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By Bill Pennington
Set during a global pandemic, the NFL, the season has been an atypical case and, unsurprisingly, there have been persistent outbreaks of coronavirus, a hastily restructured game schedule, and games played in empty and empty stadiums.
But on the field, the basic goal of the game is strangely achieved with more luck than ever before.
N. F. L. The teams scored problems at the top of all time in the first 4 weeks of the season, a higher power that, if maintained, will rewrite the 100-year league record book. If the increase in the best scored matches this season is similar. for the purposes of the pandemic it is a topic of debate, but the statistics are irrefutable.
During 4 weeks of the 2020 season, the average combined score for a game is 51. 3 points, an increase of 16% over it was a year ago and an increase of approximately 20% in the average score of games since 2000.
Fifty-two times in the 63 games played in the first 4 weeks, a team has scored 30 or more issues; at the same time last season, it happened 30 times. Teams have scored 35 or more issues 16 times this season, 78% build-up on matches played in the first 4 weeks of last season.
The Green Bay Packers average 38 game-consistent issues and the Seattle Seahawks, with a speed of approximately five touchdowns consistent with the game, averaging 35. 5 game-consistent issues. Even the Dallas Cowboys, who have lost three of the four games, scored a score of 31. 5 points.
Some things haven’t changed much. The average scores for the Jets (16. 2) and giants (11. 8) are the lowest in the league.
Theories about the cause of the increased scores have proliferated, adding the benefits given to the road groups as they are no longer tormented by noisy crowds at home, a curious drop in the number of consequences scored, and a drop in scores. taking skills as a result of cancellation. preseason games.
Or is the accumulation of problems just an addition to the herbal evolution of the game and the preference to give enthusiasts what they want?
“I mean, other people like to score, don’t they?” Brian Baldinger, a veteran of the N. F. L. said. alumnus. linemaker who is now an analyst on the NFL network.
Perhaps the most cited explanation is the ongoing review of the quarterback, who is now personified through Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, the leader of the Super Bowl protective champion. were reflected through Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, the NFL’s most valuable player.
Other young quarterbacks abound in the same mold, such as Houston’s Deshaun Watson and Buffalo’s Josh Allen. Russell Wilson of the 31-year-old Seattle Seahawks helped set the tone with a set skill and has since compiled a regular season record of 90-41 1 as a starter. Even Tom Brady, who at 43 may not have been part of the young quarterback movement, threw five touchdowns on Sunday.
“Those athletes who play as quarterbacks who are pitchers and runners put a lot of strain on defenses because they can restrict the defenses you can use,” said Chris Spielman, former Pro Bowl supporter and Fox Sports analyst.
The defense from man to man, a former precept of pass policy that requires defensive backs and supporters to temporarily turn around and return to pass recipients, has a possible responsibility.
“A cell quarterback, if he sees the man’s canopy in the third attempt, to make a complicated pitch, will get the same mileage running the ball because the defenders are turning their backs on him,” Spielman said. “These quarterbacks keep the records, alive with their legs. “
Teams that stay with the ball longer get the maximum points; however, there may be some other explanation as to why NFL crimes remain on the court longer. Coaches become bolder and avoid a clearing kick when faced with a fourth check out and a short distance, and manage to take the first when they do. Green Bay clearing kicker JK Scott has pitched only seven times in four games.
“As things go, bettors can just be dinosaurs,” Baldinger said.
The absence of a normal off-season (spring training has been uniformly cancelled), as well as a truncated August preseason with fewer practices and no preseason games is also seen as an explanation of why the accumulation in problem totals. Time to install defensive game plans and compare the conflicting parties at the start of the season, defensive coaches had little selection yet to devote less time to some defensive fundamentals, such as taking on exercises, which had already been reduced over the past decade to check out to minimize shooting. Poor shooting will lead to a variety of defensive disappointments and more touchdowns and targets on the field.
Even with pandemic restrictions, many quarterbacks have discovered tactics to prepare by inviting giant recipients and runners to informal education sessions in world-class fields or school parks. their fellow pass recipients.
“It’s almost like being embarrassed if you don’t,” said Charles Davis, an NF analyst. L. CBS on the accumulation of off-site training led by the quarterback.
But this year’s ban on formal practices, along with downtime permeating most people’s lives during the pandemic, seemed to cause more offensive actors to meet informally.
“They’ve spent more time in combination than ever before,” Davis said.
And then there’s the drop in the number of penalty flags thrown this season, especially for the offensive team, which called 126 times in the first quarter of this season, which is a 56% low since the first 4 weeks of last season, when the NFL offensively concentrated on its officials. While this year’s league didn’t mention being more lax in offensive dress, a former offensive lineman like Baldinger spotted what he called “direct assaults” of defensive players.
“They just don’t call it, and offenses aren’t backed by sanctions,” Baldinger said.
Finally, there is the effect of a non-existent or reduced crowd. The record for visiting groups in the first 4 weeks of the season is 31-31-1, an improvement over last season when visiting groups won only 48% of the games. Among other things, the lack of crowd noise results in advantages for offensive supporters who can hear the signals from the quarterback’s barks more clearly.
“It’s helpful to overtake the protectors if they still have two or three tenths of a moment to react,” Spielman said.
But can this small advantage be enough to cause a 16% increase in the scoreboard?No one is sure, and some expect the defenses to recover as the season progresses.
“Defenses regularly begin to catch up as they go,” Davis said, granting N. F. L. domination, offenses will not diminish.
“How long will the score spend for the rest of the season?”Davis asked. ” Well, I don’t think it’s going from 51 gambling-consistent issues to 21. “
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