This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/nfl by /u/paulhalt on 2024-02-25 00:34:27.

Source: . Data is based on average yards per team, per game.

  • The big jump in passing yardage in the late 1970s is due to the Mel Blount rule. There was a 38% jump in passing yards between 1977 (141.9 ypg) and 1980 (196.0 ypg). More rule changes in the mid to late 2000s led to the passing boom of the 2010s.

  • The 2010s passing boom may now be over. Eight seasons out of the nine between 2012 and 2020 saw average passing above 230 yards, but it hasn’t been that high since then, and the last two seasons were both below 220 yards.

  • 2022 was the first year since 1988 that teams averaged more than 120 rush yards per game, but that fell back to 113 yards in 2023. Overall, rushing yards have remained stable since the early 1990s.

  • The decline in the value of RBs is correlated with the 2010s passing boom. Now that the boom appears to be over, perhaps RB value will increase again?

  • Football before the war must have been absolutely brutal.