Offenses soar with crackdown on contact
The NFL sent out a call for offense in 2004.
Peyton Manning, Priest Holmes, Terrell Owens and just about every player who touches the football answered that call. Yards and points have arrived in record numbers.
The NFL ordered a crackdown on illegal defensive contact this year to open the passing lanes. The desired effect has been achieved, as offense is again the king. A record nine quarterbacks are on pace for 4,000-yard passing seasons.
Manning is on track to set an NFL record for touchdown passes in a season (52). Holmes, if his injuries don’t limit him too much, is on track to become the first player in league history to score 30 touchdowns in a season. Owens is on track to catch the most TD passes in a decade (18).
But there is a downside to all of this offense. You’d be hard-pressed to find any stout defense being played in the NFL these days south of Baltimore or west of Pittsburgh.
Seven teams have allowed 200-plus points at the midway point. If they all stay on that pace, that would tie the NFL record set in 1985 for most teams allowing 400 points in a season.
Oakland has allowed 247 points, New Orleans 234, San Francisco 224, Kansas City 211, Indianapolis 206, St. Louis 205 and Dallas 203. If those teams can’t find a way to slow down opposing offenses, they can forget about playoffs.
That’s bad news for Indianapolis, the only team of that bunch sitting atop a division. They share the AFC South lead with Jacksonville at 5-3.
Since the advent of the 16-game schedule in 1978, 83 teams have allowed 400 points in a season. Not one has won a division title, and only the 1989 Houston Oilers managed to overcome that generosity to qualify for the postseason. They lasted one round.
The 1983 St. Louis Cardinals were the only other team to allow 400 points and still manage a winning record (8-7-1). Teams that allow points in bunches usually wind up playing shorter seasons.
Of the 10 teams that have allowed the fewest points in the NFL, eight have winning records and five lead divisions. Defense may not win championships every year, but it does allow you to compete for them.
Davis placed on injured reserve
The Carolina Panthers placed Stephen Davis on injured reserve, their third running back to be lost for the season.
Davis has played in two games this season after arthroscopic surgery Sept. 17 to clean out torn cartilage from his knee. He’s tried to get back on the field several times since, but his knee would swell after every practice.
He joins backup running back DeShaun Foster (broken collarbone) and third-stringer Rod Smart (knee) on the injured list. In all, Carolina has 11 players out for the year.
Steelers release St. Pierre
The Pittsburgh Steelers released quarterback Brian St. Pierre and called up Dante Brown from the practice squad to give them more strength at running back. Brown has spent the 2004 season on the Steelers’ practice squad.