Analysis
1/11/22
2 min read
Troy Aikman's Efficiency Ratings Paint Buffalo and Tampa Bay As Top Super Bowl Contenders
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%)
As the season comes to a close, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have finished No. 1 in Troy Aikman's Efficiency Ratings on offense, while the Buffalo Bills finished No. 1 on defense. With both teams holding top 5 rankings on each side of the ball, expect them each to be extremely tough outs in the playoffs.
Heading into the playoffs, five teams stand above the rest of the pack as being in the top 10 on both sides of the ball in Aikman's Efficiency Ratings. Those are Tampa Bay (No. 1 offense and No. 5 defense), Buffalo (No. 2 offense and No. 1 defense), Dallas (No. 4 offense and No. 6 defense), San Francisco (No. 9 offense and No. 8 defense) and New England (No. 10 offense and No. 2 defense).
The lowest ranked playoff team on both sides of the ball is the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are No. 23 on offense and No. 19 on defense. Other notable playoff rankings include the Packers as the No. 8 offense and No. 22 defense, Bengals as the No. 15 offense and No. 16 defense, and Titans as the No. 16 offense and No. 9 defense.
The top team left out of the playoffs on offense is the No. 5 Los Angeles Chargers, while the best defensive team left out of the playoffs is the the No. 4 Denver Broncos.
For more on the Aikman Efficiency Ratings and the Aikman Foundation, click here.
