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The Saints are off to one of the best offensive starts in NFL history. J.K. Dobbins leads the NFL in rushing and the Chargers have the No. 1 scoring defense. The Vikings lead the NFL in sacks. The Commanders are tied for first place in the NFC East.
There are some farfetched things going on in the NFL right now, as always, at the beginning of the season. So, how do we know if they are real, or just a flash in the pan, perhaps a product of a small sample size or the schedule? We need to look at the underlying reasons behind the surprises.
With that in mind, here are seven big changes fueling hot starts across the NFL. Most have to do with shifts in scheme or tendencies.
1. Saints (motion/play action)
The Saints have 91 points this season, tied for the fourth most in NFL history through two games. They scored on each of Derek Carr’s first 15 drives this season. Absolutely astounding considering their mediocre season in 2023.
And it could be real. They have the largest increases in motion (plus-38 percent) and play-action usages (plus-11 percent) in the NFL this season. It’s certainly been effective so far. The Saints are averaging 7.9 yards per play with motion and 4.5 without it this year. Plus, they are at 12.5 yards per attempt with play action, and 9.4 without it.
As our Chris Trapasso beautifully laid out earlier this week, the Saints’ hot start comes with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak bringing Kyle Shanahan’s schemes to New Orleans.
I love how Chris pointed out two identical plays the Saints ran in Dallas for massive gains. Both involved motion, play action and max protection to neutralize the pass rush and create big plays downfield.
2. Chargers (rushing/personnel)
We knew Jim Harbaugh was going to bring intensity and physicality to the Chargers. We just didn’t know it was going to translate this soon. Los Angeles has the second-best rushing offense…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/seven-drastic-changes-fueling-hot-starts-across-nfl-saints-motion-chargers-rushing-seahawks-3-wr-sets/
Author : Douglas Clawson
Publish date : 2024-09-20 14:27:53
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