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 — 2020
- League leaderSF 5.12
- League average5.74
- Best to worst1.17
All 32 teams, lower is better.
At a glance — 2020
Where the 32 teams sit on this stat this season.
League leader
SF · 5.12
League laggard
TEN · 6.29
League average
5.74
Spread (max − min)
1.17
All teams — 2020
| Rank | Team | Value | Δ vs avg | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SF | 5.12 | -0.63 | 100% |
| 2 | WAS | 5.18 | -0.56 | 96.8% |
| 3 | LAR | 5.19 | -0.56 | 93.5% |
| 4 | PIT | 5.24 | -0.50 | 90.3% |
| 5 | PHI | 5.26 | -0.48 | 87.1% |
| 6 | MIA | 5.31 | -0.43 | 83.9% |
| 7 | DEN | 5.43 | -0.32 | 80.6% |
| 8 | NO | 5.45 | -0.29 | 77.4% |
| 9 | CHI | 5.48 | -0.27 | 74.2% |
| 10 | CIN | 5.53 | -0.21 | 71% |
| 11 | LAC | 5.55 | -0.19 | 67.7% |
| 12 | TB | 5.61 | -0.13 | 64.5% |
| 13 | DAL | 5.62 | -0.12 | 61.3% |
| 14 | IND | 5.64 | -0.10 | 58.1% |
| 15 | JAX | 5.66 | -0.08 | 54.8% |
| 16 | ATL | 5.76 | 0.02 | 51.6% |
| 17 | MIN | 5.83 | 0.09 | 48.4% |
| 18 | NYJ | 5.87 | 0.13 | 45.2% |
| 19 | ARI | 5.88 | 0.14 | 41.9% |
| 20 | KC | 5.88 | 0.14 | 38.7% |
| 21 | BAL | 5.90 | 0.16 | 35.5% |
| 22 | GB | 5.96 | 0.22 | 32.3% |
| 23 | DET | 6.03 | 0.29 | 29% |
| 24 | BUF | 6.04 | 0.29 | 25.8% |
| 25 | NE | 6.04 | 0.30 | 22.6% |
| 26 | LV | 6.05 | 0.31 | 19.4% |
| 27 | CAR | 6.11 | 0.37 | 16.1% |
| 28 | CLE | 6.16 | 0.41 | 12.9% |
| 29 | HOU | 6.19 | 0.45 | 9.7% |
| 30 | SEA | 6.22 | 0.48 | 6.5% |
| 31 | NYG | 6.25 | 0.51 | 3.2% |
| 32 | TEN | 6.29 | 0.54 | 0% |
Year-over-year — 2020 vs 2019
Biggest movers from last season.
Biggest riser
NE · +1.33
Biggest faller
WAS · −0.78
Most consistent
CHI · +0.03
League trend 2020 vs 2019
▲ 0.26
YoY by team — 2020 vs 2019
| Rank | Team | 2020 | 2019 | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NE | 6.04 | 4.72 | +1.33 |
| 2 | CAR | 6.11 | 5.06 | +1.05 |
| 3 | NYG | 6.25 | 5.37 | +0.88 |
| 4 | SEA | 6.22 | 5.37 | +0.85 |
| 5 | BUF | 6.04 | 5.21 | +0.83 |
| 6 | TEN | 6.29 | 5.48 | +0.81 |
| 7 | CLE | 6.16 | 5.40 | +0.76 |
| 8 | NYJ | 5.87 | 5.19 | +0.68 |
| 9 | BAL | 5.90 | 5.43 | +0.47 |
| 10 | LV | 6.05 | 5.61 | +0.44 |
| 11 | GB | 5.96 | 5.54 | +0.43 |
| 12 | TB | 5.61 | 5.21 | +0.40 |
| 13 | DET | 6.03 | 5.66 | +0.37 |
| 14 | HOU | 6.19 | 5.83 | +0.36 |
| 15 | ATL | 5.76 | 5.42 | +0.34 |
| 16 | JAX | 5.66 | 5.36 | +0.30 |
| 17 | CIN | 5.53 | 5.26 | +0.27 |
| 18 | PHI | 5.26 | 5.03 | +0.23 |
| 19 | IND | 5.64 | 5.53 | +0.11 |
| 20 | LAC | 5.55 | 5.47 | +0.08 |
| 21 | CHI | 5.48 | 5.45 | +0.03 |
| 22 | ARI | 5.88 | 5.93 | −0.05 |
| 23 | DAL | 5.62 | 5.71 | −0.09 |
| 24 | MIN | 5.83 | 5.94 | −0.11 |
| 25 | PIT | 5.24 | 5.36 | −0.11 |
| 26 | MIA | 5.31 | 5.48 | −0.17 |
| 27 | SF | 5.12 | 5.33 | −0.21 |
| 28 | NO | 5.45 | 5.68 | −0.23 |
| 29 | DEN | 5.43 | 5.69 | −0.27 |
| 30 | KC | 5.88 | 6.17 | −0.28 |
| 31 | LAR | 5.19 | 5.47 | −0.28 |
| 32 | WAS | 5.18 | 5.96 | −0.78 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF | 5.33 | 5.12 | 5.52 | 5.44 | 5.91 | 5.62 | 5.99 |
| WAS | 5.96 | 5.18 | 5.77 | 4.94 | 5.69 | 5.80 | 6.27 |
| LAR | 5.47 | 5.19 | 5.94 | 5.86 | 5.57 | 6.06 | 5.87 |
| PIT | 5.36 | 5.24 | 5.60 | 5.63 | 5.61 | 5.60 | 6.13 |
| PHI | 5.03 | 5.26 | 5.79 | 5.80 | 6.22 | 5.54 | 5.83 |
| MIA | 5.48 | 5.31 | 5.47 | 5.68 | 5.39 | 5.43 | 5.71 |
| DEN | 5.69 | 5.43 | 5.89 | 5.25 | 5.67 | 5.47 | 5.47 |
| NO | 5.68 | 5.45 | 5.31 | 5.63 | 5.26 | 5.90 | 5.59 |
| CHI | 5.45 | 5.48 | 5.42 | 5.62 | 5.39 | 5.46 | 5.49 |
| CIN | 5.26 | 5.53 | 5.51 | 5.48 | 5.55 | 5.75 | 5.59 |
| LAC | 5.47 | 5.55 | 5.96 | 5.20 | 5.70 | 5.64 | 5.28 |
| TB | 5.21 | 5.61 | 5.62 | 5.36 | 5.82 | 5.69 | 5.38 |
| DAL | 5.71 | 5.62 | 5.19 | 5.43 | 5.57 | 5.17 | 5.77 |
| IND | 5.53 | 5.64 | 5.67 | 5.35 | 5.45 | 5.47 | 6.19 |
| JAX | 5.36 | 5.66 | 5.93 | 6.02 | 5.39 | 6.13 | 5.42 |
| ATL | 5.42 | 5.76 | 6.12 | 6.29 | 5.44 | 5.91 | 5.75 |
| MIN | 5.94 | 5.83 | 5.79 | 5.65 | 5.68 | 5.65 | 5.44 |
| NYJ | 5.19 | 5.87 | 5.90 | 5.50 | 4.97 | 5.93 | 5.63 |
| ARI | 5.93 | 5.88 | 5.63 | 5.46 | 5.82 | 6.04 | 5.75 |
| KC | 6.17 | 5.88 | 6.09 | 5.83 | 5.64 | 6.03 | 5.75 |
| BAL | 5.43 | 5.90 | 5.17 | 5.87 | 5.58 | 5.63 | 5.91 |
| GB | 5.54 | 5.96 | 5.82 | 5.49 | 6.01 | 5.61 | 6.48 |
| DET | 5.66 | 6.03 | 5.79 | 5.93 | 5.46 | 5.54 | 5.50 |
| BUF | 5.21 | 6.04 | 5.33 | 5.75 | 5.47 | 6.01 | 5.37 |
| NE | 4.72 | 6.04 | 5.55 | 5.47 | 5.11 | 5.96 | 5.52 |
| LV | 5.61 | 6.05 | 5.85 | 5.79 | 5.73 | 5.43 | 5.82 |
| CAR | 5.06 | 6.11 | 5.06 | 5.53 | 5.22 | 6.01 | 5.87 |
| CLE | 5.40 | 6.16 | 5.72 | 5.42 | 4.31 | 4.72 | 4.90 |
| HOU | 5.83 | 6.19 | 5.72 | 5.49 | 5.48 | 5.39 | 5.20 |
| SEA | 5.37 | 6.22 | 6.17 | 5.80 | 6.14 | 5.31 | 5.45 |
| NYG | 5.37 | 6.25 | 5.96 | 5.78 | 5.28 | 5.49 | 5.61 |
| TEN | 5.48 | 6.29 | 5.46 | 5.69 | 6.05 | 5.20 | 5.24 |
Distribution
How the 32 teams cluster for 2020.
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.