📊 Metric Glossary

Understand every stat, metric, and term used in our NFL analytics dashboards

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General Metrics

2 metrics

Opportunity

A normal play on offense — either a run or a pass.

But actually...
The play was a pass or run (non-penalty, non-special teams).

Trailing or Leading

Was the team ahead, behind, or tied during this play?

But actually...
Indicates whether the offensive team was winning, losing, or tied at the time of the play.
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Passing Metrics

5 metrics

Passing Yards

How many yards were gained by throwing the ball.

But actually...
The total yards gained from completed forward passes.

Attempted Passing Yards

How far all passes were thrown, even if incomplete.

But actually...
The total air yards on all pass attempts, regardless of whether they were caught.

Net Yards

Passing yards after subtracting yards lost on sacks.

But actually...
Passing yards minus sack yardage (lost yards when the QB is tackled before throwing).

Air Yards per Target

How far the ball was thrown downfield toward the player.

But actually...
The number of yards the ball traveled in the air toward the intended receiver.

Backwards Pass

A sideways or backwards pass — not thrown forward.

But actually...
A pass that ends up behind the line of scrimmage.
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The 32

4 outcomes
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Play Outcome Distribution

Touchdown

The team scored a touchdown on this play.

But actually...
The play ended in a touchdown for the offensive team.

First Down

The team gained enough yards for a first down.

But actually...
The play resulted in the offense gaining a new set of downs.

Catch

The receiver caught the pass.

But actually...
The pass was successfully completed and caught by the receiver.

Non Converting Play

The play didn't work — no first down, or the pass was missed.

But actually...
The play failed to gain a first down or resulted in an incomplete pass.
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Play Distance

Distance Classifications
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Run Distance
Negative Gain
< 0 yards
Lost yardage on the play
No Gain
0 yards
No forward progress
Short Gain
0 to 4 yards
Modest forward progress
Medium Gain
4 to 9 yards
Solid rushing gain
Long Gain
10+ yards
Explosive rushing play
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Pass Distance
Negative Gain
< 0 yards
Lost yardage on the play
No Gain
0 yards
No forward progress
Short Gain
0 to 5 yards
Short passing gain
Medium Gain
5 to 11 yards
Intermediate passing gain
Long Gain
12+ yards
Deep passing play
Big Pass Play
20+ yards
Explosive passing play