This year, teams are 126-51 when outrushing their opponents, for a 0.712 winning percentage. In the abstract, that doesn’t mean much, and I’ll take a historical look at this data tomorrow. But what about teams this year?
The 10-1 Eagles rank 2nd in rushing yards and 1st in rushing yards allowed, thanks to a dominant run defense and an offense that is usually playing with the lead. The Eagles have outrushed their opponents in 9 straight games, but in week 1 the Eagles beat Washington despite being outrushed 64-58, and in week 2, the Eagles lost to the Chiefs and were outrushed 112-107. The table below shows how often each team has outrushed its opponents this year:
| Team | Won Rushing Battle | Lost Rushing Battle | Perc |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHI | 9 | 2 | 0.818 |
| PIT | 8 | 3 | 0.727 |
| JAX | 8 | 3 | 0.727 |
| CAR | 8 | 3 | 0.727 |
| MIN | 8 | 3 | 0.727 |
| DAL | 8 | 4 | 0.667 |
| DEN | 7 | 4 | 0.636 |
| SEA | 7 | 4 | 0.636 |
| CLE | 7 | 4 | 0.636 |
| HOU | 7 | 4 | 0.636 |
| NOR | 7 | 4 | 0.636 |
| BUF | 6 | 5 | 0.545 |
| CHI | 6 | 5 | 0.545 |
| KAN | 6 | 5 | 0.545 |
| ATL | 6 | 5 | 0.545 |
| BAL | 6 | 5 | 0.545 |
| TEN | 6 | 5 | 0.545 |
| MIA | 5 | 6 | 0.455 |
| LAR | 5 | 6 | 0.455 |
| OAK | 5 | 6 | 0.455 |
| NWE | 5 | 6 | 0.455 |
| WAS | 5 | 7 | 0.417 |
| ARI | 4 | 7 | 0.364 |
| NYJ | 4 | 7 | 0.364 |
| DET | 4 | 7 | 0.364 |
| GNB | 4 | 7 | 0.364 |
| SFO | 3 | 8 | 0.273 |
| LAC | 3 | 8 | 0.273 |
| TAM | 3 | 8 | 0.273 |
| IND | 3 | 8 | 0.273 |
| NYG | 2 | 9 | 0.182 |
| CIN | 2 | 9 | 0.182 |
At the team level, there are a number of unsurprising results The Jaguars are 7-1 when they win the rushing battle, and 0-3 when they don’t. The Cardinals and Bucs are 7-0 when they win the rushing battle, and 2-13 when they don’t. The Titans are 6-0 when they win the rushing battle, and 1-4 when they don’t. The Cowboys are 6-2 when they outrush their opponents, and winless when they don’t.
But you also have teams like the Packers, who are 1-3 when they outrush their opponents, but 4-3 when they don’t. But the Packers were outrushed in all 5 Aaron Rodgers games (when Green Bay went 4-1), while outrushing their opponents in 4 of 6 Brett Hundley games (where the Packers have gone 1-5). So that one is more than a little misleading. Less misleading: Seattle is 4-3 when outrushing opponents but also 3-1 when being outrushed. The Bengals are a respectable 4-5 when being outrushed, while the Rams and Patriots are both 4-2 when being outrushed! The Patriots have actually been outrushed this season, have a below-average pass defense, and yet are 9-2. It may have something to do with the passing game.
Below is each team’s record when outrushing, and being outrushed by, their opponent.
| Team | Record When Outrushing | Win % | Record When Being Outrushed | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GNB | 1-3 | 0.250 | 4-3 | 0.571 |
| SEA | 4-3 | 0.571 | 3-1 | 0.750 |
| CIN | 1-1 | 0.500 | 4-5 | 0.444 |
| HOU | 3-4 | 0.429 | 1-3 | 0.250 |
| LAR | 4-1 | 0.800 | 4-2 | 0.667 |
| CHI | 2-4 | 0.333 | 1-4 | 0.200 |
| DET | 3-1 | 0.750 | 3-4 | 0.429 |
| OAK | 3-2 | 0.600 | 2-4 | 0.333 |
| LAC | 2-1 | 0.667 | 3-5 | 0.375 |
| BUF | 4-2 | 0.667 | 2-3 | 0.400 |
| KAN | 4-2 | 0.667 | 2-3 | 0.400 |
| IND | 1-2 | 0.333 | 2-6 | 0.250 |
| CLE | 0-7 | 0.000 | 0-4 | 0.000 |
| NWE | 5-0 | 1.000 | 4-2 | 0.667 |
| NOR | 6-1 | 0.857 | 2-2 | 0.500 |
| ATL | 5-1 | 0.833 | 2-3 | 0.400 |
| MIA | 3-2 | 0.600 | 1-5 | 0.167 |
| DEN | 3-4 | 0.429 | 0-4 | 0.000 |
| SFO | 1-2 | 0.333 | 0-8 | 0.000 |
| CAR | 7-1 | 0.875 | 1-2 | 0.333 |
| BAL | 5-1 | 0.833 | 1-4 | 0.200 |
| NYJ | 3-1 | 0.750 | 1-6 | 0.143 |
| NYG | 1-1 | 0.500 | 1-8 | 0.111 |
| PHI | 9-0 | 1.000 | 1-1 | 0.500 |
| WAS | 4-1 | 0.800 | 1-6 | 0.143 |
| PIT | 8-0 | 1.000 | 1-2 | 0.333 |
| MIN | 8-0 | 1.000 | 1-2 | 0.333 |
| DAL | 6-2 | 0.750 | 0-4 | 0.000 |
| TEN | 6-0 | 1.000 | 1-4 | 0.200 |
| JAX | 7-1 | 0.875 | 0-3 | 0.000 |
| ARI | 4-0 | 1.000 | 1-6 | 0.143 |
| TAM | 3-0 | 1.000 | 1-7 | 0.125 |
Finally, a word about the Cleveland Browns. Despite the 0-11 record, the Browns have remarkably outrushed their opponents 7 times this season! Part of that is due to DeShone Kizer being a running quarterback, but the Browns also rank 8th in rushing yards allowed. The Browns have faced the 5th most rushing attempts this year, but because they rank 2nd in yards per carry allowed, the team ranks 25th from the bottom in rushing yards allowed. Hey, a bright spot in Cleveland!