How important are statistics in football?Football statistics are very misleading and often do not paint an accurate picture of the player or team, so keep that in mind when people use stats to support their arguments. It's important to interpret the stats correctly and understand what they truly mean.For instance, average rushing yards per carry are important but do not tell you all you need to know about a running back's performance. Rather, the numbers might more accurately reflect the team's overall offensive performance. Average yard per carry is affected by offensive line play, quarterback play and passing game ability. Running against seven-man fronts is entirely different than running versus eight-man fronts. This is why so many teams run out of the spread formation.You often see a poor defensive unit rank fairly well in pass defense. This is the result of teams running the ball up and down against them and not needing to pass as much. Yards are overrated. Points are obviously the key. Turnover ratio, red zone efficiency, explosive plays (runs of 10 yards or more and passes of 20 yards or more), and third-down efficiency are the most important statistics that affect winning and losing.