It is not subjective.
If the QB does not hand off the ball or make a direct rush at the line of scrimmage (sneak or "rollout" with ball kept down with no visible intent to pass it), it is a rushing attempt.
Any other play where the QB is dropped for a loss is a sack and not a rushing attempt.
Yards (+/-) in the NFL are tallied under:
-Completed Passes
- Rushing Attempts
- Losses from Sacks
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If the QB does not hand off the ball or make a direct rush at the line of scrimmage (sneak or "rollout" with ball kept down with no visible intent to pass it), it is a rushing attempt.
Any other play where the QB is dropped for a loss is a sack and not a rushing attempt.
Yards (+/-) in the NFL are tallied under:
-Completed Passes
- Rushing Attempts
- Losses from Sacks
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To be considered a sack the quarterback must intend to throw a forward pass. If the play is designed for the quarterback to rush the ball, any loss is subtracted from the quarterback's rushing total. If the quarterback's intent is not obvious statisticians use certain criteria, such as the offensive line blocking scheme, to decide. Other unique situations where a loss reduces a quarterback's rushing total (not a sack) are "kneel downs" (used to run time off the game clock), and aborted plays, such as a fumbled snap that the quarterback falls on to maintain possession.
A player will receive credit for half of a sack when multiple players contribute to the sacking of a quarterback.
A player will receive credit for half of a sack when multiple players contribute to the sacking of a quarterback.
