# Points/Yards Per Game vs. Per Possession
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/points-yards-per-game-vs-per-possession/524177
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [January 8, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/points-yards-per-game-vs-per-possession/524177 "2010-01-08T17:06:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/points-yards-per-game-vs-per-possession/524177/1 "2010-01-08T17:06:05Z")
ISTM that the first of these are much less relevant stats, as they are heavily influenced by the clock. The second are what counts - how your offense/defense directly stacks up against the opponents defense/offence.
But there is a lot of focus on the first of these and I never hear the second mentioned.
[In light of the above, I think the Jets, for example, have an overrated defense, since their offense focuses heavily on the run, and they likely defend far fewer possessions than many other teams.]
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### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/points-yards-per-game-vs-per-possession/524177/2 "2010-01-08T17:42:35Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#):
>
> [In light of the above, I think the Jets, for example, have an overrated defense, since their offense focuses heavily on the run, and they likely defend far fewer possessions than many other teams.]
“Likely”? If you think that Pts/Possession is a better indicator, and that Pts/Gm is terrible, then run the numbers and report back.
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### Author:  [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2011, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/points-yards-per-game-vs-per-possession/524177/3 "2011-03-23T21:41:37Z")
[Here’s](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/24/sports/ncaabasketball/24ncaa.html?hpw=&pagewanted=all) a story about a guy who ran the numbers, but for basketball possessions, not football. Same issue, though.
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### Author:  [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2011, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/points-yards-per-game-vs-per-possession/524177/4 "2011-03-24T13:50:34Z")
Football and Basketball share a similarity in that the team on offense has a variety of strategies to choose from that can affect the pace of the game, and there are relatively few turnovers. I agree wholeheartedly that points per possession is a far more useful indicator of offensive/defensive prowess than points or yards or FG%.
I don’t know if it’s compiled anywhere for Football, but for Basketball you can go [here](http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2011.html) and look under Miscellaneous Statistics, called Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating, which is points per 100 possessions. However, they call it an estimate, perhaps there isn’t a strict accounting of # of possessions?
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### Author:  [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/points-yards-per-game-vs-per-possession/524177/5 "2011-03-24T15:29:13Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#):
>
> Football and Basketball share a similarity in that the team on offense has a variety of strategies to choose from that can affect the pace of the game, and there are relatively few turnovers. I agree wholeheartedly that points per possession is a far more useful indicator of offensive/defensive prowess than points or yards or FG%.
>
> I don’t know if it’s compiled anywhere for Football, but for Basketball you can go [here](http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2011.html) and look under Miscellaneous Statistics, called Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating, which is points per 100 possessions. However, they call it an estimate, perhaps there isn’t a strict accounting of # of possessions?
I believe the issue is free throws. Without knowing exactly what led to all of a team’s free throws (defensive 3 seconds, technical fouls, and-1 fouls, and just plain 2 shot fouls), you have to estimate how much a free throw is “worth” in terms of possessions. Most estimates are that a free throw is worth 0.44 possessions, AFAIK.
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### Author:  [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/points-yards-per-game-vs-per-possession/524177/6 "2011-03-24T16:37:36Z")
[Drive stats](http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/drivestats) for the NFL. Yes, more useful than per-game numbers, but generally less useful than [DVOA](http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teameff).