Tapp-ing into the Numbers: 40 Packers Stats Until Opening Kickoff (No. 12)

By JERRY TAPP

If you follow the NFL, you know that the game has taken a decidedly distinct slant towards the passing game. Here’s a stat that helps quantify that…

Green Bay was one of five teams in 2016 that passed the ball over 600 times and ran the ball less than 400 times. The Pack had 620 pass attempts and 374 rushing attempts last season. The five teams:

Arizona, 646 passes, 399 runs
Baltimore, 679 passes, 367 runs
Green Bay, 620 passes, 374 runs
Jacksonville, 626 passes, 392 runs
Washington, 607 passes, 379 runs

The Minnesota Vikings in 1981 were the first team to pass more than 600 times and run less than 400 times in a season; the Vikes that year had 709 pass attempts and 391 runs. Ironically, it is the only year the Vikings had 600+ passes and less than 400 runs in a season.

A team with 600+ passes and less than 400 runs in a season has happened 61 times since 1981. Three teams, the Falcons, Lions and Saints, have each done it six times; the Cardinals have done it five times, while the Packers are next with four seasons with 600 or more passes and less than 400 runs.