Defensive: Drive Averages · Points avg (allowed)
What Points avg (allowed) is
Points allowed per opponent drive: points allowed divided by the number of drives opponents had against this defense. The cleanest single measure of a defense, because it ignores how often the opponent had the ball.
Lower is better. It is a rate, so a team's number does not grow with games played. Source: P + N.
In 2025 the Seahawks led at 1.50; the league average was 2.15.
League snapshot — 2025
All 32 teams, lower is better.
| Rank | Team | Value | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SEA | 1.50 | 17 |
| 2 | HOU | 1.56 | 17 |
| 3 | DEN | 1.61 | 17 |
| 4 | JAX | 1.77 | 17 |
| 5 | PHI | 1.78 | 17 |
| 6 | MIN | 1.78 | 17 |
| 7 | NE | 1.83 | 17 |
| 8 | CLE | 1.87 | 17 |
| 9 | LAC | 1.88 | 17 |
| 10 | LAR | 1.90 | 17 |
| 11 | KC | 1.93 | 17 |
| 12 | BUF | 2.06 | 17 |
| 13 | NO | 2.08 | 17 |
| 14 | PIT | 2.15 | 17 |
| 15 | SF | 2.18 | 17 |
| 16 | DET | 2.19 | 17 |
| 17 | BAL | 2.19 | 17 |
| 18 | ATL | 2.20 | 17 |
| 19 | GB | 2.21 | 17 |
| 20 | CHI | 2.23 | 17 |
| 21 | TB | 2.23 | 17 |
| 22 | CAR | 2.24 | 17 |
| 23 | IND | 2.31 | 17 |
| 24 | MIA | 2.38 | 17 |
| 25 | NYG | 2.39 | 17 |
| 26 | LV | 2.39 | 17 |
| 27 | TEN | 2.53 | 17 |
| 28 | WAS | 2.64 | 17 |
| 29 | CIN | 2.66 | 17 |
| 30 | ARI | 2.67 | 17 |
| 31 | NYJ | 2.69 | 17 |
| 32 | DAL | 2.87 | 17 |
At a glance — 2025
Where the 32 teams sit on this stat this season.
All teams — 2025
| Rank | Team | Value | Δ vs avg | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SEA | 1.50 | -0.66 | 100% |
| 2 | HOU | 1.56 | -0.59 | 96.8% |
| 3 | DEN | 1.61 | -0.54 | 93.5% |
| 4 | JAX | 1.77 | -0.38 | 90.3% |
| 5 | PHI | 1.78 | -0.38 | 87.1% |
| 6 | MIN | 1.78 | -0.37 | 83.9% |
| 7 | NE | 1.83 | -0.32 | 80.6% |
| 8 | CLE | 1.87 | -0.29 | 77.4% |
| 9 | LAC | 1.88 | -0.27 | 74.2% |
| 10 | LAR | 1.90 | -0.25 | 71% |
| 11 | KC | 1.93 | -0.22 | 67.7% |
| 12 | BUF | 2.06 | -0.09 | 64.5% |
| 13 | NO | 2.08 | -0.07 | 61.3% |
| 14 | PIT | 2.15 | 0.00 | 58.1% |
| 15 | SF | 2.18 | 0.03 | 54.8% |
| 16 | DET | 2.19 | 0.03 | 51.6% |
| 17 | BAL | 2.19 | 0.03 | 48.4% |
| 18 | ATL | 2.20 | 0.05 | 45.2% |
| 19 | GB | 2.21 | 0.06 | 41.9% |
| 20 | CHI | 2.23 | 0.08 | 38.7% |
| 21 | TB | 2.23 | 0.08 | 35.5% |
| 22 | CAR | 2.24 | 0.08 | 32.3% |
| 23 | IND | 2.31 | 0.16 | 29% |
| 24 | MIA | 2.38 | 0.23 | 25.8% |
| 25 | NYG | 2.39 | 0.23 | 22.6% |
| 26 | LV | 2.39 | 0.23 | 19.4% |
| 27 | TEN | 2.53 | 0.38 | 16.1% |
| 28 | WAS | 2.64 | 0.48 | 12.9% |
| 29 | CIN | 2.66 | 0.51 | 9.7% |
| 30 | ARI | 2.67 | 0.51 | 6.5% |
| 31 | NYJ | 2.69 | 0.54 | 3.2% |
| 32 | DAL | 2.87 | 0.72 | 0% |
Does Points avg (allowed) matter against the spread?
Run as a one-stat algorithm against the closing line, this stat went 874–704–37 ATS (55.4%) across 2020–2025, #61 of 296 ranked.
Its best season was 2020 (158–96, 62.2%); its worst 2023 (134–124, 51.9%).
For picks, this is a strong signal. One stat is not a recipe — the algorithms combine many.
| Season | Games | ATS record | ATS % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 256 | 158–96–2 | 62.2% |
| 2021 | 272 | 146–124–2 | 54.1% |
| 2022 | 271 | 145–119–7 | 54.9% |
| 2023 | 272 | 134–124–14 | 51.9% |
| 2024 | 272 | 145–118–9 | 55.1% |
| 2025 | 272 | 146–123–3 | 54.3% |
Points avg (allowed) in 2025 vs 2024
Seahawks lead at 1.50 — they ranked #6 last year. Cowboys are last at 2.87 — #27 last year.
The league average is 2.15, up 0.05 from 2.10 last year.
Biggest riser: Jaguars, #30 → #4. Biggest faller: Packers, #5 → #19.
Spread between first and last: 1.37; 20 teams are within 0.34 of the average.
Year-over-year — 2025 vs 2024
Biggest movers from last season.
YoY by team — 2025 vs 2024
| Rank | Team | 2025 | 2024 | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DAL | 2.87 | 2.35 | +0.52 |
| 2 | ARI | 2.67 | 2.22 | +0.45 |
| 3 | WAS | 2.64 | 2.21 | +0.43 |
| 4 | NYJ | 2.69 | 2.27 | +0.42 |
| 5 | MIA | 2.38 | 1.98 | +0.40 |
| 6 | GB | 2.21 | 1.85 | +0.36 |
| 7 | CIN | 2.66 | 2.32 | +0.34 |
| 8 | DET | 2.19 | 1.87 | +0.32 |
| 9 | BAL | 2.19 | 1.92 | +0.27 |
| 10 | PIT | 2.15 | 1.89 | +0.26 |
| 11 | CHI | 2.23 | 1.98 | +0.25 |
| 12 | LAC | 1.88 | 1.65 | +0.22 |
| 13 | IND | 2.31 | 2.12 | +0.19 |
| 14 | NYG | 2.39 | 2.21 | +0.18 |
| 15 | TB | 2.23 | 2.08 | +0.15 |
| 16 | TEN | 2.53 | 2.40 | +0.13 |
| 17 | LV | 2.39 | 2.28 | +0.10 |
| 18 | PHI | 1.78 | 1.68 | +0.09 |
| 19 | DEN | 1.61 | 1.57 | +0.04 |
| 20 | MIN | 1.78 | 1.75 | +0.03 |
| 21 | KC | 1.93 | 1.93 | +0.00 |
| 22 | NO | 2.08 | 2.13 | −0.05 |
| 23 | BUF | 2.06 | 2.11 | −0.05 |
| 24 | CLE | 1.87 | 2.03 | −0.17 |
| 25 | ATL | 2.20 | 2.38 | −0.17 |
| 26 | SF | 2.18 | 2.41 | −0.23 |
| 27 | LAR | 1.90 | 2.23 | −0.33 |
| 28 | SEA | 1.50 | 1.85 | −0.35 |
| 29 | HOU | 1.56 | 1.92 | −0.36 |
| 30 | NE | 1.83 | 2.34 | −0.51 |
| 31 | CAR | 2.24 | 2.83 | −0.59 |
| 32 | JAX | 1.77 | 2.40 | −0.63 |
Multi-year context
7-year window (2020–2026)
Multi-year averages
| Rank | Team | Avg | Slope/yr | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BAL | 1.89 | +0.06 | 1.76 | 1.98 | 1.78 | 1.41 | 1.92 | 2.19 | 2.16 |
| 2 | NE | 1.90 | −0.02 | 2.21 | 1.64 | 1.76 | 1.75 | 2.34 | 1.83 | 1.74 |
| 3 | DEN | 1.90 | −0.07 | 2.35 | 1.85 | 1.77 | 2.19 | 1.57 | 1.61 | 1.95 |
| 4 | PIT | 1.90 | +0.04 | 1.65 | 2.01 | 1.93 | 1.71 | 1.89 | 2.15 | 1.95 |
| 5 | SEA | 1.91 | −0.07 | 2.08 | 1.90 | 2.11 | 2.17 | 1.85 | 1.50 | 1.75 |
| 6 | KC | 1.92 | −0.05 | 2.10 | 2.10 | 1.98 | 1.61 | 1.93 | 1.93 | 1.79 |
| 7 | SF | 1.94 | +0.02 | 2.04 | 1.96 | 1.48 | 1.70 | 2.41 | 2.18 | 1.79 |
| 8 | MIN | 1.94 | −0.21 | 2.71 | 2.15 | 2.17 | 1.91 | 1.75 | 1.78 | 1.14 |
| 9 | TB | 1.95 | +0.04 | 1.96 | 1.82 | 1.81 | 1.76 | 2.08 | 2.23 | 2.00 |
| 10 | BUF | 1.98 | +0.10 | 2.21 | 1.53 | 1.65 | 1.69 | 2.11 | 2.06 | 2.61 |
| 11 | NO | 1.98 | +0.12 | 1.86 | 1.68 | 1.82 | 1.65 | 2.13 | 2.08 | 2.65 |
| 12 | PHI | 2.00 | −0.04 | 2.12 | 2.10 | 1.88 | 2.42 | 1.68 | 1.78 | 2.00 |
| 13 | CLE | 2.00 | −0.07 | 2.51 | 2.03 | 2.02 | 1.57 | 2.03 | 1.87 | 1.96 |
| 14 | LAR | 2.00 | +0.06 | 1.57 | 1.99 | 2.17 | 1.97 | 2.23 | 1.90 | 2.18 |
| 15 | GB | 2.06 | −0.04 | 2.26 | 2.10 | 2.08 | 2.00 | 1.85 | 2.21 | 1.93 |
| 16 | HOU | 2.07 | −0.13 | 2.73 | 2.38 | 2.07 | 1.79 | 1.92 | 1.56 | 2.07 |
| 17 | LAC | 2.08 | −0.09 | 2.39 | 2.49 | 2.01 | 2.07 | 1.65 | 1.88 | 2.08 |
| 18 | JAX | 2.10 | −0.17 | 2.67 | 2.57 | 1.91 | 1.88 | 2.40 | 1.77 | 1.46 |
| 19 | CHI | 2.12 | −0.04 | 2.02 | 2.22 | 2.54 | 1.98 | 1.98 | 2.23 | 1.85 |
| 20 | NYG | 2.13 | −0.00 | 2.15 | 2.20 | 2.02 | 1.99 | 2.21 | 2.39 | 1.96 |
| 21 | MIA | 2.14 | +0.13 | 1.83 | 1.92 | 2.12 | 2.03 | 1.98 | 2.38 | 2.75 |
| 22 | IND | 2.16 | +0.07 | 2.08 | 1.97 | 2.11 | 2.01 | 2.12 | 2.31 | 2.46 |
| 23 | CIN | 2.17 | +0.05 | 2.33 | 1.94 | 1.79 | 2.03 | 2.32 | 2.66 | 2.10 |
| 24 | NYJ | 2.17 | −0.05 | 2.54 | 2.64 | 1.61 | 1.64 | 2.27 | 2.69 | 1.81 |
| 25 | TEN | 2.19 | +0.02 | 2.57 | 1.86 | 1.87 | 2.04 | 2.40 | 2.53 | 2.10 |
| 26 | DAL | 2.24 | +0.12 | 2.54 | 1.73 | 1.70 | 1.75 | 2.35 | 2.87 | 2.72 |
| 27 | ATL | 2.25 | −0.04 | 2.34 | 2.54 | 2.26 | 1.89 | 2.38 | 2.20 | 2.14 |
| 28 | CAR | 2.26 | +0.02 | 2.45 | 2.02 | 1.90 | 2.21 | 2.83 | 2.24 | 2.18 |
| 29 | WAS | 2.26 | +0.12 | 1.72 | 2.37 | 1.72 | 2.66 | 2.21 | 2.64 | 2.53 |
| 30 | LV | 2.30 | −0.06 | 2.81 | 2.35 | 2.27 | 1.77 | 2.28 | 2.39 | 2.22 |
| 31 | DET | 2.39 | −0.07 | 2.98 | 2.52 | 2.37 | 2.09 | 1.87 | 2.19 | 2.74 |
| 32 | ARI | 2.40 | +0.14 | 2.06 | 2.01 | 2.31 | 2.53 | 2.22 | 2.67 | 3.00 |
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 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEA | 2.08 | 1.90 | 2.11 | 2.17 | 1.85 | 1.50 | 1.75 |
| HOU | 2.73 | 2.38 | 2.07 | 1.79 | 1.92 | 1.56 | 2.07 |
| DEN | 2.35 | 1.85 | 1.77 | 2.19 | 1.57 | 1.61 | 1.95 |
| JAX | 2.67 | 2.57 | 1.91 | 1.88 | 2.40 | 1.77 | 1.46 |
| PHI | 2.12 | 2.10 | 1.88 | 2.42 | 1.68 | 1.78 | 2.00 |
| MIN | 2.71 | 2.15 | 2.17 | 1.91 | 1.75 | 1.78 | 1.14 |
| NE | 2.21 | 1.64 | 1.76 | 1.75 | 2.34 | 1.83 | 1.74 |
| CLE | 2.51 | 2.03 | 2.02 | 1.57 | 2.03 | 1.87 | 1.96 |
| LAC | 2.39 | 2.49 | 2.01 | 2.07 | 1.65 | 1.88 | 2.08 |
| LAR | 1.57 | 1.99 | 2.17 | 1.97 | 2.23 | 1.90 | 2.18 |
| KC | 2.10 | 2.10 | 1.98 | 1.61 | 1.93 | 1.93 | 1.79 |
| BUF | 2.21 | 1.53 | 1.65 | 1.69 | 2.11 | 2.06 | 2.61 |
| NO | 1.86 | 1.68 | 1.82 | 1.65 | 2.13 | 2.08 | 2.65 |
| PIT | 1.65 | 2.01 | 1.93 | 1.71 | 1.89 | 2.15 | 1.95 |
| SF | 2.04 | 1.96 | 1.48 | 1.70 | 2.41 | 2.18 | 1.79 |
| DET | 2.98 | 2.52 | 2.37 | 2.09 | 1.87 | 2.19 | 2.74 |
| BAL | 1.76 | 1.98 | 1.78 | 1.41 | 1.92 | 2.19 | 2.16 |
| ATL | 2.34 | 2.54 | 2.26 | 1.89 | 2.38 | 2.20 | 2.14 |
| GB | 2.26 | 2.10 | 2.08 | 2.00 | 1.85 | 2.21 | 1.93 |
| CHI | 2.02 | 2.22 | 2.54 | 1.98 | 1.98 | 2.23 | 1.85 |
| TB | 1.96 | 1.82 | 1.81 | 1.76 | 2.08 | 2.23 | 2.00 |
| CAR | 2.45 | 2.02 | 1.90 | 2.21 | 2.83 | 2.24 | 2.18 |
| IND | 2.08 | 1.97 | 2.11 | 2.01 | 2.12 | 2.31 | 2.46 |
| MIA | 1.83 | 1.92 | 2.12 | 2.03 | 1.98 | 2.38 | 2.75 |
| NYG | 2.15 | 2.20 | 2.02 | 1.99 | 2.21 | 2.39 | 1.96 |
| LV | 2.81 | 2.35 | 2.27 | 1.77 | 2.28 | 2.39 | 2.22 |
| TEN | 2.57 | 1.86 | 1.87 | 2.04 | 2.40 | 2.53 | 2.10 |
| WAS | 1.72 | 2.37 | 1.72 | 2.66 | 2.21 | 2.64 | 2.53 |
| CIN | 2.33 | 1.94 | 1.79 | 2.03 | 2.32 | 2.66 | 2.10 |
| ARI | 2.06 | 2.01 | 2.31 | 2.53 | 2.22 | 2.67 | 3.00 |
| NYJ | 2.54 | 2.64 | 1.61 | 1.64 | 2.27 | 2.69 | 1.81 |
| DAL | 2.54 | 1.73 | 1.70 | 1.75 | 2.35 | 2.87 | 2.72 |
Points avg (allowed) since 2018
Leaders since 2018: 2018 Bears (1.50), 2019 Patriots (1.14), 2020 Rams (1.57), 2021 Bills (1.53), 2022 49ers (1.48), 2023 Ravens (1.41), 2024 Broncos (1.57), 2025 Seahawks (1.50).
The best season on record is Patriots 2019 at 1.14; the worst Lions 2020 at 2.98.
The league average has risen from 2.04 in 2018 to 2.15 in 2025.
Distribution
How the 32 teams cluster for 2025.
About this stat
- Stat ID
- def_drives_points_avg
- 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.