Exploring FTN Data: Gash Rate Allowed

Gash rate allowed: The percentage of runs allowed that go for 10 yards or more.

With the launch of the new FTN Data site this summer we continue our series spotlighting some of the Insider Stats that will be commonly seen and talked about at both FTN Fantasy and FTN Data. Here we take a look at gash rate allowed. Gash rate allowed gives us a glimpse into what defenses have a propensity of getting “gashed.” Similar to the brick wall rate, most of the teams at the top will be defenses that performed well against the run in general, but there are some outliers as well. For example, Kansas City had a below-average run defense all season long, allowing nearly 2,000 yards on the ground at a clip of 4.51 yards per carry, but did a good job of limiting big runs, with the sixth-best gash rate allowed of 8.7%. One other interesting note is all five of the league leaders in gash rate allowed also ranked near the top of the league in limiting yards after contact per carry. Here is a quick-look at the top five from 2020.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7.46%): The Super Bowl champs rank highly on many of these types of lists, and with their front-seven it’s no surprise to see them here, especially after missing the second-fewest tackles on run plays in the NFL in 2020.
2. Los Angeles Rams (7.46%): The Rams have the best defensive player of this generation in Aaron Donald. Not much needs to be said about him, but knowing what we know, it would be a shock if the Rams weren’t high on this list. The Rams couple a good gash rate allowed with allowing the fewest yards after contact per carry with a mark of 2.15.
3. New Orleans Saints (7.53%): Good defensive line play has been a forte of the Saints the past few seasons and they show up high on a list quantifying such yet again.
4. Indianapolis (8.36%): The Colts’ run defense was solid all around in 2020 and limiting big run plays was a big reason why. The Colts were also incredibly stout up the middle where they gave up just 3.15 yards per carry on rush attempts between the tackles which is one of the best marks in the league.
5. San Francisco (8.44%): Despite dealing with an insane number of injuries in their front-seven last season, the 49ers were still adept at not giving up big plays in the run game.

Follow along the whole Exploring FTN DATA series here.