As more and more sim testing happens, inevitable meta changes occur throughout each season. As a DSFL prospect, I am going to take a look at which statistics contributed to the success of each DSFL champion in the first and last 5 years of the DSFL. By looking at what statistics played a role in the success of the team, hopefully we will be able to identify the meta change over the seasons. Here goes nothing.
DSFL Season 3
As I looked through records to begin with, the first thing I immediately took notice of was the “Points For” vs the “Points Allowed”. Although the San Antonio Marshals had the 2nd best record, their point differential was easily the best by 35+ points. Although they did not have the prolific offense, they had a monster performance on defense with only 181 points allowed. The 2nd lowest was 223, proving San Antonio’s dominance on defense. Typically, a great defense is accompanied by a great running game. Looking at the rushing stats on the year, this held true. San Antonio finished the year with 1750 rushing yards, 260 more than the second best team. They also ran for the most touchdowns on the year finishing with 16, 2 more than the second best Norfolk Seawolves. Although quarterbacks do contribute to the running game, in this season the highest rushing QB ran for only 61 yards. As a result, it is clear that the meta in the first DSFL season was highly dependent on the run game and defense.
This trend of defense and a run game translated seamlessly to the playoffs. In the first round, the Marshals absolutely destroyed the Coyotes in a 41-9 game. Their regular season trend continued. The Marshals ran for 149 yards and 2 TDs against the Coyotes. Although they had an efficient passing game, their defense really shined. They gave up 354 yards but also forced an interception and held strong. Although they gave up a lot of yards, their ability to keep the Coyotes out of the endzone was vital to their win. The trend continued into the championship game against the Seawolves. The Marshals won in an absolute defensive battle 19-3. The Marshals forced an interception and only let the Seawolves get a field goal in the early portion of the game. They were shut out the rest of the game.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 3 meta depended on a strong defense and run game
DSFL Season 4
The Portland Pythons absolutely dominated season 4 of the DSFL. Just like in DSFL season 3, the Pythons had the best defense in terms of points allowed by only 1 point. They finished last in tackles, last in TFL, and last in interceptions. However, the Pythons came up big in sacks and fumbles. Portland racked up 55 sacks, the most by 5, and 9 fumble recoveries, the most by 1. However, unlike season 3 the Pythons blazed their way through the league with their passing game. The Pythons finished with the most yards at 3452, the best completion % at 60.1 and the most TDs at 20. With the best passing game and defense, the Pythons continued it into the playoffs.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Pythons annihilated the Seawolves 31-0. The defense absolutely terrorized the Seawolves holding them to only 190 total yards of offense. Continuing the trend from the regular season, Portland was in the backfield all day with 9 sacks. The passing game was also elite, with their QB throwing for 240 yards and 2 TDs with a passer rating of 99.8 in the game. In the championship game, the Pythons defeated the San Antonio Marshals 27-14. Their defense absolutely took control of the game while their passing game put them up early like they did during the semifinal game.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 4 meta was again heavily favored towards a strong defense, but the passing game was what took the Pythons all the way this year.
DSFL Season 5
Looking through all of the team stats, DSFL season 5 was very similar to season 4. The Palm Beach Solar Bears, though not the top regular season team, came out on top in the DSFL Season 5 Ultimi. Differing from the past 2 years, Palm Beach was absolutely elite both offensively and defensively. They had the best offense, scoring 334 points which was 74 points better than the closest team. On defense, they were the second best team surrendering 180 points but only behind the Pythons by 3 points. At the top in both passing and rushing, the Solar Bears threw for 3257 yards with 18 TDs and ran for 1937 yards with 16 touchdowns. The next closest team in rushing touchdowns was the Pythons with 11. Another trend I noticed was the quarterback again like the past 2 years did not factor into the rushing offense. Although near the bottom in tackles like the Pythons the year before, the Solar Bears were excellent in the other facets of defense. They had 46 TFL (3rd), 68 sacks (1st), 9 fumble recoveries (2nd), and 3 safeties (1st). With an elite offense and a monster pass rush, the Pythons were able to keep opposing offenses at bay while they gained huge leads, leading to the biggest point differential in the league by 50.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Solar Bears outclassed the Luchadores winning convincingly 27-3. Overall, the Solar Bears threw for 290 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game without an interception. They totaled 390 yards in the game, the highest I have seen so far in the past 3 years of playoffs. On defense, they continued to be great in the sacks department. They finished the game with 6 sacks and an interception. Although not elite in this game, the run game was serviceable with 100 yards and a touchdown. In the championship game, the Solar Bears pulled out a close 17-13 victory against the defending champions Portland Pythons. The Solar Bears once again pulled ahead early due to their elite passing game. They threw for 211 yards and 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions resulting in a passer rating of 118.6. Once again though, the defense was the backbone of the game. They held the Pythons to 266 total yards, but were elite in pass defense holding Portland to only 3.7 yards per attempt. Additionally, they came away with 3 sacks and only gave up 1 touchdown all game.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 5 meta was again favored to elite defense, although this year Palm Beach just blew away everyone offensively, not necessarily specializing in either the run or the pass.
DSFL Season 6
In a surprising turn of events, the San Antonio Marshals ended up winning the DSFL season 6 Ultimi. In the regular season, the Marshals were average in terms of points scored and points allowed. They finished with 212 PF and 214 PA, resulting in a point differential of -2 which is the worst by far of any DSFL champion so far. When I took a closer look at the statistics though, I found that the Marshals were not an average team at all defensively. While San Antonio only had the 3rd best defense in terms of points, they came up huge in the categories that matter. The Marshals lead the league in interceptions with 21 while also having 6 fumble recoveries. The best part of the Marshals' defense is their ability to score, finishing the year with 3 defensive touchdowns. They had the most turnovers with 27 on the year, 5 more than the second best team. Once again, defense is the backbone of a championship team in the DSFL, even if they have a pedestrian offense.
Even though the San Antonio Marshals continued their defensive prowess in the playoffs their offense brought the team to a new level. In the semifinal against the Luchadores, the Marshals prevailed 31-11. They held the Luchadores to only 173 total yards of offense, 155 passing and only 18 on the ground. They finished with 8 sacks on the night and as usual, the defense held up their end of the bargain. However, on the other side of the ball the Marshals excelled. They finished with 436 yards of total offense, with 229 yards passing and 207 yards rushing. San Antonio kept its offensive balance but popped off in both categories. The offense threw for 4 touchdowns total and spread the ball out well among their receivers. In the Ultimi, the Marshals edged out the Coyotes 23-13. The defense once again played excellent, holding the Coyotes passing game to 156 yards and 2 interceptions. These turnovers were crucial in the victory. On offense, the Marshals racked up 445 yards of total offense with 276 of those coming on the ground, accompanied by 2 touchdowns. In the regular season and postseason, I noticed that for the first time the quarterback got involved in the run game. QB Vick of the Marshals ran the ball 6 times for 52 yards in the semifinals and 12 times for 69 yards and a touchdown in the Ultimi. This new development added an extra element to San Antonio’s offense that helped propel them to the championship.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 6 meta was dominated by the defense. The first introduction of the running quarterback is seen in this season on the championship team.
DSFL Season 7
In the most dominant season performance I have seen so far, the Portland Pythons won the season 7 Ultimi after a 12-2 record in the regular season. The Pythons had the best offense by 1 point, scoring 393 on the season. Their defense was also by far the best, only giving up 210 points which was the lowest by 57. This resulted in a point differential of 183, the biggest I have seen in the first 5 seasons of the DSFL. Although the Pythons had a great run game and was 2nd in the league, the pass game was far better than any other team. They finished with 3112 yards and 14 TDs on the year. In the run game, Portland finished with 2166 yards and 26 TDs, the second best by a wide margin. As seen in the past 4 teams, the defense was again vital to their success. Finishing with 16 interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries, the Pythons led the league in turnovers with 27. The biggest part of this defense was the pass rush. The Pythons finished with 67 sacks on the year, 12 more than the 2nd best. This fierce pass rush allowed them to put their opponents in unfavorable down and distances.
Portland entered the playoffs as the #1 seed and faced off against the Coyotes in round 1. The Pythons won 19-13. The game was an absolute defensive battle, both teams threw for 174 yards, but Portland edged them out in rushing 151-114. The real story of this game was the turnover battle, the Pythons defense forced an interception and recovered a fumble leading to 2 crucial turnovers. These swung the game in Portland’s favor and allowed them to advance. In the championship game, the Pythons won 24-17 against the Luchadores in a much more convincing game. This specific game was dominated by the Pythons on the ground. They ran for 157 yards compared to only 63 for the Luchadores. The run defense in this game was absolutely elite from Portland and allowed them to control the game from start to finish. They also intercepted the Luchadores quarterback once and sacked him 7 times which was a big part of their defense during the regular season. Unlike the quarterback for the Marshals last year, the Python’s quarterback was not involved in the run game but the running backs more than made up for it.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 7 meta was dominated here by a prolific run game and an absolutely elite pass rush defense that got the job done.
Now, let us look at the most recent 5 seasons and see how they compare to the first 5. Hope you’re still reading after all that!
DSFL Season 20
While the defense of the Minnesota Grey Ducks was great just like the DSFL champions in the first 5 seasons of the league, the offense was vital in this year of the DSFL to the Grey Ducks Ultimi season. Minnesota exploded on offense, finishing the year with 390 points scored, the most by ONE HUNDRED compared to the second best team, the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers. While not as good as the league leading Buccaneers in defense, the Grey Ducks still only let up 186 points, 67 points more than the Bucs. Although the Grey Ducks did not put up gaudy passing stats, the sheer number of touchdowns and efficiency was vital in their championship run. Minnesota passed for 2003 yards, only the 4th best but threw for 19 TDs (1st) and only 8 interceptions en route to a 84.9 passer rating, the best by 19.2 points. While the passing game was masterfully efficient, the volume of the offense came from the run game. The Grey Ducks only passed 300 times on the year, but ran more than double of what they passed, finishing with 624 attempts which was the most in the league. The Ducks ended up rushing for 3049 yards, 12 away from the league leading Buccaneers. Although the Bucs ran for more, the Grey Ducks took better advantage of their scoring opportunities, leading the league with 23 rushing touchdowns compared to the second best Buccaneers with 17. Although hard to believe, the Grey Ducks looked even MORE dominant in the postseason than they did in the regular season.
In the semifinal game against the Coyotes, Minnesota shredded the Coyotes winning 36-7. The defense was good in the game, holding the Coyotes to one touchdown in the 4th quarter with only 227 yards, 87 of those passing. They intercepted the Coyotes once and also had 3 sacks for the game. Once again though like the regular season the Grey Ducks thrived in their offense. The Grey Ducks only threw for 219 yards, but took over on the ground game with 269 yards and 3 touchdowns with an efficient average of 5 yards per carry. So far, only season 7 of the DSFL involved a quarterback in the run game heavily and the Grey Ducks did not have their quarterback run. In the finals, Minnesota did what the Atlanta Falcons could not, holding on to beat the Buccaneers 28-3 (insert Falcons meme here). Once again, the Grey Ducks feasted on an efficient passing game while controlling the clock with defense and the run game. Minnesota picked off the Buccaneers quarterback twice, and sacked him 3 times. The Buccaneers only finished with 3 points in the game. On offense, the Grey Ducks only passed for 122 yards but had a touchdown with no interceptions. The running game shined as it did all season. Minnesota finished with 220 yards on the ground on 4.6 yards per carry. They finished with 3 rushing touchdowns and secured the Season 20 DSFL Ultimi.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 20 meta was similar to the first 5 in that a strong defense and run game carried them. A new aspect though was the insertion of an extremely efficient passer, and the offense and run game out playing the defense.
DSFL Season 21
Season 21 of the DSFL was by far the most balanced and highly contested season yet. When all was said and done, the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers took home the championship after an impressive run. The Bucs tied for the best record on the season at 9-5, however not being the best in either defense or offense. Myrtle Beach scored 301 points (4th) and let up 275 (4th). The Bucs were also average at passing with 1843 yards (5th), 13 TDs (3rd) with a 66.6 passer rating (3rd). In the run game, the Buccaneers finally found a place to shine finishing with a league best 2996 yards on the ground. Although they only finished with 17 touchdowns (4th), they used their run game to control the clock. On defense, the Buccaneers were in the top 4 of sacks, interceptions, and passes defended. Although they were not an elite defense, they seemed like a team with a “bend don’t break” attitude.
Just like the regular season, the Buccaneers played good but not great defense and ended up controlling the clock with the run game. In the semifinals, they put the Seawolves away 18-0 in a controlled game. The Bucs ran for 215 yards on 48 attempts, rushing for 3.5 YPA. The real theme of the season (which is the first I have seen so drastically so far) was Time of Possession. In the game, the Buccaneers controlled the clock for 67% of the game, winning Time of Possession 40 minutes to 20 minutes. That was the story of this game as the Seawolves were not even able to form a proper drive, only gaining 9 first downs and going 4/14 on 3rd. In the championship game, the Buccaneers continued the theme against the Coyotes winning handily 27-10. While the Time of Possession advantage was not as prevalent in this game as in the semifinal, they still had an advantage of 7 minutes. As you might have guessed, the Buccaneers put on a clinic in the running game, running for a total of 209 yards for 4.6 yards per attempt. The defense played well but was not the main reason for the win. Curiously, this is the 2nd DSFL season where the winning team’s quarterback was a factor in the run game. In the championship game, Bucs quarterback Ramos ran 8 times for 75 yards and a touchdown. As a result, this pushed their run game to the next level where they added an extra threat. While not elite in the passing game, he was efficient and made up for it in the run game.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 21 meta was having a solid defense, but an extremely strong run game, with the quarterback contributing as well.
DSFL Season 22
In a competitive SFC South division, the Tijuana Luchadores found success in their high powered offense. The Luchadores ended with the top scoring offense with 330 points scored, 13 better than the second place team. Similar to the champions in the season prior, they had an above average defense, but not a dominant one. They ended as the 3rd best defense, only letting up 259 points which trailed the top defense by 42 points. The Luchadores was an interesting team. Rather than having a dominant rushing defense in terms of yards, they were dominant in the touchdown department. Although Tijuana tied for the 4th highest yards, they finished far and away the best in touchdowns with 22 touchdowns, 6 more than the second best team. In order to get into the red-zone, the Luchadores run game was accompanied by a league best passing game. Tijuana led the league in yards and completion percentage with 2781 and 60.9% respectively. Additionally, they were 2nd in passer rating at 79.7 trailing the best team by .8 points. On defense, the Luchadores were last in tackles, but were average in sacks, interceptions and passes defended. They were not a dominant defense but it got the job done.
In the playoffs, the Luchadores eked out a win against the Seawolves 16-13. Although they only scored 16 points, the Luchadores put up 397 yards of offense. Tijuana passed for 251 yards and a touchdown but had 2 interceptions. On the ground, they ran for 146 yards with no touchdowns. Unlike last season, the Luchadores actually trailed in Time of Possession by 9 minutes. The defense of the Luchadores exemplified the “bend but don’t break” motto more than any other I have seen. They gave up 353 yards, 228 coming on the ground. They only had 2 sacks and no interceptions. However, the defense did come up big in the pass game where they held the Seawolves quarterbacks to only 125 yards. Nothing in this game really stood out statistically, but the Luchadores got the job done to move onto the next round. In the championship game, the Luchadores won a slugfest against the Royals 10-6. Once again, the Luchadores lost the Time of Possession battle by 5 minutes. Additionally, the Luchadores threw 2 interceptions to 0 from London. They were even in just about every statistic with the Royals with the Royals having more passing yards but the Luchadores having more rushing yards. Honestly this is the first season where there is no huge statistic that drove the force of the Luchadores. This was a weird season.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 22 meta was driven by a lot of touchdowns in the run game and a wacky playoffs where in both games the champion did not have any real statistical advantage that was noticeable.
DSFL Season 23
The Norfolk Seawolves pushed to win the Season 23 DSFL Ultimi through a high scoring offense and a top defense. Defensively, the Seawolves were tied for the 2nd best scoring defense only giving up 254 points, 14 more than the best team. However, on the offensive side Norfolk had the most points with 302, 20 more than the second best team. The Seawolves finished with the 3rd most passing yards with 2405, 320 behind the leading Luchadores. However, what set the Seawolves’ passing game apart was their efficiency and touchdowns. While not leading in yards, Norfolk led the league in: completion percentage, touchdowns and rating while only throwing 8 interceptions, the 2nd lowest. They had by far the best passing game in the lead statistically which carried them throughout the year. In the run game, the Seawolves had the 3rd worst run game but was only 270 yards behind the best. However, Norfolk did have the least amount of rushing touchdowns in the league at 13. On defense, the Seawolves were close to the top teams in terms of sacks, but everything else was mostly average or below. A solid defense for sure, but not something that carried the team.
In the playoff semifinal, the Seawolves won a nailbiter against the Birddogs 19-17. Honestly, this victory made little to no sense. The Seawolves were outplayed statistically in every single category. Less passing yards, less rushing yards, and less time of position. The one category that the Seawolves vitally won was turnovers. They intercepted the Birddogs once and forced another fumble which they did recover. Not a statistically pleasing performance from the Seawolves but they got the job done when they needed to. Sometimes statistics don’t tell the whole story! In the Season 23 Ultimi, statistical success made a return for Norfolk as they exploded against the Coyotes for a 26-7 victory. The Seawolves outgained the Coyotes 353 to 179 in total yards. Although they did not pop off in the passing game, they played their normally efficient game completing about 63% of their passes for 2 touchdowns and an interception combined between the two quarterbacks. The run game played well too with 178 yards but no touchdowns. One statistical trend I saw coming back was the time of possession. The Seawolves absolutely DOMINATED the time of possession having the ball for 18 more minutes than the Coyotes. The quarterbacks did not factor into the run game at all. Overall, it was a solid season for the Seawolves and they deserved their title.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 23 meta was all about efficient passing but also explosive passing. The Seawolves had an average run game and defense, but their passing game propelled them to the Ultimi, a trend that was not seen much in the priorly analyzed seasons.
DSFL Season 24
In our final season to be analyzed, the most recent season went back to the basics of a championship winning defense from the London Royals. The Royals had the 5th best scoring offense with 290 points scored. They had the second best points scored with 232, trailing the league leading Seawolves by 20. In the passing game, the Royals did lead the league in yards, but was average in every other stat in terms of passing. In the running game, the Royals were also average in both yards and touchdowns. Where London really thrived was on defense. The Royals had 753 tackles (1st), 51 TFL (1st), 48 sacks (1st), They had an absolutely dominant defense, and it carried them into the playoffs where they had a great run.
In the semifinals, the Royals outclassed the Pythons winning 22-3. They outgained the Pythons 395 to 244. The biggest part of London’s offense was the running game. They ran for 225 yards for a ridiculously high average of 6.3 yards per carry, the highest I have seen in any playoff game I analyzed. They had 1 touchdown on the ground and 1 through the air. On defense, the Royals had 3 sacks and was solid in the run game, but was absolutely shut down on defense with 7 passes defended and an interception, only relenting 147 passing yards on sub 50% completion and a passer rating of 42.4. In the Ultimi, London faced a tougher challenge in the Seawolves but still managed to win 24-17. The two teams were close in total yards but the Royals edged it out with only 18 more yards. The Seawolves had more passing yards but the Royals had more running. The running game did well, running for 200 yards and 2 TDs. However, once again like the regular season the defense carried London’s Ultimi effort. They came up with 5 sacks, a fumble recovery, and 4 passes defended in a strong defensive effort.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 24 meta went back to the old school version of winning analytically, where the London Royals had a dominant defense all year, even if their offense was not the strongest.
Thank you guys if you made it this far for my first media post! I am looking forward to doing more statistical analysis in the future for the league. Hope y’all enjoyed it!
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DSFL Season 3
As I looked through records to begin with, the first thing I immediately took notice of was the “Points For” vs the “Points Allowed”. Although the San Antonio Marshals had the 2nd best record, their point differential was easily the best by 35+ points. Although they did not have the prolific offense, they had a monster performance on defense with only 181 points allowed. The 2nd lowest was 223, proving San Antonio’s dominance on defense. Typically, a great defense is accompanied by a great running game. Looking at the rushing stats on the year, this held true. San Antonio finished the year with 1750 rushing yards, 260 more than the second best team. They also ran for the most touchdowns on the year finishing with 16, 2 more than the second best Norfolk Seawolves. Although quarterbacks do contribute to the running game, in this season the highest rushing QB ran for only 61 yards. As a result, it is clear that the meta in the first DSFL season was highly dependent on the run game and defense.
This trend of defense and a run game translated seamlessly to the playoffs. In the first round, the Marshals absolutely destroyed the Coyotes in a 41-9 game. Their regular season trend continued. The Marshals ran for 149 yards and 2 TDs against the Coyotes. Although they had an efficient passing game, their defense really shined. They gave up 354 yards but also forced an interception and held strong. Although they gave up a lot of yards, their ability to keep the Coyotes out of the endzone was vital to their win. The trend continued into the championship game against the Seawolves. The Marshals won in an absolute defensive battle 19-3. The Marshals forced an interception and only let the Seawolves get a field goal in the early portion of the game. They were shut out the rest of the game.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 3 meta depended on a strong defense and run game
DSFL Season 4
The Portland Pythons absolutely dominated season 4 of the DSFL. Just like in DSFL season 3, the Pythons had the best defense in terms of points allowed by only 1 point. They finished last in tackles, last in TFL, and last in interceptions. However, the Pythons came up big in sacks and fumbles. Portland racked up 55 sacks, the most by 5, and 9 fumble recoveries, the most by 1. However, unlike season 3 the Pythons blazed their way through the league with their passing game. The Pythons finished with the most yards at 3452, the best completion % at 60.1 and the most TDs at 20. With the best passing game and defense, the Pythons continued it into the playoffs.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Pythons annihilated the Seawolves 31-0. The defense absolutely terrorized the Seawolves holding them to only 190 total yards of offense. Continuing the trend from the regular season, Portland was in the backfield all day with 9 sacks. The passing game was also elite, with their QB throwing for 240 yards and 2 TDs with a passer rating of 99.8 in the game. In the championship game, the Pythons defeated the San Antonio Marshals 27-14. Their defense absolutely took control of the game while their passing game put them up early like they did during the semifinal game.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 4 meta was again heavily favored towards a strong defense, but the passing game was what took the Pythons all the way this year.
DSFL Season 5
Looking through all of the team stats, DSFL season 5 was very similar to season 4. The Palm Beach Solar Bears, though not the top regular season team, came out on top in the DSFL Season 5 Ultimi. Differing from the past 2 years, Palm Beach was absolutely elite both offensively and defensively. They had the best offense, scoring 334 points which was 74 points better than the closest team. On defense, they were the second best team surrendering 180 points but only behind the Pythons by 3 points. At the top in both passing and rushing, the Solar Bears threw for 3257 yards with 18 TDs and ran for 1937 yards with 16 touchdowns. The next closest team in rushing touchdowns was the Pythons with 11. Another trend I noticed was the quarterback again like the past 2 years did not factor into the rushing offense. Although near the bottom in tackles like the Pythons the year before, the Solar Bears were excellent in the other facets of defense. They had 46 TFL (3rd), 68 sacks (1st), 9 fumble recoveries (2nd), and 3 safeties (1st). With an elite offense and a monster pass rush, the Pythons were able to keep opposing offenses at bay while they gained huge leads, leading to the biggest point differential in the league by 50.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Solar Bears outclassed the Luchadores winning convincingly 27-3. Overall, the Solar Bears threw for 290 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game without an interception. They totaled 390 yards in the game, the highest I have seen so far in the past 3 years of playoffs. On defense, they continued to be great in the sacks department. They finished the game with 6 sacks and an interception. Although not elite in this game, the run game was serviceable with 100 yards and a touchdown. In the championship game, the Solar Bears pulled out a close 17-13 victory against the defending champions Portland Pythons. The Solar Bears once again pulled ahead early due to their elite passing game. They threw for 211 yards and 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions resulting in a passer rating of 118.6. Once again though, the defense was the backbone of the game. They held the Pythons to 266 total yards, but were elite in pass defense holding Portland to only 3.7 yards per attempt. Additionally, they came away with 3 sacks and only gave up 1 touchdown all game.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 5 meta was again favored to elite defense, although this year Palm Beach just blew away everyone offensively, not necessarily specializing in either the run or the pass.
DSFL Season 6
In a surprising turn of events, the San Antonio Marshals ended up winning the DSFL season 6 Ultimi. In the regular season, the Marshals were average in terms of points scored and points allowed. They finished with 212 PF and 214 PA, resulting in a point differential of -2 which is the worst by far of any DSFL champion so far. When I took a closer look at the statistics though, I found that the Marshals were not an average team at all defensively. While San Antonio only had the 3rd best defense in terms of points, they came up huge in the categories that matter. The Marshals lead the league in interceptions with 21 while also having 6 fumble recoveries. The best part of the Marshals' defense is their ability to score, finishing the year with 3 defensive touchdowns. They had the most turnovers with 27 on the year, 5 more than the second best team. Once again, defense is the backbone of a championship team in the DSFL, even if they have a pedestrian offense.
Even though the San Antonio Marshals continued their defensive prowess in the playoffs their offense brought the team to a new level. In the semifinal against the Luchadores, the Marshals prevailed 31-11. They held the Luchadores to only 173 total yards of offense, 155 passing and only 18 on the ground. They finished with 8 sacks on the night and as usual, the defense held up their end of the bargain. However, on the other side of the ball the Marshals excelled. They finished with 436 yards of total offense, with 229 yards passing and 207 yards rushing. San Antonio kept its offensive balance but popped off in both categories. The offense threw for 4 touchdowns total and spread the ball out well among their receivers. In the Ultimi, the Marshals edged out the Coyotes 23-13. The defense once again played excellent, holding the Coyotes passing game to 156 yards and 2 interceptions. These turnovers were crucial in the victory. On offense, the Marshals racked up 445 yards of total offense with 276 of those coming on the ground, accompanied by 2 touchdowns. In the regular season and postseason, I noticed that for the first time the quarterback got involved in the run game. QB Vick of the Marshals ran the ball 6 times for 52 yards in the semifinals and 12 times for 69 yards and a touchdown in the Ultimi. This new development added an extra element to San Antonio’s offense that helped propel them to the championship.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 6 meta was dominated by the defense. The first introduction of the running quarterback is seen in this season on the championship team.
DSFL Season 7
In the most dominant season performance I have seen so far, the Portland Pythons won the season 7 Ultimi after a 12-2 record in the regular season. The Pythons had the best offense by 1 point, scoring 393 on the season. Their defense was also by far the best, only giving up 210 points which was the lowest by 57. This resulted in a point differential of 183, the biggest I have seen in the first 5 seasons of the DSFL. Although the Pythons had a great run game and was 2nd in the league, the pass game was far better than any other team. They finished with 3112 yards and 14 TDs on the year. In the run game, Portland finished with 2166 yards and 26 TDs, the second best by a wide margin. As seen in the past 4 teams, the defense was again vital to their success. Finishing with 16 interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries, the Pythons led the league in turnovers with 27. The biggest part of this defense was the pass rush. The Pythons finished with 67 sacks on the year, 12 more than the 2nd best. This fierce pass rush allowed them to put their opponents in unfavorable down and distances.
Portland entered the playoffs as the #1 seed and faced off against the Coyotes in round 1. The Pythons won 19-13. The game was an absolute defensive battle, both teams threw for 174 yards, but Portland edged them out in rushing 151-114. The real story of this game was the turnover battle, the Pythons defense forced an interception and recovered a fumble leading to 2 crucial turnovers. These swung the game in Portland’s favor and allowed them to advance. In the championship game, the Pythons won 24-17 against the Luchadores in a much more convincing game. This specific game was dominated by the Pythons on the ground. They ran for 157 yards compared to only 63 for the Luchadores. The run defense in this game was absolutely elite from Portland and allowed them to control the game from start to finish. They also intercepted the Luchadores quarterback once and sacked him 7 times which was a big part of their defense during the regular season. Unlike the quarterback for the Marshals last year, the Python’s quarterback was not involved in the run game but the running backs more than made up for it.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 7 meta was dominated here by a prolific run game and an absolutely elite pass rush defense that got the job done.
Now, let us look at the most recent 5 seasons and see how they compare to the first 5. Hope you’re still reading after all that!
DSFL Season 20
While the defense of the Minnesota Grey Ducks was great just like the DSFL champions in the first 5 seasons of the league, the offense was vital in this year of the DSFL to the Grey Ducks Ultimi season. Minnesota exploded on offense, finishing the year with 390 points scored, the most by ONE HUNDRED compared to the second best team, the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers. While not as good as the league leading Buccaneers in defense, the Grey Ducks still only let up 186 points, 67 points more than the Bucs. Although the Grey Ducks did not put up gaudy passing stats, the sheer number of touchdowns and efficiency was vital in their championship run. Minnesota passed for 2003 yards, only the 4th best but threw for 19 TDs (1st) and only 8 interceptions en route to a 84.9 passer rating, the best by 19.2 points. While the passing game was masterfully efficient, the volume of the offense came from the run game. The Grey Ducks only passed 300 times on the year, but ran more than double of what they passed, finishing with 624 attempts which was the most in the league. The Ducks ended up rushing for 3049 yards, 12 away from the league leading Buccaneers. Although the Bucs ran for more, the Grey Ducks took better advantage of their scoring opportunities, leading the league with 23 rushing touchdowns compared to the second best Buccaneers with 17. Although hard to believe, the Grey Ducks looked even MORE dominant in the postseason than they did in the regular season.
In the semifinal game against the Coyotes, Minnesota shredded the Coyotes winning 36-7. The defense was good in the game, holding the Coyotes to one touchdown in the 4th quarter with only 227 yards, 87 of those passing. They intercepted the Coyotes once and also had 3 sacks for the game. Once again though like the regular season the Grey Ducks thrived in their offense. The Grey Ducks only threw for 219 yards, but took over on the ground game with 269 yards and 3 touchdowns with an efficient average of 5 yards per carry. So far, only season 7 of the DSFL involved a quarterback in the run game heavily and the Grey Ducks did not have their quarterback run. In the finals, Minnesota did what the Atlanta Falcons could not, holding on to beat the Buccaneers 28-3 (insert Falcons meme here). Once again, the Grey Ducks feasted on an efficient passing game while controlling the clock with defense and the run game. Minnesota picked off the Buccaneers quarterback twice, and sacked him 3 times. The Buccaneers only finished with 3 points in the game. On offense, the Grey Ducks only passed for 122 yards but had a touchdown with no interceptions. The running game shined as it did all season. Minnesota finished with 220 yards on the ground on 4.6 yards per carry. They finished with 3 rushing touchdowns and secured the Season 20 DSFL Ultimi.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 20 meta was similar to the first 5 in that a strong defense and run game carried them. A new aspect though was the insertion of an extremely efficient passer, and the offense and run game out playing the defense.
DSFL Season 21
Season 21 of the DSFL was by far the most balanced and highly contested season yet. When all was said and done, the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers took home the championship after an impressive run. The Bucs tied for the best record on the season at 9-5, however not being the best in either defense or offense. Myrtle Beach scored 301 points (4th) and let up 275 (4th). The Bucs were also average at passing with 1843 yards (5th), 13 TDs (3rd) with a 66.6 passer rating (3rd). In the run game, the Buccaneers finally found a place to shine finishing with a league best 2996 yards on the ground. Although they only finished with 17 touchdowns (4th), they used their run game to control the clock. On defense, the Buccaneers were in the top 4 of sacks, interceptions, and passes defended. Although they were not an elite defense, they seemed like a team with a “bend don’t break” attitude.
Just like the regular season, the Buccaneers played good but not great defense and ended up controlling the clock with the run game. In the semifinals, they put the Seawolves away 18-0 in a controlled game. The Bucs ran for 215 yards on 48 attempts, rushing for 3.5 YPA. The real theme of the season (which is the first I have seen so drastically so far) was Time of Possession. In the game, the Buccaneers controlled the clock for 67% of the game, winning Time of Possession 40 minutes to 20 minutes. That was the story of this game as the Seawolves were not even able to form a proper drive, only gaining 9 first downs and going 4/14 on 3rd. In the championship game, the Buccaneers continued the theme against the Coyotes winning handily 27-10. While the Time of Possession advantage was not as prevalent in this game as in the semifinal, they still had an advantage of 7 minutes. As you might have guessed, the Buccaneers put on a clinic in the running game, running for a total of 209 yards for 4.6 yards per attempt. The defense played well but was not the main reason for the win. Curiously, this is the 2nd DSFL season where the winning team’s quarterback was a factor in the run game. In the championship game, Bucs quarterback Ramos ran 8 times for 75 yards and a touchdown. As a result, this pushed their run game to the next level where they added an extra threat. While not elite in the passing game, he was efficient and made up for it in the run game.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 21 meta was having a solid defense, but an extremely strong run game, with the quarterback contributing as well.
DSFL Season 22
In a competitive SFC South division, the Tijuana Luchadores found success in their high powered offense. The Luchadores ended with the top scoring offense with 330 points scored, 13 better than the second place team. Similar to the champions in the season prior, they had an above average defense, but not a dominant one. They ended as the 3rd best defense, only letting up 259 points which trailed the top defense by 42 points. The Luchadores was an interesting team. Rather than having a dominant rushing defense in terms of yards, they were dominant in the touchdown department. Although Tijuana tied for the 4th highest yards, they finished far and away the best in touchdowns with 22 touchdowns, 6 more than the second best team. In order to get into the red-zone, the Luchadores run game was accompanied by a league best passing game. Tijuana led the league in yards and completion percentage with 2781 and 60.9% respectively. Additionally, they were 2nd in passer rating at 79.7 trailing the best team by .8 points. On defense, the Luchadores were last in tackles, but were average in sacks, interceptions and passes defended. They were not a dominant defense but it got the job done.
In the playoffs, the Luchadores eked out a win against the Seawolves 16-13. Although they only scored 16 points, the Luchadores put up 397 yards of offense. Tijuana passed for 251 yards and a touchdown but had 2 interceptions. On the ground, they ran for 146 yards with no touchdowns. Unlike last season, the Luchadores actually trailed in Time of Possession by 9 minutes. The defense of the Luchadores exemplified the “bend but don’t break” motto more than any other I have seen. They gave up 353 yards, 228 coming on the ground. They only had 2 sacks and no interceptions. However, the defense did come up big in the pass game where they held the Seawolves quarterbacks to only 125 yards. Nothing in this game really stood out statistically, but the Luchadores got the job done to move onto the next round. In the championship game, the Luchadores won a slugfest against the Royals 10-6. Once again, the Luchadores lost the Time of Possession battle by 5 minutes. Additionally, the Luchadores threw 2 interceptions to 0 from London. They were even in just about every statistic with the Royals with the Royals having more passing yards but the Luchadores having more rushing yards. Honestly this is the first season where there is no huge statistic that drove the force of the Luchadores. This was a weird season.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 22 meta was driven by a lot of touchdowns in the run game and a wacky playoffs where in both games the champion did not have any real statistical advantage that was noticeable.
DSFL Season 23
The Norfolk Seawolves pushed to win the Season 23 DSFL Ultimi through a high scoring offense and a top defense. Defensively, the Seawolves were tied for the 2nd best scoring defense only giving up 254 points, 14 more than the best team. However, on the offensive side Norfolk had the most points with 302, 20 more than the second best team. The Seawolves finished with the 3rd most passing yards with 2405, 320 behind the leading Luchadores. However, what set the Seawolves’ passing game apart was their efficiency and touchdowns. While not leading in yards, Norfolk led the league in: completion percentage, touchdowns and rating while only throwing 8 interceptions, the 2nd lowest. They had by far the best passing game in the lead statistically which carried them throughout the year. In the run game, the Seawolves had the 3rd worst run game but was only 270 yards behind the best. However, Norfolk did have the least amount of rushing touchdowns in the league at 13. On defense, the Seawolves were close to the top teams in terms of sacks, but everything else was mostly average or below. A solid defense for sure, but not something that carried the team.
In the playoff semifinal, the Seawolves won a nailbiter against the Birddogs 19-17. Honestly, this victory made little to no sense. The Seawolves were outplayed statistically in every single category. Less passing yards, less rushing yards, and less time of position. The one category that the Seawolves vitally won was turnovers. They intercepted the Birddogs once and forced another fumble which they did recover. Not a statistically pleasing performance from the Seawolves but they got the job done when they needed to. Sometimes statistics don’t tell the whole story! In the Season 23 Ultimi, statistical success made a return for Norfolk as they exploded against the Coyotes for a 26-7 victory. The Seawolves outgained the Coyotes 353 to 179 in total yards. Although they did not pop off in the passing game, they played their normally efficient game completing about 63% of their passes for 2 touchdowns and an interception combined between the two quarterbacks. The run game played well too with 178 yards but no touchdowns. One statistical trend I saw coming back was the time of possession. The Seawolves absolutely DOMINATED the time of possession having the ball for 18 more minutes than the Coyotes. The quarterbacks did not factor into the run game at all. Overall, it was a solid season for the Seawolves and they deserved their title.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 23 meta was all about efficient passing but also explosive passing. The Seawolves had an average run game and defense, but their passing game propelled them to the Ultimi, a trend that was not seen much in the priorly analyzed seasons.
DSFL Season 24
In our final season to be analyzed, the most recent season went back to the basics of a championship winning defense from the London Royals. The Royals had the 5th best scoring offense with 290 points scored. They had the second best points scored with 232, trailing the league leading Seawolves by 20. In the passing game, the Royals did lead the league in yards, but was average in every other stat in terms of passing. In the running game, the Royals were also average in both yards and touchdowns. Where London really thrived was on defense. The Royals had 753 tackles (1st), 51 TFL (1st), 48 sacks (1st), They had an absolutely dominant defense, and it carried them into the playoffs where they had a great run.
In the semifinals, the Royals outclassed the Pythons winning 22-3. They outgained the Pythons 395 to 244. The biggest part of London’s offense was the running game. They ran for 225 yards for a ridiculously high average of 6.3 yards per carry, the highest I have seen in any playoff game I analyzed. They had 1 touchdown on the ground and 1 through the air. On defense, the Royals had 3 sacks and was solid in the run game, but was absolutely shut down on defense with 7 passes defended and an interception, only relenting 147 passing yards on sub 50% completion and a passer rating of 42.4. In the Ultimi, London faced a tougher challenge in the Seawolves but still managed to win 24-17. The two teams were close in total yards but the Royals edged it out with only 18 more yards. The Seawolves had more passing yards but the Royals had more running. The running game did well, running for 200 yards and 2 TDs. However, once again like the regular season the defense carried London’s Ultimi effort. They came up with 5 sacks, a fumble recovery, and 4 passes defended in a strong defensive effort.
CONCLUSION: DSFL season 24 meta went back to the old school version of winning analytically, where the London Royals had a dominant defense all year, even if their offense was not the strongest.
Thank you guys if you made it this far for my first media post! I am looking forward to doing more statistical analysis in the future for the league. Hope y’all enjoyed it!
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