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Coaches aren’t challenging as much as last year
There are a few interesting trends that have emerged in the replay statistics over the first eight weeks.
With the kickoff of Thursday night’s game between the Falcons and Buccaneers, the 2016 season is already past the halfway point. There are a few interesting trends that have emerged in the replay statistics over the first eight weeks. There have been 69 coach’s challenges and 151 total reviews to this point. If these rates continue both numbers will fall well short of those in 2015, in which there were 201 coach’s challenges among 406 total reviews.Â
The percentage of reversals is also down this year. While the coach’s challenges are down only about 1 percent, the total is down nearly 7 percent. This can be attributed at least in part to Dean Blandino’s edict that there must be clear and obvious video evidence in order to overturn. A good example of this is Cincinnati Bengal’s receiver Tyler Boyd’s fumble against the Steelers in Week 2 (video). Although circumstantial evidence suggests Boyd may have been down, there is no clear shot of the football from the point of contact until the fumble, so the call stood.
2016 replay statistics through Week 8
| Â | Coach | Â | Â | Reversals | Challenges | Success % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ron Rivera | CAR | 2 | 2 | 1.000 | |
| Â | Gary Kubiak | DEN | 2 | 2 | 1.000 | |
| Â | Gus Bradley | JAX | 2 | 2 | 1.000 | |
| Â | Bill Belichick | NE | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | |
| Â | Mike McCoy | SD | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | |
| 6 | Mike McCarthy | GB | 3 | 4 | .750 | |
| 7 | Chuck Pagano | IND | 2 | 3 | .667 | |
| Â | Chip Kelly | SF | 2 | 3 | .667 | |
| 9 | Rex Ryan | BUF | 2 | 4 | .500 | |
| Â | Sean Payton | NO | 2 | 4 | .500 | |
| Â | Todd Bowles | NYJ | 2 | 4 | .500 | |
| Â | Jack Del Rio | OAK | 2 | 4 | .500 | |
| Â | Dan Quinn | ATL | 1 | 2 | .500 | |
| Â | John Harbaugh | BAL | 1 | 2 | .500 | |
| Â | Bill O’Brien | HOU | 1 | 2 | .500 | |
|  | Doug Pederson | ¹ | PHI | 1 | 2 | .500 |
| Â | Mike Mularkey | TEN | 1 | 2 | .500 | |
| 18 | John Fox | CHI | 2 | 6 | .333 | |
| Â | Hue Jackson | CLE | 1 | 3 | .333 | |
| — | Replay booth |  | NFL | 27 | 83 | .325 |
| 20 | Marvin Lewis | CIN | 0 | 1 | .000 | |
| Â | Jason Garrett | DAL | 0 | 1 | .000 | |
| Â | Jim Caldwell | DET | 0 | 1 | .000 | |
| Â | Andy Reid | KC | 0 | 1 | .000 | |
| Â | Mike Zimmer | MIN | 0 | 1 | .000 | |
|  | Ben McAdoo | ¹ | NYG | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Â | Pete Carroll | SEA | 0 | 1 | .000 | |
| 27Â | Bruce Arians | AZ | 0 | 2 | .000 | |
| Â | Mike Tomlin | PIT | 0 | 2 | .000 | |
| Â | Jay Gruden | WAS | 0 | 2 | .000 | |
| 30Â | Jeff Fisher | LA | 0 | 3 | .000 | |
| — | Coach’s total |  |  | 31 | 69 | .449 |
No challenges: Adam Gase (MIA)¹, Dirk Koetter (TB)¹
(2015 final replay statistics)
Totals including the replay official: 58/151, .384
¹-First-year head coach, not including interim assignments. Source: NFL game statistics, regular season only.
