NFL Stats Glossary

Share of pass attempts that were completed (completions ÷ attempts).

Passes that were caught by the intended offense.

Passes thrown that were intercepted by the defense.

Pass attempts (does not count sacks or spikes as attempts under the standard rule).

Completions that resulted in a first down.

Touchdown passes thrown.

Total yards gained on completed passes (measured to where the receiver is downed).

Fumbles by the quarterback while being sacked.

Sack Fumbles Lost that were lost to the defense.

Yards lost on sacks taken.

Times the quarterback was sacked.

Share of plays run from 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR). (Participation, 2016+)

Share of plays run from 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR). (Participation, 2016+)

Share of plays in 13 personnel (1 RB, 3 TE, 1 WR).

Share of plays in 21 personnel (2 RB, 1 TE, 2 WR).

Average air yards (distance the ball travels past the line) per play.

Completion % Over Expected — completion rate minus what a model expected given each throw's difficulty (depth, pressure, etc.). Positive = more accurate than average.

Completion % Over Expected for the offense — actual completion rate minus what a model expected given throw difficulty.

Share of pass attempts thrown deep.

Average EPA on play-action dropbacks (a fake handoff before the throw).

Average EPA on dropbacks against man coverage.

Average EPA on dropbacks against zone coverage.

Share of his dropbacks that faced man coverage.

Offensive EPA per play on passes (dropbacks).

Share of offensive plays that were pass plays.

Pass Rate Over Expected — how much more (or less) a team passes than a model expects for the situation. Positive = pass-happier than average.

Passing Air Conversion Ratio — passing yards ÷ air yards. How efficiently the QB turns intended air yards into real yards.

Expected Points Added on pass plays — how many points the QB's passes added vs. an average outcome in the same situation. The single best all-in-one passing value stat.

Share of his dropbacks that used play-action.

Share of dropbacks that used play-action. (FTN charting, 2022+)

Share of plays with pre-snap motion. (FTN charting, 2022+)

Share of dropbacks on which the QB was pressured (sacked or hit) — lower is better.

Share of plays that were run-pass options. (FTN charting, 2022+)

Share of dropbacks on which the offense allowed a sack (lower is better).

Share of dropbacks that were screen passes. (FTN charting, 2022+)

Total distance the ball travels in the air past the line of scrimmage on throws — where the ball is caught, not where the receiver ends up.

Average Depth of Target — average air yards on passes thrown at this receiver.

Average air yards on completed passes only.

Share of his pass attempts thrown 20+ air yards downfield.

Completion rate on deep throws only (20+ air yards).

Share of his targets thrown 20+ air yards downfield.

Average air yards on every throw (completed or not) — how far downfield the QB is throwing on average.

Pass Completed Air Yards — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Pass Completed Air Yards Per Pass Attempt — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Pass Intended Air Yards — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Pass RPO Pass Attempts — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Pass RPO Pass Yards — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Pass RPO Rush Attempts — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Pass RPO Rush Yards — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Pass Scramble Yards Per Attempt — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Pass Yards After Catch — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Pass Yards After Catch Per Completion — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Passing yards gained by receivers AFTER the catch (total passing yards minus air yards).

Pass attempts that used play-action (a fake handoff before the throw).

Passing yards gained on play-action passes.

Air yards on passes thrown to this receiver (distance in the air to the catch point, whether caught or not).

Run-Pass Option plays — the QB reads the defense after the snap and chooses to hand off or throw.

Yards gained on Run-Pass Option plays.

Share of throws charted as bad/inaccurate. Lower is better.

Throws that were inaccurate through no fault of the receiver (off-target, not counting throwaways/spikes/batted balls).

Share of his dropbacks that were blitzed (5+ pass rushers).

Catchable passes dropped by this QB's receivers.

Average EPA on dropbacks with a clean pocket. The gap against EPA When Pressured is the cost of pressure.

Average EPA on dropbacks where the QB was pressured — how well he holds up when the pocket breaks down.

Share of throws that were on-target (a catchable ball). Higher is better.

On-Target Throws — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Pass Batted Balls — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Pass Drop % — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Pass Spikes — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Pass Throwaways — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Average seconds the QB holds the ball from snap to throw, sack, or scramble.

Share of dropbacks on which the QB faced pressure.

Share of his dropbacks on which he faced pressure.

Designed-pass plays where the QB took off and ran instead.

Plays where the defense sent 5+ pass rushers.

Times the QB was hit as or just after he threw.

Times the QB was forced to hurry a throw by the rush.

Plays where the QB was pressured (hurried, hit, or sacked).

Rushing yards + receiving yards — total yards a player gained from scrimmage.

Tackles broken or made to miss on running plays.

Rushing attempts.

Broken Tackles (rush) — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Rush YAC — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Rush Yards Before Contact — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Runs that gained a first down.

Fumbles on running plays.

Rushing Fumbles Lost that were lost to the defense.

Rushing touchdowns.

Total yards gained on running plays.

Offensive EPA per play on runs.

Expected Points Added on rushes — points added by this player's runs vs. an average result in the same situation.

Tackles broken or made to miss after a catch.

Receiving YAC — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Receiving Yards Before Contact — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Yards gained after the catch.

Yards After Catch per reception.

Yards after catch above what a model expected given the catch situation — credits the receiver for YAC he created.

Yards Before Catch per reception (how far downfield the catches are made).

Share of his team's total air yards on throws directed at him.

Catches ÷ targets — how often a throw his way is completed.

Share of catchable targets he dropped. Lower is better.

Broken Tackles (rec) — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Catches that gained a first down.

Receiving Drop — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Fumbles after a reception.

Receiving Fumbles Lost that were lost to the defense.

Receiving Interceptions — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Receiving touchdowns.

Total receiving yards.

Passes caught.

Share of his team's total targets that went to him.

Passes thrown his way (caught or not).

Share of targets against man coverage that were caught.

Share of targets against zone coverage that were caught.

Share of contested targets — a defender in position to play the ball — that he caught.

Share of his receptions charted as created by the receiver rather than by the throw.

Passer rating a QB earns when throwing at this defender/receiver — for coverage, lower is better.

Receiver Air Conversion Ratio — receiving yards ÷ air yards. How much real yardage a receiver produces relative to how far the ball traveled to him.

Expected Points Added on targets to this receiver — points added vs. an average outcome.

Weighted Opportunity Rating — a single number combining target share and air-yards share to measure how central a receiver is to the passing game.

Tackles shared with a teammate.

Combined tackles (solo + assisted).

Share of defensive plays that were disrupted: (tackles for loss + forced fumbles + interceptions + passes defended) ÷ defensive snaps. Counts a play once no matter how many defenders were involved. For a team it's per defensive play; for a player it's per defensive snap.

Share of tackle attempts missed. Lower is better.

Missed tackles (PFR charting).

Tackles made without help (credited fully to one player).

Tackles made behind the line of scrimmage (a negative play for the offense).

Yards lost by the offense on tackles for loss.

Solo tackles that also had an assisting defender.

Average number of defenders in the box. (FTN charting, 2022+)

Average number of pass rushers the defense sent per dropback. (FTN charting, 2022+)

Batted Passes — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Share of opponent dropbacks rushed with 5 or more.

Share of opponent dropbacks the defense blitzed (sent 5+ rushers). (FTN charting, 2022+)

Snaps this player rushed as a blitzer (a non-lineman sent at the QB).

Times he forced the QB to hurry a throw.

Share of opponent dropbacks on which the defense pressured the QB (sack or hit) — higher is better.

Total pressures — hurries + hits + sacks charged to this rusher (PFR).

QB knockdowns — times he put the passer on the ground.

Times he hit the QB as or just after the throw (sacks also count as a hit).

Share of opponent dropbacks on which the defense recorded a sack (higher is better).

Yards lost by the offense on this defender's sacks.

Times this defender sacked the quarterback (½ credit on shared sacks).

Share of opponent dropbacks defended in 2-Man (man underneath, two deep).

Air Yards Allowed — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Average air yards allowed per play.

Avg Depth of Completion Allowed.

Average Depth of Target allowed — how far downfield he's tested on average.

Completion % allowed when targeted. Lower is better.

Completions allowed in his coverage.

Share of opponent dropbacks defended in Cover 1 (single-high man).

Share of opponent dropbacks defended in Cover 2 (two deep safeties).

Share of opponent dropbacks defended in Cover 3 (three deep zones).

Completion % Over Expected allowed by the defense — lower means tighter-than-expected coverage.

Return yards on his interceptions.

Passes he intercepted.

Share of coverage snaps in man coverage. (Participation, 2016+)

EPA per play allowed on passes (lower is better).

Passer rating allowed when targeted (0–158.3). Lower = tougher to throw on.

Passes he broke up (deflected an otherwise catchable ball).

Passes thrown at the receiver he was covering.

Touchdowns allowed in his coverage.

YAC Allowed — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Yards / Completion Allowed — from Pro Football Reference advanced charting.

Yards allowed per target. Lower is better.

Receiving yards allowed in his coverage.

Share of coverage snaps in zone coverage. (Participation, 2016+)

Third-down conversion rate ALLOWED (lower is better).

Number of defensive plays faced (pass + run).

Expected Points Added per play ALLOWED by the defense — the best single measure of defensive efficiency. Lower (more negative) is better.

Share of plays the defense allowed to go 20+ pass / 10+ rush — lower is better.

Share of plays defended with a light box (6 or fewer defenders). (Participation, 2016+)

Total points allowed by the team.

Share of opponent red-zone trips that ended in a TD (lower is better).

EPA per play allowed on runs (lower is better).

Share of plays the defense allowed to succeed (positive EPA) — lower is better.

Total yards from scrimmage allowed.

Yards allowed per play (lower is better).

Third-down conversion rate.

Expected Points Added per play by the offense — the best single measure of offensive efficiency. Positive = better than an average play.

Share of plays that gained 20+ yards passing or 10+ yards rushing.

Number of offensive plays run (pass + run).

Total points scored by the team.

Share of red-zone trips that ended in a touchdown.

Share of offensive plays run from shotgun.

Share of plays that were 'successful' (positive EPA) — roughly, plays that keep the offense on schedule.

Total offensive yards from scrimmage.

Yards gained per offensive play (pass + run).

Share of his team's total intended air yards — how much of the downfield passing game runs through him.

Share of carries run into a stacked box (8+ defenders near the line).

Share of throws made into tight coverage (a defender within ~1 yard of the receiver at the catch).

Intended air yards minus completed air yards — gap between how far he throws and how far his completions travel.

Average air yards relative to the first-down marker. Negative = throwing short of the sticks on average.

Average yards the defender was giving the receiver at the snap.

Average air yards on passes thrown his way (how deep he's targeted).

Average yards of separation from the nearest defender at the moment of catch or incompletion.

Average air yards on completed passes (tracking data).

Completion % a model expects given each throw's difficulty (tracking data).

Average air yards on all throws — the QB's average target depth (tracking data).

Longest throw of the season measured by air distance (how far the ball flew).

Pass Avg Air Distance — measured by Next Gen Stats player tracking.

Pass Completion Percentage Above Expectation — measured by Next Gen Stats player tracking.

Pass Max Completed Air Distance — measured by Next Gen Stats player tracking.

Traditional NFL passer rating (0–158.3) from completions, yards, TDs, and INTs per attempt.

Receiving Avg Expected YAC — measured by Next Gen Stats player tracking.

Receiving Avg YAC — measured by Next Gen Stats player tracking.

Share of carries that gained more than expected.

Total distance the runner traveled ÷ rushing yards gained — how direct his runs are. Lower = more north-south.

Rush Expected Rush Yards — measured by Next Gen Stats player tracking.

Rushing yards above what a model expected given blocking and defender positions — credits the back for yards created himself.

Average seconds from snap to release (tracking data). Lower = quicker release.

Extra point make rate.

Extra point attempts.

Extra points blocked.

Extra points missed.

Extra points (PATs) made.

Field goal make rate.

Field goal attempts.

Field goals blocked at the line.

Field goals made.

Field goals made from 0–19 yards.

Field goals made from 20–29 yards.

Field goals made from 30–39 yards.

Field goals made from 40–49 yards.

Field goals made from 50–59 yards.

Field goals made from 60+ yards.

Field goals missed.

Field goals missed from 0–19 yards.

Field goals missed from 20–29 yards.

Field goals missed from 30–39 yards.

Field goals missed from 40–49 yards.

Field goals missed from 50–59 yards.

Field goals missed from 60+ yards.

Game-winning field goal attempts.

Game-winning field goals blocked.

Game-winning field goals missed.

Game-winning field goals — kicks that put the team ahead late in the 4th quarter or OT.

Longest field goal made (yards).

Total distance (yards) of all field goals blocked.

Total distance (yards) of all field goals made.

Total distance (yards) of all field goals missed.

Yards gained returning kickoffs.

Kickoffs returned.

Yards gained returning punts.

Punts returned.

Touchdowns scored on special teams (kick/punt returns, blocks, etc.).

Defensive plays this player was on the field for.

Defensive touchdowns (interception or fumble returns).

Fumbles this defender forced by stripping the ball carrier.

Fumbles recovered by the defense.

Touchdowns on fumble recoveries.

Miscellaneous yards not attributed to a standard category.

Offensive plays this player was on the field for.

Return yards on opponent fumble recoveries.

Opponent fumbles the team recovered (takeaways).

Return yards on own fumble recoveries.

Own fumbles the team recovered.

Penalties charged to this player.

Yards assessed on his penalties.

Safeties — tackling the ball carrier in his own end zone for 2 points.

Special-teams plays this player was on the field for.

Timeouts used.

Fantasy points in standard scoring (no bonus for receptions).

Fantasy points in PPR scoring (1 point per reception plus standard scoring).