Alright, let me walk you through how I usually dig into player stats after a game, like that 49ers vs Raiders matchup.
So, the game finished, right? First thing I usually do, maybe after grabbing a drink or something, is settle down and try to find the actual numbers. I’m always curious about who really showed up and who didn’t, beyond just the final score.
I typically just use my computer, sometimes my tablet if I’m lazy. I’ll open up a browser and type in something straightforward. Think like “49ers Raiders player stats” or maybe “NFL game stats 49ers Raiders”. Just gotta get the search engine pointed in the right direction.
Then you get a bunch of results, obviously. I tend to skip past the flashy news headlines first, because sometimes they just give you the big picture story. I’m looking for the raw data, the box score. I usually recognize a few sports site names that are pretty reliable for this stuff, the ones that lay it out clearly.
I’ll click into one or two of those. Sometimes the first one you click is a mess, ads everywhere, hard to find the actual stats table. If that happens, I just hit the back button and try the next link. Patience, you know? Eventually, you land on a page that has a nice, clean table breakdown.
What I Look For
Once I find a good page, I start scanning. Here’s kinda my checklist:
- Quarterbacks: First stop, always. Check their completion percentage, passing yards, touchdowns, and interceptions. That tells a big part of the story right there. See how Garoppolo or whoever was QB for the Raiders did compared to the 49ers’ QB.
- Rushing Leaders: Who carried the load on the ground? Look at carries, rushing yards, average yards per carry, and any rushing TDs. McCaffrey for the Niners, Jacobs for the Raiders – gotta see their numbers.
- Receiving Leaders: Who caught the ball? I check receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. Look for guys like Adams on the Raiders or Samuel/Aiyuk on the 49ers. See who the QBs were trusting.
- Defense: This sometimes takes a bit more digging on the page. I look for tackles leaders, sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles. Who made the big plays on D? Bosa’s stats are usually worth checking for the Niners, Crosby for the Raiders.
- Special Teams: Sometimes I peek at kicking stats (field goals made/attempted) and return yardage, especially if there was a big play there.
I don’t usually write everything down meticulously unless something really jumps out at me, like a crazy high yardage total or a surprising number of turnovers. It’s more about getting a feel for the individual performances that contributed to the game’s outcome.
It’s not super complicated, really. Just involves searching, clicking around a bit until you find a clear source, and then scanning the key categories. Helps me get a better understanding than just watching the highlights.
And that’s pretty much it. That’s how I went about checking the player stats for that 49ers vs Raiders game. Just a bit of digging online to see the numbers behind the action.
