Week 14 Aikman Efficiency Ratings: Chargers Defense Holding Them Back From Greatness

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%)

Coming off an important AFC victory, the Los Angeles Chargers sit at No. 7 on offense in Troy Aikman's Efficiency Ratings. However, their No. 27-ranked defense may hold them back from true Super Bowl contenders.

For the second week in a row, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers top the Aikman Efficiency Ratings on offense, while the Buffalo Bills sit atop the defensive rankings.

Coming off tightly fought game amidst wind and snow, the New England Patriots are now 1.5 games ahead of Buffalo in the division, but still ever-so-slightly behind them in Aikman's defensive ratings. Meanwhile, New England sits at No. 14 in offensive efficiency, but they can clearly still accomplish wins regardless of their offensive performance, as evidenced by Mac Jones' 3 passing attempts on Monday night. Meanwhile, Buffalo still sits at No. 4 on offense despite their recent slide in the win-loss column.

Other teams sitting in the top 10 in both rankings include Tampa Bay (No. 1 offense and No. 7 defense), Arizona (No. 2 on offense, No. 3 on defense), the Rams (No. 6 on offense and No. 10 on defense), and Cowboys (No. 9 on offense and No. 9 on defense).

Meanwhile, the 9-3 Green Bay Packers may still be feeling some disrespect from the Aikman Efficiency Ratings, sitting at No. 15 on offense and No. 17 on defense.

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