The primary metric used by Football Outsiders to rank NFL teams is DVOA, or Defense-adjusted Value Over Average, a way to measure a team’s offensive and defensive success on a play-by-play basis while accounting for the quality of their opponentst.
“DVOA breaks down the entire season play-by-play, comparing success on each play to the league average based on a number of variables including down, distance, location on field, current score gap, quarter, and opponent quality. While it can be used as a measure of total team performance, it differs from other power ratings found throughout the Web because it can be broken down to analyze team effectiveness in any number of ways: down, quarter, rushing vs. receiving, location on field, passes to backs vs. passes to receivers, and so on.”
Through seven weeks the Bucs’ offensive DVOA currently ranks as the sixth-best in the NFL while their defensive DVOA sits emphatically at the top of the league, and all-in-all the Bucs’ total DVOA of 45% lands them miles ahead of Baltimore’s 32.8% for the best number in the league.
Not only does that number currently put that at the league’s top mark in 2020, but it also places them firmly among the highest DVOAs through seven weeks dating back to 1985. In that time frame only nine teams have ever accumulated a higher total DVOA heading into Week 8.
Through six weeks, following the Bucs’ big win over Green Bay, Tampa Bay was the 28th-best DVOA through six weeks since 1985 but that number made a significant jump following their 25-point victory over the Raiders in Week 7.
Read more about Football Outsiders and their entire glossary of statistical metrics here.
Interesting article. The 85′ Bears & 91′ Skins were all time greats! It’s only been 7 games so I don’t want to get over my ski’s. Let’s revisit this after we Win the Superbowl.
The measurement was through 7 weeks for all those teams over all those years. So it’s a fair assessment.
Yeah, there’s a long way to go yet, but the view from here, right this minute, is gorgeous!
Well said! I myself am thoroughly enjoying this
Right now we have a very rare com I nation of a really good Offense combined with a really good Defense. Just gotta try to stay healthy and keep it up. Both sides still have room to grow as well which hopefully ends up bein a good thing!
Please Taylor. Enough with the hype.Man, Bucs won 5 games and now they are world beaters? There are 9 more games to play and anything can happen ANYTHING. What happens if Brady goes down? Then your column gonna go Coulda/Woulda/Shoulda. Cause Gabbert is bad as in terrible. As we shall see.One game at a time dude
That argument is a pretty dumb one. You can say the same if Mahomes, Wilson, Rodgers, Tannehill, Murray, Jackson, Big Ben, and Brees went down. Most of the elite teams seasons would be over if their star QB went down. So what’s your point?
Please – among the greats after 7 games? Gimme a break, this is silly.
I upvoted your comment but Taylor did contextualize his assessment. So he’s not inaccurate. I just agree with you that it’s silly but this is the world we live in today. It feels like hyper-media is everywhere.
And yet, we clicked the article, so…
Bill Belichick is now complaining about the salary cap hurting the Patriots. When Tom Brady was there, Belichick never complained about the salary cap. He and Kraft took a cavalier view of the value of players back then.
I think Belichick is taking credit for Tom Brady’s accomplishments. With Brady in Tampa, the Bucs are the Patriots and the Patriots are the Bucs. Crazy the difference one GOAT QB can make to two teams. It’s probably time for Belichick to retire.
I wish everyone would pump the brakes about how good this Bucs team is. We haven’t done nothing yet. I hope Tom has everyone’s head screwed on straight about playing New York tonight. Who had the Dolphins over the Rams?
I did. Fins coming off a bye and a long road trip for an early game for LA. It was kind of an obvious pick imo.
Seven games. How silly.
Just make the playoffs.