Welcome to the Conference Championship Round edition of Snaps, Pace & Stats, where we examine trends in snap totals and no-huddle usage. It is meant as a 30,000-foot view of upcoming games, with the goal of identifying which matchups will — and which will not — be played on fertile fantasy soil.
The turf in Atlanta, and possibly New England, will sprout plenty of points this weekend, with an expected 110-point combined total for the two games, according to Vegas linesmakers. Three of the top four most efficient per-snap scoring offenses will be in action, plus Pittsburgh ranked sixth over their last four games. High play volume will not be a requirement for elevated point totals.
2016 Snaps Per Game | NFL Rank | Last Four Games | NFL Rank |
New England Patriots (66.0) | 7th | New England Patriots (68.2) | 5th |
Green Bay Packers (64.3) | 13th | Green Bay Packers (65.5) | 11th |
Pittsburgh Steelers (64.1) | 14th | Atlanta Falcons (63.8) | 13th |
Atlanta Falcons (62.2) | 26th | Pittsburgh Steelers (61.0) | 22nd |
Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons
The Packers finished the year with the 13th-most plays per game. Not only are they the third-most-efficient offense on a point-per-snap basis (0.42), their games are increasingly more voluminous from a total plays perspective. Despite abandoning their up-tempo offense (more in No-huddle notes), Packers’ games rank third-highest for average combined plays during every team’s last four contests (131.8). After they lost Eddie Lacy, Green Bay handed off at the league’s sixth-lowest rate, which typically leads to higher offensive play totals. The Falcons allowed the seventh-most plays per game this season (66.2) and their biggest liability is perimeter pass coverage. Atlanta barely blitzes (20.3 percent; 30th), which is the one thing that’s slowed Aaron Rodgers the last two weeks (67.0 passer rating vs. blitz; 132.5 vs. none).
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