Statistics will not always tell the full story. The NFL is a week-to-week league and can deceive our thoughts at any moment on a given team. But as always, there are some notable trends to monitor going into specific matchups. That is true once again in the case of this Monday's meeting between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kansas City is still the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL. As they look to go to 8-0, the Chiefs have three wins against the NFC already, as KC takes place in this upcoming non-conference showdown. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers are sitting at 4-4. There have plenty of bright spots and low points for Tampa Bay so far this season. In a year where they scored a lot of points early, notable injuries have begun to mount.
What are some interesting statistical notes to monitor entering Chiefs vs. Buccaneers? Here are three key stats going into Monday's affair.
4th Fastest Time To Throw
According to Next Gen Stats, Baker Mayfield is 4th when it comes to quickest time to throw (2.6 seconds on average). He has been getting the ball out efficiently and urgently all season long. This is going to possibly be affected even more moving forward with the injuries to wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. But another element is, Mayfield has been attacking in all areas of the field at this rapid pace. With that quick release, it will be interesting to see how early Kansas City turns up the heat and brings extra pressure. There is confidence in how physical the Chiefs defensive backs can play. That will be intriguing to see how the Buccaneers receivers handle it when some pass catchers are being elevated into roles with Tampa's receivers being banged up.
If Mayfield fires quick, there are some good and bad results that have materialized pretty consistently. The good is how defenders have to react immediately in space and forcing those tacklers to make a quick stop in the open field. The bad is Mayfield can sometimes get caught pre-determining his throws and defensive backs can jump his routes. Some of those plays have shown up more recently with interceptions. He had two interceptions in each of the last two outings. In total, Mayfield has thrown nine interceptions in the last three games. In the first five games before that, he had just two interceptions thrown.
Team Points Per Game
Both the Buccaneers (4th, 29.4) and the Chiefs (9th, 24.7) are in the top 10 in points per game via Team Rankings. Tampa Bay has been in plenty of shootouts this year. The different back-and-forth moments that they have endured this season have truly been wild. No example is better than their trip to New Orleans a few weeks ago. Kansas City has not necessarily been in high-flying shootout situations this year. However, they have still been in plenty of close contests. The Chiefs' defense has been excellent in limiting points and getting off the field.
Kansas City may not be as explosive offensively as others. But, it may be a mix of how they want to play and what limitations they have on the depth chart throughout the early part of the season. Can the Chiefs actually light up the scoreboard? Do the Buccaneers still find ways to put up points against a stingy KC defense? Either something has to give. Or, Kansas City will show us they can play in a high-paced shootout for really the first time this season.
Sack Percentage
Neither defense is going to have a problem disguising many simulated pressures and even attempting some insane blitzes. Both Todd Bowles and Steve Spagnuolo are known to throw out some wacky defensive looks. But in terms of getting home, neither the Buccaneers nor the Chiefs are doing that very consistently. Via Team Rankings, Tampa Bay (20th, 6.62 percent) and Kansas City (23rd, 6.15 percent) are in the bottom of the NFL in sackbbbfasdfsdfasdfm percentage.
So far this season, the Buccaneers have 21 sacks and the Chiefs have 15 sacks. Kansas City is tied for the fifth-lowest sack figure currently. And as we know, Patrick Mahomes can be just as dangerous with his legs and ability to extend plays. Mayfield, on the other hand, has found a bit of a new level as a runner this season, too. His 169 rushing yards are already a new career high for a single season. And we are only at the midway point. Will each defense continue to struggle to get home on Monday night?