Special Teams EPA | NFL Advanced Stats

Rank
1	32.4	3.0	21.6	28.4	-	18.3	14.1	6.3
2	31.8	6.7	19.5	23.3	-	-0.2	32.0	16.4
3	31.8	6.1	23.2	29.8	-	13.4	18.4	-18.9
4	30.3	-3.0	11.7	26.9	-	14.9	15.4	23.7
5	22.9	-6.7	-1.7	17.8	-	19.4	3.4	80.4

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What is Special Teams EPA?

Special teams EPA combines the expected points a team's field goal, extra point, punt and kickoff units added across the season with the expected points those same units allowed, net of each other (st_epa_for minus st_epa_against). Higher is better: it is the clearest single read on whether a team's special teams as a whole helped or hurt it. League-wide, every team's st_epa sums to exactly 0, since every special teams play affects one team's "for" total and the opponent's "against" total equally.

Which teams have the highest special teams EPA in the NFL in 2026?

Detroit ranks first in the NFL in special teams EPA at 32.4 through games played November 3, 2026. Chicago is second at 31.8, Buffalo third at 31.8, Minnesota fourth at 30.3 & Seattle fifth at 22.9. Detroit's total is 0.6 above second place & 45.5 above the 25th-ranked team.

Only 27.2 separate first from tenth. Tampa Bay is sixth at 18.2, Dallas seventh at 11.7, Jacksonville eighth at 10.4, Philadelphia ninth at 5.5 & New England tenth at 5.2.

Buffalo ranks third on the season at 31.8 but has led the league in special teams EPA over the last three weeks at 23.2. Carolina is 11th at 4.2, Cincinnati 12th at 4.0, Las Vegas 13th at 3.2, Indianapolis 14th at 2.8, Denver 15th at 2.0, the New York Giants 16th at 1.6, Cleveland 17th at -3.2 & Washington 18th at -4.2.

Eight teams sit inside 4.0 of each other from ninth to 16th, the tightest stretch of the ranking. The Los Angeles Chargers are 19th at -5.8, New Orleans 20th at -7.6, the New York Jets 21st at -7.6, Pittsburgh 22nd at -9.0, Houston 23rd at -9.6, Tennessee 24th at -10.4 & Baltimore 25th at -13.1.

How this ranking is measured

Of the 32 NFL teams ranked in the 2026 regular season, the top 25 are listed above. Special teams EPA combines the expected points a team's field goal, extra point, punt and kickoff units added across the season with the expected points those same units allowed, net of each other (st_epa_for minus st_epa_against). Figures are as of November 3, 2026 & are recalculated on StatRankings after each game's play-by-play is processed.