[aeneas1]

to say that the nfl has become a passing league may be one of the biggest understatements of the decade - here's a look at numbers for the first two weeks of the season for 1961, 1981, 2001 and 2021.

% of games that teams booked completion rates of 70%+

2021 - 41%
2001 - 12%
1981 - 9%
1961 - 5%

% of games that teams booked completion rates of 65%+

2021 - 63%
2001 - 26%
1981 - 13%
1961 - 7%

% of games that teams booked 100+ qb ratings

2021 - 44%
2001 - 26%
1981 - 13%
1961 - 17%

% of games that teams threw the ball 35+ times

2021 - 50%
2001 - 38%
1981 - 27%
1961 - 10%

% of games that teams scored 30+ offensive points

2021 - 31%
2001 - 12%
1981 - 14%
1961 - 12%

% of games that teams scored 27+ offensive points

2021 - 47%
2001 - 17%
1981 - 21%
1961 - 17%

% of games that teams scored 17 or fewer offensive points

2021 - 38%
2001 - 60%
1981 - 55%
1961 - 64%

average offensive points scored per game

2021 - 23.0
2001 - 16.9
1981 - 17.7
1961 - 16.5

[Hacksaw]

to say that the nfl has become a passing league may be one of the biggest understatements of the decade - here's a look at numbers for the first two weeks of the season for 1961, 1981, 2001 and 2021.

% of games that teams booked completion rates of 70%+

2021 - 41%
2001 - 12%
1981 - 9%
1961 - 5%

% of games that teams booked completion rates of 65%+

2021 - 63%
2001 - 26%
1981 - 13%
1961 - 7%

% of games that teams booked 100+ qb ratings

2021 - 44%
2001 - 26%
1981 - 13%
1961 - 17%

% of games that teams threw the ball 35+ times

2021 - 50%
2001 - 38%
1981 - 27%
1961 - 10%

% of games that teams scored 30+ offensive points

2021 - 31%
2001 - 12%
1981 - 14%
1961 - 12%

% of games that teams scored 27+ offensive points

2021 - 47%
2001 - 17%
1981 - 21%
1961 - 17%

% of games that teams scored 17 or fewer offensive points

2021 - 38%
2001 - 60%
1981 - 55%
1961 - 64%

average offensive points scored per game

2021 - 23.0
2001 - 16.9
1981 - 17.7
1961 - 16.5

Cool telling charts.. That all supports the eye test, and explains the Rams QB move.

[snackdaddy]

The days of 3 yards and a cloud of dust are long gone. People prefer high scoring games over a 13-10 slugfest. Everyone is looking for that franchise quarterback. Find that guy and your fortunes are changed for the better. Its hard to have a top 5 defense year after year. Get that quarterback and you don't need a number one defense.

[Nick Douglas]

It’s not so much a passing league as it is a hurry-up league.

[majik]

Would like to see stats regarding how far the ball travels in the air on a pass from the previous eras. I would think today passes are much shorter, accounting for the jump in percentage completion.

I don’t remember any shovel passes that basically look like a forward handoff happening back in the day that now are completions

[aeneas1]

Would like to see stats regarding how far the ball travels in the air on a pass from the previous eras. I would think today passes are much shorter, accounting for the jump in percentage completion.

I don’t remember any shovel passes that basically look like a forward handoff happening back in the day that now are completions

sure, that's what drives the high completion % we're seeing, short passes, short passes in lieu of the run, but those short passes are pushing passing yardage and total yardage to levels never seen before...

% of games that teams threw for 300+ yards

2021 - 33%
2001 - 16%
1981 - 14%
1961 - 10%

% of games that teams booked 400+ total yards

2021 - 34%
2001 - 12%
1981 - 14%
1961 - 10%

% of games that teams booked 300+ total yards

2021 - 80%
2001 - 52%
1981 - 63%
1961 - 38%

average passing yards per game

2021 - 265.1
2001 - 219.5
1981 - 214.2
1961 - 184.2

average total yards per game

2021 - 358.1
2001 - 308.0
1981 - 321.0
1961 - 287.3

[aeneas1]

in related news, a tweet from yesterday....

what the tweet didn't mention is where those 3 guys rank in average depth of pass:

jones - 29th (5.6 yds)
mayfield - 20th (7.9 yds)
garoppolo - 31st (5.1 yds)

go figure.

[max]

I remember the NFL before 1974 when these major changes happened. I vividly remember a 15 yard holding penalty almost certainly ending a drive. Young people have no idea what the NFL was like pre-1974.

In 1974, the NFL implemented a package of changes to reinvigorate the game by boosting the passing attack, increasing the opportunity for big plays on kickoff and punt returns, reducing the incentive to kick field goals and minimizing drive-stalling penalties.

The changes included:

Moving the goal posts from the goal line to the end line, immediately making every kick 10 yards longer and getting the post out of the way of pass patterns in the end zone.

Making all field goals missed beyond the 20-yard line result in the other team's taking possession at the line of scrimmage.

Moving kickoffs from the 40-yard line to the 35-yard line.

Prohibiting the offensive team on punts from moving downfield until the ball is kicked.

Reducing penalties on offensive players from 15 yards to 10 for holding, illegal use of hands and tripping.

Allowing a receiver to be chucked only once by a given defender after the receiver has gone 3 yards downfield.

The NFL continued to modify the rules to make football QB centric. Sure, you can’t have a demolished OL as Mahomes did last year, but you can have plenty of flaws throughout your team if you’ve got an elite QB. Without Mahomes, I believe the Chiefs win fewer than 7 games.

[aeneas1]

[LoyalRam]

The other thing that's changed since the 1970's and 1980's is going for it on 4th down...almost anywhere on the field. I remember watching the 70's version of Chuck Knox almost NEVER going for it. Even within the 10 yard line with a half yard for a 1st down, he'd kick a FG. The sage wisdom from the talking heads was always that it was foolish not to take the 3 points, which in lower scoring games was probably not wrong. Seriously for the younger crowd, the excitement I felt was like a Johnny Hekker trick play when teams went against convention and went for the 1st down on 4th down.