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Who led the NFL in the major statistical categories? Once again, not enough players from my fantasy team. The full list might surprise you. Stats per Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted.
Today, we’re looking at this regular season’s final leaders in every major individual stat, including the bad ones. Plus, another head coach firing.
Before we start, who led the NFL in passing attempts last season? Answer is below.
2024 Leaders: Numbers that stand out
I always loved the backs of sports cards. While the front features a slick photo, the stats tell a better story, such as 2005 Brett Favre posting a Jameis Winston-like line of 20 touchdowns and 29 INTs while leading the NFC in passing yards.
Caleb Williams took 68 sacks, losing 466 yards. The former is the third-most ever, just behind 2002 David Carr and 1986 Randall Cunningham. C.J. Stroud (52) and Geno Smith (50) rounded out this year’s top three.
Baker Mayfield and Kirk Cousins each threw 16 interceptions. Smith (15) ranked third. Remember, Cousins — who also fumbled 13 times — played only 14 games. (So yes, it should be Michael Penix Jr. starting in 2025. That’s the plan in Atlanta.)
4.5 percent of Anthony Richardson’s passes were picked off, while just 3 percent were TDs. He’s expected to start again for Indy in 2025, despite only Jameis and Will Levis joining him above the 4 percent INT mark.
Now, the positive stats!
Passing
Yards: Joe Burrow’s 4,918 topped Jared Goff (4,629) and Mayfield (4,500).
Touchdowns: Burrow’s 43 tied 2021 Tom Brady for the most since 2020 Aaron Rodgers. (Mayfield and Lamar Jackson threw 41 apiece.) Cincinnati is the first non-playoff team since the 2012 Saints to see their QB lead the league in this category.
Completion percentage: Tua Tagovailoa led at 72.9, as the NFL saw a record five quarterbacks — Goff, Mayfield, Burrow and Smith — finish above 70. As a whole, QBs averaged an all-time record of 65.3.
Interception percentage: Justin Herbert’s 0.6 (three on 504 attempts) narrowly topped Jackson (0.8) and … the oft-pressured rookie Caleb Williams (1.1). 👀
Passer rating: Jackson (119.6, fourth-best ever), Goff (111.8) and Burrow (108.5)
QBR: Jackson (77.5), Josh Allen (77.2) and Burrow (75.0)
Completions: Burrow (460), Mayfield (407) and Smith (407)
Attempts: Burrow (652), Aaron Rodgers (584) and Patrick Mahomes (581)
Trivia answer: Sam Howell led with 612 throws last season, then had 14 for Seattle this year.
Total TDs: Burrow and Jackson (45), followed by Mayfield (44)
Rushing
Yards: Saquon Barkley’s 2,005 rank eighth on the all-time list, followed this year by Derrick Henry’s 1,921 and Bijan Robinson’s 1,456.
Scrimmage yards: Barkley (2,283), Henry (2,114) and Jahmyr Gibbs (1,929). Ted Nguyen explored Barkley and Henry leading the RB renaissance.
Touchdowns: Check the winning team in your fantasy league, and you might find Henry, Gibbs or James Cook, who each had 16 on the ground.
Yards per carry: Henry (6.0), Barkley (5.8) and Gibbs (5.6) paced among qualifying RBs, though Lamar Jackson’s 6.6 led the league.
Fumble percentage: This fumble should’ve counted against Najee Harris, but it didn’t.
I can’t believe Najee fumbled this ball. Worst Steelers fumble since Mendenhall in the Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/GUS4RwovIU
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) December 15, 2024
So he officially leads with zero fumbles on 263 attempts. Unofficially, the leaders would’ve been the fumble-less Joe Mixon (245 rushes), Kareem Hunt (200) and J.K. Dobbins (195).
Attempts: Barkley (345), Henry (325) and Kyren Williams (316)
RB receptions: De’Vone Achane (78), Alvin Kamara (68) and Robinson (61)
PFF pass-blocking among RBs: James Cook (77.1), Kareem Hunt (77.1) and James Conner (76.9)
Most fumbles among RBs: Rhamondre Stevenson (seven), Breece Hall (six)
Receiving
Yards: Ja’Marr Chase led with 1,708, followed by Justin Jefferson’s 1,533 and Brian Thomas’ 1,282. A clean sweep by the current Wide Receiver U, LSU. Also, Mike Evans’ 11th consecutive 1,000-yard season tied Jerry Rice’s record.
Touchdowns: Chase’s 17 were the most since 2020 Davante Adams. Up next this year were Terry McLaurin (13) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (12).
Receptions: Chase (127) is the sixth triple-crown receiver in the Super Bowl era. The Bengal joins 1992 Sterling Sharpe as the only club members to have missed the playoffs.
PFF grades among WRs: Puka Nacua (92.8), Nico Collins (91.6) and A.J. Brown (90.9), though they all missed games
Targets: Chase (175), Malik Nabers (170) and Drake London (158)
First downs: Chase (75), St. Brown (73) and London (67)
Most drops: Jerry Jeudy and Amari Cooper had 12 apiece, per Fox Sports
Top speed: KaVontae Turpin reached 22.36 MPH on this touchdown catch:
🔥 Fastest ball carrier this season: KaVontae Turpin (22.36 mph)
(via @NextGenStats) pic.twitter.com/MzTkeEHrpO
— NFL (@NFL) November 19, 2024
Offensive linemen
The big guys don’t record a lot of stats, but at least we have PFF grades. The Eagles had the highest-ranked group for the third year in a row. The individuals:
Tackle: Philadelphia’s Jordan Mailata (95.8), the Chargers’ Rashawn Slater (91.1), Miami’s Terron Armstead (89.4)
Guard: Atlanta’s Chris Lindstrom (93.5), Denver’s Quinn Meinerz (87.8), Detroit’s Kevin Zeitler (86.8)
Center: New Orleans’ Erik McCoy (94.2), Kansas City’s Creed Humphrey (92.8), Detroit’s Frank Ragnow (85.3)
Steelers OT Dan Moore Jr. was faulted for the most sacks allowed (12) this season, though 10 of those came with Russell Wilson behind center. Yes, quarterbacks are accountable for sacks.
Defense
Speaking of …
Sacks: Trey Hendrickson’s 17.5 bested Myles Garrett (14) and Denver’s Nick Bonitto (13.5), while Garrett led with 22 tackles for loss.
Fumbles forced: Quarterbacks had to keep an extra eye out for T.J. Watt (six), Indianapolis’ Zaire Franklin (five) and Philly’s Zack Baun (five).
Tackles: Franklin (173) beat Arizona safety Budda Baker (164), while 34-year-old Washington LB Bobby Wagner finished with 100-plus for the 13th consecutive season, one season behind London Fletcher’s record.
Interceptions: Kerby Joseph (nine) and Xavier McKinney (eight) led, Pat Surtain II had 132 interception yards and Vikings LB Andrew Van Ginkel was the only player with multiple pick-sixes (two), a year after DaRon Bland’s record five.
Passes defended: Denzel Ward (19) and Derek Stingley Jr. (18), two of the games most dominant corners, paced the league.
PFF’s best:
Interior DL: Cameron Heyward (90.3 grade), Dexter Lawrence (89.9) and Chris Jones (89.7)
Edge: Aidan Hutchinson (94.9), Garrett (92.3) and Watt (92.2)
Linebacker: Baun (90.1), Wagner (89.9) and Fred Warner (89.2)
Corner: Surtain II (85.6), Trent McDuffie (83.1) and Philly rookie Cooper DeJean (82.7)
Safety: Joseph (91.0), Kyle Hamilton (90.1) and Brandon Jones (86.7)
Special teams
FG percentage: Nick Folk was drafted in 2007, the same year as Calvin Johnson. The Titans now 40-year-old kicker’s 95.5 hit rate bested Green Bay’s Brandon McManus (95.2).
FGs made: Chris Boswell (41) and Brandon Aubrey (40), with the latter hitting 14 from 50-plus, including a season-long 65-yard boot.
FG attempts: Aubrey (47), Boswell (44) and Cameron Dicker (42).
XPs made: Jake Bates (64), Justin Tucker (60) and Tyler Bass (59).
Punts: Cleveland’s Corey Bojorquez (89), followed by Chicago rookie Tory Taylor (82).
Yards per punt: Detroit’s Jack Fox (51.0) and Las Vegas’ AJ Cole III (50.8).
Longest punt: Bojorquez (84 yards) and Cincy’s Ryan Rehkow (80) led, though Jacksonville’s Logan Cooke had the punt of the year: a 73-yarder inside the one.
You HAVE to see this punt by Logan Cooke!! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/DCztIpSWde
— NFL UK & Ireland (@NFLUKIRE) October 27, 2024
Over to Dianna, before a quick look at the coaching carousel.
What Dianna’s Hearing: Now Brady starts to reshape Raiders
Tom Brady is a minority owner for the Las Vegas Raiders, but his role in the organization is significant, which isn’t a surprise to anyone who knows him well. As one former teammate of Brady’s told me recently: “Has Tom ever done anything on a small scale?”
Mark Davis has said Brady will have a “huge voice” in the team’s future, with the seven-time Super Bowl winner set to put his hands on everything from roster decisions to team culture. And with Antonio Pierce fired yesterday, that will start with the hiring of Vegas’s next head coach.
Though for anyone connecting the dots: While Brady and Super Bowl-winning teammate Mike Vrabel, the biggest name of this head-coach hiring cycle, remain good friends, Vrabel should not be considered the immediate favorite for the Raiders job.
Back to you, Jacob.
Around the NFL
Before we go, four quick notes on the latest changes:
- Bears: Plan to interview Pete Carroll tomorrow, while their request to interview Mike McCarthy — who is under contract in Dallas until Jan. 14 — was denied by the Cowboys.
- Titans: Fired GM Ran Carthon, who’d hired their current president of football operations and head coach — both of whom are staying. It’s a joke, writes Joe Rexrode.
- The 49ers are also in the market for new defensive and special teams coordinators
- The Seahawks need an OC after firing Ryan Grubb.
For the latest updates, check out our live tracker.
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(Photo: Scott Taetsch, Justin K. Aller / Getty Images)
