Analysis
10/27/21
2 min read
Aikman Efficiency Ratings Paint Green Bay as a Super Bowl Pretender
The 33rd 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%)
Despite jumping out to a 6-1 record and sitting in dominant control of the NFC North division, the Troy Aikman Efficiency Ratings paint Green Bay as a Super Bowl pretender. While Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams have looked like world-beaters on the field, the Packers still rank at No. 19 in the NFL in Aikman's Efficiency Ratings on both offense and defense.
After soaring into the top spot on offense in last week's Efficiency Ratings, the undefeated Arizona Cardinals maintained their No. 1 ranking on offense and No. 3 spot on defense. Meanwhile, their NFC West counterpart and fellow NFC contender, the Los Angeles Rams, inched up the rankings to No. 5 on offense and No. 6 on defense. With two of the most well-rounded teams in the NFL in one division, the rival Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers — who each fancied themselves as a Super Bowl contender — will have a daunting task getting back into the race.
Another pair of division rivals from the AFC North find themselves with top 10 rankings on both sides of the ball. The Ravens (No. 6 offense and No. 8 defense) and Bengals (No. 10 offense and No. 9 defense) are fresh off a surprising result when the Bengals trounced Baltimore this past Sunday.
Other serious contenders by Aikman's metric include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are No. 4 on offense, No. 7 on defense, and No. 1 in Paul Domowitch's NFL Power Rankings this week.
While the Chiefs' last-place defense has been dragging them down for most of the season, the offense has started to lose a bit of luster near the top of the rankings, dropping from No. 3 last week to No. 9 after an abysmal 3 point showing.
For more on the Aikman Efficiency Ratings and the Aikman Foundation, click here.
