The Verdict2026 season · through Week 9
Garbage Time Tax
How much of every big stat line came after the game was already decided. The yards that padded the box score and the ones that mattered.
Biggest taxJohnston 62%160 of 260 yards with the game decided
Cleanest passerMurray 3%1,022 passing yards, almost all with the game alive
Most padded offense
LAC 33%of its yards came in garbage time
LAC 33%of its yards came in garbage timeThreshold10% / 90%offense win probability before the snap
↳Bottom lineQuentin Johnston: 160 of 260 yards (62%) came with the game decided.
?How to read this chart
- One bar per player,
- as long as his season yards (passing, rushing or receiving).
- Blue = yards with the game still alive.
- Striped amber = garbage time: yards gained when the offense's chance of winning was already under 10% or over 90%, so the game was basically decided.
- The percentage
- is the garbage-time share of his yards (amber from 30% up).
Passers
Highest garbage-time share first · min 800 yardsRushers
Highest garbage-time share first · min 250 yardsReceivers
Highest garbage-time share first · min 250 yardsBy offense
Share of scrimmage yards with the game decided↳Bottom lineLos Angeles Chargers lead the league: 33.2% of their yards came with the game decided.
?How to read this chart
- Yards:
- all of the offense's scrimmage yards. Garbage yards: those gained with its win probability under 10% or over 90%.
- Share:
- garbage yards over all yards; the bar fills at 40%.
| Team | Yards | Garbage yards | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAC | 2,333 | 775 | 33.2% |
 ARI | 2,865 | 846 | 29.5% |
 ATL | 2,917 | 826 | 28.3% |
 DET | 3,045 | 817 | 26.8% |
 NE | 3,340 | 886 | 26.5% |
 CAR | 2,909 | 764 | 26.3% |
 GB | 3,151 | 776 | 24.6% |
 LV | 2,994 | 734 | 24.5% |
 JAX | 2,778 | 655 | 23.6% |
 SF | 3,026 | 705 | 23.3% |
 BAL | 2,946 | 668 | 22.7% |
 SEA | 2,959 | 617 | 20.9% |
 MIA | 2,262 | 473 | 20.9% |
 LAR | 3,426 | 690 | 20.1% |
 NYG | 2,678 | 529 | 19.8% |
 TEN | 2,187 | 432 | 19.8% |
 TB | 2,761 | 528 | 19.1% |
 DAL | 3,250 | 615 | 18.9% |
 CHI | 3,459 | 646 | 18.7% |
 CLE | 2,780 | 517 | 18.6% |
 CIN | 2,974 | 545 | 18.3% |
 WSH | 2,610 | 467 | 17.9% |
 NYJ | 2,800 | 468 | 16.7% |
 NO | 2,611 | 434 | 16.6% |
 KC | 3,082 | 495 | 16.1% |
 PIT | 2,639 | 410 | 15.5% |
 BUF | 3,106 | 454 | 14.6% |
 IND | 2,605 | 372 | 14.3% |
 PHI | 2,346 | 321 | 13.7% |
 HOU | 2,858 | 363 | 12.7% |
 DEN | 2,513 | 300 | 11.9% |
 MIN | 2,152 | 130 | 6.0% |
How it works
Garbage time is any snap where the offense's win probability (nflverse, before the snap) is below 10% or above 90%. Passing yards count completions only (sacks are left out, as in official passing yards); receiving yards count catches; rushing yards count designed runs and scrambles. Thresholds: 800 passing yards, 250 rushing or receiving yards. A high share is not a crime, but it is context the box score leaves out.
Cite this
Pigskin Nightly, "Garbage Time Tax, 2026", https://pigskinnightly.com/verdict/garbage-time (2026)CC BY 4.0Data licenseCSVJSONEmbedHow it works