Opponent First Downs Per Play


1	0.22	0.21	0.19	0.22	-	0.26	0.20	0.27
2	0.24	0.21	0.25	0.24	-	0.26	0.21	0.25
3	0.25	0.26	0.25	0.26	-	0.26	0.23	0.32
4	0.26	0.19	0.26	0.26	-	0.24	0.29	0.27
5	0.27	0.19	0.25	0.24	-	0.23	0.29	0.31
5	0.27	0.27	0.29	0.29	-	0.29	0.26	0.29
7	0.28	0.32	0.29	0.28	-	0.26	0.31	0.29
7	0.28	0.22	0.27	0.28	-	0.29	0.27	0.30
7	0.28	0.20	0.25	0.28	-	0.28	0.28	0.29
7	0.28	0.31	0.28	0.29	-	0.20	0.31	0.33
7	0.28	0.29	0.29	0.26	-	0.30	0.23	0.28
7	0.28	0.21	0.25	0.26	-	0.27	0.28	0.27
7	0.28	0.27	0.28	0.25	-	0.24	0.35	0.30
7	0.28	0.23	0.27	0.28	-	0.34	0.24	0.31
15	0.29	0.30	0.28	0.29	-	0.30	0.28	0.29
15	0.29	0.32	0.29	0.29	-	0.26	0.35	0.28
15	0.29	0.28	0.26	0.29	-	0.31	0.26	0.24
15	0.29	0.34	0.31	0.28	-	0.30	0.28	0.25
15	0.29	0.29	0.29	0.29	-	0.29	0.28	0.28
20	0.30	0.29	0.30	0.29	-	0.30	0.29	0.31
20	0.30	0.24	0.27	0.30	-	0.27	0.36	0.32
20	0.30	0.36	0.30	0.30	-	0.26	0.34	0.27
20	0.30	0.23	0.23	0.28	-	0.31	0.29	0.31
24	0.31	0.33	0.34	0.31	-	0.33	0.30	0.33
24	0.31	0.33	0.30	0.33	-	0.32	0.30	0.33
26	0.32	0.34	0.35	0.33	-	0.29	0.34	0.30
26	0.32	0.30	0.29	0.32	-	0.34	0.30	0.34
28	0.33	0.33	0.35	0.34	-	0.33	0.33	0.30
28	0.33	0.30	0.33	0.33	-	0.34	0.33	0.28
28	0.33	0.25	0.30	0.31	-	0.34	0.32	0.34
31	0.34	0.34	0.31	0.34	-	0.34	0.34	0.31
32	0.35	0.27	0.33	0.35	-	0.32	0.37	0.29

What Is Opponent First Downs Per Play?

Opponent first downs per play measures how often opponents gain a first down per play run. This stat reflects defensive efficiency in halting progress.

Which teams allow the lowest first downs per play in the NFL in 2026?

Minnesota ranks first in the NFL for first downs per play allowed at 0.22 through games played October 22, 2026. Seattle is second at 0.24, San Francisco third at 0.25 & Kansas City fourth at 0.26. Chicago & Atlanta are tied for fifth at 0.27. A gap of 0.02 downs separates Minnesota from second place, & 0.09 downs separate it from the 25th-ranked team.

Only 0.06 downs separate first from tenth. New England, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, the New York Jets, the Los Angeles Rams, Cleveland, Tampa Bay & Carolina are tied for seventh at 0.28.

Five separate ranks inside the top 25 are shared by more than one team. Green Bay, Jacksonville, Denver, Houston & Philadelphia are tied 15th at 0.29.

All 13 teams are within 0.01 downs of each other. Tennessee, the New York Giants, the Los Angeles Chargers & Indianapolis are tied 20th at 0.30 and Cincinnati & Washington tied 24th at 0.31.

How this ranking is measured

Of the 32 NFL teams ranked in the 2026 regular season, the top 25 are listed above, ranked lowest first. Opponent first downs per play measures how often opponents gain a first down per play run. This stat reflects defensive efficiency in halting progress. Figures are as of October 22, 2026 & are recalculated on StatRankings after each game's play-by-play is processed.

Opponent First Downs Per Play | NFL Team Stats

What Is Opponent First Downs Per Play?

Which teams allow the lowest first downs per play in the NFL in 2026?

How this ranking is measured