Analysis

12/24/20

1 min min read

AFC Teams Dominate the Big Play Index

If you're of the opinion that the AFC is where most of the excitement's at in the NFL this season, the Big Play Index backs up that claim. It's no surprise that Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are the best at producing more big plays than they allow, but the stat is dominated by AFC teams.

The 33rd Team introduced the Big Play Index to show how NFL teams stack up in terms of big plays produced and big plays allowed. As a reminder, we are defining a Big Play as a run of 15-plus yards and/or a pass of 20-plus yards.

Six of the eight teams that have produced a Big Play differential that's in double digits hail from the AFC. After a monster Week 15 performance, the Bills jumped from plus-14 to plus-23, just two spots behind the Chiefs.

The only NFC teams inthe top eight are the Rams (plus-21) and Packers (plus-19).

Here are a few interesting notes from this week's numbers:

  • The top five teams in Big Play differential have a combined record of 53-17
  • The bottom five teams have a combined record of 21-48-1
  • Two teams with a winning record have a negative Big Play differential: the Steelers (minus-4) and the Dolphins (minus-22)
  • Only four teams with a losing record have a positive Big Play differential: the 49ers (plus-6) and the Lions, Giants and washington (all at plus-1)

Here's a breakdown of this week's data:


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