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Q: I've seen some soccer games where they throw up a number showing what percentage of the game was played in each team's half of the field. Can you do something similar for the NFL?
A: Only considering basic offensive plays and counting each play as being worth the same with no regards to the length of time the play lasted, here are the stats from last season --
2001 Regular Season Statistics
Percentage of game in Opponent's Half
| Team |
On Offense |
On Defense |
Overall |
| Tampa Bay |
48% |
59% |
53% |
| Miami |
46% |
59% |
53% |
| Pittsburgh |
48% |
57% |
53% |
| Baltimore |
48% |
56% |
53% |
| New York Jets |
48% |
55% |
52% |
| Washington |
48% |
56% |
52% |
| Oakland |
48% |
55% |
52% |
| St.Louis |
50% |
53% |
52% |
| San Diego |
47% |
56% |
52% |
| Atlanta |
46% |
57% |
52% |
| Philadelphia |
43% |
58% |
51% |
| Kansas City |
44% |
57% |
51% |
| San Francisco |
48% |
53% |
51% |
| Carolina |
44% |
56% |
50% |
| Green Bay |
42% |
57% |
50% |
| Cincinnati |
48% |
52% |
50% |
| Cleveland |
44% |
55% |
50% |
| Chicago |
45% |
54% |
50% |
| New England |
45% |
53% |
50% |
| Seattle |
42% |
55% |
49% |
| New Orleans |
46% |
51% |
49% |
| Indianapolis |
43% |
53% |
49% |
| Jacksonville |
45% |
51% |
49% |
| Arizona |
45% |
51% |
49% |
| New York Giants |
42% |
54% |
48% |
| Tennessee |
44% |
52% |
48% |
| Denver |
40% |
56% |
48% |
| Detroit |
42% |
53% |
48% |
| Dallas |
43% |
49% |
47% |
| Minnesota |
41% |
50% |
46% |
| Buffalo |
38% |
47% |
43% |
ANALYSIS:
Well, last season the "soccer stats" had Baltimore on top and the New York Giants as the leading NFC team, which means they nailed the Super Bowl match-up. This year of course it's a different story, as New England was #19 and St. Louis #8 (although the Rams were #1 in time spent in the opponents half on offense).
Still, there's no denying the value of spending time in the opposition's half -- the top 5 teams have a combined 53-27 record, whereas the bottom 5 teams have an almost reversed 23-57 record.
Teams that are exceptions to the overall rule that "more time spent in the other end of the field leads to more wins than losses" include Washington (8-8 but #6 in the league at 52% in the opponent's half), San Diego (5-11 with 52%), and Atlanta (7-9 with 52%). Whether this means these teams are better than their records or are about to get clobbered remains to be seen...
On the other hand, Denver managed an 8-8 mark (albeit a disappointing season given expectations) but were #27 in the league with only 48% "field position advantage" -- the bad news for the Broncos is that last year's team in this situation was the Minnesota Vikings, who regressed significantly in 2001...an ominous sign for Denver?
For a comparison, check out the 2000 Soccer Style Stats.
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