Yards per Play, Killer Stat's Kissin' Cousin

NEW: This is a new stat graphic feature.

The most important stat separating winners from losers last season was Yards per Pass Attempt, our Killer Stat. If you take the difference in scoring and compare it to the difference in yards per toss, you find a strong relationship (see Killer Stat).

But each year other key stats compete for the top spot. After 21 weeks of the 2002 season, Yards per Play is tied with Yards per Pass Attempt as the most important stat. But NOTE: Yards per Play is made up of Yards per Rush + Yards per Pass.

So a team's yards per toss performance is almost always part of the key stat separating winners from losers.

The graphs below show teams with big moves on Yards per Play through week 21.

Note: In the 14th week, both Yards per Play (difference) and Yards per Pass (difference) were of equal import. The stat correlation with the Scoring Differential reached 63%. As a key stat you can't kill yards per toss.

To see ranks for all 32 teams, go to the Yards per Play Differential percentile chart.