Red zone

The red zone is the area of the field between the opponent's 20-yard line and their goal line, and it's treated as its own distinct phase of football because the sport changes shape once an offense gets there. The field compresses, defenses tighten their coverage since there's no deep territory left to defend, and the space that makes big passing plays possible elsewhere on the field simply isn't there anymore. Red zone touchdown percentage, touchdowns scored divided by red zone trips, is one of the clearest predictors of a good offense: anything above roughly 60 percent is considered strong, and the best offenses in the league often clear 65 to 70. Getting there is only half the job. Teams that move the ball freely at midfield and then stall inside the 20 are a familiar and specific kind of frustrating. Full stats breakdown at The Ringer.