CFL vs NFL - The Key Statistical Differences

I’ve had many a discussion among my fellow Canadians about which professional football league is better, CFL or NFL. My preference has been and always will be the NFL but that isn’t the case for all.

Now, a lot of Americans probably don’t give the CFL the light of day (except for maybe Chris Berman), but the reality is that it’s a league that is doing very well and it has a very good fan base. TSN does a great job of covering the games much like their American cousin, ESPN, covers NFL games.

The disparity in talent is easy to see but that doesn’t mean the games aren’t exciting. It’s not just talent that separates the leagues as there are many different rules that make each league unique.

Here are a few numerical categories where the leagues differ.

One of the biggest scoring differences in the CFL is the “rouge” which awards a single point for a missed field goal or a punt that goes into the end zone without being returned. This rule basically means that any score is possible while the NFL is more prone to having the 14-10 or 21-7 score. Another big difference in the CFL is the “no yards” penalty that will occur when the kicking team does not give the returner at least 5 yards of room to pick up the ball and run with it. In the NFL this type of scenario usually just results in the kicking team “downing” the ball.

But what about the statistics? Football is still football and 99% of the stats calculated are the same for both leagues. Let’s take a look at the numbers from the 2012 seasons and see what kind of discrepancies we find. It’s important to remember when looking at the Team Season Average that the CFL plays 18 games while the NFL plays 16. Team Game Average is the best comparison.

The stat that really sticks out here is completion percentage and yards per completion. It appears that it is slightly easier to complete a pass in the CFL and for more yards. The biggest reason for this is most likely the bigger field which gives the receivers more room to get open. In the CFL, the receivers also have the option of a running start at the snap.

Since the CFL has only 3 downs to get 10 yards the running game often takes a back seat to the passing attack. The NFL has more of grind it out feel as the average team rushes approximately 8 more times per game. Similar to yards per completion, yards per rush in the CFL is also quite a bit higher.

There tends to be slightly more turnovers in the CFL. This is probably a good indication that the talent level is better in the NFL.

Here’s a category that really sticks out. There are WAY more penalties in the CFL. Some of this may be due to the no yards rule or other rule differences but it may also be an indication of poor player performance. Interestingly, the average yards per penalty is about the same but the average CFL game will have around 7 more penalties called.
 

Since the goal posts are situated at the goal line in the CFL and at the back of the end zone in the NFL there are a lot more field goal attempts in the CFL, almost 1.5 attempts per game. There are also more punts in the CFL, but this can easily be explained by the 3 vs 4 down difference. The punting average and field goal percentage are both slightly better in the NFL which is to be expected.

Some people say they like the CFL better because it’s higher scoring. Well, it is but not by that much. The 6.3 point differential may seem fairly large but there are a lot of single points (rouge) in the CFL that can quickly add up. There is an average of 1 missed field goal per game in the CFL plus there are numerous punts that go through the end zone that result in a single point.

What the stats seem to tell us is that the CFL’s bigger field really does have an impact on stats like rushing yards per attempt and yards per completion. What it also proves is that the NFL has the better players. Better punting average, higher field goal percentage, fewer turnovers and way fewer penalties are a good indication of this.

Which is your favourite league?