Yards Per Point NFL Update
Once again, the yards per point emtric clearly reflects the most efficient offensive, defensive, and overall teams this season. As the chart below shows, the Patriots and Jaguars are ranked
First and second in the NFL respectfully.
While the Eagles rank 4th and Vikings a distant 14th.
YPP shows us the exact efficiency of a team and also compares it fairly to all NFL teams. So, an efficient offensive team will need to gain fewer yards than the league average to put up 1 point on the scoreboard. On the defensive side, the best defenses force opponents to gain more yards than the league average to allow 1 point on the scoreboard. The differential of these two metrics, shown as YPP DIFF and highlighted in yellow, shows the difference between the two metrics. The more negative the netric, the better the team’s efficiencies are on both sides of the ball.
The Patriots have an amazing -13.25 YPP differential. (The more negative the better the team is overall). This simply means that when opponents have played the Patriots, they are forced to gain 13 more yards than the Patriots do, to score 1 point.
In 2016, the Patriots once again were the league leader at -12.57 YPP Differential and went on to win the Super Bowl. The Falcons were sixth best and were the Super Bowl runner up. The Jaguars, who now find themselves playing for the AFC Championship had a dramatic turnaround from the 2016 season, where they ranked fourth worst in the NFL. The Jags made significant improvements with offensive efficiency, but made a monumental turnaround on the defensive side of the ball. They essentially forced 2017 opponents to gain nearly double the yards to score 1 point than they attained in the 2016 season.
In 2015 the Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50. Conference Championship matchups were Denver against the Patriots with Denver winning 20-18. In the NFC Championship, it was Carolina defeating the Cardinals 49-15. Divisional Round winners were the Patriots defeating the Chiefs 27-20, Cardinals defeating the Packers 26-20, Panthers defeating the Seahawks 31-24, and Broncos defeating Steelers 23-16.
From the Divisional Round on all of the teams involved were within the Top-20 rankings for YPP Differential.
In the 2014 season, The Patriots defeated the Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl 49 scoring 14 fourth quarter points and holding off the Seahawks on the infamous Malcolm Butler interception at the goal line as time rank out. Not surprising, The Patriots ranked third and Seahawks first in YPP differential that season.
The Patriots destroyed the Colts (9th in YPP Diff) 45-7 in the AFC Championship game and the Seahawks defeated the Packers (8th in YPP Diff) 28-22. In the Divisional Round, the Ravens (2nd in YPP Diff) lost the Patriots 35-31, Panthers (10th in YPP Diff) lost the to the Seahawks 31-17, Cowboys (7th in YPP Diff) lost to the Packers 26-21, and Broncos (19th in YPP Diff) lost at home to the Colts 24-13.
Written by John Ryan for 10StarPicks.com
10StarPicks Expert Sports Blog 