The LabThe fingerprint of every playbook

Minnesota VikingsScheme DNA

Most play action, least pre-snap motion in the league. Their closest twin is Bears (68% alike), then Seahawks and Colts. 447 offensive snaps read, 402 of them charted.

League map Vikings verdict JSON

Play action34.3%97th percentile · league 23.1%

Pre-snap motion51.5%19th percentile · league 59.0%

Screen rate11.6%87th percentile · league 9.0%

Pass rate over expected−5.4%19th percentile · league −2.3%

Bottom lineTheir loudest habits: play action (34.3%, 97th percentile), pre-snap motion (51.5%, 19th percentile), screen rate (11.6%, 87th 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−5.4%19

Early-down pass rate47.6%29

Shotgun rate61.7%52

No-huddle rate6.5%55

Pre-snap motion51.5%19

Play action34.3%97

Screen rate11.6%87

RPO rate6.7%77

Deep shots12.6%74

Middle of the field21.5%55

Outside runs26.4%77

Tempo38.6s23

Defense

The defense

Blitz rate72.8%100

Five-plus rushers72.8%100

Men in the box6.5026

Stacked boxes6.1%36

Pass rate faced−11.3%0

Deep shots allowed11.2%52

Defensive twins: Panthers (38%), Jets (38%), Commanders (36%).

Twins

Offenses most like theirs

Solid shape: Vikings · outline: the twin

Bottom lineVikings and Bears, 68% alike. Both use more play action and throw more screens than most of the league; Vikings and Bears differ most in throws over the middle (21.5% vs 28.0%) and tempo (38.6s vs 37.3s).

How to read this chart

Each card is one twin:: an offense that calls games like Vikings. The colored shape is Vikings'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 twinBears68%Both use more play action and throw more screens than most of the league; Vikings and Bears differ most in throws over the middle (21.5% vs 28.0%) and tempo (38.6s vs 37.3s).

#2 twinSeahawks64%Both throw more screens and move less before the snap than most of the league; Vikings and Seahawks differ most in play action (34.3% vs 26.6%) and shotgun rate (61.7% vs 50.6%).

#3 twinColts60%Both use more play action than most of the league; Vikings and Colts differ most in pass rate over expected (−5.4% vs +2.5%) and early-down pass rate (47.6% vs 56.1%).

Run game

Where they run

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

Bottom lineTheir favorite lane: middle, 24% of runs, -0.18 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, 32% of throws, +0.04 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 center32%pass rate, neutral downs

Shotgun73%pass rate, neutral downs

A 41-point gap: middle of the pack offenses in the league (21 of 32). See all 32 →