

This was the 2nd-fastest speed reached on a tackle this season. Metcalf reached 22.64 MPH and traveled 114.8 yards to chase down Budda Baker on his 90-yard interception return (Baker's top speed: 21.27 MPH). In the press box, teams’ media relations staffs pass out reams of paper with every countable metric, from snap counts for players to a chronology of every play during the game.ĭ.K. Yards-per-carry or yards-per-pass are tracked on offense, as are tackles and sacks on defense. “That told an interesting story, and that’s the sort of thing the NFL loves to do,” Petrus tells Popular Mechanics.Īn important part of any football game is data collection and analysis. In fact, we know that Metcalf was one of the fastest players of the year, according to Adam Petrus, business development and sales lead for sports and entertainment at Lincolnshire, Illinois-based Zebra Technologies, the official on-field player-tracking provider for the NFL. Those numbers are courtesy of the NFL’s Next-Gen Stats, offering data in real time based on player (and football) tracking on the field. He’d covered a total of 114.8 yards during the play, reaching a top speed of 22.64 mph.

Within minutes, we knew just how fast Metcalf was. Let’s nerd out over it together-join Pop Mech Pro. “It was unbelievable how much ground he made up!” 🏈 You love sports tech. “He is flying down the field,” Cris Collinsworth said during the broadcast. In an amazingly short time, Metcalf brought down Baker short of the goal line, saving a touchdown. Metcalf-who was running on the opposite side of the field-gave chase. Cardinals safety Budda Baker jumped the lane to snare an interception, tearing off for the end zone, but Seahawks wide receiver D.K. It was first and goal for the Seattle Seahawks during a 2020 game against Arizona.

Hundreds of data points can be used to enhance video games, player stats, and player safety.RFID sensors track player movement as well as the movement of the ball itself.Football stats are more advanced than ever, with RFID cards embedded in player uniforms and footballs.
