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When the San Francisco 49ers traded for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in late October<\/a>, they wanted a QB who displayed poise under pressure<\/a> and an ability to extend drives. The 49ers certainly got more than they bargained for, which is reflected in the teams\u2019 ever-important yards-per-drive statistic.<\/p>\n While yards-per-drive isn\u2019t the top indicator of a potent offense, it definitely correlates strongly. The reasoning behind yards-per-drive as an important offensive statistic is simple; a team has a limited number of drives per game, and a team is more likely to score the closer they are to their opponent\u2019s end zone. If a team can consistently move the ball down the field, then the team will consistently be in a position to score points against their opponent.<\/p>\n As the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons in 2016, current 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan\u2019s historic offense led the league<\/a> with 540 points scored, and over 40 yards-per-drive; in fact, three of the NFL\u2019s top four point-scoring teams were also in the top-4 in yards-per-drive.<\/p>\n