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Kyle Smith | Archive | Email
Staff Writer


Offensive Focus
Run / Pass Ratios for 2012 and the Effect on Your 2013 Draft
6/6/13

The NFL has evolved from a league where analysts were constantly muttering about how running games win championships to one where the passing game has become the priority. While that didn’t change in 2012, teams did seem to put more emphasis on running the ball. Below is a breakdown of the run-to-pass ratio for every NFL squad from last season, sorted by Run%.
 Run / Pass Ratios - 2012
Team Rush Att. Pass Att. Sacks Allowed Total Plays Run % Pass %
Seattle 536 405 33 941 56.96 43.04
Washington 519 442 33 961 54.01 45.99
San Francisco 492 436 41 928 53.02 46.98
Kansas City 500 475 40 975 51.28 48.72
Minnesota 486 483 32 969 50.15 49.85
New York Jets 494 493 47 987 50.05 49.95
Chicago 470 485 44 955 49.21 50.79
Carolina 462 490 36 952 48.53 51.47
Houston 508 554 28 1062 47.83 52.17
Miami 440 504 37 944 46.61 53.39
Buffalo 442 511 30 953 46.38 53.62
Denver 481 588 21 1069 44.99 55.01
New England 523 641 27 1164 44.93 55.07
Cincinnati 430 540 46 970 44.33 55.67
Baltimore 444 560 38 1004 44.22 55.78
San Diego 411 528 49 939 43.77 56.23
Green Bay 433 558 51 991 43.69 56.31
New York Giants 409 539 20 948 43.14 56.86
St. Louis 410 557 35 967 42.40 57.60
Tampa Bay 416 566 26 982 42.36 57.64
Pittsburgh 412 574 37 986 41.78 58.22
Indianapolis 440 628 41 1068 41.20 58.80
Tennessee 378 540 39 918 41.18 58.82
Cleveland 396 566 36 962 41.16 58.84
Philadelphia 413 618 48 1031 40.10 59.90
Atlanta 378 615 28 993 38.07 61.93
Jacksonville 358 586 50 944 37.92 62.08
Oakland 376 629 27 1005 37.41 62.59
Arizona 352 608 58 960 36.66 63.34
New Orleans 370 671 26 1041 35.54 64.46
Dallas 355 658 36 1013 35.04 64.96
Detroit 391 740 29 1131 34.57 65.43

There were six teams that had more running plays than passing plays in 2012, which is double the number from 2011. Will that trend continue in 2013? Let’s take a look at what this collective information could mean for 2013.

  1. Option quarterbacks will go early: Three of the six teams (Seattle, San Francisco, Washington) that had more running plays than passing plays last season utilized option-style quarterbacks. Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III each ran for more than 400 yards with at least four touchdowns. With rushing scores being more valuable than passing scores, it behooves fantasy owners to snag a running QB. Cam Newton has proven his worth this way in the past couple of seasons, and even Andrew Luck ran for five touchdowns last year. But fantasy owners should be wary of reaching for the new-school quarterbacks—we aren’t sure how quickly defenses will adapt, and the risk of injury is, obviously, much higher.

  2. The coaching carousel will have a strong effect on teams' run-to-pass ratio: There have been eight head coaching changes in the NFL this season, and a whopping 13 teams have different offensive coordinators than last year. In Arizona, new head coach Bruce Arians should help Carson Palmer stay relevant while renewing Larry Fitzgerald’s fantasy status because, as his run/pass numbers from last year with the Colts suggest, his offenses will throw the ball. Jacksonville hired former Seattle defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, and that means there’s little doubt the Jags will throw the ball far less than 62 percent of the time, which is what they did last season. Under Mike McCoy, the Chargers should see an uptick in running plays, while in Kansas City, it’s hard to believe Andy Reid will do anything but drastically increase the percentage of that team’s passing plays.

  3. Rookie running backs will have more of an impact than one might think: Though there are almost always impact rookie running backs, this year’s draft was a bit different in that not one back went in the first round. It’s easy to think that may mean a lack of impact rookie runners, but don’t be misled—we will continue to see first-year backs be effective in fantasy. Denver ran the ball nearly 45 percent of the time last season, and that was with a mediocre stable of backs. Montee Ball should take a large percentage of those carries this season, and his nose for the end zone makes him highly valuable. Le’Veon Bell takes over for a Steelers squad that should run more than 41 percent of the time, Eddie Lacy will get goal-line carries in Green Bay, and don’t overlook Joseph Randle in Dallas, who is behind the oft-injured DeMarco Murray and on a team that figures to put more emphasis on their running game this year.

  4. Success of free agents will depend on team as much as talent: A number of high-profile and productive players changed squads through free agency, and the teams they went to will impact how much fantasy owners can get out of them this season. Steven Jackson landed in Atlanta, and even though he remains productive for a long-time veteran back, the Falcons are a throwing team, having chucked it almost 62 percent of the time last year. Greg Jennings headed to Minnesota, and he should see a downturn in his production on a team that runs the ball so often. The opposite should be true for Danny Amendola, who is the perfect replacement for Wes Welker in New England and who should come close to the 100-catch mark if he stays healthy.

Fantasy drafts are constantly evolving from the early days when running backs were almost always the players selected (with exceptions) in the earliest rounds. The trend then went to drafting wideouts with those early picks, then on to passing quarterbacks and tight ends. Now, with the option quarterback taking over, those players will be coveted, and over-drafting becomes a real concern. Gathering as much information as possible is key, and knowing which teams are likely to use their players in the best possible way is more important than ever.