NFL Offensive Statistics For 2023-2024 Season

NFL Offensive Statistics And Context

When it comes to measuring the game of football, it can be tough to know where to start. We put this page together to make sure that you knew what kind of NFL statistics you could be looking at for players and teams, when it comes to sports betting. We want to cover the kind of statistics that can influence a spread, a line, or even your fantasy football league. We’ll start with the basics, points and yards, and then move on from there.

It is important to understand these statistics, and what they do and do not tell you about an NFL team. A lot of people look at how many points a team scores and assume that’s all on the offense, when in fact plenty of defenses are serious points contributors. Similarly, people look at yards allowed as a measure of defensive quality, which it can be, but plenty of defenses have been built with a bend-but-don’t-break methodology, and allow yardage but limit scoring opportunities. Understanding these statistics is important, but the big thing to know is that they are not going to give you the whole picture. With that said, let’s get started with the basics.

NFL Points Scored

The points that each team in a given game averages are very important when looking for NFL betting stats. High scoring teams produce games with more offensive statistics that can help player props for quarterbacks, wide receivers, and tight ends go over their respective totals. Put simply, when a team knows they are facing a high-octane offense they know that they must score more. This means they are willing to take more chances than usual, which results in more scoring for and against them. Two examples of this stand out from 2022. The two teams with the highest over percentage in the league (the Minnesota Vikings at 64.7% and the Detroit Lions at 58.8%) both finished within the top seven in total scoring on offense, but both ranked inside the four worst scoring defenses.

NFL Yards Gained

Yards is another statistic that seems good, and is good, but requires that you apply some nuance and critical thinking to it. In 2021, the Dallas Cowboys led the league in total yards gained by an offense, but were only sixth in points per game, and a lot of the reason for this is that their average drive was the longest in the NFL. The average Cowboys drive was 39.4 yards because they very often started with poor field position. They started with the third worst field position in the NFL, with an average starting position of their own 26 yard line. They were a good offense, but they also had farther to go most of the time - and to their credit, they did that. They were not, however, the best offense in the NFL, as one might expect if they went purely by the yards rankings. Once again, nuance is important.

Offensive DVOA

Here’s where things get more advanced. DVOA stands for Defense-adjusted Value Over Average. Simply put, what it measures is how well an offense performed against the defenses it faced. This way, teams that face great defenses get a bit of a handicap for their performances - when you play the Patriots multiple times a year, your counting statistics like yards and points will go down, simply because two of your games come against a great defense, where other teams might not have to play anyone that good the entire season.

In 2019, by DVOA, the Baltimore Ravens were by far the best offense in the league, followed by the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs (remember that Patrick Mahomes missed some of the regular season, which negatively impacts their performance in all of these metrics), and the New Orleans Saints. The worst offenses in the league, by far, were those of the Pittsburgh Steelers (Big Ben got hurt, and was replaced alternately by Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges) and the New York Jets (they were very bad).

Next Gen Stats Definitions

While Next Gen stats on the NFL can provide an excellent look into a deeper aspect of the game, they should only be reviewed by those who understand the game and game plan behind it. Some Next Gen stats are as basic as a player's running speed but the more advanced ones compare a players aggressiveness, expected results, team share rates, and more. Find the full Next Gen glossary on their site, which details how to read Next Gen stats.