Die Macht » Im building a little more confidence every

In the New Orleans Saints win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12, Drew Brees completed 78 percent of his passing attempts for 310 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He was so efficient that even one extremely costly lost fumble deep in his own territory couldnt derail his performance, as he finished with an 89.4 total QBR, his second-best effort of the season behind an 89.9 against the Carolina Panthers in Week 6.Even at age 37, Brees continues to play at an exceptionally high level and is poised for one of the best seasons for a quarterback of his age or older since 2006, the first season we have QBR data for:It should be noted that while Tom Brady has been fantastic since his return from a four-game suspension, Brees has over 200 more plays this year than Brady (515 to 311). Maintaining a QBR as high as Bradys gets increasingly difficult the more plays he accumulates. Think of it like a hitter in baseball batting .400. Over a 10-at-bat stretch, its not so hard, but get to 100 ABs, and it becomes more difficult. And once you get to a seasons worth of at-bats, the task gets extremely difficult. This isnt to say Brady cant keep playing as efficiently as he currently is, just that there is a sizable difference in their number of plays.So how has Brees been able to consistently play so well, even as he gets past what are typically a QBs peak years?The biggest reason is that he is great at avoiding negative plays. Over 62 percent of Brees plays this season end up in positive expected points?for him, highest in the league. Remember, when we calculate a players QBR,?we divide credit?on the play. So it is possible for the QB to have a positive play for himself while the team overall is a negative -- think a receiver fumbling downfield after a completion. These plays dont occur often, but this analysis would still show such a play as a positive for the QB, rather than a negative.This trend isnt isolated to just this season. Brees is almost always near the top of the leaderboard among qualified quarterbacks, and if he maintains his ratio so far in 2016, hell end up with three of the five best seasons in this measure since 2006.Brees finished Week 12 with 66 percent of positive plays (league average so far this season is 55 percent), extending his streak of games with at least a 63 percent rate to seven games, during which time the Saints have gone 4-3, crawling to near playoff contention. ESPNs Football Power Index?currently gives the Saints a 19.1 percent chance to make the playoffs, but if they can defeat the Detroit Lions this week, FPI would give them a 23.5 percent chance. A loss, however, would drop them down to just a 4.5 percent chance to make the playoffs. 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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have dished the flash of September for a decidedly more pragmatic approach in December.Heavy doses of LeVeon Bell and Antonio Brown.A dash of tight end Ladarius Green.A defense that looks competent and maybe even a bit dangerous.The Steelers will gladly sacrifice the style points for the substance they showed in a 24-14 win over the New York Giants on Sunday.The result emphatically ended New Yorks six-game winning streak and sent a message that Pittsburghs midseason funk appears to be firmly in the rearview mirror.I just think were finding our rhythm, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said after his team allowed just 234 yards and picked off Eli Manning twice.I think were gaining continuity with the mix of guys who are playing. The young guys are growing up.A pivotal development for the Steelers (7-5), who have won three straight, each one a step up in class.Two weeks ago it was a simple slump-buster in Cleveland.On Thanksgiving, it was a decisive victory on the road in Indianapolis, albeit against a backup quarterback.This time it was one of the leagues hottest teams, though New York (8-4) hardly looked like it at times while spoiling first-year coach Ben McAdoos homecoming.McAdoo grew up an hour east of Heinz Field in Homer City, Pennsylvania. The team he faced on Sunday looked a bit like the one he idolized as a kid.The Steelers dominated the line of scrimmage at times behind Bells 182 yards of total offense and prevented Manning and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. from ever really getting comfortable.We are who we are right now, McAdoo said. We need to go back to work. You cant just flip a switch and have things change.The Steelers have reinvented themselves on the fly following a four-game slide that took all the shine off their high-flying 4-1 start.Rather than try to overwhelm opponents with firepower they have put the ball in Bells hands and let him lead the way.Bell touched the ball 35 times -- 29 rushes and six receptions -- and went over 100 yards rushing for the third straight game by churning for 118.He did so against a defense that hadnt allowed an opponent to reach the century mark since Adrian Peterson in Week 16 of last season.I just wanted to make sure that I kept running hard, Bell said. Then, in the fourth quarter, holes got a little bbigger.ddddddddddddBen Roethlisberger passed for 289 yards and two touchdowns for Pittsburgh and Brown caught six passes for 54 yards, including an acrobatic scoring grab in the back of the end zone that put the Steelers up 11-0.Its that time of year that we have to be our best self, offense, defense, special teams, Roethlisberger said. Everybody needs to just do their job, and I thought they did that tonight.GOING GREENPittsburgh splurged in free agency on Green, hoping the 6-foot-6 tight end could fill the void left by Heath Millers retirement.After a shaky start in which Green spent the first two months of the season recovering from various health concerns, hes starting to look like money well earned. Green caught six passes for 110 yards and his first touchdown of the season .Im not close to where I thought I would be, but Im getting closer, Green said. Im building a little more confidence every game.BUMMED BECKHAMBeckham won the statistical battle with his good buddy Brown, catching 10 passes for 100 yards.Yet Beckham was baffled by an exchange with an unspecified official after he drew an offensive pass interference flag in the first quarter, a call that eventually set up a Pittsburgh safety. Beckham said when he approached the official for clarity on why the call was made, he was told get out of my face.I dont really understand that, Beckham said. Thats not really how I was raised.INJURIESGiants: Played the second half without defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who left in the second quarter with a groin injury. Pierre-Paul said afterward hes not sure of the severity of the injury and will be examined on Monday. New York also lost cornerback Coty Sensabaugh to a rib injury.Steelers: Rookie nose tackle Javon Hargrave left in the first half because of a concussion. Safety Shamarko Thomas, recently recovered from a groin injury, sustained a concussion while covering a kickoff return in the first half.UP NEXTGiants: host NFC East-leading Dallas next Sunday night. New York beat the Cowboys 20-19 in Week 1. Dallas has not lost since.Steelers: head north to Buffalo next Sunday.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '