The term att in football stats is short for attempts. Att is used to measure the total number of passing attempts, rushing attempts (carries), and field goal attempts.
Most often the att football statistic is going to be seen when checking out a quarterback’s stats.
Oftentimes Att is going to be one of the first stats shown when looking up passing stats in the NFL.
Att for passing
When looking at passing statistics Att is going to let you know how many times the quarterback threw the football.
Att for quarterbacks stands for passing attempts and can be a good way to gauge how successful the quarterback was in the game.
By looking at attempts and completions fans can see what percentage of passes a quarterback completed. This statistic is often shown under the name completion percentage.
A quarterback’s completion versus attempts is also going to play a large role in determining their quarterback rating.
You will also be able to see which passing Att went the furthest by looking at the LNG in a player’s passing stats.
Yds/Att
When looking at player passing stats you also may notice a category of yds/att. This category stands for yards per attempt.
This means you divide the total amount of passing yards gained by the number of times the quarterback threw the ball.
This way you can see how effective throwing the ball has been on a per-play basis.
Att for rushing
On top of passing the ball this statistic is also used for rushing the ball. Generally speaking, football fans tend to refer to a rushing attempt as a carry.
On some websites, this statistic will be shown under a statistical category called car. Car stands for carries and is just another way to measure attempts for a running back.
You can also find out which Att went for the most yards by looking at the LNG rushing stat.
Keep in mind that attempts for a running back only occur when rushing the ball. If a player catches a pass this will count as a reception and not a rush.
Additionally, lateral passes that are caught by the running back are still considered rushing plays and will be counted under atts.
This category can be recorded for more than just the running back. Anytime a player advances the ball on the ground without catching a forward pass is going to count as a rush.
This means every player on the offense has a chance of getting an attempt for rushing. That being said running backs, fullbacks, wide receivers, and quarterbacks are the positions most likely to get rushes with the football.
When checking out a running backs att stats you may want to look into how many times they have been forced to fumble throughout these carries.
Field Goal Attempts
The final category that records attempts in football is field goals. This statistic is going to keep track of how many times a kicker has attempted to convert a field goal.
As you’ve likely guessed field goal attempts are used to calculate a kickers field goal percentage.
To get this number the kicker’s total field goals made is divided by the amount of field goal attempts. This gives you a quick number to look at when looking to see how often a kicker converts his field goals.
It is important to remember that point after attempts are not included in a kicker’s attempts. If a kicker scores an extra point after a touchdown this will not be included in his field goal attempts or field goals made.
