Fumbles in the NFL: All the Stats You Didn’t Realize You Needed to Know
Let’s dive into fumbles. What could liven up the slow days of summer better than exploring statistical trends in the NFL? We’ve already looked into the increasing success of offenses going for it on fourth down, how defenses are improving in stopping two-point conversions, and the decline of home-field advantage. Now, it’s time to highlight fumbles—every kind of fumble by various players.
One of the oddest incidents last season occurred when Bengals safety Jordan Battle recovered a fumble but lost the ball just before reaching the end zone, resulting in a 60-yard return touchdown that never counted.
We often hear about the evolution of the NFL passing game over the past two decades, which includes a 31% decline in interceptions per game from 2004 to 2024. However, lost fumbles have dropped even more dramatically—by 33% since 2004. In 2004, NFL teams lost 380 fumbles; last season, that number was down to just 271, even with every squad playing an extra game.
This trend is part of a broader offensive movement aimed at reducing turnovers aceph99.com. Overall turnovers have significantly decreased compared to two decades ago: from 3.53 per game in 2004 to only 2.42 last season—a drop from 904 total turnovers to 658. Let’s take a closer look at this trend.
Fumbles vs. Lost Fumbles
To start, it’s essential to differentiate between fumbles—which are instances when the ball is loose—and lost fumbles, where the opponent recovers the ball, leading to a turnover. These can yield very different statistics.
Take the 2024 season, for instance, when Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield and Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins each had 13 fumbles. It sounds alarming until you realize they each only lost two fumbles. The rest were recovered by their own offense, many by the quarterbacks themselves. In fact, Mayfield was notable for leading the NFL in fumble recoveries with eight.
More shocking cases occurred in recent years. In 2021, Arizona’s Kyler Murray had 13 fumbles, but none were recovered by the opposing team, which means he also had the fewest fumbles lost that season. Murray’s talent includes quickly recovering the ball after a fumble.
Only four of Mayfield’s 13 fumbles last season were related to sacks. Some fumbles happened due to snaps going off his hands or bad handoffs. Notably, in a tight loss to the 49ers, he fumbled twice on a single play: the ball slipped out on a handoff to Rachaad White, bounced back to Mayfield, and then another fumble was recorded when he attempted to throw it to Bucky Irving. “I can’t tell whether that’s a fumble or a completion,” commented FOX’s Kevin Burkhardt during the broadcast. “But I know the Bucs have it. Bucky Irving jumped on it just in case phdream 66.”
Some fumbles seem almost trivial. Mayfield had one where he ran nine yards for a first down on a third-and-four play; as he extended the ball at the sideline, a defender knocked it out of bounds, but it still counts as a fumble. He also lost the ball twice while going to the ground but managed to land on it afterwards.
For Mayfield to have 13 fumbles and only lose two is a stroke of luck, meaning only 15% of his fumbles were lost in 2024. In his first six NFL seasons, he lost 38% of his fumbles—a rate that would have added three more turnovers compared to last season.
While he was fortunate during the regular season, his luck changed in the playoffs. The Buccaneers were leading the Commanders late in their NFC wild-card game when a mishandled handoff on a jet sweep led to a lost fumble, allowing Washington to seize possession and ultimately score a touchdown to take the lead.
Rates of Fumble Recovery
So, what percentage of NFL fumbles result in turnovers? Last year, the league average was 44%, though this number varied widely between teams. Only eight NFL teams lost half or more of their fumbles. For instance, the Raiders lost 13 of 18 fumbles, or 72%. In contrast, the Bills lost just two of their 11 fumbles, amounting to a mere 18%, while the Lions lost three of their 12, or 25%. The Chiefs, who had the lowest total with just nine fumbles, lost three of them, demonstrating how successful teams can limit their turnover loss ph356 login.
Are more frequent fumblers better at recovering their own loose balls? Statistics suggest they are. Both Mayfield and Cousins in 2024 were part of 20 instances in the past decade where a player recorded at least 13 fumbles in a season. The worst case was Giants quarterback Daniel Jones in 2019, who lost 11 of his 19 fumbles. Yet, among those 20 seasons leading in fumbles, players lost 34% of them, which is better than the league average. Murray’s impressive record in 2021 of having zero turnovers from 13 fumbles stands as the benchmark for minimizing mistakes. In 2022, Bears quarterback Justin Fields fumbled 16 times but lost only two.
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What percentage of lost fumbles came from quarterbacks in 2024? From running backs? Or defensive players? Quarterbacks accounted for the highest proportion, with 41% of lost fumbles, as they are generally held accountable for fumbles caused by bad snaps or poor handoffs. (An exception to this is Atlanta center Drew Dalman, who was charged with a fumble due to a snap that bounced off a player in motion and never reached the quarterback.)
Mayfield and Cousins may have led the NFL in fumbles in 2024, but 17 quarterbacks lost more fumbles than they did. The players with the most lost fumbles included New England’s Drake Maye and Tennessee’s Will Levis, who each lost six, followed by Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow with five apiece. Maye had a promising rookie year with the Patriots, but he needs to prioritize ball security in Year 2.
Running backs were next on the list, responsible for 26% of lost fumbles. Notably, the top two running backs last year, Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley and Baltimore’s Derrick Henry, only lost one fumble combined after 378 and 344 touches, respectively. No NFL running back lost more than three fumbles, and the six who did averaged only one lost fumble for every 96 touches. The worst culprit among them was Seahawks rookie return specialist Dee Williams, who fumbled three times in 45 touches before being waived. Receivers accounted for 20% of lost fumbles, while tight ends contributed another 7%, with no player in either category losing more than two fumbles.
What were some of the strangest fumbles lost? spin ph sports In addition to Jordan Battle’s mishap, another defensive player lost a fumble last season. After making an impressive interception, Chargers defensive tackle Teair Tart was stripped of the ball by Cardinals running back James Conner, who recovered it for Arizona. Cowboys tackle Tyler Guyton recovered a fumble, only to lose it moments later, while Dolphins punter Jake Bailey fumbled after recovering a blocked punt.
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously covered the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic for a decade. Follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
What are your thoughts on these fumble statistics in the NFL?