Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Win Time of Possession Win Period Keep QB1

The Top Ten Teams in Time of Possession in 2025 had a combined record of 116-54. 

What does winning time of possession (TOP) mean for the health of QB1?

So the Chart below (based on Pro Football Reference) shows how many QB1 Starts the TOP Ten had. The total defense rank. The Scoring Defense rank. The Rush Defense Rank. The Rush Offense Rank. The difference between the Rush Offense and Rush Defense Ranks. And the won-loss records, which rounds to an average of 12-5.     

Winning Time of Possession seems to keep your Quarterback healthy. 

If you are trying to debunk the argument that RTDB leads to better TOP and more wins you could note 6 of the 10 time of possession leaders were Top Ten Run Defenses while only 4 were Top Ten Run Offenses. 

Only the Patriots among Time of Possession Leaders had both a Top Ten Run Defense and a Top Ten Run Offense. That supports people who see them going to the Super Bowl. Back in the day if you were good at both you had a decent shot of getting to the promised land.    

Nonetheless, the Patriots went 14-3, suggesting it is optimum for your Ball Club to be adept at stopping the run and RTDB. And Strategic Thinking, as well as personnel decisions, ought to trend in that direction. 

However, all four Top Ten Rush offenses, among TOP leaders, had QBs who played full 17 game seasons. Still, only two of the Top Ten Run Defenses had QBs playing less than 17 and one of those was rested in the final game.

And if you are trying to measure complementary football the difference between the run defense rankings and the run offense rankings may give you some sense of scale. 

There are out-of-balance teams who have gone to and won the Super Bowl.