Net Yards per Play Report After NFL Week 3 (Vikings Are For Real)

The Vikings are 3-0 and rank near the top of the NFL in Net Yards per Play

Sep 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end Johnny Mundt (86) celebrates his touchdown against the Houston Texans in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

We're through the first three weeks of the 2024 NFL campaign and the picture is starting to become more clear about which teams are legitimate contenders and which will regress as the season goes on.

One of my favorite stats to use to sort through what we know so far is Net Yards per Play, which is a metric that takes the average yards gained per play on offense and subtracts the average yards given up per play on defense.

Check out the Week 4 edition of the "Road to 272 Bets" to find out my best bet for every game this week.

Net Yards per Play isn't the only metric you should use when evaluating teams. It doesn't take into account things like turnovers, third down conversion rate, red zone percentage, or penalties, but it is a good starting point for the process of figuring out which teams to bet on any given week.

Let's take a look at where each team ranks after Week 3 action:

Rank	Team	Net Yards per Play
1	Bills	1.9
2	Seahawks	1.6
3	Vikings	1.3
4	Colts	1
5	Ravens	0.9
6	Packers	0.9
7	Falcons	0.8
8	Lions	0.6
9	Bengals	0.6
10	Saints	0.6
11	Jets	0.6
12	Cardinals	0.5
13	Texans	0.5
14	Chargers	0.4
15	Broncos	0.1
16	Steelers	0
17	Eagles	-0.1
18	49ers	-0.1
19	Titans	-0.2
20	Chiefs	-0.3
21	Buccaneers	-0.4
22	Giants	-0.5
23	Commanders	-0.7
24	Cowboys	-0.7
25	Dolphins	-0.8
26	Jaguars	-0.9
27	Panthers	-1.1
28	Raiders	-1.1
29	Patriots	-1.1
30	Bears	-1.2
31	Browns	-1.2
32	Rams	-1.7

Vikings and Seahawks Are For Real

Three weeks is still a small sample size, but just one month ago you would've been surprised to hear that the Vikings and Seahawks are not only both 3-0, but they rank inside the top three in Net Yards per Play.

The Vikings' have been even more impressive considering their competition. Two of their three wins have come against two Super Bowl contenders in the Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers. The Seahawks haven't quite faced the same level of competition, beating the Patriots, Broncos, and the Tua-less Dolphins in their three wins.

Eagles, Chiefs, and 49ers Surprising Standing Through Three Weeks

Where the Eagles, Chiefs, and 49ers rank in Net Yards per Play at this point of the season is surprising for all the wrong reasons. All three teams have a negative number in that key metric, ranking in the bottom half of the NFL. The Eagles and Chiefs may be more forgivable given how strong their competition has been through three weeks, but it may be time to start being concerned about the 49ers.

Not only is San Francisco 1-2 with a -0.1 Net Yards per Play, but they have losses to both the Vikings and beat-up Rams, two teams many believed were far inferior to the defending NFC champions.

We'll see if the top contenders can bounce back as the season progresses.

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NFL Week 4 Betting Content

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