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Part I: Offense Is Dead
Here we are, on a fantasy sports website – where points and offense are of the utmost importance – and we’re stuck talking about defense because offenses can’t produce anymore.
I mean, seriously, what has happened to the NFL’s product?
Did you sit down and watch the Steelers at Browns, by any chance? Just painful. Now sure, I have Myles Garrett and TJ Watt as two of my leading candidates for league MVP, but who the heck wants to watch Kenny Pickett and Dorian Thompson-Robinson play quarterback right now? There’s a reason the final score of the game was only 13-10.
And this is happening all around the league. We all know my Jets can’t score a point to save their freakin’ lives while teams like the Raiders, Bucs, Titans and Panthers continue struggling to put points on the board.
Seriously, this stuff is really hard to watch! I love the NFL in general, but the older we get, the less time we have on our hands. So if I’m going to waste valuable hours on football, I wanna see some high-flying offense! And I know I’m not alone on this.
I was actually reading a good article in The Ringer last week about Tyrese Haliburton and the new-look, up-tempo Indiana Pacers, and in it head coach Rick Carlisle basically said the following (I’m paraphrasing): Obviously, we want to put a strong team on the court, led by Haliburton, but we ALSO want to bring entertainment value. We want to put together a product where people actually want to watch our games.
And of course, he’s spot on. Sports are in the entertainment business. So how has the NFL suddenly lost touch with this fact?
Part II: Why are defenses dominating the league?
Honestly? I think the talent pool is just too watered down. Thirty-two teams is like four too many, at least. Some of these fringe guys are just practice squad players, in my opinion.
So, the weaker starters get exposed on every single team. With 32 teams and 53 roster spots apiece, you simply can’t have a stud at every position. This is particularly a problem at offensive line right now. Pass rushers – Garrett, Watt, Maxx Crosby, Micah Parsons, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Danielle Hunter, etc. – are dominating the game because there aren’t enough quality offensive linemen to stop their relentless attacks at the line of scrimmage.
Of course, there’s also this problem: Not enough high-quality quarterbacks. Really think about how many borderline/shaky quarterbacks are starting right now: Gardner Minshew, Baker Mayfield, Thompson-Robinson, Mac Jones/Bailey Zappe, Zach Wilson/Tim Boyle, Aidan O’Connell, Pickett, Bryce Young, the list goes on and on and on.
It’s bad. The league is thin right now. The overall product is really suffering.
Part III: So, who CAN we tune in for these days?
Obviously, we’re always safe with the Chiefs and Eagles. Not only are they the best-coached teams with the best personnel, they also get plenty of calls from the refs, so we know they’re always gonna score.
The Dolphins are obviously fun, with mastermind Mike McDaniel steering the ship and two MVP candidates in Tua Tagovailoa and the uncanny Tyreek Hill.
Over in Houston, C.J. Stroud is the unquestioned star of the league right now. He has taken the sports world by storm, making the Texans absolute must-see TV.
All things considered, the 49ers, Ravens, Lions and Cowboys are all providing a quality product to viewers. Coaching is good, good two-way play and a number of intriguing individual talents to monitor.
And sure, we can root for the Josh Dobbs underdog story in Minnesota and hope Trevor Lawrence and Justin Herbert continue to improve in Jacksonville and Los Angeles, respectively.
But really? All told, there are so many slog games out there. It’s really a struggle to sit down and watch an entire game these days. The NFL honestly needs to do something. Fewer penalties, maybe? Fewer stoppages?
I don’t know, but whatever the case may be, watching paint dry doesn’t sound like a bad idea on Sundays this year.
John Frascella is a published sports author who has been covering the NFL for 20 years. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) for all things NFL, NBA and MLB throughout the year.
