How Data & Analytics Help Football Fans Predict and Understand NFL Games

  • Diana Gujer Independiente

Abstract

The 2025 NFL season's tight finishes highlighted a shift: fans now use data, not gut feelings, to analyze games. Driven by tracking tech like Next Gen Stats, viewers leverage advanced metrics—EPA, DVOA, and CPOE—to understand the "why" behind plays. While free tools like Pro Football Reference and NFL IQ make game prediction accessible, analytics remain an input, not a guarantee, bounded by unpredictable elements like weather and injuries.

Keywords: NFL analytics, Fan predictions, Sports data tools

References

Roumani, Y.F. (2023). Sports analytics in the NFL: classifying the winner of the superbowl. Annals of operations research, 325(1), 715-730. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-022-05063-x

Schoborg, C. (2023). Football by the Numbers: A Look into Sports Analytics Currently Used in the National Football League [These, Master of Science. University of Central Florida]. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd2020/1762

Published
2026-05-31
How to Cite
Gujer, D. (2026). How Data & Analytics Help Football Fans Predict and Understand NFL Games. Lecturas: Educación Física Y Deportes, 31(337), 252-257. Retrieved from https://www.efdeportes.com/efdeportes/index.php/EFDeportes/article/view/8984
Section
Informations