Total offense, also called total yards, is a
statistic representing the total number of yards rushing and yards passing by a player or team. Total offense differs from
yards from scrimmage
Yards from scrimmage is a gridiron football statistical measure. In the game of football, progress is measured by advancing the football towards the opposing team's goal line. Progress can be made during play by the offensive team by advancing ...
, which gives credit for passing yardage to the person receiving the football rather than the person throwing the football. In football, progress is measured by advancing the
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
towards the opposing team's
goal line. The team on offense can make progress during the play by advancing the ball from the
line of scrimmage
In gridiron football, a line of scrimmage is an invisible transverse line (across the width of the field) beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun. Its location is based on the spot where the ball is placed after the end ...
.
When the offensive team advances the ball by
rushing the football, the player who carries the ball is given credit for the net gain, measured in rushing yards. When the offensive team advances the ball by
pass reception, the player who throws the ball earns passing yards and the player who receives the ball earns receiving yards. The total of rushing yards and passing yards (but not receiving yards) is known as total offense. Although the ball may also be advanced by penalty, these yards do not contribute to total offense. Progress lost via
quarterback sack
In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackle (football move), tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the l ...
s are classified differently, depending upon the league and/or level of football.
In the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL), the formula for a quarterback's total offense is:
:
When defenses are measured on total offense allowed, it is called total defense.
Some definitions of individual total offense give credit to both the passer and receiver for passing yards. Thus, if a
quarterback
The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
catches a pass in a trick play, or a non-quarterback throws a pass, some statistical issues arise.
Steve McNair
Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009),[Steve McNair Found Dead](_blank)
holds the NCAA career and single-season total offense/game records.
Case Keenum,
B. J. Symons
Brian Jeffrey Symons (born November 19, 1980) is an American former professional football quarterback. Symons played for the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL), the Frankfurt Galaxy (NFL Europe), Frankfurt Gala ...
, and
David Klingler hold the total offense career, single-season and single game records.
[
In the NFL, ]Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Lavon Mahomes II ( ; born September 17, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Mahomes has led the Chiefs to seven consecutive AFC Championship Game app ...
holds the single season record for total offense with 5,420 yards in 2022. Tom Brady holds the NFL's career record with 86,761 yards.
NCAA definition
The National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
(NCAA) defines total offense as the total of net gain rushing and net gain forward passing: receiving and runback yards are not included in total offense. (at pg. 206).
See also
*Glossary of American football
The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''.
0–9
...
Notes
{{American football concepts
American football terminology