Utilizing a weighted scoring system, RotoWire.com developed the most aggressive NFL teams based on their ranking across the NFL in the following categories:
- 4th-Down Attempts Per Game
- 2-Point Conversion Attempts Per Game
- Trick / Fake Plays Per Game
- Onside Kick Attempts Per Game
- Blitz Percentage On Defense
*Note: RotoWire.com attempted to eliminate any attempts that were deemed "necessary" for a team to win a game
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Rank | Team | Aggression Z-Score |
1 | Detroit Lions | 4.73 |
2 | Washington Commanders | 3.73 |
3 | Buffalo Bills | 2.80 |
4 | Philadelphia Eagles | 2.77 |
5 | Atlanta Falcons | 2.53 |
6 | Kansas City Chiefs | 2.26 |
7 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2.07 |
8 | Cleveland Browns | 1.23 |
9 | Indianapolis Colts | 1.13 |
10 | Denver Broncos | 0.86 |
11 | Cincinnati Bengals | 0.84 |
12 | Los Angeles Rams | 0.72 |
13 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 0.01 |
14 | New York Giants | -0.31 |
15 | New England Patriots | -0.37 |
16 | Los Angeles Chargers | -0.41 |
17 | Houston Texans | -0.43 |
18 | Chicago Bears | -0.59 |
19 | San Francisco 49ers | -0.68 |
20 | Arizona Cardinals | -0.90 |
21 | New York Jets | -0.98 |
22 | Carolina Panthers | -1.09 |
23 | Seattle Seahawks | -1.10 |
24 | Green Bay Packers | -1.42 |
25 | Tennessee Titans | -1.77 |
26 | Miami Dolphins | -1.78 |
27 | Baltimore Ravens | -1.96 |
28 | Las Vegas Raiders | -2.01 |
29 | Minnesota Vikings | -2.15 |
30 | Pittsburgh Steelers | -2.17 |
31 | New Orleans Saints | -2.20 |
32 | Dallas Cowboys | -2.37 |
Campbell's Lions Lead The Way
The stats back up Dan Campbell's reputation as the NFL's most aggressive head coach. Whether it's going for it on fourth down, faking a punt from deep in their own territory or attempting an onside kick with 12 minutes left, the Lions are never afraid to roll the proverbial dice. A high-octane offense that led the NFL with 33.2 PPG helped Campbell's aggressiveness pay off more often than not in 2024, and Detroit's likely to stay atop this leaderboard in 2024, even after OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn both left to become head coaches elsewhere.
Quinn Makes Early Impact on Commanders
"Riverboat Dan" doesn't have quite the same ring to it, but Commanders coach Dan Quinn has been every bit as aggressive as his predecessor Ron Rivera. QB Jayden Daniels' dual-threat skill set encourages aggressive play calling in short-yardage situations, and Daniels completed all eight of his fourth-down pass attempts in his rookie campaign.
Hurts, Allen, Mahomes Play To Win
This next group contains four teams with QBs that have played at a superstar level in recent seasons…and the Falcons. Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen get the most short-yardage designed runs among QBs, Patrick Mahomes' excellent decision-making under pressure has led the Chiefs one win short of a Super Bowl threepeat, and Baker Mayfield's production has justified the Buccaneers' aggressiveness, as he leads the NFL with 69 touchdown passes over the past two seasons.
It's no coincidence that Atlanta is the only team in this group that missed the playoffs last season, as the Falcons don't have the personnel to justify such an aggressive approach.
Most Aggressive Teams in the NFL: A RotoWire Analysis
The mushy middle includes a variety of roster compositions, coaching philosophies and success rates.
Personnel dictated both of these teams' conservative approaches last season, as Tennessee got underwhelming QB play from a combination of Will Levis and Mason Rudolph, while Tua Tagovailoa missed six games for Miami due to injury.
Minnesota and Pittsburgh thrived on getting takeaways from their elite defenses in 2024, justifying conservative approaches on offense. Vegas and New Orleans were similar to the Titans, going conservative because aggressiveness would be ill-advised given their overall ineffectiveness on offense. All four teams in this group got new starting QBs heading into 2025, which could lead to changes in fortunes on offense and possible increases in aggressiveness.
Change Coming In Dallas?
Dallas had the perfect storm of factors leading to unaggressive play calling: more talent on defense than offense (especially after Dak Prescott was lost for the season Week 9), the league's best kicker in Brandon Aubrey, and an old-school coach in Mike McCarthy. With Dak back and McCarthy having been replaced by Brian Schottenheimer, perhaps Dallas will up its aggressiveness in 2025.
Then again, Schottenheimer's far from a fresh face on the coaching scene, and continuing a conservative approach can reduce backlash from a large fanbase that's ready to tear apart every coaching misstep of a franchise that hasn't reached the NFC Championship Game since 1995.
