The LabThe fingerprint of every playbook

San Francisco 49ersScheme DNA

Most pre-snap motion, least shotgun rate in the league. Their closest twin is Jaguars (70% alike), then Raiders and Rams. 467 offensive snaps read, 401 of them charted.

League map 49ers verdict JSON

Pre-snap motion75.8%100th percentile · league 59.0%

Shotgun rate48.4%7th percentile · league 61.5%

RPO rate1.0%7th percentile · league 5.1%

Deep shots8.5%7th percentile · league 11.5%

Bottom lineTheir loudest habits: pre-snap motion (75.8%, 100th percentile), shotgun rate (48.4%, 7th percentile), rpo rate (1.0%, 7th percentile).

How to read this chart

The flower:: each petal is one play-calling habit, labeled around the edge. Petal length is the team's rank among the 32 (long = does it more than most; for tempo, long = fast). The dashed ring is the league middle.
The bars:: the same habits as a list: the bar is the rank (the tick in the middle is the league middle), then the real value and the percentile (90 = more than 90% of teams). Jargon: pass rate over expected = how much more or less they throw than the situation predicts; RPO = run-pass option; men in the box = defenders near the line against the run.

Offense

The playbook

Pass rate over expected−0.3%74

Early-down pass rate51.2%58

Shotgun rate48.4%7

No-huddle rate3.0%7

Pre-snap motion75.8%100

Play action21.6%36

Screen rate9.7%61

RPO rate1.0%7

Deep shots8.5%7

Middle of the field25.2%81

Outside runs21.9%36

Tempo38.0s55

Defense

The defense

Blitz rate31.7%55

Five-plus rushers31.7%55

Men in the box6.6358

Stacked boxes4.0%16

Pass rate faced−4.6%16

Deep shots allowed9.1%13

Defensive twins: Saints (90%), Packers (86%), Chiefs (86%).

Twins

Offenses most like theirs

Solid shape: 49ers · outline: the twin

Bottom line49ers and Jaguars, 70% alike. Both run fewer RPOs and line up under center more than most of the league; 49ers and Jaguars differ most in tempo (38.0s vs 39.5s) and pre-snap motion (75.8% vs 65.7%).

How to read this chart

Each card is one twin:: an offense that calls games like 49ers. The colored shape is 49ers's fingerprint, the white outline the twin's. Where the two match, the habits match.
The %: is how alike the two are across all offensive habits: 100% would be identical, 0% the most different pair in the league.

#1 twinJaguars70%Both run fewer RPOs and line up under center more than most of the league; 49ers and Jaguars differ most in tempo (38.0s vs 39.5s) and pre-snap motion (75.8% vs 65.7%).

#2 twinRaiders69%Both throw more over the middle and run fewer RPOs than most of the league; 49ers and Raiders differ most in pre-snap motion (75.8% vs 62.5%) and no-huddle rate (3.0% vs 8.2%).

#3 twinRams61%Both run fewer RPOs and move more before the snap than most of the league; 49ers and Rams differ most in no-huddle rate (3.0% vs 10.4%) and early-down pass rate (51.2% vs 60.7%).

Run game

Where they run

Arrow size = share of carries · color = EPA per carry

Bottom lineTheir favorite lane: middle, 41% of runs, +0.08 EPA per carry.

How to read this chart

Seen from behind the offense:: the line at the bottom is the line of scrimmage, with seven running lanes from the left end to the right end.
Arrow size: and the % above it = share of the team's runs that go there.
Arrow color: = how well those runs work, in EPA per carry (expected points added: above zero helps the offense). Green works, grey is average, red hurts.

Pass game

Where they throw

Share of targets · EPA per throw

Bottom lineMost targeted zone: short left, 40% of throws, +0.33 EPA per throw.

How to read this chart

The field from the quarterback's eyes:: left, middle and right; the bottom row is short throws, the top row deep throws.
Each box: shows the share of throws that go there (more solid = more throws) and its color the EPA per throw: green helps the offense, grey is average, red hurts.

Formation Tell

What the formation gives away

How to read this chart

Two dots on one line from 0% to 100%:: how often they throw when the quarterback is under center, and how often from shotgun, on neutral downs.
The gap between them: is what a defense learns from the formation alone: a wide gap means the alignment tips run or pass.

Under center35%pass rate, neutral downs

Shotgun79%pass rate, neutral downs

A 44-point gap: middle of the pack offenses in the league (14 of 32). See all 32 →