In order to help you get a better understanding of the New England Patriots and their opponents, we use plenty of statistics. However, without proper explanation, those are merely numbers on a screen and nothing that has any real meaning.
So, here are a few of the stats we are using explained for better understanding. The basis of those statistics is work done by outlets such as rbsdm.com, ESPN Analytics, Pro Football Focus and FTN, among others.
Points/Game: How many points a team scores or surrendered on a per-game basis. The number does include special teams scores.
Yards/Game: How many yards a team either gains or surrenders on a per-game basis.
EPA: Short for Expected Points Added, it measures how a play impacts the team’s chances of scoring based on situational expectation. A positive number means that a team or player performs above that expectation in a given situation and is more likely to get points as a result, a negative that they fail to do so and are less likely to consequently score.
DVOA: Whereas EPA ultimately looks at the immediate impact a play has on a team’s chances of scoring, DVOA — Defense-adjusted Value Over Average — assesses performance relative to league average in the same situation. The higher the number, the better a play was and vice versa.
Success rate: A measure of how successful a play was relative to down and distance. There are different definitions out there, but we are going with the one used by rbsdm.com: success rate is the percentage of plays earning a positive EPA.
Scoring %: The percentage of drives ending in a score.
Giveaways/Takeaways: The count of possessions changing via either interception or fumble.
Turnover %: The percentage of drives ending in either giveaways or takeaways.
Net yards/Attempt: Passing yards minus sack yards divided by dropbacks.
CPOE: Completion percentage above expectation. It essentially measures completion percentage while factoring in the difficulty of a throw based on factors such as receiver separation, air yards and situation.
Adjusted sack rate: It measures sacks per pass attempt adjusted for down, distance, and opponent. The lower the number, the better.
Pass block win rate/Pass rush win rate: Those two meassures evaluate the rate at which offensive linemen can sustain their blocks. Blocking 2.5 seconds or longer is considered a win for the O-lineman, anything below that number is considered a win for the pass rusher.
Run block win rate/Run stop win rate: Several factors imapct those numbers. A run stop is considered successful if a) a defender beats his blocker, b) disrupts the pocket or running lane by pushing his blocker backward, c) contains a runner in a way that forces him to adjust his running lane, or d) records a tackle within 3 yards of the line of scrimmage. A successful run stop is a loss for the blocker and vice versa.
Adjusted line yards: In its essence, this is the same as yards per carry but for the offensisve line. Depending on a play’s outcome, responsibility is assigned either to the line or the ball carrier. Factors such as down, distance, situation and opponent are considered and the numbers normalized.
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