WHAT DOES THIS STUFF MEAN?
A comprehensive guide to understanding all the statistics on our site. We know analytics can be confusing - this glossary breaks down every metric in plain English so you know exactly what you're looking at.
Click on any section below to expand and see detailed definitions
Team Statistics & Rankings
Core Efficiency Metrics
Measures how much a play (or series of plays) changes a team's expected points. Positive EPA means the offense improved their scoring chances, negative EPA means they hurt their scoring chances. This is the gold standard for measuring play efficiency.
The difference between a team's offensive EPA and defensive EPA. This shows overall team dominance - a positive margin means your offense is scoring more efficiently than opponents are scoring against your defense.
The team's average EPA per play (offense or defense). Shows how efficient a unit is on a per-play basis.
Average EPA on designed running plays. Tells you how effective the run game is at moving the ball and scoring when the offense calls a run play.
Average EPA on all dropbacks (pass attempts, sacks, and scrambles). Shows how effective the passing attack is when the quarterback drops back to pass.
A measure of offensive style that tells you how much more (or less) often a team chooses to run versus pass, given the down, distance, and game state. Positive numbers mean run-heavy, negative means pass-heavy.
Success Rate Metrics
The percentage of plays that 'succeed' - meaning they gain enough yards to stay on schedule (50% of needed yards on 1st down, 70% on 2nd, 100% on 3rd/4th). Think of it as consistency - are you regularly moving the chains?
Red Zone & Scoring
When you get inside the opponent's 20-yard line (the 'red zone'), what percentage of the time do you score a touchdown? This separates teams that finish drives from teams that settle for field goals.
Drive Efficiency Metrics
Simple: how many points does your team score each time they get the ball? This is one of the clearest measures of offensive firepower.
Your offensive points per drive minus your defensive points per drive allowed. Shows your overall scoring advantage.
The average yard line where your offense starts drives. Starting at your own 35 is much better than starting at your own 20 - field position matters!
Where your offense typically starts drives compared to where opponents start. A positive number means you're winning the field position battle.
Quality Drive Metrics
What percentage of your drives are 'quality drives' - defined as gaining a first down inside the opponent's 40-yard line or scoring a big play touchdown. This separates sustained, effective offensive drives from quick three-and-outs or stalled drives. Quality over quantity.
When you DO have a quality drive, how many points do you score? Measures finishing ability on your best drives.
A measure of game control - what proportion of a game's productive drives did you control? This compares your quality drives to your opponent's quality drives. A ratio above 50% means you dominated the productive possessions and controlled the game.
Team Strength Ratings
An overall power rating for your offense. This is adjusted for opponent strength and used to predict game outcomes. Think of it as a team's 'offensive power level' - higher numbers mean a more explosive offense.
An overall power rating for your defense, adjusted for opponent strength.
Offensive rating plus defensive rating - your overall team strength.
Situational Performance
EPA on 1st and 2nd down plays. These are your 'setup' downs - success here makes 3rd down much easier.
Success rate on 3rd and 4th downs - the 'money downs' where you need to convert to keep drives alive. Clutch metric for both sides of the ball.
Game Projections
Rushing Statistics (Player)
Receiving Statistics (Player)
Advanced Team Metrics (Matchups Page)
Understanding Rankings & Colors
QUICK TIPS FOR BEGINNERS
Start with EPA and Success Rate: These are the most important metrics. If a team has good EPA and Success Rate, they're probably a good team. Everything else adds detail.
Rankings matter more than raw numbers: A 0.15 EPA might be great or mediocre depending on the competition. That's why we show rankings - it gives context.
Watch for complementary strengths: The best teams excel on BOTH offense and defense. A team ranked #5 in offense and #100 in defense might win a lot, but they won't win championships.
Defense rankings are tricky: For most defensive stats, LOWER numbers are better (you want to allow less EPA, fewer points, etc.). But watch the color coding - we handle the direction for you!
Context is king: Stats tell you what happened, not always why. A bad defense might be because of injuries, tough opponents, or genuine weakness. Use the eye test too!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why use EPA instead of yards?
Not all yards are equal. A 5-yard gain on 3rd-and-2 is way more valuable than a 5-yard gain on 3rd-and-10. EPA accounts for down, distance, and field position to measure the real value of each play.
What's the difference between EPA and Success Rate?
Think of EPA as measuring explosiveness and Success Rate as measuring consistency. A team might have great EPA because of big plays, but poor Success Rate because they're boom-or-bust. The best offenses excel at both.
Why do some teams have different rankings in different metrics?
Teams have different strengths! A team might have elite rushing but weak passing, or great red zone offense but struggle between the 20s. Looking at multiple metrics gives you the complete picture.
How often are rankings updated?
Rankings update weekly as new games are played. The site shows the current week's data at the top of each page.
What does "adjusted" or "opponent-adjusted" mean?
Some stats are adjusted for opponent strength. Scoring 40 points against a top-10 defense is more impressive than scoring 40 against the worst defense. Adjustments level the playing field so you can compare teams fairly.