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Agree or disagree, the NFL’s banning of the hip-drop tackle is another sign the league favors offenses in today’s game. From a ratings standpoint, it’s understandable when you consider how much fun it is to watch teams light up the scoreboard.
Over the years, the NFL has witnessed some truly incredible offenses. But where do these offenses rank if we were to stack up against the best of the best? It’s not easy, but we will try to sort it all out.
Keep up to date with all your fantasy football needs by following RotoBaller on X and checking out RotoBaller.com. With that said, let’s examine the top-10 NFL offenses since the year 2000.
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers won two writing awards and received 12 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. A big congrats to our very own Byron Lindeque (Golf) and Jordan McAbee (NASCAR) for both winning Writer Of The Year awards! Be sure to follow RotoBaller's analysis and advice all year long, and win more. Win More With RotoBaller!10.) 2006 San Diego Chargers
Starting off our list is the team led by Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson. He enjoyed a career year in 2006 when he scored a league-record 31 total touchdowns.
We interrupt your regularly scheduled March Madness content for 5 minutes straight of LaDainian Tomlinson highlights 🔥pic.twitter.com/qOARt0yAfg
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) March 25, 2024
San Diego was also fortunate enough to have Michael Turner and Darren Sproles behind Tomlinson. It's amazing to think one team had all this talent in the running back room. Beyond this position, San Diego also had Philip Rivers at quarterback to go along with tight end Antonio Gates. A young Vincent Jackson also made contributions throughout the year.
The Chargers scored a franchise record and league-high 492 points in 2006 en route to a league-best 14-2 season. Sadly, they would come up short in the playoffs and lost in the Divisional Round to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. The end result was unfortunate, but it was fun to watch this offense work each week as they rode their Hall of Fame workhorse to a record-breaking season.
9.) 2019 Baltimore Ravens
Averaging a league-high 33 points per game, this Lamar Jackson-led offense checks in at No. 9. Jackson enjoyed an MVP season in 2019 as he took the league by storm.
2019 Lamar Jackson was the single best season from any 22-year old in NFL historypic.twitter.com/f7OBFcwULh
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) July 2, 2022
Jackson wasn’t the only contributor when it came to this attack. He had help from running back Mark Ingram II, who scored a career-high 15 touchdowns in 2019. Second-year tight end Mark Andrews led the receiving room with a 22% target share, 852 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns.
Unfortunately, Baltimore was sent home early in the playoffs after a Divisional Round loss to the Tennessee Titans. While it didn’t carry the success Baltimore was hoping for, fans are sure to remember all the highlight reel plays Jackson and this offense provided throughout the year.
8.) 2016 Atlanta Falcons
Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Devonta Freeman. This Falcons team packed a powerful punch on offense. With Kyle Shanahan calling plays, Ryan enjoyed a career year and the Falcons won the NFC Championship.
With 540 points scored, this team was the highest-scoring offense in the history of the Falcons organization. They had a solid running game built around Freeman, and it was complemented well by an efficient play-action passing game led by Ryan and Jones.
Atlanta would have been ranked higher on our list had it not been for an infamous Super Bowl collapse to the New England Patriots. Nonetheless, this is still one of the best offenses we have seen since the turn of the century.
7.) 2011 Green Bay Packers
Led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the 2011 Packers scored the fourth-most points of all time with a total of 560. Rodgers would throw 45 touchdowns and win his first of four MVP awards.
With receivers Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson, Rodgers had great weapons around him. Jennings, Nelson, and tight end Jermichael Finley scored a combined 32 touchdowns in 2011. Coach Mike McCarthy’s play-calling duties were made much easier with this trio at his disposal.
The Packers would go 15-1 and capture the NFC’s top seed. It looked like they were in a prime position to win their second straight Super Bowl. Ultimately, they were eliminated in the Divisional Round by the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants.
6.) 2009 New Orleans Saints
With an NFL-high 510 points scored in 2009, this Drew Brees-led attack comes in sixth on our list.
New Orleans’ offense was a diverse attack that could beat you in several ways. They could grind it out on the ground with a Pierre Thomas/Reggie Bush combination. They could also light up the scoreboard through the air with future Hall of Famer Brees leading the way. Sean Payton calling the shots on offense helped make the perfect formula for a Super Bowl title as they would defeat the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.
The Saints were fortunate to boast many highly productive offenses during the Payton/Brees era. Other Saints teams could have made this list. We’ve set a limit of one offense per franchise, so this team got the call because they were the only ones to finish the job and raise a Lombardi Trophy.
5.) 2004 Indianapolis Colts
With a then-NFL record 49 passing touchdowns, Peyton Manning led this offense to a league-high 522 points scored. As a result, Manning would go on to win his second straight NFL MVP.
December 26th, 2004: Peyton Manning throws a then-record breaking 49th touchdown to Brandon Stokley. Everyone celebrates except Peyton, who knows he has to convert the forthcoming two point conversion. https://t.co/APE2FCoHu3 pic.twitter.com/9w9qf2KbsC
— The Shop (@TheShopIndy) December 27, 2022
Having a pair of all-time great receivers, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, certainly helped matters.
Who was Peyton Manning's favorite receiver Reggie Wayne or Marvin Harrison? I think the answer is pretty damn clear... 📙___📗PROCANES pic.twitter.com/VgTA16Kxp7
— Hurricane4Life (@LloydCreech1) June 1, 2019
This offense had three receivers break the 1,000-yard mark. That has only been accomplished five times in NFL history. As if that wasn’t enough, Indianapolis also had a 1,500-yard rusher in Edgerrin James. Their offense was flat-out difficult to stop. The only team that did was the New England Patriots when they defeated the Colts in the Divisional Round.
This wasn’t the last time Manning led a historic offense, and it won't be the last Manning-led attack on our list.
4.) 2018 Kansas City Chiefs
Armed with Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce, this Chiefs team routinely torched defenses for big plays.
Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill are unfair ✌️ pic.twitter.com/w5tXxER1hp
— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) September 12, 2021
After trading incumbent starter Alex Smith to Washington, the Chiefs handed the keys to the offense over to Mahomes. Boy, were we in for a treat.
In his first season as a starter, Mahomes threw for over 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns. He was the NFL MVP and took this offense to levels it had never seen. With Andy Reid calling plays, Kansas City totaled 565 points scored. It currently stands as the third-most points ever scored in NFL history.
The Chiefs' season would ultimately end with an AFC title game loss to the New England Patriots. Still, the 2018 Chiefs offense was transformative as the league had never seen anything quite like this dynamic, vertical passing attack.
3.) 2000 St. Louis Rams
“The Greatest Show on Turf” is next on our list. From 1999-2001, the Rams offense was unstoppable.
57 points in one game. The Greatest Show on Turf. 🔥 (Oct. 1, 2000) pic.twitter.com/DlYoFxfqnp
— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) April 17, 2023
Hall of Famers were all over this unit. Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, and Orlando Pace all played crucial roles. They also had contributions from seven-time pro bowler Torry Holt, trusted vet Ricky Proehl, and big-play specialist Az-Zahir Hakim.
The crazy thing about this Rams team? Warner was actually forced to miss five games with a broken hand. Backup quarterback Trent Green stepped in, and the offense didn’t miss a beat. This offense just overpowered the league.
Frankly, any of these three offenses from 1999-2001 deserve a ranking. We can’t put the 1999 team in as they just missed the year 2000 cutoff. The 2001 squad also scored 500+ points but did lose the Super Bowl. We’re going with the 2000 unit because they scored the most points (540) out of all three teams while missing their starting quarterback for a chunk of the year.
Make no mistake, though, this offense was truly special given the sheer number of ways they could beat an opposing defense.
2.) 2013 Denver Broncos
Another Peyton Manning-led team makes our list. Maybe there’s something to having a good quarterback?
Man, this offense was next-level. Averaging nearly 38 points per game, the Broncos scored an NFL record 606 points and record 76 touchdowns in 2013.
September 5, 2013: On NFL’s opening night, Broncos’ Peyton Manning throws for 462 yards and 7 touchdowns to lead Denver over the defending Super Bowl Champion Ravens 49-27. pic.twitter.com/wHViP6zgc3
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) September 5, 2020
Where do we begin? We’ve got Manning in the driver’s seat. He threw an NFL record 55 passing touchdowns and won his fifth MVP Award. The receiving room was ridiculous with the likes of Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, and Wes Welker. Tight end Julius Thomas was also no slouch in posting a 65-788-12 stat line.
Denver had four players record at least 778 receiving yards. Oh, by the way, the Broncos also had a 1,000-yard rusher in Knowshon Moreno. He scored 10 rushing touchdowns as well. This is video game-type stuff we're talking about here.
This offense handed out touchdowns like Oprah Winfrey giving away prizes to her audience.
1.) 2007 New England Patriots
The only team to go 16-0 in NFL history takes the No. 1 slot. While the 2013 Broncos have a strong argument here, getting through the regular season undefeated ultimately broke the tie.
If you remember this team, then you shouldn’t be surprised by this ranking. They were dynamic and fun to watch every Sunday.
November 2007: Patriots beat the Bills 56-10. It remains the biggest loss in Bills franchise history.
Tom Brady went 31/39 and threw for 373 yards and 5 touchdowns. Randy Moss had 10 catches for 128 yards and 4 touchdowns. pic.twitter.com/GHIsmwhQrr
— Pats Buzz (@PatsBuzz) August 17, 2023
Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and Wes Welker led this offense to a then-NFL record 589 points scored and 75 touchdowns during this historic season. These marks have only been beaten by the above Broncos team. Brady threw for a then-record 50 touchdown passes. Moss caught an NFL record 23 receiving touchdowns. The Patriots made a living bludgeoning team with offensive outbursts.
However, 2007 did not end with a title. New England was bested by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII. Still, NFL fans will never forget the images of Brady throwing touchdown bombs to Moss in record-setting fashion.
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