A couple of months ago we added 16 new seasons worth of NFL play-by-play thanks to the efforts of Aaron Schatz and Jeremy Snyder. At the time, we teased that further enhancements would be coming. Today, we’re thrilled to announce that these enhancements can now be found on Pro Football Reference and Stathead. We have added 21 new seasons of season-and-game-level forced fumbles coverage (now extending back to 1978), nine new seasons of game-level fumble recovery coverage (now extending back to 1978) and five new seasons of game-level solo, assisted and combined tackles coverage (now extending back to 1994). Additionally, we have made small improvements to our play-by-play and targets totals by adding targets on interceptions that were initially left out of the official play-by-play (we have also added many targets on DPIs to our play-by-play, though these don’t count as targets since they’re not officially plays).
The forced fumble data represents, in our opinion, the most thorough and comprehensive forced fumble dataset in existence. Previous to this update and expansion, we had full forced fumble data back to 1993 and partial data back to 1982. Schatz and Snyder found dozens of instances where the play-by-play credited no one with a forced fumble and they were able to fill in gaps via video review or other means. They also corrected many instances of mistaken credit on forced fumbles. When you look closely at this stuff, it becomes apparent how sloppily forced fumbles were often tracked. There are surely errors here and there in this new data, but I am also certain that it is closer to the truth than any other similar dataset.
With the new data, Robert Mathis remains the all-time leader (with 52). Notable players near the top of the list who more FF were discovered for include Hall of Famers Chris Doleman (48), Bruce Smith (45), Rickey Jackson (44), Derrick Thomas (44) and Lawrence Taylor (41),
| Rank | Player | FF | Years | Tm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Mathis | 52 | 2003-2016 | clt |
| 2 | Julius Peppers+ | 51 | 2002-2018 | 3TM |
| 3 | John Abraham | 48 | 2000-2014 | 3TM |
| Chris Doleman+ | 48 | 1985-1999 | 3TM | |
| Jason Taylor+ | 48 | 1997-2011 | 3TM | |
| 6 | Dwight Freeney+ | 47 | 2002-2017 | 6TM |
| 7 | Bruce Smith+ | 45 | 1985-2003 | 2TM |
| 8 | Rickey Jackson+ | 44 | 1981-1995 | 2TM |
| Derrick Thomas+ | 44 | 1989-1999 | kan | |
| Charles Tillman | 44 | 2003-2015 | 2TM | |
| 11 | Lawrence Taylor+ | 41 | 1981-1993 | nyg |
| 12 | Brian Dawkins+ | 39 | 1996-2011 | 2TM |
| Terrell Suggs | 39 | 2003-2019 | 3TM | |
| Pat Swilling | 39 | 1986-1998 | 3TM | |
| 15 | Greg Lloyd | 38 | 1988-1998 | 2TM |
| 16 | Richard Dent+ | 37 | 1983-1997 | 4TM |
| Simeon Rice | 37 | 1996-2007 | 4TM | |
| 18 | Osi Umenyiora | 35 | 2003-2014 | 2TM |
| DeMarcus Ware+ | 35 | 2005-2016 | 2TM | |
| 20 | James Harrison | 34 | 2002-2017 | 3TM |
| Chandler Jones | 34 | 2012-2022 | 3TM | |
| Neil Smith | 34 | 1988-2000 | 3TM | |
| T.J. Watt | 34 | 2017-2025 | pit | |
| Charles Woodson+ | 34 | 1998-2015 | 2TM | |
| 25 | Leonard Little | 33 | 1998-2009 | ram |
| Khalil Mack | 33 | 2014-2025 | 3TM | |
| Reggie White+ | 33 | 1985-2000 | 3TM | |
| 28 | Mike Douglass | 32 | 1978-1986 | 2TM |
| Tamba Hali | 32 | 2006-2017 | kan | |
| Robert Quinn | 32 | 2011-2022 | 5TM | |
| 31 | Jared Allen+ | 31 | 2004-2015 | 4TM |
| Lavonte David | 31 | 2012-2025 | tam | |
| 33 | Jacob Green | 30 | 1980-1992 | 2TM |
| Greg Townsend | 30 | 1983-1997 | 2TM |
We also have a single-season forced fumble leaderboard and a single-game forced fumble leaderboard, which both extend back to 1978. Charles Tillman, famed for his ‘Peanut Punch’ technique for dislodging the ball, is tied for first on the former with 10 and all alone in first on the latter with 4. Ray Lewis is the career leader in postseason fumbles forced since 1978.
Additionally, we have added player game-by-game fumble recovery data from 1978-1986. Previously we had this data since 1987. We will not be changing our existing season-level fumble recovery numbers, which date back to 1945, at this time. There will be discrepancies between those historical totals and what you get by summing the new game-level info from 1978-86.
We have also added game-by-game defensive tackle data from 1994-98. This coverage previously only went back to 1999 and it is broken down between solo tackles, assisted tackles and combined tackles. Please note that these figures, culled from official gamebooks, include defensive tackles, but not special teams nor miscellaneous tackles. Interestingly, the highest single-game combined tackles total in this newly added data was by Damien Covington (Bills) on October 26, 1997 vs the Broncos.
Lastly, we have added dozens of targets to our play-by-plays from games where the official scorer neglected to list targets in the play-by-play on interceptions and defensive pass interference plays. If the added target was on an interception, then it was also added as a target for the intended receiver in the game and season stats. These changes are minimal, but notable and could help us eventually calculate a passer rating for every intended target since 1978.
We hope you enjoy these new additions. We would like to once again thank Aaron Schatz and Jeremy Snyder for their critical work in making these expansions possible. Please let us know if you have any questions.
