Defensive: Drive Averages · Plays per drive (allowed)
Plays per drive. Long possessions show up here before they show up on the scoreboard.
P + N
About this stat ↓League snapshot — 2019
- League leaderNE 4.72
- League average5.48
- Best to worst1.45
All 32 teams, lower is better.
At a glance — 2019
Where the 32 teams sit on this stat this season.
League leader
NE · 4.72
League laggard
KC · 6.17
League average
5.48
Spread (max − min)
1.45
All teams — 2019
| Rank | Team | Value | Δ vs avg | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NE | 4.72 | -0.76 | 100% |
| 2 | PHI | 5.03 | -0.45 | 96.8% |
| 3 | CAR | 5.06 | -0.41 | 93.5% |
| 4 | NYJ | 5.19 | -0.29 | 90.3% |
| 5 | BUF | 5.21 | -0.27 | 87.1% |
| 6 | TB | 5.21 | -0.27 | 83.9% |
| 7 | CIN | 5.26 | -0.22 | 80.6% |
| 8 | SF | 5.33 | -0.15 | 77.4% |
| 9 | PIT | 5.36 | -0.12 | 74.2% |
| 10 | JAX | 5.36 | -0.12 | 71% |
| 11 | NYG | 5.37 | -0.11 | 67.7% |
| 12 | SEA | 5.37 | -0.11 | 64.5% |
| 13 | CLE | 5.40 | -0.08 | 61.3% |
| 14 | ATL | 5.42 | -0.05 | 58.1% |
| 15 | BAL | 5.43 | -0.05 | 54.8% |
| 16 | CHI | 5.45 | -0.03 | 51.6% |
| 17 | LAC | 5.47 | -0.01 | 48.4% |
| 18 | LAR | 5.47 | -0.01 | 45.2% |
| 19 | TEN | 5.48 | 0.00 | 41.9% |
| 20 | MIA | 5.48 | 0.01 | 38.7% |
| 21 | IND | 5.53 | 0.05 | 35.5% |
| 22 | GB | 5.54 | 0.06 | 32.3% |
| 23 | LV | 5.61 | 0.13 | 29% |
| 24 | DET | 5.66 | 0.18 | 25.8% |
| 25 | NO | 5.68 | 0.20 | 22.6% |
| 26 | DEN | 5.69 | 0.21 | 19.4% |
| 27 | DAL | 5.71 | 0.23 | 16.1% |
| 28 | HOU | 5.83 | 0.35 | 12.9% |
| 29 | ARI | 5.93 | 0.45 | 9.7% |
| 30 | MIN | 5.94 | 0.46 | 6.5% |
| 31 | WAS | 5.96 | 0.48 | 3.2% |
| 32 | KC | 6.17 | 0.69 | 0% |
Year-over-year — 2019 vs 2018
Biggest movers from last season.
Biggest riser
MIN · +0.78
Biggest faller
CIN · −0.67
Most consistent
DAL · +0.00
League trend 2019 vs 2018
▲ 0.05
YoY by team — 2019 vs 2018
| Rank | Team | 2019 | 2018 | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MIN | 5.94 | 5.17 | +0.78 |
| 2 | HOU | 5.83 | 5.38 | +0.45 |
| 3 | DET | 5.66 | 5.24 | +0.42 |
| 4 | DEN | 5.69 | 5.28 | +0.41 |
| 5 | ARI | 5.93 | 5.54 | +0.39 |
| 6 | WAS | 5.96 | 5.57 | +0.39 |
| 7 | BUF | 5.21 | 4.89 | +0.32 |
| 8 | JAX | 5.36 | 5.05 | +0.31 |
| 9 | LV | 5.61 | 5.31 | +0.30 |
| 10 | LAR | 5.47 | 5.31 | +0.16 |
| 11 | SEA | 5.37 | 5.22 | +0.15 |
| 12 | PIT | 5.36 | 5.21 | +0.15 |
| 13 | BAL | 5.43 | 5.30 | +0.14 |
| 14 | GB | 5.54 | 5.42 | +0.12 |
| 15 | CHI | 5.45 | 5.33 | +0.12 |
| 16 | NYJ | 5.19 | 5.08 | +0.11 |
| 17 | MIA | 5.48 | 5.41 | +0.07 |
| 18 | IND | 5.53 | 5.52 | +0.01 |
| 19 | DAL | 5.71 | 5.71 | +0.00 |
| 20 | TB | 5.21 | 5.22 | −0.01 |
| 21 | KC | 6.17 | 6.18 | −0.01 |
| 22 | CLE | 5.40 | 5.44 | −0.04 |
| 23 | SF | 5.33 | 5.39 | −0.06 |
| 24 | NO | 5.68 | 5.81 | −0.13 |
| 25 | LAC | 5.47 | 5.61 | −0.14 |
| 26 | NYG | 5.37 | 5.52 | −0.15 |
| 27 | TEN | 5.48 | 5.63 | −0.16 |
| 28 | ATL | 5.42 | 5.78 | −0.36 |
| 29 | CAR | 5.06 | 5.45 | −0.38 |
| 30 | PHI | 5.03 | 5.61 | −0.58 |
| 31 | NE | 4.72 | 5.32 | −0.60 |
| 32 | CIN | 5.26 | 5.93 | −0.67 |
Multi-year context
7-year window (2019–2025)
Multi-year leader
CLE · 5.23
Multi-year laggard
KC · 5.91
Biggest improver
CLE · −0.21/yr
Biggest decliner
SF · +0.12/yr
Multi-year averages
| Rank | Team | Avg | Slope/yr | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CLE | 5.23 | −0.21 | 5.40 | 6.16 | 5.72 | 5.42 | 4.31 | 4.72 | 4.90 |
| 2 | CHI | 5.47 | +0.00 | 5.45 | 5.48 | 5.42 | 5.62 | 5.39 | 5.46 | 5.49 |
| 3 | NE | 5.48 | +0.06 | 4.72 | 6.04 | 5.55 | 5.47 | 5.11 | 5.96 | 5.52 |
| 4 | DAL | 5.50 | −0.01 | 5.71 | 5.62 | 5.19 | 5.43 | 5.57 | 5.17 | 5.77 |
| 5 | MIA | 5.50 | +0.03 | 5.48 | 5.31 | 5.47 | 5.68 | 5.39 | 5.43 | 5.71 |
| 6 | CIN | 5.53 | +0.05 | 5.26 | 5.53 | 5.51 | 5.48 | 5.55 | 5.75 | 5.59 |
| 7 | TB | 5.53 | +0.03 | 5.21 | 5.61 | 5.62 | 5.36 | 5.82 | 5.69 | 5.38 |
| 8 | LAC | 5.54 | −0.02 | 5.47 | 5.55 | 5.96 | 5.20 | 5.70 | 5.64 | 5.28 |
| 9 | NO | 5.55 | +0.02 | 5.68 | 5.45 | 5.31 | 5.63 | 5.26 | 5.90 | 5.59 |
| 10 | CAR | 5.55 | +0.09 | 5.06 | 6.11 | 5.06 | 5.53 | 5.22 | 6.01 | 5.87 |
| 11 | DEN | 5.55 | −0.03 | 5.69 | 5.43 | 5.89 | 5.25 | 5.67 | 5.47 | 5.47 |
| 12 | SF | 5.56 | +0.12 | 5.33 | 5.12 | 5.52 | 5.44 | 5.91 | 5.62 | 5.99 |
| 13 | NYJ | 5.57 | +0.02 | 5.19 | 5.87 | 5.90 | 5.50 | 4.97 | 5.93 | 5.63 |
| 14 | PIT | 5.60 | +0.11 | 5.36 | 5.24 | 5.60 | 5.63 | 5.61 | 5.60 | 6.13 |
| 15 | BUF | 5.60 | +0.02 | 5.21 | 6.04 | 5.33 | 5.75 | 5.47 | 6.01 | 5.37 |
| 16 | HOU | 5.61 | −0.13 | 5.83 | 6.19 | 5.72 | 5.49 | 5.48 | 5.39 | 5.20 |
| 17 | IND | 5.61 | +0.05 | 5.53 | 5.64 | 5.67 | 5.35 | 5.45 | 5.47 | 6.19 |
| 18 | TEN | 5.63 | −0.08 | 5.48 | 6.29 | 5.46 | 5.69 | 6.05 | 5.20 | 5.24 |
| 19 | PHI | 5.64 | +0.12 | 5.03 | 5.26 | 5.79 | 5.80 | 6.22 | 5.54 | 5.83 |
| 20 | BAL | 5.64 | +0.05 | 5.43 | 5.90 | 5.17 | 5.87 | 5.58 | 5.63 | 5.91 |
| 21 | WAS | 5.66 | +0.07 | 5.96 | 5.18 | 5.77 | 4.94 | 5.69 | 5.80 | 6.27 |
| 22 | NYG | 5.68 | −0.05 | 5.37 | 6.25 | 5.96 | 5.78 | 5.28 | 5.49 | 5.61 |
| 23 | JAX | 5.70 | +0.02 | 5.36 | 5.66 | 5.93 | 6.02 | 5.39 | 6.13 | 5.42 |
| 24 | DET | 5.70 | −0.06 | 5.66 | 6.03 | 5.79 | 5.93 | 5.46 | 5.54 | 5.50 |
| 25 | LAR | 5.71 | +0.09 | 5.47 | 5.19 | 5.94 | 5.86 | 5.57 | 6.06 | 5.87 |
| 26 | MIN | 5.71 | −0.07 | 5.94 | 5.83 | 5.79 | 5.65 | 5.68 | 5.65 | 5.44 |
| 27 | LV | 5.75 | −0.03 | 5.61 | 6.05 | 5.85 | 5.79 | 5.73 | 5.43 | 5.82 |
| 28 | SEA | 5.78 | −0.06 | 5.37 | 6.22 | 6.17 | 5.80 | 6.14 | 5.31 | 5.45 |
| 29 | ARI | 5.79 | −0.00 | 5.93 | 5.88 | 5.63 | 5.46 | 5.82 | 6.04 | 5.75 |
| 30 | ATL | 5.81 | +0.02 | 5.42 | 5.76 | 6.12 | 6.29 | 5.44 | 5.91 | 5.75 |
| 31 | GB | 5.85 | +0.08 | 5.54 | 5.96 | 5.82 | 5.49 | 6.01 | 5.61 | 6.48 |
| 32 | KC | 5.91 | −0.05 | 6.17 | 5.88 | 6.09 | 5.83 | 5.64 | 6.03 | 5.75 |
Multi-year heatmap
32 teams across 7 seasons. Cells colored by quintile within each season; click a column header to jump to that year.
| Team | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NE | 4.72 | 6.04 | 5.55 | 5.47 | 5.11 | 5.96 | 5.52 |
| PHI | 5.03 | 5.26 | 5.79 | 5.80 | 6.22 | 5.54 | 5.83 |
| CAR | 5.06 | 6.11 | 5.06 | 5.53 | 5.22 | 6.01 | 5.87 |
| NYJ | 5.19 | 5.87 | 5.90 | 5.50 | 4.97 | 5.93 | 5.63 |
| BUF | 5.21 | 6.04 | 5.33 | 5.75 | 5.47 | 6.01 | 5.37 |
| TB | 5.21 | 5.61 | 5.62 | 5.36 | 5.82 | 5.69 | 5.38 |
| CIN | 5.26 | 5.53 | 5.51 | 5.48 | 5.55 | 5.75 | 5.59 |
| SF | 5.33 | 5.12 | 5.52 | 5.44 | 5.91 | 5.62 | 5.99 |
| PIT | 5.36 | 5.24 | 5.60 | 5.63 | 5.61 | 5.60 | 6.13 |
| JAX | 5.36 | 5.66 | 5.93 | 6.02 | 5.39 | 6.13 | 5.42 |
| NYG | 5.37 | 6.25 | 5.96 | 5.78 | 5.28 | 5.49 | 5.61 |
| SEA | 5.37 | 6.22 | 6.17 | 5.80 | 6.14 | 5.31 | 5.45 |
| CLE | 5.40 | 6.16 | 5.72 | 5.42 | 4.31 | 4.72 | 4.90 |
| ATL | 5.42 | 5.76 | 6.12 | 6.29 | 5.44 | 5.91 | 5.75 |
| BAL | 5.43 | 5.90 | 5.17 | 5.87 | 5.58 | 5.63 | 5.91 |
| CHI | 5.45 | 5.48 | 5.42 | 5.62 | 5.39 | 5.46 | 5.49 |
| LAC | 5.47 | 5.55 | 5.96 | 5.20 | 5.70 | 5.64 | 5.28 |
| LAR | 5.47 | 5.19 | 5.94 | 5.86 | 5.57 | 6.06 | 5.87 |
| TEN | 5.48 | 6.29 | 5.46 | 5.69 | 6.05 | 5.20 | 5.24 |
| MIA | 5.48 | 5.31 | 5.47 | 5.68 | 5.39 | 5.43 | 5.71 |
| IND | 5.53 | 5.64 | 5.67 | 5.35 | 5.45 | 5.47 | 6.19 |
| GB | 5.54 | 5.96 | 5.82 | 5.49 | 6.01 | 5.61 | 6.48 |
| LV | 5.61 | 6.05 | 5.85 | 5.79 | 5.73 | 5.43 | 5.82 |
| DET | 5.66 | 6.03 | 5.79 | 5.93 | 5.46 | 5.54 | 5.50 |
| NO | 5.68 | 5.45 | 5.31 | 5.63 | 5.26 | 5.90 | 5.59 |
| DEN | 5.69 | 5.43 | 5.89 | 5.25 | 5.67 | 5.47 | 5.47 |
| DAL | 5.71 | 5.62 | 5.19 | 5.43 | 5.57 | 5.17 | 5.77 |
| HOU | 5.83 | 6.19 | 5.72 | 5.49 | 5.48 | 5.39 | 5.20 |
| ARI | 5.93 | 5.88 | 5.63 | 5.46 | 5.82 | 6.04 | 5.75 |
| MIN | 5.94 | 5.83 | 5.79 | 5.65 | 5.68 | 5.65 | 5.44 |
| WAS | 5.96 | 5.18 | 5.77 | 4.94 | 5.69 | 5.80 | 6.27 |
| KC | 6.17 | 5.88 | 6.09 | 5.83 | 5.64 | 6.03 | 5.75 |
Distribution
How the 32 teams cluster for 2019.
About this stat
- Stat ID
- def_drives_plays_per_drive
- Side
- defensive
- Family
- Drive Averages
- Data source
- P + N
- Polarity
- lower is better
- Display grain
- rate
- Algorithm eligibility
- Algorithm-eligible: this stat can be picked in the Algorithm Builder.