Silverman: For NFL's Top Offenses, It's About More Than The QB
By Steve Silverman
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It always comes down to the quarterback. Or does it?
A look at the top offenses in the NFL in 2017 includes the New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs.
A quick assessment reveals that all of those teams have big-time quarterbacks. Tom Brady may be the best of all-time, Drew Brees is a certain Hall of Famer, Jared Goff and Carson Wentz are impressive second-year players, Cam Newton has brilliant physical gifts, although his play can be somewhat erratic, and Alex Smith is having the best year of his career.
However, those quarterbacks are receiving vital assistance from game-planners, running games, defenses or new talent surrounding them.
In this piece, I look at the six top-ranked offenses in the game and offer reasons besides QB play for their strong production.
New England
I'm not going to break any new ground here because the combination of Brady, coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has been a smooth, operating machine for years.
Brady has had superstars to work with in the past, and tight end Rob Gronkowski is almost certainly the league's best at his position. However, the New England running backs include Mike Gillislee, Dion Lewis, James White and Rex Burkhead. None of these players are much better than average, but they are doing just enough with the running game to keep opponents honest.
Brady has spread the ball around to wide receivers Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola and Brandin Cooks and several of his running backs. White leads the Pats with 46 receptions, but four other receivers have 33 or more catches. This versatility keeps opponents from keying on any one or two receivers and has helped Brady throw for 297.4 yards per game with a 19-to-2 TD-to-interception ratio.
New Orleans
The Saints have reeled off seven wins in a row after starting the season with two losses.
New Orleans had one of the worst defenses in the league the last three years, but there has been a dramatic improvement this season. Instead of giving up touchdown after touchdown, the Saints are stopping opponents and rank eighth in yards allowed.
As a result, Brees has not had to throw the ball all over the field in an effort to play come-from-behind football. Brees has always been one of the game's most prolific passers, but when he has been trying to bring his team back, he has been subject to interceptions.
That has not been the case this year, as Brees is averaging 33.3 passes per game, compared to 42.7 attempts a game a year ago. As a result, he has thrown just four interceptions through nine games, compared to 15 interceptions all of last season.
Running backs Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara have combined for 1,089 yards, and that has given the Saints the third-ranked running game in the league.
In recent years, it seemed Brees was fighting the battle by himself. This season, he has full support from the defense and the running game, and the Saints are surging.
Los Angeles Rams
Goff has improved dramatically this season after a brutal rookie year in which he did not appear to have full grasp of what it takes to succeed in the NFL.
Goff has one of the top offensive minds working with him this year in head coach Sean McVay, and the Rams' leader has gotten the lesson across to the quarterback. Goff is throwing for 255 yards per game with 16 TDs and just four interceptions.
Part of the reason for his success has been the brilliant year of Todd Gurley, who has rushed for 754 yards and is gaining 4.4 yards per carry. Gurley's big-play ability has helped take some of the pressure off of Goff, and the rest is on the coach, who has helped the quarterback learn how to read defenses, look off cover men and deliver the ball with velocity.
Philadelphia
Wentz had a very solid rookie year in which his potential was on display from Day 1. He made mistakes as the year progressed and finished 2016 with a 16-to-14 TD-to-interception ratio, but it was clearly a season of substantial progress.
The Eagles added power running back LeGarrette Blount and big-play wideout Alshon Jeffery, and the team has grown dramatically.
In addition to those two, tight end Zach Ertz has become a huge contributor, and head coach Doug Pederson has gotten contributions from Nelson Agholor and Torrey Smith.
Wentz has tossed 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions, and he may be the most responsible of all the Eagles for the team's 8-1 start. While he has clearly been brilliant, the crucial part of the year is coming up, and the pressure will build.
Carolina
The Panthers have not gotten the brilliant quarterback play that the other teams mentioned here have. Newton may be the most athletic quarterback in the league, and when it comes to miles per hour on his fastball, he does not have to take a back seat to anyone.
However, Newton continues to take risks with the ball and has a 14-to-11 TD-to-interception ratio. Many of those picks can be avoided, but Newton believes in his arm and always attempts to throw the ball through the tightest windows.
The Panthers have bounced back this year with the top-ranked defense in the league, and rookie running back Christian McCaffrey has given Newton a target who can always get open, while Devin Funchess is turning into a reliable big-play performer.
If Newton can cut down on mistakes in the second half of the season, a return to the Super Bowl is a strong possibility.
Kansas City
Smith is one of the smartest players in the league, but he didn't have to be a genius to understand the Chiefs' intentions when they drafted Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the first round. While Smith was not in any imminent danger, it was clear that the Chiefs had selected their QB of the future.
Smith has come out this year as though he wants that to be the very distant future. He has completed 69.6 percent of his passes for a career-best 271.6 yards per game with 18 TD passes and just one interception.
He has carried the Chiefs on his right shoulder, and they are poised to make a strong run in the AFC.
He has gotten plenty of help from rookie running back Kareem Hunt and tight end Travis Kelce, but Smith has upgraded his play and head coach Andy Reid has been happy to let him direct the offense with more success than he has ever had.
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