The Chicago Bears are running more plays on each possession than any other NFL offense through five weeks. Chicago has run 366 offensive plays on 54 drives, an average of 6.78 plays per drive, the best mark in the league. The league average is 5.70 plays per drive across every regular-season contest through Monday night.
The Bears’ Week 4 win over the New York Jets was the extreme: 89 plays on only nine drives, or 9.89 plays per drive. Against Philadelphia in Week 3 they averaged 7.67. Even in Sunday’s loss at Green Bay they still managed 5.67 plays per drive on 68 snaps. Dallas is second at 6.63 (305 plays on 46 drives), and Cincinnati is third at 6.37.
Best offenses in plays per drive after Week 5
| Rank | Team | Record | Games | Plays | Drives | Plays per drive | Plays allowed per drive (rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago Bears | 3-2 | 5 | 366 | 54 | 6.78 | 4.83 (1) |
| 2 | Dallas Cowboys | 2-3 | 5 | 305 | 46 | 6.63 | 6.20 (28) |
| 3 | Cincinnati Bengals | 3-2 | 5 | 312 | 49 | 6.37 | 6.02 (25) |
| 4 | New Orleans Saints | 1-4 | 5 | 334 | 53 | 6.30 | 5.64 (15) |
| 5 | Detroit Lions | 3-2 | 5 | 332 | 53 | 6.26 | 6.65 (32) |
| 6 | Los Angeles Rams | 2-3 | 5 | 354 | 57 | 6.21 | 5.55 (T13) |
| 7 | New York Giants | 3-1-1 | 5 | 326 | 53 | 6.15 | 5.41 (9) |
| 8 | New England Patriots | 3-2 | 5 | 319 | 53 | 6.02 | 5.30 (6) |
| 9 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 4-1 | 5 | 293 | 49 | 5.98 | 6.21 (29) |
| 10 | Arizona Cardinals | 1-4 | 5 | 334 | 56 | 5.96 | 5.55 (T13) |
New Orleans ranks fourth at 6.30 and Detroit fifth at 6.26. Chicago also allows the fewest plays per drive on defense (4.83), so the Bears own the league’s best plays-per-drive differential at +1.95. Seattle is last on offense at 4.79 plays per drive (297 plays on 62 drives), with Cleveland (4.90) and the Los Angeles Chargers (5.13) just ahead.
Best defenses in plays allowed per drive after Week 5
| Rank | Team | Record | Plays allowed | Opponent drives | Plays allowed per drive | Offense plays per drive | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago Bears | 3-2 | 251 | 52 | 4.83 | 6.78 | +1.95 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Chargers | 0-5 | 310 | 62 | 5.00 | 5.13 | +0.13 |
| 3 | Minnesota Vikings | 5-0 | 281 | 55 | 5.11 | 5.48 | +0.37 |
| 4 | Seattle Seahawks | 3-2 | 303 | 58 | 5.22 | 4.79 | -0.43 |
| 5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1-4 | 283 | 54 | 5.24 | 5.53 | +0.29 |
| 6 | New England Patriots | 3-2 | 286 | 54 | 5.30 | 6.02 | +0.72 |
| 7 | Las Vegas Raiders | 3-2 | 308 | 58 | 5.31 | 5.51 | +0.20 |
| 8 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 3-2 | 297 | 55 | 5.40 | 5.40 | +0.00 |
| 9 | New York Giants | 3-1-1 | 292 | 54 | 5.41 | 6.15 | +0.74 |
| 10 | Washington Commanders | 1-3-1 | 321 | 59 | 5.44 | 5.42 | -0.02 |
Chicago has allowed 251 plays on 52 opponent drives (4.83 per drive). The Chargers are second at 5.00, Minnesota third at 5.11 and Seattle fourth at 5.22. Those short opponent drives help explain why the Seahawks also lead the league in yards allowed per drive.
Detroit has allowed a league-worst 6.58 plays per drive (368 on 56 opponent drives). Buffalo (6.45) and Dallas (6.40) are next. Long opponent drives and long own drives both show up in high-play games, so volume alone is not the same as scoring efficiency.
Week 6 tests: Chicago (best plays per drive on both sides) visits Atlanta. Seattle (fewest offensive plays per drive) plays at Denver on Thursday night. Cleveland visits Baltimore. Minnesota is on its bye.
Plays and drives come from the official box score of every regular-season game through Week 5, including overtime. Thursday night’s Seahawks-Broncos game is not included. Official drive counts can include end-of-half kneel situations.
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