Stats That Stood Out: Vikings-Chargers

[Viktor]

Here are three stats that stood out:


1. Aggressiveness can come with a cost


Philip Rivers gave his teammates chances to make plays, and the Chargers receivers did, but the Vikings secondary also recorded three interceptions of the 38-year-old quarterback.


According to Next Gen Stats, Rivers’ aggressiveness percentage of 23.1 tied for second-highest in the NFL in Week 15.


Aggressiveness percentage tracks the rate at which a QB attempts to throw a pass to a teammate when a defender is within 1 yard of the target.


Rivers finished 28-of-39 passing for 307 yards with a touchdown and a passer rating of 71.2.


Kirk Cousins, meanwhile, had an aggressiveness percentage of 16 that ranked 14th in Week 15.


Cousins completed 19 of 25 passes (76 percent) for 207 yards with a touchdown. His lone blemish was an interception on a screen pass that Melvin Ingram III expertly covered. Cousins finished with a passer rating of 96.6.


Aggressiveness can also be used to describe the number of deep shots that a team takes.


Cousins was 1-for-2, connecting with Diggs for a 46-yard reception, on throws that were 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.


Rivers was 1-for-5 on such throws that included a 39-yard gain to Mike Williams and interceptions by cornerback Mike Hughes and safeties Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris.