ADS Capstone Chronicles Revised

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comparable to those seen in 2008. In contrast, the "Average Rush Attempts Across Seasons" graph portrays a different trend. From 2005 to 2015, there was a decline in average rush attempts for both home and away teams. However, post-2015, there was a reversal in this trend, with rush attempts gradually increasing. Interestingly, the trend observed in rush attempts is opposite to that seen in pass attempts, with the 2024 level only reaching levels comparable to those seen in 2013.

Though the NFL experiences ebbs and flows in its playstyle from favoring passing to favoring running, and vice versa, we can see the scoring tends to follow the passing attempts and yards trend while having an inverse relationship to rushing.

Figure 4 Line Plots of Average Scoring, Pass Attempts, and Rush Attempts Across the 2002-2023 Seasons

Using a newly derived feature, pass rate, by utilizing pass completion and pass attempts, we were able to explore the relationship between pass completion percentage and scoring. Similarly, another derived feature, red zone rate, can be investigated to obtain knowledge of how red zone touchdown conversion rate affects scoring. The line plots in Figure 5 demonstrate the relationships between these rates and the score, while being grouped by games

won or lost. It is evident there exists a clear correlation: higher pass and redzone rates tend to result in higher home scores. By connecting this insight with the previous graph, it becomes apparent teams should prioritize passing, as it significantly benefits their chances of winning. This underscores the strategic importance of focusing on passing plays for teams aiming for victory.

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