NFL Net Yards Per Play: Cowboys Looking Strong Despite Loss
Ahead of NFL Week 10 action, we’ll take a look at how the Cowboys did statistically after yet another tough loss in a big game. Did the Eagles really outplay them? NFL yards per play numbers say Dallas did excellent work despite the final result.
While you’re handicapping NFL Week 10 odds, you may be searching for a new tool to apply to your step-by-step process. If so, NFL yards per play (YPP) should be near the top of your checklist. Net yards per play — the difference between offensive and defensive performance on a per-play basis — gives a solid look at a team’s overall strength.
This report will be updated following each week of action and contains each team’s yards per play results on offense and defense, respectively. The “last three weeks” column captures the teams’ current form. If you see fit, one could be worth investing in for futures. You’ll want to look for undervalued teams whose per-play strength isn’t reflected in their final scores due to luck or other factors.
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NFL yards per play Explained
Yards per play — or YPP — is a handy metric for NFL bettors since it eliminates unpredictable variables, including turnovers, botched kicks, and scores via special teams. Ignoring randomness is a critical part of handicapping any sport. Therefore, yards per play on both sides of the ball helps indicate where a team is in the short term. Generally speaking, you will rarely find a below .500 team in the upper echelon of these rankings.
But like EPA, teams may be overvalued in the betting market if their YPP surges positively over a small sample size. You will see that various units — offensively, defensively, or both — benefited from playing weak competition in their first affair of the 2023 campaign. In turn, their output could be mis-contextualized.
Conversely, a team outperforming expectations against a presumably elite opponent is likely a sign of a positive trajectory.
NFL Yards Per Play: Offense, Defense And Net
Here are the current yards per play numbers before Week 10 action. Conventional wisdom says dividing the net yards per play difference by 0.15 gives an approximate spread between two teams.
Furthermore, keep in mind that the more or fewer plays a team runs/defends, these numbers could wind up skewed in either direction.
| Team | Yards Per Play | YPP Allowed | Net YPP | Last 3 Weeks NYPP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 7.1 | 5.1 | 2 | 0.4 |
| Ravens | 5.7 | 4.1 | 1.6 | 2.6 |
| 49ers | 6.3 | 5.1 | 1.2 | 0.1 |
| Chiefs | 5.7 | 4.8 | 0.9 | 1 |
| Vikings | 5.6 | 5 | 0.6 | 0.3 |
| Lions | 5.7 | 5.1 | 0.6 | -0.5 |
| Seahawks | 5.4 | 5.1 | 0.3 | -0.2 |
| Bills | 5.9 | 5.6 | 0.3 | -0.1 |
| Falcons | 5.2 | 4.9 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Cowboys | 5.3 | 5 | 0.3 | 1.2 |
| Browns | 4.6 | 4.3 | 0.3 | -0.5 |
| Texans | 5.5 | 5.2 | 0.3 | 0.8 |
| Eagles | 5.5 | 5.3 | 0.2 | -0.6 |
| Packers | 5 | 4.9 | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Colts | 5.2 | 5.2 | 0 | 0.1 |
| Saints | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jets | 4.6 | 4.6 | 0 | 0.1 |
| Rams | 5.3 | 5.4 | -0.1 | -1.1 |
| Jaguars | 5.1 | 5.2 | -0.1 | 0.6 |
| Titans | 5.2 | 5.4 | -0.2 | 0 |
| Bears | 5.2 | 5.4 | -0.2 | 0.3 |
| Patriots | 4.7 | 5 | -0.3 | 0 |
| Chargers | 5.3 | 5.6 | -0.3 | -0.1 |
| Raiders | 4.7 | 5.1 | -0.4 | -0.7 |
| Commanders | 5.1 | 5.7 | -0.6 | -0.1 |
| Cardinals | 4.7 | 5.4 | -0.7 | -1.4 |
| Steelers | 4.7 | 5.5 | -0.8 | -0.6 |
| Buccaneers | 4.9 | 5.8 | -0.9 | -1.7 |
| Broncos | 5.3 | 6.3 | -1 | -0.7 |
| Panthers | 4.2 | 5.2 | -1 | -0.8 |
| Bengals | 4.7 | 5.9 | -1.2 | -0.8 |
| Giants | 4.1 | 5.6 | -1.5 | -0.4 |
Cowboys Don’t Break Through Despite Strong Game
Dallas may not have gotten the breakthrough win it desires with Dak Prescott and Mike McCarthy. But NFL yards per play numbers say they did a fine job on the road in a challenging environment. The Cowboys outgained the Eagles, 5.8 to 4.9 YPP.
Even looking at the advanced box score, where the Eagles have the edge, the margins aren’t huge. Philly had edges in Success Rate (52 to 49) and EPA/play (0.24 to 0.14), but Dallas did enough to be in that game and possibly steal it. If a couple of plays had gone the Cowboys’ way (two-point conversion, fourth-down TD overturned), the result could have gone the other way.
Over the last three games, only the Ravens have outperformed the Cowboys on a YPP basis.
Where does that leave Dallas going forward? They’re down 2 1/2 games to the Eagles, which isn’t great. On the other hand, they still get a home game where they’ll presumably be short favorites or even money. And Philly has one of the toughest schedules in the NFL, so a divisional longshot bet () could remain in play.
Cowboys Upcoming Schedule
Cowboys Week 10 Odds
Cowboys Futures & Week 10 Props
Cowboys Player Statistics
| Player | GP Games Played | CMP% Completion Percentage | YDS Passing Yards | YDS/G Yards Per Game | YDS/C Yards Per Completion | TDS Passing Touchdowns | INT Interceptions thrown | RTG Passer Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dak Prescott – QB | 12 | 70.1% | 3,234 | 269.5 | 11.2 | 26 | 6 | 110.0 |
| Cooper Rush – QB | 6 | 75.0% | 114 | 19.0 | 7.6 | 0 | 1 | 67.5 |
| Player | GP Games Played | ATT Rushing Attempts | YDS Rushing Yards | YDS/C Yards Per Carry | YDS/G Rushing Yards Per Game | TDS Rushing Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Pollard – RB | 12 | 180 | 737 | 4.1 | 61.4 | 5 |
| Rico Dowdle – RB | 12 | 63 | 261 | 4.1 | 21.8 | 1 |
| Dak Prescott – QB | 12 | 41 | 174 | 4.2 | 14.5 | 2 |
| CeeDee Lamb – WR | 12 | 9 | 84 | 9.3 | 7.0 | 1 |
| KaVontae Turpin – WR | 11 | 8 | 79 | 9.9 | 7.2 | 1 |
| Deuce Vaughn – RB | 7 | 21 | 38 | 1.8 | 5.4 | 0 |
| Brandin Cooks – WR | 11 | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 2.1 | 0 |
| Hunter Luepke – RB | 11 | 3 | 13 | 4.3 | 1.2 | 1 |
| Malik Davis – RB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Peyton Hendershot – TE | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Cooper Rush – QB | 6 | 12 | -5 | -0.4 | -0.8 | 0 |
| Player | GP Games Played | TGTS Targets | REC Receptions | YDS Receiving Yards | CTP% Catch Percentage | YDS/R Yards Per Reception | YAC/G Yards After Catch Per Game | TDS Receiving Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CeeDee Lamb – WR | 12 | 121 | 90 | 1,182 | 74.4% | 13.1 | 33.8 | 7 |
| Jake Ferguson – TE | 12 | 66 | 46 | 498 | 69.7% | 10.8 | 21.6 | 5 |
| Brandin Cooks – WR | 11 | 52 | 37 | 497 | 71.2% | 13.4 | 9.5 | 5 |
| Michael Gallup – WR | 12 | 47 | 28 | 357 | 59.6% | 12.8 | 8.5 | 1 |
| Tony Pollard – RB | 12 | 50 | 42 | 248 | 84.0% | 5.9 | 22.3 | 0 |
| Jalen Tolbert – WR | 12 | 29 | 17 | 200 | 58.6% | 11.8 | 2.8 | 1 |
| KaVontae Turpin – WR | 11 | 16 | 11 | 123 | 68.8% | 11.2 | 2.9 | 3 |
| Rico Dowdle – RB | 12 | 12 | 11 | 76 | 91.7% | 6.9 | 8.5 | 2 |
| Deuce Vaughn – RB | 7 | 6 | 6 | 30 | 100.0% | 5.0 | 4.6 | 0 |
| Hunter Luepke – RB | 11 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 66.7% | 5.0 | 0.8 | 0 |
| Peyton Hendershot – TE | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 50.0% | 3.0 | 0.7 | 0 |
| Sean McKeon – TE | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Player | GP Games Played | INT Interceptions | PD Passes Defended | FF Fumbles Forced | FR Fumbles Recovered | SACK QB Sacks | TOT Total Tackles | SOLO Solo Tackles | AST Assisted Tackles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Micah Parsons – LB | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 42 | 23 | 19 |
| Dorance Armstrong – DE | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 28 | 14 | 14 |
| DeMarcus Lawrence – DE | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 31 | 17 | 14 |
| Sam Williams – DE | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 7 | 9 |
| Johnathan Hankins – DT | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 12 | 14 |
| Osa Odighizuwa – DT | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 39 | 26 | 13 |
| Dante Fowler Jr. – DE | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 2 |
| Jayron Kearse – S | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 50 | 32 | 18 |
| Chauncey Golston – DE | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 5 | 9 |
| Neville Gallimore – DT | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| C.J. Goodwin – CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Buddy Johnson – LB | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Malik Hooker – S | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 24 | 20 |
| Nahshon Wright – CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Jourdan Lewis – CB | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 23 | 9 |
| DaRon Bland – CB | 12 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 40 | 13 |
| Leighton Vander Esch – LB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 18 | 13 |
| Juanyeh Thomas – S | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 10 | 3 |
| Malik Jefferson – LB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Rashaan Evans – ILB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| Damone Clark – LB | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 48 | 28 |
| Sheldrick Redwine – S | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Markquese Bell – S | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 41 | 24 |
| Donovan Wilson – S | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 29 | 18 |
| Trevon Diggs – CB | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Noah Igbinoghene – CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stephon Gilmore – CB | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 32 | 9 |
Are Texans A Dark Horse In AFC South?
CJ Stroud led the Texans on a legendary comeback, engineering a TD drive with under a minute left and two timeouts against the Bucs.
Thanks to his brilliance, Houston remains just one game out of the No. 7 seed, heading to Cincinnati for a game that has massive leverage in odds to make the NFL playoffs.
While the Texans have struggled at times when unable to protect Stroud (losing at Carolina really hurts), the bottom-line stats say this is a solid team. Houston is tied for seventh in NYPP, and the 5.5 YPA they’ve produced on offense ranks eighth. That’s key because we know passing offense is the most predictive metric. And Stroud has this unit cooking after his record-setting day against Tampa.
While sitting two games back of the Jaguars makes things look bleak, keep in mind Houston has a road win over the Jags already. If they can get a sweep by winning at home, the Texans will be just one game back while playing one of the easiest schedules. Jacksonville still has to play San Francisco and Baltimore.
Houston’s hefty divisional price () says they have a huge uphill climb ahead. But, their solid metrics combined with mediocre ones from the Jags make for an interesting juxtaposition with the market.
Texans Upcoming Schedule
Texans Week 10 Odds
Texans Futures & Week 10 Props
Texans Player Statistics
| Player | GP Games Played | CMP% Completion Percentage | YDS Passing Yards | YDS/G Yards Per Game | YDS/C Yards Per Completion | TDS Passing Touchdowns | INT Interceptions thrown | RTG Passer Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.J. Stroud – QB | 12 | 63.4% | 3,540 | 295.0 | 13.4 | 20 | 5 | 98.9 |
| Davis Mills – QB | 2 | 100.0% | 20 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 0 | 0 | 108.3 |
| Player | GP Games Played | ATT Rushing Attempts | YDS Rushing Yards | YDS/C Yards Per Carry | YDS/G Rushing Yards Per Game | TDS Rushing Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devin Singletary – RB | 12 | 128 | 525 | 4.1 | 43.8 | 2 |
| Dameon Pierce – RB | 9 | 129 | 382 | 3.0 | 42.4 | 2 |
| C.J. Stroud – QB | 12 | 35 | 143 | 4.1 | 11.9 | 3 |
| Tank Dell – WR | 11 | 11 | 51 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 0 |
| Mike Boone – RB | 9 | 5 | 23 | 4.6 | 2.6 | 0 |
| Dare Ogunbowale – RB | 7 | 3 | 5 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0 |
| Noah Brown – WR | 6 | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | -0.2 | 0 |
| Player | GP Games Played | TGTS Targets | REC Receptions | YDS Receiving Yards | CTP% Catch Percentage | YDS/R Yards Per Reception | YAC/G Yards After Catch Per Game | TDS Receiving Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nico Collins – WR | 11 | 85 | 59 | 991 | 69.4% | 16.8 | 38.4 | 6 |
| Tank Dell – WR | 11 | 75 | 47 | 709 | 62.7% | 15.1 | 13.8 | 7 |
| Dalton Schultz – TE | 11 | 61 | 40 | 455 | 65.6% | 11.4 | 15.8 | 5 |
| Noah Brown – WR | 6 | 30 | 21 | 439 | 70.0% | 20.9 | 31.8 | 1 |
| Robert Woods – WR | 10 | 57 | 30 | 326 | 52.6% | 10.9 | 7.7 | 1 |
| John Metchie III – WR | 11 | 16 | 12 | 138 | 75.0% | 11.5 | 6.3 | 0 |
| Brevin Jordan – TE | 9 | 11 | 9 | 124 | 81.8% | 13.8 | 7.9 | 1 |
| Devin Singletary – RB | 12 | 23 | 19 | 117 | 82.6% | 6.2 | 11.3 | 0 |
| Dameon Pierce – RB | 9 | 13 | 10 | 88 | 76.9% | 8.8 | 9.6 | 0 |
| Mike Boone – RB | 9 | 9 | 7 | 40 | 77.8% | 5.7 | 3.7 | 0 |
| Teagan Quitoriano – TE | 7 | 3 | 2 | 33 | 66.7% | 16.5 | 2.6 | 0 |
| Steven Sims – WR | 2 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 100.0% | 12.5 | 12.5 | 0 |
| Dare Ogunbowale – RB | 7 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 100.0% | 14.0 | 0.6 | 0 |
| Eric Saubert – TE | 5 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 100.0% | 5.0 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Dalton Keene – TE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Player | GP Games Played | INT Interceptions | PD Passes Defended | FF Fumbles Forced | FR Fumbles Recovered | SACK QB Sacks | TOT Total Tackles | SOLO Solo Tackles | AST Assisted Tackles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Greenard – DE | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 39 | 28 | 11 |
| Will Anderson Jr. – DE | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 43 | 28 | 15 |
| Sheldon Rankins – DT | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 28 | 21 | 7 |
| Maliek Collins – DT | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 10 | 16 |
| Blake Cashman – LB | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 82 | 47 | 35 |
| Jerry Hughes – DE | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 18 | 5 |
| Khalil Davis – DT | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 8 | 11 |
| Christian Harris – LB | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 58 | 35 | 23 |
| Kerry Hyder Jr. – DE | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Denzel Perryman – LB | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 49 | 29 | 20 |
| Eric Murray – S | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 5 |
| DeAndre Houston-Carson – S | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 13 | 7 |
| Adrian Amos – S | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 19 | 4 |
| Jalen Pitre – S | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 38 | 14 |
| Jake Hansen – LB | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Derek Stingley Jr. – CB | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 16 | 5 |
| Tavierre Thomas – CB | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 29 | 18 |
| Desmond King – CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Derek Barnett – DE | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Ka’dar Hollman – CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Garret Wallow – LB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steven Nelson – CB | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 35 | 11 |
| Myjai Sanders – DE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hassan Ridgeway – DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| Jimmie Ward – S | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 26 | 15 |
| Henry To’oto’o – LB | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 31 | 25 |
| Dylan Horton – DE | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 7 | 5 |
| Neville Hewitt – LB | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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