31. The Game Stats Lab: Derrick Henry, Brock Purdy, the AFC Race & Who's on MVP Pace

0:22I'm Victoria. I'm Giovanna. The game's on. Welcome back to another episode of your favorite football podcast by the girls for everyone. The game. It is our last episode of 2025, but you're getting this on the first day of 2026. So happy new year, Queens. We love you. Thank you for being here. If it's your first time ever listening to us starting 2026 strong, we can't wait to have you. We're so happy you're here. you have stumbled upon our stats episode, which will continue through the Super Bowl, where we talk about four downs in stats. We're talking more numbers than we do on our Tuesday episode, but we usually have a Tuesday episode as well, which is a little bit more yapping, kind of girly chat about the NFL.

1:10And then we have some interviews as well. So make sure that you tune in to any of those that feel exciting or good to you. And we'd love for you to test them all out. We did just complete Living in a Fantasy, our Fantasy Football League, and we will be back for a second season. So a lot of the girls in the chat are saying, are we coming back? I'd love to do this again next year. We will have it again next year. We're looking to put you guys in the same league. So to re-up the leagues and then to add many, many more and to add better prizes, et cetera, next year. So make sure that you are following us on social or on Substack for all of those details as it comes out.

1:46But the good news is 2026 living in a fantasy girls fantasy football league lives another year and that's a promise. So we can't wait for that. Okay. So I posted on TikTok and I wanted to hear what you thought Giovanna, but I posted, I don't know what made me think about this, but if you had to choose one active NFL player to be your bodyguard, who are you taking? I feel like immediately Miles Garrett just pops into my brain. And like, I don't know if it's like, what is that? Oh, like recency bias. Yeah. But like, I don't know. I feel like I would trust that name with my life. Okay. What I like about, about Miles Garrett is I feel like he could like sweet talk us into like a good situation, you know, like he doesn't seem like the bodyguard that like he doesn't look like he'd be bad you know but he totally is I do like same thing with like Jameer Gibbs like he could walk into a room and you'd be like hey what's up man like super nice and could like you know schmooze and stuff but then he's an absolute dog so I really love that for him okay some of the girls have said Matt Milano which I love will anderson jr this girl tiffany says will anderson jr sweet baby sweet baby is crazy okay i actually don't know who do you know tristan wirf says i think he's like a defensive player the name sounds so familiar i'm gonna look it up yeah so she said tristan wirfs who is oh yeah an offensive tackle on the books yeah this guy that's a tackle okay yep this guy bodyguard for sure he's got quads for days 320 oh my gosh we got an Aiden Hutchinson which I feel like Aiden Hutchinson is boyfriend material not like bodyguard material but like he's like he's like a Travis you know like he's looking around before you get in the car.

3:54And I feel like he would, he's going to do that for whoever he dates. Not only if it's like a Taylor Stature girl, but I really hope that he gets with a nice, nice girl. Like I want him, if he dates anyone famous, I want him to get with like a sweetie girl, you know, like someone really just like warm. I just, I just feel like he's a, like he's cuddly. Another Will Anderson Jr. and then Cam Scadaboo.

4:23That is, that takes the cake. That is a great answer. Cam Scadaboo as a bodyguard, so unhinged, like you would be safe. And you know that if something happens to you, like that guy's getting cooked. Yeah. He's going to catch a grenade for you. That's for sure. Yeah. So Cam, if you're looking for a second job, because I was thinking when NFL players retire, they really should go for bodyguard positions. You know, like they already know high profile people. So they're already comfortable in like high profile places. They're super strong. They're super fast. It gives them like something to train for.

5:01So it's like, is Taylor, is Taylor like looking for more bodyguards from the NFL because they're like have a connection, something like that. Okay. Speaking of Taylor really quick, which this is a stats episode, but I did have to say this. Apparently Taylor and Travis on Christmas day, which if you heard me, what, three weeks, two weeks ago, last week, I don't know. But I said that like, I think that Christmas day games are controversial because of the thousands of people who have to work on Christmas day, who maybe would want to be with their family. Taylor and Travis went around and gave stadium workers in Arrowhead$600.

5:39Just said like, thank you so much for working. Thank you so much for working. It was just like handing them money. And I'm like, queen behavior queen behavior yeah the cowboys actually do that every year they the like i saw the this year the video came out but daph was like in their meeting room and they get together they actually write out bonuses for every single worker that works on christmas day for them which i feel like the cowboys it's kind of like expected because we already play thanksgiving and then like now with the nfl ramping up these christmas games like the cowboys organization is used to it so it's It's like a little bit more part of our culture versus like a team, maybe like the Lions that we had some, some things to say about playing on Christmas, but yeah, it is really sweet to see that like they care about everyone that has to be involved.

6:28Yeah. Cause I feel like if you're like a player, it's a little bit different than if you're like working as a janitor, working like in the booths, you know, like depending on what job you have going to work on that day might feel very, very different for you. I do have to say though, If you guys ever go to Petco Park, which is Padre Stadium, which is San Diego's Major League Baseball team, they're workers. Like, I don't know what they pay them or what they feed them, but they're always so happy and so kind. Even if it's a front, like, they're so nice. Okay. We have to get into our stats. So my pick for my bodyguard, first of all, is Derrick Henry.

7:05Because my first thought when I was thinking about this was if somebody stole my purse, what running back would I want to go after them? and I was like it's gonna get there get there yeah I was like Derrick Henry's got my bag he has got my bag and he's quite really in his bag right now yeah yeah yeah I love you there so let's talk about Derrick Henry the absolute king so first down we're talking about who's dominating right now spotlight on a player whose stats are just absolutely lights out so derrick henry in week 17 36 okay yards aside 36 carries in one game you guys the game is an hour one hour i mean i know it's like three hours but like one hour of play time 36 carries did anyone else play in this game like what was there anyone else there i watched it and i don't know i watched it i don't know 216 yards and four touchdowns insane crazy which it's kind of funny because like i was thinking like who would even come close and it kind of reminded me of like the falcons rams game that we saw on monday night football with bjohn robinson also girls victoria talked about our fantasy teams being on the outs I almost came back I was down because of Dijon Robinson but I almost came back because I lost by a point but I was up in the matchup and I was like oh my gosh am I gonna win fantasy and then of course I put I needed literally like three yards from him to win and like at the end of the game they put Tyler Algier in the backup running back but in that game he attempted 22 carries he had 195 yards and then he was just on a tear of that game so So shout out to Bijan.

8:57I'm getting a jersey because he almost saved my fantasy. Honestly, he did. He gave me hopes. And I kind of wish, it's kind of like the worst way to lose when he was by one point. I kind of wish I just lost by a blowout. But still, it was a fun game to watch because I was like, oh my God, am I going to win fantasy?

9:15So anyways. Dang. Yeah. Bijan, there was like a meme and it said, it was like Bijan and it said, you're welcome for winning all your fantasy championships. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Back to Derek Henry. He goes into week 18, needing only 21 rushing yards to have a back-to-back season with 1500 plus rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. Of course, this is the stat at 30 or older. No other player, no other player above 30 has done this. Even one time. So if you're over 30 and you have 1500 yards, 15 touchdowns. He's in a league of his own, which we already knew. Also though, I kind of feel like 30 is the peak.

10:06I feel like 30 is kind of peak for NFL players because people always say like, oh, he's 30. We shouldn't. But I'm like, at 30, you're so much smarter. You have so much more info. Unless you're injury ridden, 30 is a pretty hot age in the NFL. Okay. Let's keep going on Derek Henry, top 17 week performer in the rushing category. And next week they're playing the Steelers, which does have playoff implications. So that's going to be a huge, huge game. I had the Ravens, Derek Henry, and even Lamar on my ins list this week. So we'll see what if he's working with momentum off of last week, it should be a pretty good game.

10:53If the momentum has somehow fallen off, we'll see. Hopefully he's not going out for New Year's. Hopefully he's in bed, they're gunning his legs or doing whatever NFL players do to get ready for the game. I would assume they all have little New Year's parties with themselves. I'm sure they're inviting each other over to their houses and celebrating and like discussing game plan, you know? Like, I feel like that might be a thing. It's like something you have to ask, like the WAGs next time. We do need to ask the WAGs next time. I also kind of think that the players drink during the season. Like in my head, I was like, they don't drink at all, but they do.

11:31Do you think those Halloween parties were dry? Because I don't. No. Just a little, little some, some here and there. A little some, some. And you know what? They know what they're doing. Okay. Mm-hmm. Okay. Honorable mention. For our player of the week, Brock Purdy, since week 15, insane. Lights out. The 49ers were probably the biggest or one of the biggest shocks of the season, I would say, because they've had so many injuries. And what I love about them is that we don't even have to use the excuse of their injuries because they've played so well. So since week 15, so the last two weeks since Brock Purdy came back from his ick of a toe injury, I don't want to hear about your feet.

12:20I just don't. 976 total yards first in the NFL. 13 total touchdowns first in the NFL. 63 total first downs first in the NFL. and yeah, I mean, he's just playing as the best quarterback in the league coming back. Does that put him, I mean, does that put him anywhere near the MVP? If MVP went further into playoffs, I think Brock Brady's name would be in there at this point, but because it ends after week 18, I don't think we're going to hear it, but this is like kind of calls for it. Yeah. It sucks because to your point, I think because of the ick of the injury and like he missed too many too much time unfortunately he probably won't be included in that conversation but I mean if he kept this up and he played the whole entire season 100 % I mean not to mention that game against the Bears which was a huge game and the 49ers were playing and I know like it's not fun to mention the injuries but like they were not playing with they were playing without Trent Williams George Kittle Brandon Iuke Nick Bosa Fred Warner a lot of key players on defense and offense.

13:32And, you know, it was a good freaking game in that game alone. Brock completed 24 out of 33 passes. He had 303 yards, three touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. So he was hooping and we saw it because it was a really good game against another really good team in the NFL. So to your point, yes, if he played the whole entire season, I think he 1000 % would have been included if he was playing at the level he's playing, you know, since week 15. Yeah, I agree. Yeah. And then we have some updated season leaders as well. So passing leader goes, it went away from Dak Prescott last week. We're back to Dak Prescott this week, 4 ,482 yards, which it's crazy to me that you can be like, okay, I always say that it's literally never one guy and people love to talk about it being one guy, but if it was one guy and if it was truly one guy, then the Cowboys would be in the playoffs.

14:31Because if you have your top passing leader in Dak Prescott week after week after week after week, and truly a quarterback was the only thing that you needed to go to the playoffs or win the Super Bowl, then the Cowboys would be in the playoffs and the Cowboys would be going to the Super Bowl. And so I didn't even think about this before, but this really proves my point that like we put way too much emphasis on one person at a time when stats wise and facts wise that doesn't check out at all. So that's all I have to say about that. And I guess the second one proves my point as well, because the rushing leader is James Cook with 1 ,606 yards.

15:10That's honestly insane because Derrick Henry needs 31 more yards to get to 15. So he's over 130 yards behind. Yeah, he's 137 yards behind James Cook. Like crazy people say Josh Allen's the only reason why the bills are good, but obviously not. It's no, but like to your point about the back thing, like yes, has Josh Allen been playing hero ball day in and day out? Yeah. But like the bills defense, I said it a couple of weeks ago, but they actually like fixed their, some of their issues. And like, that's kind of why they got that big one over the Patriots stopping Jake May. So yes, you know, a lot of the team relies on the quarterback, but it's definitely not all of them.

15:51I love it. And then receiving leader, On the Seahawks, Jackson Smith and Jigba, 1 ,709 yards. Wow. That's all I got to say about that. Crazy. Okay. Let's go into our second down. Conference check-in, NFC versus AFC. One playoff spot available in both conferences. I don't think anybody expected this season to look the way this season looks. we're talking who's separating who's slipping and what that means for the playoffs yeah let's start in the nfc let's take a look at the current playoff bracket now we're going to talk about some playoff games coming up in week 18 that will change around the seeding of things because as it currently stands the seahawks are in the number one seed followed by the bears then it goes to the Eagles at number three, Panthers at number four, San Fran at number five, Rams at number six, and Green Bay at seven.

16:54As it stands right now, five will play four. So 49ers will play the Panthers. Three will play six. Eagles will play the Rams. And then two will play seven. Bears will play Green Bay. And then obviously, because you have the number one seat with the Seahawks right now, they have the first round. But so that's kind of what's going on as right now in the NFC. however Seahawks 49ers in week 18 Seahawks number one seed can easily be snatched and we just talked about Brock Purdy's dominance right now and how he's been playing at an elite level if the Seahawks win they will you know get the number one seat if the 49ers win they will get the number one seed so winner takes all on this game winner gets the NFC number one spot and home field advantage through the playoffs, which is interesting because if the 49ers pull off this win against the Seahawks, this means that they will play at home every single game up until the Super Bowl if they make it that far.

17:57And I'll have to mention the Super Bowl is at their home stadium this year. So I'm expecting the 49ers to come into this game and absolutely dominate because they're going to want to have the home field advantage and be at home for the entirety of the post season and have the environment of, you know, all the 49ers fans getting them to the Super Bowl. It's kind of like, I don't know, is it written in the stars for the 49ers? The Seahawks have an incredible defense, but we've seen them struggle a lot against some really good teams and It's a really bad team. So huge game out of the Seahawks and 49ers.

18:38Other playoff implications in the NFC. Bears will get the number two seed in the NFC with a win or an Eagles loss. And Eagles will get the number one seed with a win and a Bears loss. So lots of things going on. We'll see. I cannot believe that like the 49ers could be at home through the Super Bowl. but like, I think they deserve it. And I think I said that, I think I said this like over and over, but I do think that they are a team who like actually deserves it. They've played super hard. They haven't had any, like, have they had any like horrible blowout losses to horrible teams? Like they haven't lost to the Raiders, have they?

19:26not really and it's it's funny because you would think that they would especially with brock bird you're not playing for the for the majority of the season but i mean looking at their schedule they haven't really lost to any bad teams they had a loss to the jaguars which we we were looking at the jaguars right now really good they had a loss to the texans which looking at the Texans defense really good and they did lose to the Rams so all of their losses have been to teams to top teams top teams the Rams loss is a little difficult 42 26 yeah but they also beat the Rams this season as well so I don't know it's going to be it's interesting they did play the Seahawks back in November and they won that game 31 13 and they also played them in December the 10th, won that game as well, 28 to 16.

20:21Yeah. I think the 49ers are snaking in to be a Super Bowl favorite for me at this time of someone who I would be like happy to watch. But one thing that I do love, like when I was a gymnast and I would compete and somebody who was really good would be hurt or not competing and I won, I would feel like it'd be like, yes, I won, but it's like a bummer that that person didn't get to compete because you, you want to win on everyone's best day. You don't want to win when like people are falling all over the place or have the flu or like have an injury. Like you want to win when everybody's at the top of their game, because that means that you like really won and you were like genuinely, truly the best.

21:03And you can fight the argument like, oh, well, like, you know, you can't control injuries and blah, blah, blah, which is like very true and stuff like that. But I do think that whoever wins the Super Bowl this year, this will be like one of the biggest years of pride for winning the Super Bowl because it's so hot at the top. It's so, so hot at the top. But I think the 49ers losses, losing to the Rams, the Rams are so good. So yeah, I mean, I'm curious to see if they can do it. I mean, I can't believe that they're up there with, even with Brock being out And I can't believe how well Brock came back because we've seen Joe Burrow come back and be okay across the board, you know, and like we love Joe Burrow and we want him to win and we want him to be successful.

21:50But, you know, Joe Burrow and Brock Purdy are in kind of the same, they're like kind of in the same level in my head. And Brock Purdy has like escalated himself essentially out of that level with how he's come back. And I think watching the two of them side by side in a comeback really shows how well Brock Purdy has done. So we will see. I also think it's crazy that the Bears Packers have to play each other. That feels really inconvenient for the Bears. Like, that's just so, I mean, that's if that's how it ends up shaking out. But like, how annoying is that? Like the Bears have tooth and nailed themselves out of a five and 12 season last season to now being the number one seed in the NFC and then to have to play a division rival who hate you.

22:43I don't want it like the Packers fan base. In the playoffs. The Packers girls, super great. Like I love all of the Packers girls. So if you're a Packers girl, don't take this personally because I literally love you and I think you're fabulous. but like the Packers are like scary as a fan base to me. Interesting. I just, I just feel like they're loud. I don't know. They just make, it's probably cause I'm a Lions fan. So I'm scared of them. But one thing that we can't go without saying about the Packers is the rise of the cheese grater hat is one of the most iconic things. Whoever, whoever made the cheese grater hat is probably a millionaire.

23:19Do you know the story? I don't think. So the, the person that made the cheese grater hat, there was either like a lawsuit or like a cease and desist or something from him making the cheese head hats. So then he made the cheese grater. So then he made the cheese grater hats and is now running it up. Oh my God. I hope everyone's buying direct from him. And also this is a reminder to buy direct from small businesses and don't just go on like Timu or Shein or whatever, like buy direct because you're changing this person's life and they're so funny and they deserve it. Same thing with art. Don't buy art from Timu, buy art from artists.

23:57Anyway, let me get off my soapbox. Everyone buy a cheese creator hat. If it's bears or Packers, I'm with the bears because of Benny J. Okay, let's go to the AFC. Raven Steelers, winner takes AFC North. I know Giovanni, a bunch of that you want to run into so let's let's do it yeah ravens versus steelers that is a huge game and it it's hard for me because i feel like aaron rogers and the steelers and mike tomlin after last week's loss against the browns are going to come into this game fighting tooth and nail but similarly for the ravens not having lamar having derrick henry have the breakout huge game he had last week, I'm expecting the Ravens coming into this game, trying to fight tooth and nail.

24:46So this is a huge, arguably maybe my game of the week in week 18 and week 18. And I'm hoping it's going to be a really good game. Broncos will be the number one seed with a win or a Patriots and Jaguars loss. So if they don't win, they will need a little help from the Patriots and the Jags. The Patriots can be the number one seed with a win and a Broncos loss. The Jags will win the AFC South with a win or Texans loss. And they can also be the number one seed with a win and losses by both the Broncos or the Patriots. So basically the Jags are preying on the Broncos and Patriots downfall. The Patriots are preying on the Broncos downfall.

25:28And the Broncos are kind of hoping that they just went out. or if they don't win out, they're preying on the Patriots and the Jags downfall, which seems kind of unlikely. So a lot of scenarios there. Yeah, the Broncos do have to win. And you're like, yeah, the Broncos can win, but the Broncos are playing the Chargers. And the Chargers have been playing pretty freaking well lately. So I feel like if that game is probably going to be a way better game than we think. And I think that the Chargers could get a win. I don't think that game can be. Like, I think that's going to be a very, very close game.

26:05Patriots are playing the Dolphins. So I think the Patriots losing feels unlikely, but we've seen crazier things, but not with this Patriots team. Like the Patriots are another team who haven't lost to a horrible team, right? no they've lost too many horrible teams oh yeah yeah that's that's that's the um issue with the patriots i actually have a stat to share about their schedule but okay so easiest strength of schedule this season the patriots are clearly in the number one spot the second in the afc but you know, their opponent win percentage is a 0.391. So that percentage is based on how many games that their opponent that they're playing is winning.

26:57And it's under 500. So being at 500 is like your middle of the pack, right? So to be at a 0.391, that means you suck, like really suck and you're not winning games. And that's the kind of teams the Patriots are playing. Second on this list actually is the Broncos. Their opponent 1 % percentage is a 0.413. So I can't go too far and say that the Patriots are terrible because there is something to be said about not only, yeah, that being said to me, but when you look at how the Patriots are playing, yes, they're playing bad teams, but there's something about the way that they're winning games and the dominance and like the fashion of their winning games.

27:39And I think that's important to know. However, as I always say, I have questions and I'm excited to see what they do. So this Chargers game is going to be interesting because I think the Chargers could go in and pull. I don't even know. I guess it would be considered an upset. Chargers aren't in the playoffs, so they kind of don't really have anything to play for. But we saw that with the Falcons on Monday Night Football, and they went in there and defeated a really good team and MVP caliber quarterback and Matthew Stafford. So anything can happen. It's kind of insane to me though that the Ravens and the Steelers could get to the playoffs, but the Chargers couldn't.

28:18Like it just feels wrong. Like on the vibes. The vibes are off. The vibes are down. It's that time. We want to thank our sponsors at Cuso Cuts. Cuso Cuts is the best seasoning company on the market. real ingredients, lots of transparency, truly nothing to hide with this company. All of their seasonings are all natural blends, tallows, and sausage, and they're inspired by one of my favorite things, Italy, Italian heritage, cure a crave-worthy flavor, which I love. And really, this is two things that I love, one, clean eating, and two, Italy. So it's no shock that I absolutely love the seasonings at Cusso's.

29:05Again, no additives, no crazy ingredients and really, really bold flavors that will make your tailgating or your at-home cooking much better. Chef Cusso, the owner and founder of Cusso Cuts, is at a lot of Buffalo Bill's tailgates. So if you see Cusso's there, you can always pop by, say, hey, see what they're cooking up. You can also follow them on Instagram at Cuso Cuts. If you want 10 % off of your order, you can use code the game at checkout or go to CusoCuts.com slash the game. Thank you so much to Cuso's for sponsoring this episode. If you have a company, you're a small business, or you're a big business who wants to sponsor us here at the game, please reach out to me at Victoria at the game, the podcast.com back to the episode.

29:51Okay. Let's talk back, back on the Patriots though. So first game of the season, regular season, Patriots lose to the Raiders. Then week three, Patriots lose to the Steelers. And then the Patriots stay on top all the way until they play the Bills. And then they lose to the Bills. So they had two bad losses in the beginning of the season. But other than that, they haven't lost to any bad teams. And week one to three is completely irrelevant based on the season that we've had other than if you got the W or the L and that affected your playoff chances. So I think that the Patriots should have an easy time beating the Dolphins.

30:31I can't imagine that going any other way, but again, it's the season of insanity. So I guess we'll see what happens there. Also, it is sad to me. I'm just thinking about the Chargers not being in the playoffs. And every time I think about Justin Herbert, I think about when he went to the game with Madison Beer and he blocked the basketball with his hand. I'm like, that's so hot. No, literally. We'll see. It'll be interesting. Interesting week 18 for us. Yeah. You think that the, your game of the week is the Ravens Steelers. Yeah. Cause I just feel like there's so much for both of those teams at stake.

31:09Not only like playoff implications aside, like I feel like Aaron is, is playing for his career at this point, you know, and you know, his career is going to be determined by what seating there are in the playoffs. And so I feel like him and not to mention head coach, Mike, Mike Tomlin for the Steelers, you know, he's always, always on the hot seat and, and for the Ravens too, their coach is kind of on the hot seat. So there's a lot of things outside of playoff implications that are riding on this game. And that's why, you know, I'm kind of interested to see how this game turns out and calling it my game of the week.

31:49Yeah, honestly, I think that kind of is too. Like there's no other game that I'm really like, Oh, Seahawks 49ers, Panthers, Bucks, and Ravens Steelers are the ones that I'm really looking at. And we have two Saturday games. So Panthers, Bucks and Seahawks 49ers are both on Saturday. So make sure that you are locking in on Saturday for those. Don't forget that they're on because those are probably two of the best games that we're going to see this week with playoff implications in there. Okay, let's move on. What's interesting this week, stats meet storylines. The Lions were on my outs this week and I am wearing my Lions tank underneath my jacket today.