The Athlon Sports Drive Dominance Rankings heading into Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season are as straightforward as it gets. With just one game of drive data to evaluate, our new proprietary statistic is a direct reflection of the Week 1 winners and losers.
The New York Giants, after a 28-20 Sunday night victory over the Dallas Cowboys, rank No. 1 in the offensive DDR — thus the Cowboys rank 32nd in defensive DDR. The Kansas City Chiefs are first in defensive DDR after destroying the Denver Broncos, who are thus 32nd in offensive DDR.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, with an easy opener against the Cleveland Browns, rank No. 1 in overall DDR. The Jaguars are one of three teams that rank in the top 10 for both offensive and defensive DDR, along with the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens.
A few other quick observations:
- The Chiefs’ offensive DDR is a bit of an anomaly. They were quite efficient in the 31-10 win over the Broncos. That’s not reflected here because three of their 12 offensive possessions Monday night began in Denver territory. Only five of the 12 drives lasted more than six plays.
- Dallas’ defense is in a class by itself at the bottom — with a score of 21.2, the Cowboys are nearly six full points worse than Cleveland at No. 31. The Cowboys’ offense, meanwhile, is a top-6 unit — basically picking up where they left off last year on both sides of the ball.
- The Browns opened the season dead last in overall DDR. Cleveland is the only team that’s bad on both sides — 27th offense, 31st defense. The Browns are the only team in the league with an overall score under 30, and they’re not even close (23.7).
Here’s a comprehensive look at the Week 2 Drive Dominance Rankings:
Drive stats courtesy of Jim Armstrong
