Back to the New England Patriots Newsfeed

A Guide to Modern Football Analytics for Beginners

The term "analytics" might be the most polarizing word in all football amongst fans, pundits, and even NFL personnel as it's grown more popular across the league in recent years.

Many people chalk analytics up to nerds playing sports on a spreadsheet and scoff at the idea that NFL decision-makers could decide crucial in-game or player personnel decisions based on a math equation.

Analytics is a broad term that doesn't necessarily explain the differences between metrics becoming more common in football analysis these days. Most haters of "the math" take issue with predictive analytics or win probability models telling NFL head coaches that they should punt, go for it, or kick a field goal in certain situations.