Aikman Efficiency Ratings: Denver's Offense Holding Them Back From Being a Contender

The 33^rd Team is proud to be home for the Aikman Efficiency Ratings — Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman’s proprietary formula for measuring team offense and team defense in the NFL.

As opposed to just looking at total yards gained and allowed, Aikman combined seven categories, placing more emphasis on some:

Points per game (20%)
Points Per Red-Zone Possession (20%)
Turnovers (20%)
Yards per Rush (10%)
Yards per Pass (10%)
Third-Down Percentage (10%)
First Downs (10%)

The most uneven teams by Aikman's Efficiency Ratings are the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 6 on offense, and No. 25 on defense), and Denver Broncos (No. 22 on offense and No. 4 on defense). The Broncos sit at 5-4 and are squarely in contention to win the AFC West after knocking off the Cowboys, but the offense will need to improve for them to keep pace in a hotly contested division.

Despite playing without Kyler Murray on Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals played an excellent game to dominate the San Francisco 49ers. In the process they overtook the Buffalo Bills for the top spot in Troy Aikman's Efficiency Ratings for Week 10.

The Cardinals currently sit at No. 1 on offense and No. 2 on defense, showing an all-around dominance rivaled by no other team in the NFL. They'll face an uneven Panthers squad this week that sits at No. 7 on defense, but has struggled on offense with a No. 28 ranking.

While Buffalo dropped from their perch at the top of the rankings, they still sit at No. 1 on defense after falling victim to a trap game against Jacksonville. The Bills are still considered a serious contender by the Aikman Efficiency Ratings, sitting at No. 5 on offense despite their 6-point showing on Sunday.

Other teams sitting in the top 10 on both offense and defense include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 2 on offense and No. 8 on defense), Baltimore Ravens (No. 3 on offense and No. 9 on defense) and Los Angeles Rams (No. 5 on offense and No. 6 on defense). Those 5 contending teams were all in the top 5 on both sides of the ball this past week as well, and their overall body of work paints them as the elite tier of the league in spite of this week's results.

Some other notable rankings in Week 10 include the 7-2 Green Bay Packers sitting at No. 21 on offense and No. 17 on defense, while the 7-2 Tennessee Titans are getting it done with balance, sitting at No. 10 on offense and No. 13 on defense.

For more on the Aikman Efficiency Ratings and the Aikman Foundation, click here.