All News & Analysis

Premium Content Sign Up

Sets, Snaps and Stats: Week 8

Durham and StaffordThe weekly Sets, Snaps and Stats report is a summary of participation, formation, target and other data mined by PFF’s game charters. Used with PFF Fantasy’s own signature stats, our aim – as always – is identifying relevant trends to provide out subscribers with a competitive advantage.

Having six teams on bye during Week 8 contributed to a quiet one from a snap pace perspective. Teams that have gone up-tempo in 2013, like the Bills and Packers, took a week off from the no-huddle. Of course a pair of fast paced teams continued to do their thing, with decidedly mixed results.

Ranking

Week 8 Snaps

2013 Snaps (Avg/Gm)

Opponents (Avg/Gm)

1st

Denver (80)

Denver (72.6)

Philadelphia (72.4)

2nd

Atlanta (79)

Houston (71.0)

Buffalo (71.9)

3rd

Miami (79)

Buffalo (70.9)

Minnesota (71.3)

4th

Detroit (78)

New England (70.3)

New England (71.3)

5th

Green Bay (73)

Detroit (69.4)

Cleveland (70.4)

The Broncos went no-huddle on 68.8 percent of their 80 snaps and eventually pulled away from the mistake prone Redskins. 80 plays topped their seasonal high of 74 that was set in Week 7, and barring unforeseen circumstances they will continue to pace the league in snaps. The Packers, however, did not go up-tempo at all during their game in Minnesota. They had been ramping up the pace of late but injuries to key members of the offense, along with a road matchup against an inferior opponent, led to a more deliberate approach. However, they were still able to run the fifth most Week 8 plays and crack the top 10 in snaps per game (67.6) for the season.

Ranking

Week 8 Snaps

2013 Snaps (Avg/Gm)

Opponents (Avg/Gm)

32nd

Seattle (40)

San Francisco (59.1)

Houston (55.0)

31st

Minnesota (43)

Minnesota (59.7)

San Diego (59.6)

30th

Arizona (51)

Dallas (60.5)

St. Louis (60.1)

29th

Cleveland (52)

Oakland (60.6)

Green Bay (60.6)

28th

San Francisco (55)

Chicago (60.6)

New Orleans (61.3)

Buffalo went no-huddle on zero snaps for the first time. It was likely a combination of scheming to keep Drew Brees on the sidelines, along with the fact they have dialed back their no-huddle considerably since E.J. Manuel was injured. It worked for a while before they fell victim to a couple of big plays by Kenny Stills. The Eagles were back at it, going no-huddle on 46 of their 58 snaps for the highest percentage (79.3) of the week. It did them little good, whether it was Mike Vick or Matt Barkley behind center. They matched their fewest plays run of the season (Week 2), and have given it back to opponents so quickly that they lead the league in plays surrendered despite improvements from their defense. Philadelphia has been a great example of how playing fast does not necessarily equate to playing well. Just ask the Ravens.

Since it was a relatively uneventful week from a snaps and pace perspective we will move on to highlighting a pair of interesting Week 9 matchups, followed by a more in-depth than usual look at several offenses in flux.

Tennessee Titans at St. Louis Rams

The Rams’ defense has begun to live up to preseason expectations and will be an excellent test for fantasy’s flavor of the week, the Titans. St. Louis had surrendered 30.3 points and 63.3 plays in its first four games, but has rebounded to allow just 19.3 points and 57 plays per game in its last four – including only 40 Week 8 snaps to the Seahawks.

Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys

The Vikings and Cowboys run the second and third fewest plays per game and allow the third and sixth most snaps, respectively. Something has to give. Considering Dallas has scored the second most points and Minnesota has surrendered the third most (in just seven games), we have a good idea about which squad will be doing more giving.

DOMINATE FANTASY FOOTBALL & BETTING WITH AI-POWERED DATA & TOOLS TRUSTED BY ALL 32

Unlimited Fantasy League Sync
Fantasy Start/Sit Line-Up Optimizer & Waiver Wire
WR-CB & OL-DL Matchups, PFF Player Grades, & Premium Stats 2.0 Tools
Nathan Jahnkes Rankings - #1 Most Accurate Last 70 Weeks
PFF Best Bets, Player Props, & Power Ranking Tools
NFL Mock Draft Sim with Trades & Draft Grades

Already have a subscription? Log In

Please note that penalty plays are removed from the snap totals and will differ from what is posted in our Premium Statistics game logs.

Pat Thorman is a Lead Writer for PFF Fantasy. You can follow him on Twitter at @Pat_Thorman

All Featured Tools

Subscriptions

Unlock the 2023 Fantasy Draft Kit, with League Sync, Live Draft Assistant, PFF Grades & Data Platform that powers all 32 Pro Teams

$31 Draft Kit Fee + $8.99/mo
OR
$89.88/yr + FREE Draft Kit