I notice that there’s been a swing back to the running game. More teams, it seems, are choosing to make that a big part of their offense. They’ve zigged while the majority of the league is zagging with the passing game.
Various factors, I think, are at play. With defenses concerned primarily with stopping the pass, it makes the run look more appealing – more teams are using extra defensive backs on most downs, resulting in less bulk around the line of scrimmage. And quarterbacks in general have gotten more athletic, with more ability to be worked in as an additional running threat.
And I suppose there are also some teams that simply don’t have a quarterback they trust to be throwing it too often. For those franchises, it makes sense to reduce sacks and turnovers by relying more on the run. The Bears, Falcons and Panthers last year fit this profile.
Whatever the reason, there have been more teams recently that have chosen to emphasize the run.
Below, see the 50 most run-heavy offenses of the last 10 years. There are ten 2022 teams on this list, which is twice as many as you would expect (with 10 seasons, you would see five teams with perfect distribution).
With Justin Fields (pictured) leading the way, the Bears ran the ball 56 percent of the time last year, the highest ratio since any team since the 2009 Jets. And the Falcons, at 55 percent, weren’t far behind – the 4th-most run-heavy offense of the last 10 years.
| RUN-HEAVY OFFENSES (last 10 years) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Run | Pass | Pct |
| 2022 | Chicago | 32.8 | 25.6 | 56.2% |
| 2019 | Baltimore | 37.3 | 29.3 | 56.0% |
| 2020 | Baltimore | 34.7 | 27.4 | 55.9% |
| 2022 | Atlanta | 32.9 | 26.6 | 55.3% |
| 2018 | Seattle | 33.4 | 29.9 | 52.8% |
| 2013 | San Francisco | 31.6 | 28.5 | 52.5% |
| 2013 | Seattle | 31.8 | 29.0 | 52.3% |
| 2014 | Houston | 34.4 | 31.9 | 51.9% |
| 2014 | Seattle | 32.8 | 31.0 | 51.4% |
| 2020 | New England | 31.4 | 29.8 | 51.3% |
| 2021 | Philadelphia | 32.4 | 30.9 | 51.2% |
| 2020 | Tennessee | 32.6 | 31.9 | 50.5% |
| 2014 | Dallas | 31.8 | 31.6 | 50.1% |
| 2015 | Buffalo | 31.8 | 31.7 | 50.1% |
| 2022 | Baltimore | 30.9 | 30.9 | 50.0% |
| 2015 | Carolina | 32.9 | 33.4 | 49.6% |
| 2022 | Carolina | 28.4 | 29.0 | 49.5% |
| 2016 | Dallas | 31.2 | 31.9 | 49.4% |
| 2019 | San Francisco | 31.1 | 32.1 | 49.2% |
| 2022 | Tennessee | 28.6 | 29.7 | 49.1% |
| 2019 | Minnesota | 29.8 | 30.9 | 49.1% |
| 2013 | Buffalo | 34.1 | 35.6 | 48.9% |
| 2017 | Jacksonville | 32.9 | 34.4 | 48.9% |
| 2015 | Minnesota | 29.6 | 31.2 | 48.7% |
| 2021 | Tennessee | 32.4 | 34.2 | 48.6% |
| 2016 | Buffalo | 30.8 | 32.5 | 48.6% |
| 2021 | New Orleans | 30.0 | 31.8 | 48.5% |
| 2020 | Cleveland | 30.9 | 32.9 | 48.4% |
| 2018 | Tennessee | 28.4 | 30.3 | 48.4% |
| 2022 | Philadelphia | 32.0 | 34.1 | 48.4% |
| 2013 | Carolina | 30.2 | 32.3 | 48.3% |
| 2013 | NY Jets | 30.8 | 32.9 | 48.3% |
| 2014 | Cincinnati | 30.8 | 32.9 | 48.3% |
| 2015 | Seattle | 31.3 | 33.4 | 48.3% |
| 2017 | Buffalo | 30.4 | 32.7 | 48.2% |
| 2014 | NY Jets | 31.7 | 34.1 | 48.2% |
| 2018 | Baltimore | 34.2 | 36.8 | 48.2% |
| 2022 | San Francisco | 29.6 | 31.9 | 48.1% |
| 2017 | Dallas | 30.0 | 32.8 | 47.8% |
| 2017 | Carolina | 30.6 | 33.5 | 47.8% |
| 2022 | NY Giants | 30.6 | 33.5 | 47.8% |
| 2021 | San Francisco | 29.4 | 32.2 | 47.7% |
| 2022 | Cleveland | 31.3 | 34.4 | 47.7% |
| 2022 | Dallas | 31.2 | 34.3 | 47.7% |
| 2017 | Minnesota | 31.3 | 34.6 | 47.5% |
| 2013 | Philadelphia | 31.3 | 34.6 | 47.4% |
| 2021 | Indianapolis | 29.4 | 32.5 | 47.4% |
| 2020 | New Orleans | 30.9 | 34.4 | 47.3% |
| 2014 | Cleveland | 29.8 | 33.3 | 47.2% |
| 2016 | Tennessee | 29.8 | 33.3 | 47.2% |
—Ian Allan