The Detroit Lions are fresh an impressive 47-9 victory over the Dallas Cowboys Sunday that now sets up a huge game this week in Minnesota against the 5-0 Vikings for early control of the NFC North.
Detroit's played some really good football to put themselves at 4-1 after Week 6. Let's take a closer look at five numbers that have fueled Detroit's early-season success.
1. Number: 146.59
What it means: Quarterback Jared Goff's passer rating over the last three games
Twentyman: Goff is in some kind of groove right now and he's got this offense playing some of the best football across the entire league. Goff has completed 54-of-66 passes for 806 yards with seven touchdowns and just one interception combined in wins over Arizona, Seattle and Dallas over Detroit's last three contests.
2. Number: 10
What it means: Total number of takeaways recorded by Detroit's defense
Twentyman: Detroit recorded three interceptions and two fumble recoveries in the blowout win against Dallas and now rank seventh in the NFL in total takeaways and have played one less game than five of the six teams ahead of them on that list.
The safety duo of Kerby Joseph (4) and Brian Branch (3) has recorded seven interceptions. They are quickly becoming one of the best safety tandems in the NFL.
3. Number: 157.8
What it means: Lions' average rushing yards per game, which ranks fourth in the NFL
Twentyman: What's making Detroit so dangerous offensively right now is the way Goff is playing in the passing game, and also how the Lions have rushed the football consistently all season. Only Baltimore (205.3), Green Bay (167.2) and San Francisco (158.0) average more rushing yards per game than the Lions. Detroit's averaging at least four-plus-yards per run on 50.3 percent of their rushes, which also ranks fourth in the NFL, and their 24 runs of 10-plus yards is Top 10 in the league.
4. Number: 41.6
What it means: Opponent passer rating inside the 30-yard line
Twentyman: The three most important statistics in football are turnovers, third-down percentage and red-zone efficiency. Opponents are finding it tougher and tougher in the passing game the closer they get to Detroit's end zone. When inside the 30-yard line, opposing passers have completed just 18-of-39 attempts with three touchdowns and four interceptions with that 41.6 rating, which is the lowest in the NFL.
The Lions rank in the Top 10 in the NFL in red-zone efficiency with opponents scoring a touchdown less than half of the time (46.7 percent).
5. Number: 4
What it means: Detroit has just four giveaways in five games
Twentyman: The Lions are the only team in the NFL that has yet to lose a fumble this season, so the only giveaways they have are the four interceptions Goff has thrown in five contests. Detroit is tied with Pittsburgh for fourth fewest giveaways in the league. Only Washington (3), the Los Angles Chargers (2) and Buffalo (2) have fewer.
Detroit is currently plus-six in turnover differential. Only four teams in the league have a better differential.
