Seattle Sports

Shows

Team News

Columns

Seattle Sports

4th down aggressiveness increasing rapidly across NFL

FILE - Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson keeps the ball for a touchdown on a fourth-down play against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half of an NFL football game Oct. 20, 2019, in Seattle. Coaches across the league are more willing than ever to keep the offense on the field instead of kicking on fourth down. The shift began moving in the 2017 season when then-Eagles coach Doug Pederson's aggressive fourth-down strategy helped Philadelphia win the Super Bowl. John Harbaugh and the analytically-sound Ravens took it a step further in the 2019 when the skills of Jackson helped deliver 17 successful fourth-down tries and now teams are going for it more than ever. (AP Photo/John Froschauer, File)

FILE - Cincinnati Bengals tight end C.J. Uzomah (87) makes a catch on fourth down during overtime in an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 12, 2021, in Cincinnati. Coaches across the league are more willing than ever to keep the offense on the field instead of kicking on fourth down, even in their own territory or in situations their predecessors never would contemplated. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean, File)

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley watches action during the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

4th down aggressiveness increasing rapidly across NFL