NFL Offenses Grounded, But Fans Still Soaring: Why TV Ratings Are Thriving Despite Fewer Passing Yards

Imagine waking up to a time warp, circa the 1970s NFL and its dominance of ground-and-pound football. Fast-forwarding to 2024, it seems we've taken a few steps backwards into the past. The NFL's once-prominent aerial game has slowed, with aerial yards down, and offences reverting to an older, more art-antiquated way of carrying the rock over the deep ball. While the passes aren't travelling as far, TV ratings are at their highest level in nine years. What's going on?


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Teams Pump the Brakes on Passing Plays

So far this season, passing has dramatically declined across the NFL. Take the LA Chargers as just one example, where new head coach Jim Harbaugh has changed a unit that employed last season's 308.7 yards per game in passing to 125.7 this season—a 59% drop. Injuries such as Justin Herbert's ankle sprain play a role, but what's unfolding is definitely a change from the pass-first philosophy that has ruled the NFL for two decades.


The overall league stats tell the same story. The NFL is averaging only 201.2 passing yards per game, the lowest since 2003, with passing touchdowns also dipping to their lowest rate since 1993. Even superstar quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes are seeing their deep passes shrink as teams adjust their defenses, making it harder for big plays to develop.

Why the Shift?

Among the many reasons behind this readjustment, coaches are employing the use of defences known as "Cover 2" to stack up against QBs, who aren't dropping back to pass without having a deep target. "The average depth of Mahomes' passes has fallen from 6.5 to 5.2 this season," noted one researcher. Injuries- such as Miami's Tua Tagovailoa being out for concussion-have also kept a few teams of loose balance while others, such as New England's Patriots, seemingly have almost lost all their passing.


But it's not all doom and gloom for quarterbacks. A few have managed to buck the trend—Buffalo's Josh Allen and Dallas' Dak Prescott are still airing it out. Prescott leads the NFL in passing yards, but that's mostly because Dallas can't run the ball effectively, forcing him to throw.

TV Ratings Are Booming—But Why?

As the fireworks of last season's passing have taken a dip, the fans are tuning in like never before. For its NFL games, this season so far is averaging 18.6 million viewers per broadcast, marking as high as it has gone since 2015. The Kansas City Chiefs with Mahomes as quarterback can proudly boast of being extra contributors toward these numbers, as their games drew in no less than 27.4 million viewers.


Not as explosive an offence, defences clamping down has added more stress and tighter scores, making the games exciting and even keel. Plus, even though the deep balls are a minimum, there is star power with Mahomes, providing fans with plenty of intrigue to watch at home.

Defences Reign Supreme

As the passing game stalls, defences are stepping up: The NFL's teams are allowing only 21.2 points per game this season, a 6% drop from last year. This means while the fans are pining for some of the aerial drama they didn't exactly get in Week 1, they have already gotten their money's worth with this more balanced and competitive nature of games.


Bottom line: While NFL offences seem to be toning it down to less of an air show, viewers are just as captivated as ever, showing fans just how much more there is to a good football game than long bombs and highlight-reel touchdowns. The drama, the competition, and even the standoffs on defence have created can't-miss TV.


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