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There are many factors that go into why teams score points in the NFL. One of those factors is the staring field position on each drive. The further away a team is from the end zone the less likely they are to keep a drive going long enough to score.
Against the Cleveland Browns the Chiefs started inside their own 19 yard line 38% of the time. Field position is key in any football game and the Cleveland game was no exception.
Let's check out the numbers.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kansas City Chiefs - Field Position Scoring ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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NFL Average |
81-99 yards (zone 5) |
61-80 yards (Zone 4) |
41-60 yards (Zone 3) |
21-40 yards (Zone 2) |
Red Zone |
Score TD |
15% | 20% | 28% | 40% |
47% |
Score FG |
9% | 15% |
23% | 38% |
36% |
- The NFL averages are only approximates since I have grouped the starting field position into zones.
Chiefs Scoring By Field Position Chart
Scoring by Field Position: Zone 5 Comments:
- The Chiefs started in zone 5 five times. In those 5 possessions KC ended up throwing two interceptions and had an average of 8 plays on the other three drives. Turnovers are always bad, but especially in zone 5.
- When a team starts in zone 5 there are three major things to worry about: 1) Don't turn the ball over. 2) Play the field position game. That means the team has to get out of zone 5 and at least get into zone 4. The more zone you cross the more you reverse the field position battle that the other team is winning by having you start in zone 5. 3) Find ways to get big plays. The chances of a team scoring from zone 5 is low. A team needs big plays (15yds or more) to overcome the chances of stalling on a long sustained drive.
- The Chiefs had a two plays of 15 or more yards on one of the five drives. And guess what, they ended up traveling two zones to change the momentum of the field position game.
- So far the Chiefs have been goose egged when starting in zone 5.
- Weis threw the ball 13 out of 22 times in zone 5. He clearly knows two things: 1) Teams know that turning the ball over is a concern...so they look run. 2) Weis understands that starting in zone 5 means the other team is winning the field position battle. To turn those fortunes around, the offense must cross at least one zone or preferably two to take back that advantage.
Scoring by Field Position: Zone 4 Comments:
- Most of the Chiefs drives this season have started in zone 4: 64% of the time.
- The Chiefs are not scoring at a high enough rate from zone 4. It should be no surprise because out of 16 drives (or 80 plays) KC has only had 5 plays over 15 yards. Guess what happened on the possessions which contained a play over 15 yards? That's right. They scored 3 out of 4 of those possessions.
Scoring by Field Position: Zone 3 Comments:
- The Chiefs have only started in zone 3 twice this year. The Chiefs did not score in either of those possessions.
Click On "Bewsaf Past Posts" for more past articles
*Chiefs Preseason: Breaking Down The O-Line Tape - Primer | *What You Look For in an NFL Offensive Lineman - The Basics |
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