Why are NFL passing numbers exploding?
Matt Ryan just put up a season comparable to Kurt Warner's amazing 2000 campaign, part of a broader trend that has seen passing numbers swell. What's behind the explosion?
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Best comparison to 2016 Falcons might be 2006 Colts
The Falcons have been great on offense this season but have struggled on defense. Can they win the Super Bowl with that formula?
Ranking the wild-card QB performances from 1 to 8
When you rank the quarterbacks by Total QBR, Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers stand out, though Brock Osweiler was solid as well.
Can good shot selection carry the Thunder through the playoffs?
The Oklahoma City Thunder are not a good shooting team -- but they take good shots. Is that identity sustainable for OKC in the playoff push and beyond?
Will Jazz beat Clips, OKC for home-court in playoffs?
With George Hill back and the Jazz finally close to full strength, what are their chances of getting the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage? Are they set up for a playoff run this year?
Was Clemson-Alabama the most exciting championship game in recent memory?
Where did Clemson-Alabama rank on the metrics-based "excitement index" of recent college football title games? The Texas-USC Rose Bowl still earns the title, but Tigers-Tide isn't far behind.
Giant Killers: Looking for vulnerable giants? The Big East has them
According to the Giant Killers model, some of the Big East's highly ranked teams -- Butler and Creighton among them -- could be susceptible to early NCAA tournament exits.
Best non-QB performances of wild-card weekend
Quarterbacks dominated the headlines on wild-card weekend, but a number of other players on both sides of the ball added clear value for their teams.
Ranking the best NBA title dark horses
Which teams are most likely to prevent a Cavs-Warriors NBA Finals trilogy? Here's how ESPN's Basketball Power Index projects five teams' chances to crash the party in June.
NBA All-Stars: Top picks for East, West, five new starters
New names and faces are featured in Kevin Pelton's picks for the 2017 NBA All-Star starting lineups.
Who does BPI like in Baylor (most deserving) vs. West Virginia (best)?
Baylor is undefeated and atop the polls, but their statistical profile isn't the most impressive in the land. Who does BPI favor in the Bears' trip to West Virginia?
Duke back to No. 1 in BPI rankings
West Virginia's loss on Tuesday to Texas Tech paved the way for Duke to return to No. 1 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.
Left for dead: Baseball's power outage in left field
Teams used to reserve the corner for sluggers, but the days of fence-busting electricity are over. Why are clubs pulling the plug?
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Nate Silver
Nate Silver
How QBR proves Alabama's defensive dominance
It's no surprise that the Alabama defense has been fantastic this season, but a look at the QBR numbers of its opponents reinforces the Crimson Tide's defensive dominance.
Verdict: Harden or Westbrook more valuable?
Is James Harden or Russell Westbrook having the better offensive season? Kevin Pelton has the facts on the two history-making MVP candidates.
Assist rate helps tell the story of Wizards' struggles
The Washington Wizards find themselves a game out of the playoff picture, with BPI giving them only a 34 percent chance of reaching the postseason. Ball movement has been a major issue.
Barnwell's 2016 NFL playoffs preview
The NFL's postseason is always a joyfully riotous crapshoot. Bill Barnwell is here to help bring some clarity to the chaos, breaking down key stats for every team.
Why Clemson needs a CFP title game shootout (again)
After losing a 45-40 shootout to Alabama last year, Clemson could be tempted to slow things down. That would be a mistake. Deshaun Watson & Co. need to keep the pedal to the metal in the rematch.
Ranking every position group on every playoff team
Who has the better running back corps, Dallas or Pittsburgh? Football Outsiders settles that debate and more for every position group headed into the playoffs.
Backfiring: Dumping NFL coaches often makes team worse
Conventional wisdom says firing an NFL head coach after a losing season could lead to success the next year. How true is that? The numbers say not at all.
What's next for baseball's seven unluckiest batters?
Few batters hit the ball as hard as Miguel Cabrera or Buster Posey, but they're among guys who didn't get the results you'd expect in 2016. What does that mean for them in 2017?
The best and worst QBs of the season (0:54)
Is this Nick Saban's best Alabama defense?
It's a fun debate: Just how good is this Alabama defense? The best recent comparison is the 2011 Crimson Tide unit. But advanced metrics show that it's actually not even close.
Giant Killers: Wichita State, Monmouth ready for an encore
Can Cinderella teams have staying power? The Giant Killers model has high hopes for teams like Wichita State that already are comfortable as tournament underdogs.
What is wrong with Indiana?
The Hoosiers are maddening. That's the easiest way to put it. There are wins against Kansas and UNC. There is also that stumble against Fort Wayne and a current two-game skid. What's their deal?
Final regular season Total QBR rankings for 2016
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan won the NFL's QBR title for the 2016 regular season, with Tom Brady and Dak Prescott finishing just behind him.
Final NFL OTD leaderboard for 2016 regular season
Our opportunity-adjusted touchdowns rankings tell you not only who's scoring, but who's getting the opportunities to score. Here we reveal our final OTD table heading for 2016.
Player rankings: Most MVP-level performances
How does James Harden's 53-point triple-double compare to the other great performances of 2016-17? We list the top five individual games and update our weekly and season-long player rankings.
West Virginia moves up to No. 1 in BPI Rankings
The Mountaineers climbed the ranks to the top spot. See who was the biggest riser and which is the best matchup of the week.
How the Raptors are defying NBA convention, contending anyway
Despite back-to-back losses, the Toronto Raptors have a commanding lead in the Atlantic and have realistic NBA Finals aspirations. They're doing it differently than most of their contemporaries.
Giant Killers: Virginia again showing its true strength
Virginia keeps working its way into the NCAA tournament as a high seed. For those looking to fell a "giant," it might be better to try someone other than the Cavaliers.
Comparing NFL contenders to past playoff teams
Tom Brady's Patriots have some similarities to a team that made it all the way to the Super Bowl. Football Outsiders finds the best archetypes for this year's 13 playoff contenders.
Updated NFL OTD leaderboard for Week 17
Our opportunity-adjusted touchdowns rankings tell you not only who's scoring, but who's getting the opportunities to score. Here we reveal our updated OTD table heading into Week 17.
How the ACC gets (at least) 11 NCAA tournament bids
The Big East set the record with 11 NCAA tournament bids in 2011, a mark that seemed out of reach. Well, it's in reach. And the numbers suggest the ACC could get there -- or beyond.
Teams with best, worst chances to win Super Bowl LI
Football Outsiders updates the Super Bowl LI odds for every eligible team, including the chances of Tom Brady capturing his record fifth Lombardi trophy.
Which non-CFP team would have had the best chance to win?
What might have happened had one or two plays gone the other way this year? FPI looks at how the best non-CFP teams would have done in the playoff. (Warning: There will be sadness in Ann Arbor.)
Updated Total QBR rankings entering Week 17 of the NFL season
Falcons signal-caller Matt Ryan maintains his QBR lead with one week to play, with the Cowboys' Dak Prescott and Patriots' Tom Brady right behind Ryan.
The Game, Part 2: What an eight-team CFP field would look like
An Ohio State-Michigan rematch? That's just one of the possibilities as FPI lays out an eight-team field. One thing remains the same, though: Alabama is the overwhelming favorite to win it all.
Player rankings: After Russ, who else is in the NBA's top 10?
We rank the top 10 NBA players from the week and the season so far, led by all the craziest Russell Westbrook stats we could find after tracking every OKC game.
Which teams helped their NCAA tourney position in nonconference play?
Florida State looked like a bubble team in the preseason, but after a 12-1 start, BPI says the Seminoles should be safely in the field. Which other teams improved their NCAA tourney status?
Will the 11th-place Pistons still make the playoffs?
What are the Detroit Pistons' playoff chances after an awful 0-4 skid over the past week? And can they still compete with the East's top teams? Here are the latest BPI projections.
Numbers reveal Premier League's overachievers, underachievers
With the Premier League season nearing the midway point, an analytics based deep-dive into the clubs who are playing above and below expected form.
Live NFL playoff probability updates for Week 16
Follow along throughout the day for a look at NFL teams' chances of making the playoffs, based on in-game win probability and FPI.
Kyrie Irving is still good, but not keeping pace with NBA's elite guards
Kyrie Irving burst onto the NBA scene at age 19 and put up unthinkable numbers for a player his age. Irving remains a high-quality player, but at age 24, he's plateaued compared to other guards.
How to bet all 41 CFB bowl games
If you're looking to bet on any college football bowls, this is the file for you. Our experts provide wagering advice on all 41 bowls from Dec. 17 to Jan 2.
Do projected superteams deliver super results?
With their active winters, two teams might push the Cubs as baseball's best in 2017. Does being great on paper mean anything once the games begin?
Nebraska's perfect start and the role of analytics
Nebraska is one of a small group of remaining undefeated teams in CFB. It's also the only D-I school with a wide-ranging sports analytics department. Connection? Maybe not ... but maybe.
