SmashMouth

DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) calculates a team's success based on the down-and-distance of each play during the season, then calculates how much more or less successful each team is compared to the league average. According to Football Outsiders, DVOA "breaks down every single play of the NFL season to see how much success offensive players achieved in each specific situation compared to the league average in that situation, adjusted for the strength of the opponent. ... Football has one objective -- to get to the end zone -- and two ways to achieve that, by gaining yards and getting first downs. These two goals need to be balanced to determine a player's value or a team's performance."[3] There is a separate DVOA measurement for special teams, which "compare[s] each kick or punt to the league average for based on the point value of field position at the position of each kick, catch, and return.

This metric system has produced the two teams in the Superbowl or at least had them in the top 6 teams.

2014 TOP 2 in DVOA: SEA & DEN
2015 TOP 2 in DVOA: SEA & CIN (NE was 6)
2016 TOP 2 in DVOA: NE & DAL (ATL was 3)
2017 TOP 2 in DVOA: NO & LAR (PIT is 3 / NE is 6)

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homerj07

That's cool. I see winning as the most important stat.