NFC West standings ordered by yards per play: 49ers would be winning division

If division standings were ranked by yards per play, the 49ers would be No. 1 in the NFC West at the halfway point of the season.

It's the halfway point of the 2024 season, and the San Francisco 49ers are on their bye week, which affords us some time to explore some areas and stats we otherwise wouldn't pay too much attention to any given week.

Although it is useful to gauge how the Niners stack up against their competition, especially in certain key areas and metrics.

A statistics professor once told me something like, "Statistics are like bikinis. They reveal a lot but don't show everything."

So, when looking at what could be viewed as a vital stat, such as average yards per offensive play, it's hard to draw a complete conclusion without taking a look at the bigger picture.

The Niners, 4-4 at the halfway point, have had their fair share of struggles, including on offense where injuries have piled up, cutting into quarterback Brock Purdy's second season as a full-time starter. Because of tiebreakers, San Francisco is in second place within the NFC West behind the division-leading Arizona Cardinals and in front of the third-place Seattle Seahawks despite both teams owning the same record.

The 3-4 Los Angeles Rams, who have played one less game than their NFC West foes, are bringing up the rear.

If we were to reorder the division standings after eight weeks, basing it off offensive yards per play, things would look notably different.

NFC West standings based on average yards per play

Football is a hand-in-glove sport, and the complementary nature of it means no single stat or analytic truly tells the full story.

Hopefully, you've got that point.

But, if we were to simply look at average yards per play this season, the 49ers would actually rank No. 1 in the NFC West at the halfway point of the season:

1. San Francisco 49ers (6.5)
2. Arizona Cardinals (5.9)
3. Seattle Seahawks (5.6)
4. Los Angeles Rams (5.2)

Even more notable, the Niners would be the top team in the conference, as only the Baltimore Ravens (7.1) average more yards per play than head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad.

Move over, Detroit Lions. And everyone else in the NFC, for that matter.

Of course, this particular metric doesn't account for San Francisco's defensive inconsistencies and special teams gaffes, of which there have been many, nor does it fully describe the very hot-and-cold nature Purdy and the offense have experienced.

Still, at least the 49ers rank best in their conference in something.

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