUF | @ | MIA | Boxscore | 37 | 20 | 17 | 10.7 | 33 | 34 | 49.3% | 52 | 13 | 80% |
| NOR | @ | TAM | Boxscore | 34 | 17 | 17 | 10.2 | 36 | 28 | 56.3% | 53 | 8 | 86.9% |
| CLE | PIT | Boxscore | 21 | 7 | 14 | 9.4 | 33 | 35 | 48.5% | 48 | 16 | 75% | |
| IND | JAX | Boxscore | 33 | 13 | 20 | 7.1 | 27 | 36 | 42.9% | 49 | 9 | 84.5% | |
| LAR | CHI | Boxscore | 17 | 7 | 10 | 3.8 | 18 | 34 | 34.6% | 50 | 24 | 67.6% | |
| KAN | @ | LAC | Boxscore | 24 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 33 | 27 | 55% | 54 | 19 | 74% |
| DAL | @ | DET | Boxscore | 35 | 27 | 8 | 2.6 | 47 | 24 | 66.2% | 29 | 28 | 50.9% |
| OAK | CIN | Boxscore | 17 | 10 | 7 | 1.7 | 32 | 34 | 48.5% | 36 | 22 | 62.1% | |
| NWE | @ | PHI | Boxscore | 17 | 10 | 7 | 0.7 | 49 | 22 | 69% | 45 | 21 | 68.2% |
| SFO | ARI | Boxscore | 36 | 26 | 10 | -3.6 | 47 | 19 | 71.2% | 37 | 25 | 59.7% | |
| MIN | DEN | Boxscore | 27 | 23 | 4 | -9.8 | 40 | 18 | 69% | 42 | 33 | 56% |
Two teams, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville, registered as notably pass-happy. Both teams were trailing most of the game, but throwing on 6 out of every 7 plays is still pass-happy even under those circumstances. This was the first game back for Nick Foles, and Jacksonville did not let him take it easy: the team called only 9 rushing plays, while went for 29 yards and two first rounds. Foles, meanwhile, dropped back to pass 49 times, and gained 279 net passing yards. That was not close to being enough for Jacksonville in an ugly loss to the Colts. Foles also threw 9 short passes to his running backs, completing all 9 for 47 yards.
In Tampa Bay, Jameis Winston had another 4-interception game, also including two sacks and a fumble. And yet…. the Bucs called just six running plays. Six! And two of those were goal-line runs in the final minute of the game. The Bucs opened the game with 53 passing plays (including one scramble), one aborted snap that goes down as a rushing play, and 4 — four!! — designed runs. Tampa Bay opened its offense with a 6-yard rush by Ronald Jones, and called a run to Jones for no yards on the first play of the team’s second drive. Jones had a rush on 1st-and-10 for 4 yards early in the 2nd quarter, and a run on 3rd-and-1 at the beginning of the 3rd quarter. For Tampa Bay, four wide receivers played over 50% of the snaps in week 11. I won’t argue with you if you think this was the most pass-happy game of the season. There have only been two games this season with 8 or fewer rushing attempts, and both have come against the Saints.