Is 4th down the new 3rd down? Teams went for it on 4th down 57% of the time so far this season

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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/laprasrules on 2025-08-31 16:20:50+00:00.

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From The Athletic today:

Facing fourth-and-4 or less, coaches have gone for it 57 percent of the time as of late last night, per TruMedia. That would easily be a new record over a full season, as far as we can tell. The rate was between 48 and 51 percent the past five years.

It felt like teams were going for it on 4th a lot yesterday, and this morning I saw this stat. I was surprised that the rate was between 48 and 51 percent the past five years. That seems very high. Is going for it on 4th down becoming more common?

Note: For everyone asking for the link to the article, there’s no article to link. I read the stat in The Athletic’s newsletter. The Athletic is a paid subscription service, and there was no link to a website for the stat. TruMedia is also a paid service.