Robert Saleh details the league-wide offensive downturn as the Jets buck NFL trend

It's only been three weeks, but the NFL scoring and passing offense is on the decline again.

While the New York Jets' offensive production is improving with Aaron Rodgers back at the helm, the same can't be said for most teams.

Overall, teams' scoring average is on track to decline for the fourth straight year after reaching an all-time high (24.8 ppg) in 2020. So far in 2024, NFL teams are scoring 21.2 points per game. However, the Jets have scored nine touchdowns in three games, a feat that took them 11 weeks to accomplish last season.

Passing numbers are also down, and Jets fans can relate, as their future Hall of Fame quarterback threw for just 176 yards in a Week 2 road win against the Tennessee Titans. In 2024, teams are averaging 201.2 passing yards per game. That number was 218.9 ypg at the end of last season and reached 240.2 ypg in 2020.

Robert Saleh, the Jets' fourth-year head coach, doesn't expect a sudden league-wide increase in offensive production, at least not this year.

“It’s a season-long thing,” Saleh said as he addressed reporters at Florham Park. “For several years now, the defenders have been sitting in two shells and daring to attack. I think the coordinators around the league are doing a really good job of staying patient.”

New York actually experienced this trend firsthand when it fell victim to a powerful San Francisco 49ers attack in its opening loss of the season.

“Week 1 was a perfect example. I joked with (49ers head coach) Kyle (Shanahan) the other day that I wish (RB Christian) McCaffrey was playing because then he would have thrown it, but he turned around and passed it. “I got it over Turned off 40 times,” Saleh said. “You see a lot of teams, even New England before we played them, win more than 30 times.”

Just like yardage, pass attempts have also dropped noticeably, supporting Saleh's theory. So far this season, teams have thrown an average of 31.1 attempts per game, a decrease of 4.1 attempts per game from 2020.

“Play callers are very patient, get the ball on their back, let it run and just accept the challenge of running the ball,” Saleh said.

As defenses dwindle and the field is littered with defensive backs, offenses appear prepared to respond by choosing to go to the ground and hammer. The cyclical nature of the NFL once again seems clear.

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