Next Gen Stats is a fascinating and informative resource to help fans go beyond the box score and provide additional context. NFL's Next Gen Stats captures real time location data, speed and acceleration for every player, every play on every inch of the field.
2020 marked the seventh season that the league used the Next Gen Stats technology. With that in mind, here are some of the Bengals' top analytic performances from this past season.
TOP PLAYS
Incredible Yards After The Catch
Wide receiver Tyler Boyd recorded the NFL's top Incredible Yards After The Catch with his 72-yard touchdown reception against the Miami Dolphins. The play was expected to go for three yards, but Boyd extended the reception for an additional 69 yards. Incredible yards after the catch predicts the expected yards after catch an average receiver should gain on each reception by surveying the Next Gen Stats tracking data the moment the ball reaches the receiver.
Improbable Completions
Joe Burrow to A.J. Green connected on two of the league's top 15 most difficult completions from last year. The 10th toughest competition came when Burrow passed deep left to Green for 19 yards at Washington. That play had a completion probability of 14 percent. The 15th-toughest competition came when Burrow and Green connected for a 22-yard strike against the Colts in Week 7. That play had 15.3 percent chance to be completed.
Longest Play
Brandon Wilson enjoyed the 20th longest play of the 2020 NFL season with his 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against the New York Giants. Next Gen Stats denotes the longest plays showing ball carriers that have travelled the farthest during a given play (measured in yards) regardless of yards gained.
OTHER NOTABLE TOP 10 METRICS
Time To Throw
Brandon Allen ranked fourth in the NFL in time to throw releasing the ball in a blistering 2.51 seconds. Time to Throw measures the average amount of time elapsed from the time of snap to throw on every pass attempt for a passer (sacks excluded).
Aggressiveness
In terms of aggressiveness, Burrow ranked third among all quarterbacks with a 21.5 aggressiveness percentage, while Allen placed in seventh at 19.7. Aggressiveness tracks the rate of passes that are thrown into tight coverage (defenders within one yard of the target whether the pass is completed or incomplete).
Completion Percentage Above Expectation
Burrow also rated sixth in the NFL in completion percentage above expectation at plus-4. Completion Percentage Above Expectation (xComp +/-) measures a quarterback's performance relative to the difficulty of their throws on an aggregate level. In other words, how did a quarterback perform relative to expectations over the course of a season, game, or situation.
Rushing Efficiency
The Bengals had not one, but two running backs rate in the league's Top 10 with Joe Mixon ranking fifth (4.46) and Giovani Bernard (4.45). Rushing efficiency is calculated by taking the total distance a player traveled on rushing plays as a ball carrier according to Next Gen Stats (measured in yards) per rushing yards gained.
Per the NFL, player tracking or Next Gen Stats, is the capture of real time location data, speed and acceleration for every player, every play on every inch of the field. Sensors throughout the stadium track tags placed on players' shoulder pads, charting individual movements within inches.
For a full rundown of Next Gen Stats and a glossary of terms, please visit nextgenstats.nfl.com/stats.
