Net Yards Per Play Report: 49ers Take Over Top Spot After Week 11 Win Against Cardinals

If you take a team's average amount of yards gained per play on offense and subtract the amount of yards given up per play on defense, the number you're left with is net yards per play. It's a statistic that's a great starting point for evaluating teams in the NFL.

Net yards per play isn't the only stat you should look at as it doesn't take into consideration things like third down conversion rate or red zone success. But, it does let you know how good a team is at moving the ball down the field and stopping their opponents from doing so.

At the conclusion of Week 11, let's take a look at the latest standings in net yards per play.

49ers Take Over Top Spot in Net Yards per Play

For the first time this season, there's a team not named the Buffalo Bills sitting in the top spot of the Net Yards per Play standings.

After their dominant 38-10 win against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football, the San Francisco 49ers are the new kings in net yards per play. Their offense ranks fifth in the NFL in yards per play, averaging 6.0 yards per snap, while their defense ranks second in opponent yards per play, giving up just 4.7 yards per snap.

Let's not forget San Francisco was 15 minutes of football away from winning the NFC and advancing to the Super Bowl last season. Why can't it get over the hump this year? They 49ers are certainly worth a look.

They're 8-point favorites to the Saints in Week 12.

Vikings, Chargers, and Giants Could be Fraudulent

The Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Chargers, and New York Giants rank 27th, 28th, and 29th in the NFL in net yards per play. Yet, they're a combined 20-10 and the Giants and Vikings are sitting firmly in a playoff spot.

Can they keep it up? We saw cracks in the Vikings and Giants success when they both lost with margin in Week 11.

Sure, there's more to it than just net yards per play, but it's tough to go on a Super Bowl run when your opponent is outgaining you on a weekly basis. Be wary of betting on these teams moving forward.

You can track Iain's bets on Betstamp here.

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