A couple weeks ago I took a look at how well the Colts did in situational 3rd down defense, and it was not pretty. I wanted to see if those bad numbers were paralleled by any other team, or they were really that bad on Third down. Here's what I found:
Colts |
||||
Run | Pass | Total | ||
Short (≤ 3) | 32 |
29 |
31 |
|
Middle (4 - 7) | 18(T) |
19 |
21 |
|
Long (8+) | 1(T) |
23 |
17 |
|
Total | 12 |
25 |
31 (T) |
The table shows where the Colts rank in each of the situations. Some points on the Colts before getting to the entire NFL:
- We all noticed the awful short yardage defense, and this proves it for us. The only team worse than the Colts on 3rd and short was the Rams (whose record reflected that).
- The Colts fared better than I was expecting on 3rd and Long, as that seemed to be an achilles heel this year as well. 17th is middle of the pack, not good, but not bad either.
- The Colts were one of 9 teams who did not allow a 3rd and long run conversion. Only 2 of those teams had more attempts against them: the Bears and Panthers.
- Overall against the run, the Colts were better than average. It doesn't mask being dead last (86%)! on 3rd and short, though. Like we all said 2 weeks ago, this is completely unacceptable.
The table with all the stats are after the jump (sort them by clicking on the column headers), but I'll draw some conclusions here league wide:
- The best teams against 3rd and short rushes only stopped offenses at 50% (Steelers and Browns). That was higher than expected. Average is stopping 1 out of every 3. The Colts need to strive for that next season (and it's what the Titans ended up with this season).
- Overall on short yardage 3rd downs, the Eagles were best in the league at 45%. The Steelers were 2nd (their defense was pretty good this season, huh?) The same two teams were also the best against passes on 3rd down.
- The Chargers were unbelievable on 3rd and longs, only allowing a 1st down 12.5% of the time. The Colts on 3rd and long against the Chargers in their two games? 1/8. Right on average for the Chargers. Their defense was better than they were given credit for.
- Overall on third downs, the Steelers were #1 (31%). Their Super Bowl Opponent, the Cardinals? 27th (44%).
Our new Defensive Coordinator should take these numbers to heart. If we can only improve in one area on defense next season, it sure as hell better be on 3rd downs. Thankfully, the offense is a complete 180 from the defense (those stats coming this weekend or early next week).
Short (≤ 3) | Middle (4 - 7) | Long (8+) | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Run | Pass | Run | Pass | Run | Pass | |||||||||||||
Cvt | Att | Pct | Cvt | Att | Pct | Cvt | Att | Pct | Cvt | Att | Pct | Cvt | Att | Pct | Cvt | Att | Pct | |
49ers | 21 | 35 | 0.600 | 14 | 27 | 0.519 | 1 | 4 | 0.250 | 25 | 68 | 0.368 | 1 | 14 | 0.071 | 21 | 71 | 0.296 |
Bears | 18 | 25 | 0.720 | 13 | 29 | 0.448 | 1 | 5 | 0.200 | 27 | 61 | 0.443 | 0 | 14 | 0.000 | 22 | 98 | 0.224 |
Bengals | 26 | 39 | 0.667 | 13 | 35 | 0.371 | 1 | 6 | 0.167 | 34 | 62 | 0.548 | 0 | 5 | 0.000 | 19 | 71 | 0.268 |
Bills | 18 | 33 | 0.545 | 11 | 21 | 0.524 | 0 | 12 | 0.000 | 22 | 53 | 0.415 | 3 | 12 | 0.250 | 19 | 71 | 0.268 |
Broncos | 24 | 39 | 0.615 | 18 | 28 | 0.643 | 6 | 11 | 0.545 | 24 | 53 | 0.453 | 1 | 9 | 0.111 | 16 | 62 | 0.258 |
Browns | 19 | 38 | 0.500 | 15 | 25 | 0.600 | 7 | 18 | 0.389 | 35 | 65 | 0.538 | 2 | 9 | 0.222 | 17 | 52 | 0.327 |
Buccaneers | 20 | 34 | 0.588 | 16 | 34 | 0.471 | 2 | 5 | 0.400 | 28 | 60 | 0.467 | 0 | 9 | 0.000 | 15 | 72 | 0.208 |
Cardinals | 26 | 37 | 0.703 | 20 | 34 | 0.588 | 1 | 7 | 0.143 | 22 | 47 | 0.468 | 2 | 13 | 0.154 | 21 | 69 | 0.304 |
Chargers | 28 | 41 | 0.683 | 20 | 37 | 0.541 | 2 | 3 | 0.667 | 26 | 62 | 0.419 | 1 | 6 | 0.167 | 7 | 58 | 0.121 |
Chiefs | 22 | 29 | 0.759 | 19 | 40 | 0.475 | 4 | 9 | 0.444 | 30 | 60 | 0.500 | 4 | 12 | 0.333 | 21 | 61 | 0.344 |
Colts | 31 | 36 | 0.861 | 22 | 36 | 0.611 | 3 | 9 | 0.333 | 28 | 62 | 0.452 | 0 | 10 | 0.000 | 16 | 58 | 0.276 |
Cowboys | 17 | 23 | 0.739 | 12 | 28 | 0.429 | 1 | 7 | 0.143 | 28 | 68 | 0.412 | 1 | 7 | 0.143 | 18 | 83 | 0.217 |
Dolphins | 18 | 26 | 0.692 | 18 | 33 | 0.545 | 3 | 8 | 0.375 | 20 | 47 | 0.426 | 0 | 9 | 0.000 | 20 | 86 | 0.233 |
Eagles | 16 | 27 | 0.593 | 11 | 33 | 0.333 | 4 | 10 | 0.400 | 26 | 63 | 0.413 | 0 | 8 | 0.000 | 16 | 86 | 0.186 |
Falcons | 17 | 29 | 0.586 | 9 | 26 | 0.346 | 3 | 9 | 0.333 | 27 | 58 | 0.466 | 2 | 9 | 0.222 | 21 | 77 | 0.273 |
Giants | 15 | 22 | 0.682 | 13 | 24 | 0.542 | 3 | 8 | 0.375 | 29 | 57 | 0.509 | 2 | 10 | 0.200 | 21 | 83 | 0.253 |
Jaguars | 19 | 31 | 0.613 | 15 | 27 | 0.556 | 1 | 4 | 0.250 | 25 | 52 | 0.481 | 1 | 13 | 0.077 | 21 | 73 | 0.288 |
Jets | 16 | 25 | 0.640 | 24 | 40 | 0.600 | 1 | 6 | 0.167 | 21 | 54 | 0.389 | 1 | 10 | 0.100 | 18 | 75 | 0.240 |
Lions | 20 | 29 | 0.690 | 17 | 27 | 0.630 | 3 | 12 | 0.250 | 27 | 57 | 0.474 | 2 | 17 | 0.118 | 20 | 54 | 0.370 |
Packers | 20 | 32 | 0.625 | 15 | 25 | 0.600 | 4 | 8 | 0.500 | 26 | 67 | 0.388 | 1 | 4 | 0.250 | 14 | 74 | 0.189 |
Panthers | 21 | 30 | 0.700 | 15 | 30 | 0.500 | 4 | 7 | 0.571 | 27 | 63 | 0.429 | 0 | 14 | 0.000 | 20 | 74 | 0.270 |
Patriots | 20 | 28 | 0.714 | 22 | 41 | 0.537 | 2 | 14 | 0.143 | 26 | 53 | 0.491 | 1 | 6 | 0.167 | 20 | 63 | 0.317 |
Raiders | 28 | 37 | 0.757 | 16 | 27 | 0.593 | 2 | 11 | 0.182 | 33 | 65 | 0.508 | 2 | 14 | 0.143 | 22 | 78 | 0.282 |
Rams | 20 | 24 | 0.833 | 16 | 23 | 0.696 | 7 | 18 | 0.389 | 13 | 42 | 0.310 | 1 | 16 | 0.063 | 17 | 64 | 0.266 |
Ravens | 14 | 20 | 0.700 | 17 | 36 | 0.472 | 0 | 3 | 0.000 | 16 | 51 | 0.314 | 0 | 10 | 0.000 | 24 | 92 | 0.261 |
Redskins | 13 | 21 | 0.619 | 20 | 39 | 0.513 | 3 | 6 | 0.500 | 20 | 56 | 0.357 | 1 | 7 | 0.143 | 16 | 78 | 0.205 |
Saints | 23 | 30 | 0.767 | 12 | 31 | 0.387 | 4 | 7 | 0.571 | 27 | 67 | 0.403 | 1 | 6 | 0.167 | 15 | 65 | 0.231 |
Seahawks | 14 | 23 | 0.609 | 20 | 38 | 0.526 | 1 | 10 | 0.100 | 37 | 75 | 0.493 | 1 | 9 | 0.111 | 21 | 67 | 0.313 |
Steelers | 11 | 22 | 0.500 | 12 | 28 | 0.429 | 3 | 10 | 0.300 | 26 | 73 | 0.356 | 0 | 6 | 0.000 | 19 | 87 | 0.218 |
Texans | 20 | 26 | 0.769 | 15 | 30 | 0.500 | 1 | 7 | 0.143 | 19 | 48 | 0.396 | 1 | 7 | 0.143 | 18 | 70 | 0.257 |
Titans | 14 | 21 | 0.667 | 17 | 37 | 0.459 | 1 | 6 | 0.167 | 31 | 73 | 0.425 | 2 | 4 | 0.500 | 14 | 85 | 0.165 |
Vikings | 12 | 20 | 0.600 | 18 | 32 | 0.563 | 2 | 8 | 0.250 | 16 | 46 | 0.348 | 2 | 10 | 0.200 | 18 | 87 | 0.207 |
Run | Pass | Short (≤ 3) | Middle (4 - 7) | Long (8+) | Total | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cvt | Att | Pct | Cvt | Att | Pct | Cvt | Att | Pct | Cvt | Att | Pct | Cvt | Att | Pct | Cvt | Att | Pct | |
49ers | 23 | 53 | 0.434 | 60 | 166 | 0.361 | 35 | 62 | 0.565 | 26 | 72 | 0.361 | 22 | 85 | 0.259 | 83 | 219 | 0.379 |
Bears | 19 | 44 | 0.432 | 62 | 188 | 0.330 | 31 | 54 | 0.574 | 28 | 66 | 0.424 | 22 | 112 | 0.196 | 81 | 232 | 0.349 |
Bengals | 27 | 50 | 0.540 | 66 | 168 | 0.393 | 39 | 74 | 0.527 | 35 | 68 | 0.515 | 19 | 76 | 0.250 | 93 | 218 | 0.427 |
Bills | 21 | 57 | 0.368 | 52 | 145 | 0.359 | 29 | 54 | 0.537 | 22 | 65 | 0.338 | 22 | 83 | 0.265 | 73 | 202 | 0.361 |
Broncos | 31 | 59 | 0.525 | 58 | 143 | 0.406 | 42 | 67 | 0.627 | 30 | 64 | 0.469 | 17 | 71 | 0.239 | 89 | 202 | 0.441 |
Browns | 28 | 65 | 0.431 | 67 | 142 | 0.472 | 34 | 63 | 0.540 | 42 | 83 | 0.506 | 19 | 61 | 0.311 | 95 | 207 | 0.459 |
Buccaneers | 22 | 48 | 0.458 | 59 | 166 | 0.355 | 36 | 68 | 0.529 | 30 | 65 | 0.462 | 15 | 81 | 0.185 | 81 | 214 | 0.379 |
Cardinals | 29 | 57 | 0.509 | 63 | 150 | 0.420 | 46 | 71 | 0.648 | 23 | 54 | 0.426 | 23 | 82 | 0.280 | 92 | 207 | 0.444 |
Chargers | 31 | 50 | 0.620 | 53 | 157 | 0.338 | 48 | 78 | 0.615 | 28 | 65 | 0.431 | 8 | 64 | 0.125 | 84 | 207 | 0.406 |
Chiefs | 30 | 50 | 0.600 | 70 | 161 | 0.435 | 41 | 69 | 0.594 | 34 | 69 | 0.493 | 25 | 73 | 0.342 | 100 | 211 | 0.474 |
Colts | 34 | 55 | 0.618 | 66 | 156 | 0.423 | 53 | 72 | 0.736 | 31 | 71 | 0.437 | 16 | 68 | 0.235 | 100 | 211 | 0.474 |
Cowboys | 19 | 37 | 0.514 | 58 | 179 | 0.324 | 29 | 51 | 0.569 | 29 | 75 | 0.387 | 19 | 90 | 0.211 | 77 | 216 | 0.356 |
Dolphins | 21 | 43 | 0.488 | 58 | 166 | 0.349 | 36 | 59 | 0.610 | 23 | 55 | 0.418 | 20 | 95 | 0.211 | 79 | 209 | 0.378 |
Eagles | 20 | 45 | 0.444 | 53 | 182 | 0.291 | 27 | 60 | 0.450 | 30 | 73 | 0.411 | 16 | 94 | 0.170 | 73 | 227 | 0.322 |
Falcons | 22 | 47 | 0.468 | 57 | 161 | 0.354 | 26 | 55 | 0.473 | 30 | 67 | 0.448 | 23 | 86 | 0.267 | 79 | 208 | 0.380 |
Giants | 20 | 40 | 0.500 | 63 | 164 | 0.384 | 28 | 46 | 0.609 | 32 | 65 | 0.492 | 23 | 93 | 0.247 | 83 | 204 | 0.407 |
Jaguars | 21 | 48 | 0.438 | 61 | 152 | 0.401 | 34 | 58 | 0.586 | 26 | 56 | 0.464 | 22 | 86 | 0.256 | 82 | 200 | 0.410 |
Jets | 18 | 41 | 0.439 | 63 | 169 | 0.373 | 40 | 65 | 0.615 | 22 | 60 | 0.367 | 19 | 85 | 0.224 | 81 | 210 | 0.386 |
Lions | 25 | 58 | 0.431 | 64 | 138 | 0.464 | 37 | 56 | 0.661 | 30 | 69 | 0.435 | 22 | 71 | 0.310 | 89 | 196 | 0.454 |
Packers | 25 | 44 | 0.568 | 55 | 166 | 0.331 | 35 | 57 | 0.614 | 30 | 75 | 0.400 | 15 | 78 | 0.192 | 80 | 210 | 0.381 |
Panthers | 25 | 51 | 0.490 | 62 | 167 | 0.371 | 36 | 60 | 0.600 | 31 | 70 | 0.443 | 20 | 88 | 0.227 | 87 | 218 | 0.399 |
Patriots | 23 | 48 | 0.479 | 68 | 157 | 0.433 | 42 | 69 | 0.609 | 28 | 67 | 0.418 | 21 | 69 | 0.304 | 91 | 205 | 0.444 |
Raiders | 32 | 62 | 0.516 | 71 | 170 | 0.418 | 44 | 64 | 0.688 | 35 | 76 | 0.461 | 24 | 92 | 0.261 | 103 | 232 | 0.444 |
Rams | 28 | 58 | 0.483 | 46 | 129 | 0.357 | 36 | 47 | 0.766 | 20 | 60 | 0.333 | 18 | 80 | 0.225 | 74 | 187 | 0.396 |
Ravens | 14 | 33 | 0.424 | 57 | 179 | 0.318 | 31 | 56 | 0.554 | 16 | 54 | 0.296 | 24 | 102 | 0.235 | 71 | 212 | 0.335 |
Redskins | 17 | 34 | 0.500 | 56 | 173 | 0.324 | 33 | 60 | 0.550 | 23 | 62 | 0.371 | 17 | 85 | 0.200 | 73 | 207 | 0.353 |
Saints | 28 | 43 | 0.651 | 54 | 163 | 0.331 | 35 | 61 | 0.574 | 31 | 74 | 0.419 | 16 | 71 | 0.225 | 82 | 206 | 0.398 |
Seahawks | 16 | 42 | 0.381 | 78 | 180 | 0.433 | 34 | 61 | 0.557 | 38 | 85 | 0.447 | 22 | 76 | 0.289 | 94 | 222 | 0.423 |
Steelers | 14 | 38 | 0.368 | 57 | 188 | 0.303 | 23 | 50 | 0.460 | 29 | 83 | 0.349 | 19 | 93 | 0.204 | 71 | 226 | 0.314 |
Texans | 22 | 40 | 0.550 | 52 | 148 | 0.351 | 35 | 56 | 0.625 | 20 | 55 | 0.364 | 19 | 77 | 0.247 | 74 | 188 | 0.394 |
Titans | 17 | 31 | 0.548 | 62 | 195 | 0.318 | 31 | 58 | 0.534 | 32 | 79 | 0.405 | 16 | 89 | 0.180 | 79 | 226 | 0.350 |
Vikings | 16 | 38 | 0.421 | 52 | 165 | 0.315 | 30 | 52 | 0.577 | 18 | 54 | 0.333 | 20 | 97 | 0.206 | 68 | 203 | 0.335 |