Net Yards per Play Report for NFL Week 6 (Falcons Rank Surprisingly High Through Five Weeks)

The Falcons enter Week 6 ranking second in the NFL in Net Yards per Play.

Sep 22, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) calls a play at the line against the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

As each week of the NFL season passes us by we get more data points and metrics to help us get a better idea of just how good each team truly is.

One of my favorite stats to use to begin my handicapping process and evaluate each team 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 5 action:

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

You can find some more in-depth splits in my tweet below.

🚨The Atlanta Falcons are 2nd in the NFL in Net Yards per Play 🚨

Full rankings 👇 pic.twitter.com/0FWbv9vmcu

— Iain MacMillan (@IainMacBets) October 8, 2024

Falcons Rank Second in Net Yards per Play

It may come as a surprise the Falcons rank second in the league in Net Yards per Play at +0.9, behind only the Ravens (+1.2).

The Falcons have had an extremely difficult schedule to start the season, with four of their five games being against playoff teams from last season and all five teams they've played had a winning record. Despite that, they've posted some great numbers rank second in the league in this stat.

The Falcons aren't without their issues. Their third down performance has been a glaring red flag for them. They're 26th in the league in third down conversion rate on offense and dead last in third down defense through the first five weeks.

If they can sharpen up in those areas while continually ranking high in Net Yards per Play, they're going to be a force to be reckoned with this season.

Should Chiefs Fans be Concerned?

Another teams whose ranking in this stat may surprise you is the Kansas City Chiefs, who rank 11th in Net Yards per Play at +0.4 despite sporting an undefeated 5-0 record. To be fair to the Chiefs, they've also had a relatively tough schedule to start their 2024 campaign, but they've also narrowly escaped with a victory in a handful of their games thus far.

It will be tough for them to remain undefeated if they don't improve in Net Yards per Play, but it's hard to count out the back-to-back Super Bowl champs. Finding ways to win games where you don't have your best stuff is the sign of an elite team.