The Chicago Bears lead the NFL in time of possession after five weeks, holding the ball for an average of 35:12 per game. That’s 1:24 more than any other team, and it comes from an offense that runs the ball 36.6 times a game, also the most in the league.
The high point came in Week 4, when Chicago had the ball for 42:45 and ran 54 times in a 23-12 win over the New York Jets. The Bears also had 36:53 in a 27-7 win over Philadelphia in Week 3. Their only game under 30 minutes was Sunday’s 31-7 loss at Green Bay, when they had the ball for 29:36.
Most time of possession per game after Week 5
| Rank | Team | Record | Games | Possession/game | Rush att/game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago Bears | 3-2 | 5 | 35:12 | 36.6 |
| 2 | New York Giants | 3-1-1 | 5 | 33:48 | 29.4 |
| 3 | Minnesota Vikings | 5-0 | 5 | 33:38 | 30.4 |
| 4 | Atlanta Falcons | 2-3 | 5 | 32:26 | 33.0 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Rams | 2-3 | 5 | 32:14 | 25.6 |
| 6 | Baltimore Ravens | 4-1 | 5 | 32:03 | 32.4 |
| 7 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1-4 | 5 | 31:52 | 27.2 |
| 8 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 4-1 | 5 | 31:43 | 28.0 |
| 9 | New England Patriots | 3-2 | 5 | 31:33 | 30.2 |
| 10 | Arizona Cardinals | 1-4 | 5 | 31:29 | 24.4 |
The New York Giants are second at 33:48, and Minnesota is third at 33:38. The Vikings have been at their most ball-controlling in the last two weeks, holding the ball for 39:11 against Miami and 39:37 at New Orleans, both wins.
Possession time hasn’t tracked closely with winning. San Francisco is 5-0 at 28:36 per game, and Buffalo is 4-1 at 28:31, both in the bottom half of the league.
Least time of possession per game after Week 5
| Rank | Team | Record | Games | Possession/game | Rush att/game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | Buffalo Bills | 4-1 | 5 | 28:31 | 29.4 |
| 28 | Philadelphia Eagles | 2-3 | 5 | 27:50 | 24.2 |
| 29 | Miami Dolphins | 0-5 | 5 | 27:46 | 26.0 |
| 30 | Green Bay Packers | 3-2 | 5 | 27:23 | 19.8 |
| 31 | Dallas Cowboys | 2-3 | 5 | 27:19 | 21.4 |
| 32 | Tennessee Titans | 0-5 | 5 | 24:31 | 21.6 |
Tennessee is last at 24:31 per game, more than 2:45 behind 31st-place Dallas. The 0-5 Titans haven’t held the ball for more than 26:52 in any game, and they had it for just 21:14 in the Week 1 loss to the Jets.
Kansas City and Carolina have played four games, so their figures are averages over four. All figures cover the regular season through Week 5 and include overtime. They do not include Thursday night’s Seahawks-Broncos game.
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