What is a rushing yard?

A rushing yard is a term used in American football to measure the distance a player runs with the ball in a single play. The player is said to be rushing the ball if he is carrying the ball and runs forward towards the opponent's end zone. The rushing yard is the distance the player covers from the point he gets the ball to the point where he is tackled or crosses the opponent's end zone for a touchdown. In the NFL, the average rushing yard per game varies from team to team, and the leading rushers in the league can rack up several hundred rushing yards in a season. Rushing yards are an important statistic in football as they determine a team's offensive performance and can significantly impact a game's outcome.