We’re over halfway through the season, and the best short-yardage running teams have been the … Jets, Bears and Browns? Really?
That’s what the numbers show. When it’s third-and-one or fourth-and-one, or when the ball is on the 1-yard line, those teams have been the best at pounding at that valuable yard. They’ve been the best at moving the sticks or getting in the end zone in those kind of situations.
In the case of Isaiah Crowell, I’m not surprised. The Browns may be 0-10, but it seems like when they’re near the goal-line and give the ball to him, good things happen. He’ll put his head down and work his way over the goal line.
The Panthers, Raiders and Cowboys are also in the top 6, and no surprises there.
The three Florida teams, on the other hand, are at the other end of the scale. They’re the only three teams that haven’t converted over half of their short-yardage plays. The Dolphins, at least, can be considered two different teams. They were terrible in September, but that running game has come around. Jay Ajayi has converted all 4 of his carries when needing 1 yard. (So Miami looks more like a top-5 running offense right now.)
Here are the team numbers …
| AND-ONE RUSHING (teams) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Att | Good | Pct |
| NY Jets | 13 | 12 | 92.3% |
| Chicago | 8 | 7 | 87.5% |
| Cleveland | 8 | 7 | 87.5% |
| Carolina | 15 | 13 | 86.7% |
| Oakland | 11 | 9 | 81.8% |
| Dallas | 24 | 19 | 79.2% |
| Houston | 14 | 11 | 78.6% |
| Tennessee | 18 | 14 | 77.8% |
| Indianapolis | 13 | 10 | 76.9% |
| San Francisco | 17 | 13 | 76.5% |
| Washington | 17 | 13 | 76.5% |
| Kansas City | 16 | 12 | 75.0% |
| Pittsburgh | 11 | 8 | 72.7% |
| New England | 14 | 10 | 71.4% |
| New Orleans | 21 | 15 | 71.4% |
| Denver | 26 | 18 | 69.2% |
| NY Giants | 16 | 11 | 68.8% |
| Arizona | 18 | 12 | 66.7% |
| Los Angeles | 20 | 13 | 65.0% |
| Philadelphia | 11 | 7 | 63.6% |
| San Diego | 19 | 12 | 63.2% |
| Cincinnati | 16 | 10 | 62.5% |
| Buffalo | 20 | 12 | 60.0% |
| Seattle | 15 | 9 | 60.0% |
| Atlanta | 21 | 12 | 57.1% |
| Baltimore | 9 | 5 | 55.6% |
| Minnesota | 18 | 10 | 55.6% |
| Green Bay | 11 | 6 | 54.5% |
| Detroit | 17 | 9 | 52.9% |
| Jacksonville | 8 | 4 | 50.0% |
| Miami | 8 | 4 | 50.0% |
| Tampa Bay | 13 | 6 | 46.2% |
Looking at individuals rather than teams, Melvin Gordon, Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliott have been the league’s busiest backs on these kind of plays. They have more carries with their team needing 1 yard than anyone else – 16-18 for each guy.
Among players with at least 5 attempts, three have converted all of their tries – John Kuhn, Mike Gillislee and Jonathan Stewart. Kuhn and Gillislee have both been released in the last 14 months. Gillislee is particularly interesting because Buffalo is also home to the league’s least effective short-yardage runner – LeSean McCoy is only 1 of 5 on these kind of plays.
| AND-ONE RUSHING (5+ attempts) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Att | Good | Pct |
| J.Kuhn, NO | 6 | 6 | 100.0% |
| M.Gillislee, BUF | 5 | 5 | 100.0% |
| J.Stewart, CAR | 5 | 5 | 100.0% |
| M.Forte, NYJ | 8 | 7 | 87.5% |
| L.Murray, OAK | 8 | 7 | 87.5% |
| C.Newton, CAR | 7 | 6 | 85.7% |
| C.Hyde, SF | 7 | 6 | 85.7% |
| L.Miller, HST | 6 | 5 | 83.3% |
| A.Luck, IND | 6 | 5 | 83.3% |
| D.Murray, TEN | 11 | 9 | 81.8% |
| M.Jones, WAS | 10 | 8 | 80.0% |
| I.Crowell, CLV | 5 | 4 | 80.0% |
| R.Jennings, NYG | 5 | 4 | 80.0% |
| R.Mathews, PHI | 5 | 4 | 80.0% |
| D.Booker, DEN | 5 | 4 | 80.0% |
| E.Elliott, DAL | 16 | 12 | 75.0% |
| S.Ware, KC | 11 | 8 | 72.7% |
| L.Bell, PIT | 7 | 5 | 71.4% |
| L.Blount, NE | 12 | 8 | 66.7% |
| C.Michael, SEA | 6 | 4 | 66.7% |
| T.Coleman, ATL | 6 | 4 | 66.7% |
| T.Gurley, LA | 16 | 10 | 62.5% |
| M.Gordon, SD | 18 | 11 | 61.1% |
| M.Ingram, NO | 5 | 3 | 60.0% |
| D.Henry, TEN | 5 | 3 | 60.0% |
| D.Johnson, ARZ | 14 | 8 | 57.1% |
| T.West, BLT | 7 | 4 | 57.1% |
| J.Hill, CIN | 7 | 4 | 57.1% |
| M.Asiata, MIN | 13 | 6 | 46.2% |
| D.Freeman, ATL | 11 | 5 | 45.5% |
| C.Anderson, DEN | 11 | 5 | 45.5% |
| Z.Zenner, DET | 6 | 2 | 33.3% |
| T.Hightower, NO | 6 | 2 | 33.3% |
| L.McCoy, BUF | 5 | 1 | 20.0% |
Finally, here are the players with 3-4 of those plays …
| AND-ONE RUSHING (3-4 attempts) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Att | Good | Pct |
| J.Ajayi, MIA | 4 | 4 | 100.0% |
| B.Gabbert, SF | 4 | 4 | 100.0% |
| J.Langford, CHI | 3 | 3 | 100.0% |
| R.Turbin, IND | 3 | 3 | 100.0% |
| D.Brees, NO | 3 | 3 | 100.0% |
| B.Powell, NYJ | 3 | 3 | 100.0% |
| C.Keenum, LA | 3 | 3 | 100.0% |
| T.Riddick, DET | 4 | 3 | 75.0% |
| T.Siemian, DEN | 4 | 3 | 75.0% |
| J.Felton, BUF | 4 | 3 | 75.0% |
| M.Ryan, ATL | 4 | 3 | 75.0% |
| D.Williams, PIT | 4 | 3 | 75.0% |
| A.Dalton, CIN | 4 | 3 | 75.0% |
| A.Ripkowski, GB | 3 | 2 | 66.7% |
| R.Kelley, WAS | 3 | 2 | 66.7% |
| E.Lacy, GB | 3 | 2 | 66.7% |
| J.Rodgers, TB | 3 | 2 | 66.7% |
| D.Sproles, PHI | 3 | 2 | 66.7% |
| R.Wilson, SEA | 3 | 2 | 66.7% |
| A.Blue, HST | 3 | 2 | 66.7% |
| J.Olawale, OAK | 3 | 2 | 66.7% |
| C.Thompson, WAS | 3 | 2 | 66.7% |
| C.West, KC | 3 | 2 | 66.7% |
| A.Morris, DAL | 3 | 2 | 66.7% |
| C.Sims, TB | 4 | 2 | 50.0% |
| M.Davis, SF | 4 | 2 | 50.0% |
| G.Bernard, CIN | 4 | 2 | 50.0% |
| S.Vereen, NYG | 4 | 2 | 50.0% |
| F.Gore, IND | 4 | 2 | 50.0% |
| D.Washington, DET | 4 | 2 | 50.0% |
| C.Ivory, JAX | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| T.Yeldon, JAX | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| A.Rodgers, GB | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| B.Rainey, NYG | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
—Ian Allan