The LabThe fingerprint of every playbook

Detroit LionsScheme DNA

Least shotgun rate, most play action in the league. Their closest twin is Raiders (71% alike), then Bears and Seahawks. 507 offensive snaps read, 452 of them charted.

League map Lions verdict JSON

Shotgun rate46.9%3th percentile · league 61.5%

Play action31.1%94th percentile · league 23.1%

Deep shots7.8%0th percentile · league 11.5%

Middle of the field26.8%87th percentile · league 21.0%

Bottom lineTheir loudest habits: shotgun rate (46.9%, 3th percentile), play action (31.1%, 94th percentile), deep shots (7.8%, 0th 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−3.3%32

Early-down pass rate49.0%36

Shotgun rate46.9%3

No-huddle rate5.1%48

Pre-snap motion53.3%26

Play action31.1%94

Screen rate8.1%36

RPO rate2.0%13

Deep shots7.8%0

Middle of the field26.8%87

Outside runs17.7%16

Tempo37.0s87

Defense

The defense

Blitz rate26.2%32

Five-plus rushers26.2%32

Men in the box6.8197

Stacked boxes10.4%71

Pass rate faced+4.0%100

Deep shots allowed13.8%87

Defensive twins: Steelers (83%), Texans (81%), Bears (69%).

Twins

Offenses most like theirs

Solid shape: Lions · outline: the twin

Bottom lineLions and Raiders, 71% alike. Both throw more over the middle and run inside more than most of the league; Lions and Raiders differ most in play action (31.1% vs 24.8%) and pre-snap motion (53.3% vs 62.5%).

How to read this chart

Each card is one twin:: an offense that calls games like Lions. The colored shape is Lions'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 twinRaiders71%Both throw more over the middle and run inside more than most of the league; Lions and Raiders differ most in play action (31.1% vs 24.8%) and pre-snap motion (53.3% vs 62.5%).

#2 twinBears66%Both use more play action and throw more over the middle than most of the league; Lions and Bears differ most in outside runs (17.7% vs 30.2%) and screen rate (8.1% vs 11.3%).

#3 twinSeahawks58%Both line up under center more and take fewer deep shots than most of the league; Lions and Seahawks differ most in outside runs (17.7% vs 32.5%) and screen rate (8.1% vs 12.3%).

Run game

Where they run

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

Bottom lineTheir favorite lane: middle, 34% 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, 33% of throws, +0.22 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 center33%pass rate, neutral downs

Shotgun88%pass rate, neutral downs

A 55-point gap: one of the most readable offenses in the league (2 of 32). See all 32 →