Fourth-down fever in the nfl
Fourth-down attempts (roughly two per game) and conversion rates (usually around 50 percent) have held steady the past decade. But coaches have become more aggessive near midfield in close games (margin of 10 points or fewer).
• From 1994 to 2004 in the first three quarters of games, teams went for it on fourth-and-1 situations between the 40-yard lines 28 percent of the time.
• From 2005 to 2014, it rose to 35 percent
• From 2015 through it rose 46.5 percent.
• Using just 2017 and 2018 games, it's more than 50 percent.
