The NFL Competition Committee has made a strong push in recent years to bend the rules heavily in favor of offenses.
Before the 2018 season, the committee upped the ante on this, placing points of emphasis on hits to the quarterback, lowering the helmet and illegal contact on passing plays.
Not surprisingly, these measures have led to unprecedented success when it comes to scoring.
Through five weeks of play, NFL offenses have racked up 3,835 points as teams average 24 points per game.
As pointed out by ESPN’s Mike Clay, at this current pace, league offenses will combine for 12,272 points by season’s end. That’s nearly 10 percent higher than last year’s total of 11,220 points scored.
According to Pro Football Reference, the 24 average points per team being scored this year is the highest per-team average in the history of the NFL.
Previously, the 1948 season ranked atop the list with 23.6 points per game. The 2013 season holds the highest mark during the Super Bowl era, as teams averaged 23.4 points per game.
Needless to say, if offenses hold on their current course, the 2018 season will smash the all-time scoring record. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is highly subjective. But ratings are up once again as fans flock to watch all the action.
Though, it must be pointed out that, despite all this, some quarterbacks are still failing miserably. Go figure.