The Big Data Bowl Breakdown 🏈📊
(Kaggle NFL Big Data Bowl 2026 — Analytics Track)
For the next 2 days, DS53 will be working on the NFL Big Data Bowl 2026 Analytics challenge. This competition focuses on the movement of players during a pass play — specifically from when the Quarter Back releases the ball until the play ends.
Overview
You are tasked to create a metric or visual analysis to evaluate NFL player movement during the frames after the ball is thrown. The focus should be narrow and impactful (e.g., receiver separation, defensive pursuit angle, acceleration, route movement, etc.).
Use Tableau Prep for data prep and create an interactive dashboard in Tableau Desktop. Read the kaggle page for more information.
Goal
Communicate player movement insights in a way that would be useful to NFL coaches & understandable to fans.
Data Source
Kaggle — NFL Big Data Bowl 2026https://www.kaggle.com/competitions/nfl-big-data-bowl-2026-analytics
Submission Requirements
A valid submission must contain:
Kaggle Write-Up
- Title, subtitle, and detailed analysis
- Max 2000 words
- Must select a track to submit under
Media Gallery
- Cover image required
- Up to 10 total images/tables/figures
Public Notebook
- Code provided in a public notebook
- Must be accessible without login/paywall
- Private notebooks become public after deadline
Video
- Max 3 minutes
- Must be uploaded to YouTube and attached
⚠️ If your Write-Up is not submitted (not left in draft), it will not be judged. Markdown formatting must be clean and readable.
Internal Expectations
- Publish Tableau dashboard to Tableau Public
- Write accompanying blog post
Present findings 3:00 PM Friday