The LabThe fingerprint of every playbook

Carolina PanthersScheme DNA

Most rpo rate, fastest tempo in the league. Their closest twin is Colts (50% alike), then Bengals and Commanders. 524 offensive snaps read, 462 of them charted.

League map Panthers verdict JSON

RPO rate13.4%100th percentile · league 5.1%

Tempo35.9s97th percentile · league 38.0s

Early-down pass rate59.6%94th percentile · league 50.6%

Pass rate over expected+5.0%97th percentile · league −2.3%

Bottom lineTheir loudest habits: rpo rate (13.4%, 100th percentile), tempo (35.9s, 97th percentile), early-down pass rate (59.6%, 94th 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+5.0%97

Early-down pass rate59.6%94

Shotgun rate65.3%68

No-huddle rate7.1%68

Pre-snap motion56.5%45

Play action25.2%71

Screen rate4.7%7

RPO rate13.4%100

Deep shots10.9%55

Middle of the field22.5%65

Outside runs23.4%48

Tempo35.9s97

Defense

The defense

Blitz rate38.7%81

Five-plus rushers38.7%81

Men in the box6.4713

Stacked boxes2.5%7

Pass rate faced−2.3%52

Deep shots allowed10.1%32

Defensive twins: Ravens (89%), Saints (86%), Packers (85%).

Twins

Offenses most like theirs

Solid shape: Panthers · outline: the twin

Bottom linePanthers and Colts, 50% alike. Both throw more than the situation predicts and pass more on early downs than most of the league; Panthers and Colts differ most in RPO rate (13.4% vs 4.3%) and tempo (35.9s vs 38.4s).

How to read this chart

Each card is one twin:: an offense that calls games like Panthers. The colored shape is Panthers'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 twinColts50%Both throw more than the situation predicts and pass more on early downs than most of the league; Panthers and Colts differ most in RPO rate (13.4% vs 4.3%) and tempo (35.9s vs 38.4s).

#2 twinBengals49%Both pass more on early downs and throw more than the situation predicts than most of the league; Panthers and Bengals differ most in tempo (35.9s vs 38.2s) and play action (25.2% vs 15.4%).

#3 twinCommanders49%Both throw fewer screens than most of the league; Panthers and Commanders differ most in RPO rate (13.4% vs 6.1%) and deep shots (10.9% vs 16.7%).

Run game

Where they run

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

Bottom lineTheir favorite lane: middle, 25% of runs, -0.15 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, 35% of throws, -0.09 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 center37%pass rate, neutral downs

Shotgun81%pass rate, neutral downs

A 44-point gap: middle of the pack offenses in the league (11 of 32). See all 32 →