December 3, 2025
By Daniel Cohen
While team stats rarely tell the full story, they can be super useful when it comes to trends and highlighting team strengths, serving as an aid to the “eye test” when it comes to what teams are doing well. As we head towards 2026, let’s take a minute to dive into some key statistical takeaways that help tell the story of the 2025 season.
Atlanta Hustle - "Possession Kings"
Fewest turnovers per game for second consecutive season
Atlanta averaged 11.9 turnovers per game in 2024. They followed it up with an average of 12.0 turnovers per game in 2025. These are the two lowest-turnover seasons in UFA history, and no team had previously had back-to-back seasons averaging fewer than 13 turnovers per game. The Hustle may have been the most balanced team in the league last season on both sides of the disc, and the way they valued every possession undoubtedly helped lead them to their first Championship Weekend appearance in franchise history. The South should run through Atlanta once again in 2026, though the Hustle will need to clean things up in interdivisional play to make a run at the title; against the Central Division in 2025, Atlanta had 19 turnovers at Minnesota in Week 6, 17 turnovers at Chicago the next day, and finally 18 turnovers in the semifinals of Championship Weekend.
Atlanta Hustle and Carolina Flyers - "Most Balanced Offense"
Only teams that finished top five in completion percentage, huck completion percentage, O-line conversion rate, and red zone conversion rate
Atlanta stole the show in the South last season, winning their first division title and preventing Carolina from making the postseason for the first time ever. However, these teams were a lot closer than the final standings would indicate. Led by two of the best O-line quarterbacks in Austin Taylor and Allan Laviolette, the Hustle and Flyers had two of the most balanced offenses in the league, with potent deep attacks that constantly threatened defenses combined with decisive, patient disc movement to grind out possessions. When you take into account both the similarities of these offenses and the way the standings shook out in 2025, the Atlanta-Carolina rivalry could be considered the hottest in the league heading into the new season. It’s must-watch ultimate any time these teams face off, and while we’re still a few months away from the schedule release, I’m hopeful that we’re treated with another four regular season meetings in 2026.
Boston Glory - "Most Disciplined Counterattack"
Highest D-line conversion rate over the last two seasons combined
No team in the league has converted their break opportunities at a higher rate than Boston since the start of the 2024 season. They’ve forged a new identity in recent years after struggling to get their footing through their first couple seasons as a franchise, and it’s the defense that has been the backbone of their ascent. Two-time MVP Jeff Babbitt serves as both a block-getter and counterattack-puncher when he’s on D, Tyler Chan and Brendan McCann earned All Defense honorable mention last season, and Tannor Johnson-Go won 2025 Defensive Player of the Year thanks to his pulls, takeaways, and offensive prowess after turnovers. This team has some of the best depth in the league, and with a D-line conversion rate of nearly 60 percent over the last two seasons—about equal to the top O-lines in the same period—they’ve shown the consistency to again be a force in the East in 2026.
Boston Glory - "Ball Hogs"
Dominated time of possession
Another note on Boston: they averaged over 61 more completions per game than their opponents in 2025. This was the second largest completion differential in the league last year (just 0.08 fewer than Oakland), and we really saw this number inflate in the playoffs. In their three postseason games, Glory had 134 more completions than the Breeze in the East Division Championship (17-9 Boston win), 125 more completions than the Shred in the semifinals (21-17 Boston win), and 143 more completions than the Wind Chill in the championship (17-15 Boston win). We’ve seen this combination of dominant defense paired with slow, patient possessions on offense absolutely suffocate their opponents on multiple occasions, and it’s a huge reason why they’ve allowed just 15.7 goals per game since the start of 2024. They aim to control every possession, every game, and we saw this approach culminate in their first UFA title in 2025.
Chicago Union - "Most Dangerous Defense"
Set the single-season record for highest team break rate
The Chicago Union defense had a historic season in 2025. They broke their opponents on a staggering 48.1 percent of D-points, the highest single-season break rate in league history, and opposing O-lines converted just 33.8 percent of possessions, the lowest rate in the league. Led by All Defense selections Xavier Payne and Will Wettengel, frequent appearances by MVP runner-up Daan De Marrée, and the return of Pawel Janas, this unit had the size, speed, and athleticism to continually disrupt opposing offenses while possessing the firepower and patience to convert breaks after turnovers. Given the sudden influx of talent prior to last season, it’ll be worth watching this offseason how much of the D-line rotation they retain going into 2026, and whether they can continue to challenge teams like Boston and Minnesota for “best defense in the league” status.
Minnesota Wind Chill - "Most Disruptive Defense"
Six straight seasons ranking top five in takeaways
In the modern UFA era, Minnesota has been the most consistent defense in the league and it’s not particularly close. They’ve now finished top five in blocks per game for six straight seasons dating back to 2019, and if you go back even farther, 2018 is the only season in franchise history when they finished outside the top five (they ranked eighth that year). Their stable of shutdown defenders seems to grow every year, and it’s a combination of depth, athleticism, and coaching that has allowed this unit to rise to the top of the league’s ranks each season. Takeaways of course only tell half the story; Minnesota has also ranked top five in break rate each of the last five seasons, as their signature quick-strike counterattack has been overwhelming opponents for years.
New York Empire - "Best Drive Finishers"
Best red zone conversion rate
While it feels like New York has been on the decline since their most recent title in 2023, their offense has remained one of the most efficient in the league (number two in O-line conversion rate in 2024, number five in 2025), particularly when it comes to red zone conversion. John Randolph and Jack Williams are virtually unstoppable when they’re giving-and-going near the end zone, and the rest of the offense falls into place around their elite ball handlers. New York set a new franchise record* with their 86.2 percent red zone conversion rate last season, best in the league, and they’ve converted over 85 percent of their red zone possessions since the start of 2024.
* Red zone stats began tracking in 2021
Oakland Spiders - "Most Promising Offense"
Best O-line success rate in franchise history
Oakland has been ascending in recent years, and in 2025 they rode a franchise-best offense to a nine-win regular season, their highest win total since 2015 when they went on to win the championship. With the additions of eventual All Rookie selections Leo Gordon, Adam Rees, and Saul Wildavsky, along with the continued evolution of Walker Frankenberg and Evan Magsig, the Spiders’ O-line conversion rate jumped up eight points from the previous year to 58.9 percent in 2025, good for fourth in the league. Their offensive numbers now compare (favorably, in some cases) to the other elite teams around the league, and given their win total has risen every year since 2022, it’s easy to see them riding the momentum all the way to Championship Weekend in 2026. Roster retention will of course be key, but there’s clearly a lot of talent in the Bay Area and it feels like only a matter of time before the Spiders hoist the trophy once again.
Sale Lake Shred - "Best Run-And-Gun Offense"
Franchise records in huck completions and huck completion percentage
After finishing with franchise lows in huck completions (throws of 40-plus yards) and huck completion percentage in 2024, the Shred knew they had to address explosive plays in 2025 and that’s exactly what they did. Chad Yorgason moved over from defense and was unleashed as an O-line hybrid, which helped boost Salt Lake to franchise-best huck numbers; they averaged 8.6 huck completions per game (second best in the league), and completed 73.3 percent of their deep shots (fourth best). Chad himself completed two hucks per game at a 81.3 percent completion rate, but it was also Jordan Kerr who flashed more of the aggressiveness we saw from him during his first year in Salt Lake—Kerr finished second on the team in huck completions with 15, equal to the amount he completed in 2023 and 2024 combined. The result of this identity shift was an offensive efficiency that skyrocketed in 2025—their O-line conversion rate went up over 9 points from 52.1 in 2024 to 61.2 in 2025—and earned them their second trip to Championship Weekend in four seasons.
Seattle Cascades - "Most Explosive"
Best deep throwing team
It was a down year for Seattle after making it to Championship Weekend in 2024, as the Cascades dropped to 4-8 in 2025 and had four losses decided by two goals or fewer. But quietly, no team had a better year hucking the disc than Seattle. In 2024, they led the league in huck completion percentage, completing their 40-plus yard throws at a 69 percent clip, though they attempted just 9.3 hucks per game, second fewest in the league. They must’ve taken note of the high efficiency, as they ramped up the volume in 2025 to 12.1 huck attempts per game, and they completed those shots at a league-best 75.9 percent rate—no team in the league completed more hucks per game than Seattle’s 9.2. Also of note, the stats tell the story of their opponents getting roped into deep-throwing battles, and losing those battles more often than not. The Cascades forced their opponents into 6.4 huck turnovers per game, most in the league, and their opponents completed their deep throws at just 55.8 percent rate (fourth lowest in the league). Assuming Christian Foster, Garrett Martin and Zeppelin Raunig are back for 2026, it could be a comeback year for the perennial underdogs if they continue leaning into their big-play identity.
