What Plays per drive (Off − Def) is

Plays per drive minus plays per drive allowed. Who sustains possessions and who gets off the field.

Higher is better. It is a rate, so a team's number does not grow with games played. Source: P + N.

In 2020 the Chargers led at 0.80; the league average was 0.05.

League snapshot — 2020

League leader

LAC · 0.80

League average

0.05

Best to worst

1.46

All 32 teams, higher is better.

Rank	Team	Value	Games
1	LAC	0.80	16
2	LAR	0.63	16
3	SF	0.57	16
4	WAS	0.51	16
5	DAL	0.48	16
6	KC	0.43	16
7	PHI	0.39	16
8	ATL	0.35	16
9	CHI	0.30	16
10	NO	0.25	16
11	MIA	0.23	16
12	IND	0.20	16
13	CIN	0.19	16
14	PIT	0.16	16
15	JAX	0.10	16
16	ARI	0.08	16
17	NE	0.08	16
18	DEN	0.00	16
19	MIN	-0.05	16
20	CAR	-0.09	16
21	GB	-0.10	16
22	LV	-0.10	16
23	CLE	-0.11	16
24	TB	-0.16	16
25	TEN	-0.19	16
26	BUF	-0.25	16
27	BAL	-0.27	16
28	DET	-0.32	16
29	HOU	-0.51	16
30	NYJ	-0.59	16
31	NYG	-0.63	16
32	SEA	-0.66	16

At a glance — 2020

Where the 32 teams sit on this stat this season.

League leader

LAC · 0.80

League laggard

SEA · -0.66

League average

0.05

Spread (max − min)

1.46

Rank	Team	Value	Δ vs avg	Percentile
1	LAC	0.80	0.74	100%
2	LAR	0.63	0.58	96.8%
3	SF	0.57	0.51	93.5%
4	WAS	0.51	0.46	90.3%
5	DAL	0.48	0.43	87.1%
6	KC	0.43	0.38	83.9%
7	PHI	0.39	0.34	80.6%
8	ATL	0.35	0.29	77.4%
9	CHI	0.30	0.25	74.2%
10	NO	0.25	0.19	71%
11	MIA	0.23	0.18	67.7%
12	IND	0.20	0.15	64.5%
13	CIN	0.19	0.14	61.3%
14	PIT	0.16	0.11	58.1%
15	JAX	0.10	0.04	54.8%
16	ARI	0.08	0.03	51.6%
17	NE	0.08	0.03	48.4%
18	DEN	0.00	-0.05	45.2%
19	MIN	-0.05	-0.10	41.9%
20	CAR	-0.09	-0.14	38.7%
21	GB	-0.10	-0.15	35.5%
22	LV	-0.10	-0.15	32.3%
23	CLE	-0.11	-0.16	29%
24	TB	-0.16	-0.22	25.8%
25	TEN	-0.19	-0.25	22.6%
26	BUF	-0.25	-0.30	19.4%
27	BAL	-0.27	-0.33	16.1%
28	DET	-0.32	-0.37	12.9%
29	HOU	-0.51	-0.56	9.7%
30	NYJ	-0.59	-0.65	6.5%
31	NYG	-0.63	-0.69	3.2%
32	SEA	-0.66	-0.72	0%

Does Plays per drive (Off − Def) matter against the spread?

Run as a one-stat algorithm against the closing line, this stat went 800–778–37 ATS (50.7%) across 2020–2025, #229 of 296 ranked.

Its best season was 2022 (151–113, 57.2%); its worst 2024 (121–142, 46.0%).

For picks, this is noise. One stat is not a recipe — the algorithms combine many.

Season	Games	ATS record	ATS %
2020	256	137–117–2	53.9%
2021	272	131–139–2	48.5%
2022	271	151–113–7	57.2%
2023	272	131–127–14	50.8%
2024	272	121–142–9	46.0%
2025	272	129–140–3	48.0%

Plays per drive (Off − Def) in 2020 vs 2019

Chargers lead at 0.80 — they ranked #5 last year. Seahawks are last at -0.66 — #20 last year.

The league average is 0.05, down 0.03 from 0.09 last year.

Biggest riser: Commanders, #32 → #4. Biggest faller: Ravens, #3 → #27.

Spread between first and last: 1.46; 21 teams are within 0.37 of the average.

Year-over-year — 2020 vs 2019

Biggest movers from last season.

Biggest riser

WAS · +1.59

Biggest faller

BAL · −1.05

Most consistent

CLE · +0.01

League trend 2020 vs 2019

▼ -0.03

Rank	Team	2020	2019	Δ
1	WAS	0.51	-1.08	+1.59
2	KC	0.43	-0.45	+0.88
3	PIT	0.16	-0.41	+0.58
4	SF	0.57	0.05	+0.51
5	ARI	0.08	-0.38	+0.46
6	MIN	-0.05	-0.49	+0.45
7	LAR	0.63	0.19	+0.44
8	NO	0.25	-0.15	+0.40
9	DEN	0.00	-0.30	+0.30
10	TEN	-0.19	-0.46	+0.27
11	MIA	0.23	0.00	+0.23
12	DAL	0.48	0.35	+0.13
13	LAC	0.80	0.70	+0.09
14	CHI	0.30	0.24	+0.06
15	CLE	-0.11	-0.11	+0.01
16	DET	-0.32	-0.20	−0.12
17	JAX	0.10	0.22	−0.13
18	IND	0.20	0.36	−0.16
19	GB	-0.10	0.08	−0.17
20	CIN	0.19	0.37	−0.18
21	NYJ	-0.59	-0.24	−0.35
22	BUF	-0.25	0.10	−0.35
23	LV	-0.10	0.26	−0.36
24	TB	-0.16	0.20	−0.37
25	PHI	0.39	0.78	−0.38
26	ATL	0.35	0.77	−0.42
27	CAR	-0.09	0.44	−0.52
28	HOU	-0.51	0.12	−0.63
29	NYG	-0.63	0.04	−0.67
30	SEA	-0.66	0.03	−0.69
31	NE	0.08	0.95	−0.86
32	BAL	-0.27	0.77	−1.05

Multi-year context

7-year window (2020–2026)

Multi-year leader

DAL · 0.55

Multi-year laggard

SEA · -0.44

Biggest improver

NYG · +0.23/yr

Biggest decliner

PHI · −0.12/yr

Rank	Team	Avg	Slope/yr	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	2026
1	DAL	0.55	+0.01	0.48	0.73	0.21	0.85	0.53	0.46	0.61
2	CHI	0.54	+0.17	0.30	0.55	-0.18	0.50	0.33	0.40	1.86
3	LAC	0.42	−0.06	0.80	0.39	0.78	0.04	-0.19	0.86	0.26
4	ARI	0.33	+0.01	0.08	0.55	0.64	0.10	0.07	0.45	0.41
5	CLE	0.29	−0.04	-0.11	0.07	0.65	0.96	0.85	0.38	-0.78
6	KC	0.26	−0.07	0.43	0.48	0.17	0.25	0.26	0.42	-0.20
7	TB	0.21	+0.08	-0.16	0.13	0.51	-0.20	0.23	0.44	0.51
8	NO	0.19	+0.10	0.25	-0.06	-0.23	0.36	-0.30	0.45	0.88
9	CIN	0.19	+0.05	0.19	-0.05	0.36	-0.06	0.12	0.23	0.52
10	WAS	0.16	−0.10	0.51	0.12	0.82	-0.36	0.36	-0.41	0.05
11	LAR	0.14	+0.03	0.63	-0.27	-0.29	0.33	-0.05	-0.03	0.69
12	DET	0.10	+0.01	-0.32	0.11	0.17	0.49	0.50	0.11	-0.35
13	NYG	0.10	+0.23	-0.63	-0.47	0.23	-0.03	0.16	0.66	0.76
14	CAR	0.09	+0.01	-0.09	0.58	-0.48	0.86	-0.73	0.09	0.42
15	NE	0.09	+0.05	0.08	0.38	-0.34	-0.12	-0.25	0.25	0.63
16	IND	0.09	−0.02	0.20	0.13	0.26	0.07	-0.14	-0.34	0.43
17	BUF	0.08	−0.09	-0.25	0.62	0.14	0.57	-0.20	0.72	-1.06
18	PHI	0.07	−0.12	0.39	0.30	0.14	-0.05	0.43	-0.27	-0.48
19	MIA	0.06	−0.07	0.23	0.30	-0.15	0.18	0.48	-0.39	-0.21
20	SF	0.00	−0.12	0.57	0.00	0.10	-0.34	0.10	0.23	-0.66
21	DEN	-0.02	−0.04	0.00	0.25	0.07	-0.40	-0.01	0.21	-0.27
22	PIT	-0.07	−0.06	0.16	-0.15	0.45	-0.41	0.01	-0.65	0.07
23	JAX	-0.08	−0.02	0.10	-0.24	-0.13	0.27	-0.53	0.26	-0.27
24	MIN	-0.08	+0.04	-0.05	-0.36	-0.13	0.26	-0.29	-0.31	0.32
25	BAL	-0.08	−0.09	-0.27	0.84	-0.18	-0.20	0.02	-0.54	-0.24
26	ATL	-0.09	−0.01	0.35	-0.54	-0.40	0.06	0.33	-0.12	-0.30
27	LV	-0.09	−0.01	-0.10	-0.21	0.27	-0.16	0.09	-0.65	0.11
28	GB	-0.10	−0.11	-0.10	0.19	0.29	-0.03	0.00	-0.53	-0.50
29	TEN	-0.11	−0.02	-0.19	0.59	-0.56	-0.61	0.14	0.19	-0.35
30	HOU	-0.13	+0.12	-0.51	-0.45	-0.38	0.10	0.03	0.39	-0.12
31	NYJ	-0.24	+0.03	-0.59	-0.38	-0.05	0.03	-0.14	-0.15	-0.42
32	SEA	-0.44	+0.13	-0.66	-1.18	-0.28	-0.64	0.05	-0.11	-0.26

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
LAC	0.80	0.39	0.78	0.04	-0.19	0.86	0.26
LAR	0.63	-0.27	-0.29	0.33	-0.05	-0.03	0.69
SF	0.57	0.00	0.10	-0.34	0.10	0.23	-0.66
WAS	0.51	0.12	0.82	-0.36	0.36	-0.41	0.05
DAL	0.48	0.73	0.21	0.85	0.53	0.46	0.61
KC	0.43	0.48	0.17	0.25	0.26	0.42	-0.20
PHI	0.39	0.30	0.14	-0.05	0.43	-0.27	-0.48
ATL	0.35	-0.54	-0.40	0.06	0.33	-0.12	-0.30
CHI	0.30	0.55	-0.18	0.50	0.33	0.40	1.86
NO	0.25	-0.06	-0.23	0.36	-0.30	0.45	0.88
MIA	0.23	0.30	-0.15	0.18	0.48	-0.39	-0.21
IND	0.20	0.13	0.26	0.07	-0.14	-0.34	0.43
CIN	0.19	-0.05	0.36	-0.06	0.12	0.23	0.52
PIT	0.16	-0.15	0.45	-0.41	0.01	-0.65	0.07
JAX	0.10	-0.24	-0.13	0.27	-0.53	0.26	-0.27
ARI	0.08	0.55	0.64	0.10	0.07	0.45	0.41
NE	0.08	0.38	-0.34	-0.12	-0.25	0.25	0.63
DEN	0.00	0.25	0.07	-0.40	-0.01	0.21	-0.27
MIN	-0.05	-0.36	-0.13	0.26	-0.29	-0.31	0.32
CAR	-0.09	0.58	-0.48	0.86	-0.73	0.09	0.42
GB	-0.10	0.19	0.29	-0.03	0.00	-0.53	-0.50
LV	-0.10	-0.21	0.27	-0.16	0.09	-0.65	0.11
CLE	-0.11	0.07	0.65	0.96	0.85	0.38	-0.78
TB	-0.16	0.13	0.51	-0.20	0.23	0.44	0.51
TEN	-0.19	0.59	-0.56	-0.61	0.14	0.19	-0.35
BUF	-0.25	0.62	0.14	0.57	-0.20	0.72	-1.06
BAL	-0.27	0.84	-0.18	-0.20	0.02	-0.54	-0.24
DET	-0.32	0.11	0.17	0.49	0.50	0.11	-0.35
HOU	-0.51	-0.45	-0.38	0.10	0.03	0.39	-0.12
NYJ	-0.59	-0.38	-0.05	0.03	-0.14	-0.15	-0.42
NYG	-0.63	-0.47	0.23	-0.03	0.16	0.66	0.76
SEA	-0.66	-1.18	-0.28	-0.64	0.05	-0.11	-0.26

Plays per drive (Off − Def) since 2018

Leaders since 2018: 2018 Ravens (0.97), 2019 Patriots (0.95), 2020 Chargers (0.80).

The best season on record is Ravens 2018 at 0.97; the worst Commanders 2019 at -1.08.

The league average has fallen from 0.08 in 2018 to 0.05 in 2020.

Distribution

How the 32 teams cluster for 2020.

About this stat

Stat ID: net_plays_per_drive
Side: net
Family: NET (Off − Def)
Data source: P + N
Polarity: higher is better (or neutral)
Display grain: rate
Algorithm eligibility: Algorithm-eligible: this stat can be picked in the Algorithm Builder.