The LabThe fingerprint of every playbook

Dallas CowboysScheme DNA

Least pre-snap motion, least outside runs in the league. Their closest twin is Cardinals (63% alike), then Jets and Saints. 582 offensive snaps read, 582 of them charted.

League map Cowboys verdict JSON

Pre-snap motion46.6%0th percentile · league 58.8%

Outside runs14.8%7th percentile · league 23.4%

Tempo36.7s90th percentile · league 38.0s

Screen rate6.0%16th percentile · league 9.1%

Bottom lineTheir loudest habits: pre-snap motion (46.6%, 0th percentile), outside runs (14.8%, 7th percentile), tempo (36.7s, 90th 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−0.7%71

Early-down pass rate50.5%45

Shotgun rate63.4%61

No-huddle rate7.9%74

Pre-snap motion46.6%0

Play action22.2%45

Screen rate6.0%16

RPO rate4.6%48

Deep shots9.6%32

Middle of the field18.8%26

Outside runs14.8%7

Tempo36.7s90

Defense

The defense

Blitz rate22.9%7

Five-plus rushers22.9%7

Men in the box6.5332

Stacked boxes6.3%45

Pass rate faced−6.5%3

Deep shots allowed15.6%94

Defensive twins: Titans (88%), Browns (85%), Raiders (82%).

Twins

Offenses most like theirs

Solid shape: Cowboys · outline: the twin

Bottom lineCowboys and Cardinals, 63% alike. Both throw fewer screens than most of the league; Cowboys and Cardinals differ most in pre-snap motion (46.6% vs 59.8%) and outside runs (14.8% vs 24.0%).

How to read this chart

Each card is one twin:: an offense that calls games like Cowboys. The colored shape is Cowboys'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 twinCardinals63%Both throw fewer screens than most of the league; Cowboys and Cardinals differ most in pre-snap motion (46.6% vs 59.8%) and outside runs (14.8% vs 24.0%).

#2 twinJets61%Both move less before the snap and run inside more than most of the league; Cowboys and Jets differ most in screen rate (6.0% vs 11.1%) and tempo (36.7s vs 38.4s).

#3 twinSaints60%Both play faster and run inside more than most of the league; Cowboys and Saints differ most in pre-snap motion (46.6% vs 62.3%) and no-huddle rate (7.9% vs 14.0%).

Run game

Where they run

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

Bottom lineTheir favorite lane: middle, 38% of runs, -0.01 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 right, 34% of throws, +0.18 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 center34%pass rate, neutral downs

Shotgun77%pass rate, neutral downs

A 43-point gap: middle of the pack offenses in the league (17 of 32). See all 32 →