Sunday statistics

We all know the Vikings heavily favored the run over the pass in 2007. With 2,634 yards on the ground and 2,745 through the air (which includes negative sack yardage), the team almost achieved something nearly unheard of in the modern-day, pass-happy NFL: more team rushing yards than passing yards. It was, in fact, a very real possibility much of the season, until the second-to-last game against Washington, in which the team threw for 212 yards while rushing for just 87.

So how rare is it these days for a team to run for more yards than it throws? And where do the 2007 Vikings rank? Here are the "bottom" 10 teams in "pass yardage minus rush yardage" over the last 10 years; in other words, a team that passes for 3,700 and runs for 1,500 would have a "pass minus rush" of 2,200:

Year	Team	PassYds	RushYds	Pass-Rush
2006	Atlanta Falcons	2371	2939	-568
2003	Baltimore Ravens	2255	2674	-419
2000	Cincinnati Bengals	1946	2314	-368
2004	Atlanta Falcons	2412	2672	-260
2005	Chicago Bears	2002	2099	-97
2001	Dallas Cowboys	2218	2184	34
2007	Minnesota Vikings	2745	2634	111
2005	Atlanta Falcons	2679	2546	133
2005	San Francisco 49ers	1898	1689	209
2004	Baltimore Ravens	2312	2063	249

There you have it. Out of 315 teams over the span from 1998 to 2007, only five (1.6%) have rushed for more yards than they have passed; the 2007 Vikings come in 7th on the list. Atlanta's presence on the top 10 list three times is obviously due to the presence of Michael Vick. Baltimore makes it twice thanks to Jamal Lewis and a typically inept passing attack. And look at the yardage totals of those 2005 49ers.

In fact, with the possible exception of Vick, the quarterbacks who led these teams reads like a horror show: Kyle Boller, Akili Smith, Kyle Orton, Quincy Carter, and Alex Smith. Poor Anthony Wright was a backup with both the 2001 Cowboys and 2003 Ravens.

And oh yeah, there's Tarvaris Jackson. For what it's worth, though, the Vikings have the highest passing-yardage total on this list of infamy, and you have to go down to the #14 team, the 2001 Pittsburgh Steelers, to find a higher number in the passing column.

For completeness's sake, here are the top 11 (you'll know why in a minute) teams in pass minus rush since 1998:

Year	Team	PassYds	RushYds	Pass-Rush
2000	St. Louis Rams	5232	1843	3389
2005	Arizona Cardinals	4437	1138	3299
2007	New England Patriots	4731	1849	2882
2007	New Orleans Saints	4314	1466	2848
2004	Indianapolis Colts	4623	1852	2771
2002	St. Louis Rams	4154	1405	2749
1999	Chicago Bears	4136	1387	2749
2006	New Orleans Saints	4503	1761	2742
2007	Green Bay Packers	4334	1597	2737
2002	Oakland Raiders	4475	1762	2713
2004	Minnesota Vikings	4516	1823	2693

Had to squeeze Daunte Culpepper's 2004 Vikings on the list! And yes, Virginia, the Bears did throw for 4,136 yards one year, though it took nearly equal contributions from three quarterbacks (the immortal Shane Matthews, Cade McNown, and Jim Miller), who threw for 1,645, 1,465, and 1,242 yards, respectively.

See, isn't math fun?