Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham
One of my favorite NFL stats is yards after the catch.
YAC is an unofficial stat, but teams certainly track their numbers. And it's fun to say.
The ESPN's Stats & Information folks are known YAC trackers, so let's tap into their resources to see how the AFC East fares in this frequently overlooked offensive element.
As you would expect, the New England Patriots lead the AFC East and rank fourth in the league with 945 yards after the catch. That's 45.3 percent of their total receiving yardage.
Wes Welker is New England's lead YAC monger. He leads all NFL receivers and ranks sixth when you include running backs and tight ends. He has 266 YAC, an average of 5.8 per reception.
The Bills rank 23rd with 610 YAC (44.7 percent of their receiving yards), the Jets 25th with 576 YAC (39.9 percent) and the Dolphins 29th with 553 YAC (45.9 percent).
Almost a third of Miami's output belongs to Ricky Williams.
He has 155 YAC. His 10.3 YAC per reception ranks fourth among all running backs behind San Diego's Darren Sproles (14.1), Houston's Steve Slaton (11.1) and Seattle's Julius Jones (10.9).
Fred Jackson of Buffalo ranks 29th overall with 171 YAC. Factor in his 20 receptions and he ranks 10th among running backs with an 8.7-yard average.
Jets receiver Jerricho Cotchery is the only other AFC East receiver among the top 50 YACkers. He ranks 31st with 165 yards, an average of 6.1 per catch.
One of my favorite NFL stats is yards after the catch.
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| Doug Pensinger/Getty Images | |
| Wes Welker is the NFL's YAC leader among receivers. |
The ESPN's Stats & Information folks are known YAC trackers, so let's tap into their resources to see how the AFC East fares in this frequently overlooked offensive element.
As you would expect, the New England Patriots lead the AFC East and rank fourth in the league with 945 yards after the catch. That's 45.3 percent of their total receiving yardage.
Wes Welker is New England's lead YAC monger. He leads all NFL receivers and ranks sixth when you include running backs and tight ends. He has 266 YAC, an average of 5.8 per reception.
The Bills rank 23rd with 610 YAC (44.7 percent of their receiving yards), the Jets 25th with 576 YAC (39.9 percent) and the Dolphins 29th with 553 YAC (45.9 percent).
Almost a third of Miami's output belongs to Ricky Williams.
He has 155 YAC. His 10.3 YAC per reception ranks fourth among all running backs behind San Diego's Darren Sproles (14.1), Houston's Steve Slaton (11.1) and Seattle's Julius Jones (10.9).
Fred Jackson of Buffalo ranks 29th overall with 171 YAC. Factor in his 20 receptions and he ranks 10th among running backs with an 8.7-yard average.
Jets receiver Jerricho Cotchery is the only other AFC East receiver among the top 50 YACkers. He ranks 31st with 165 yards, an average of 6.1 per catch.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Tim Graham
Graham joined ESPN.com in 2008 after covering the Miami Dolphins for the Palm Beach Post. He previously spent eight years at the Buffalo News, where he was an award-winning NHL and boxing writer. The Baldwin-Wallace College grad also has worked for the Las Vegas Sun and Boston Herald.
AFC EAST SCOREBOARD
Thursday, 11/19
Sunday, 11/22
9:40 3rd Qtr New York 14 New England 24 Final Buffalo 15 Jacksonville 18