In what should be a surprise to nobody in 2019, passing first downs and passing first down percentage are some of the clearest indicators of an offense’s quality and that’s offense’s overall success. And on the other side of that coin, prevention of first downs is one of the keys to successful defense.
The great Chase Stuart of Football Perspective, defines passing first down percentage as “passing first downs divided by total team pass attempts (which includes sacks).” The Chicago Bears defense led the NFL in defensive passing first down percentage with a mark of 28% while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were in dead last at 36.