For over a decade, the refrain from almost everyone has been the same, that the NFL is a transit league. The reason for this belief is because the data showed this. Good passing attacks were more efficient, more explosive and more winning.

The NFL became a “quarterback, head coach and offensive lineman” league. The fact that the passing offense was viewed as more entertaining for the general football viewer (rather than the hardcore fans) led the NFL to enact more rules to make the game more pass-friendly.

The Cleveland Browns have recognized these trends and invested in them Deshaun Watson and those involved in the passing game. GM Andrew Berry extended David Njokuexchanged for Amari Coopertraded and extended Jerry Jeudyexchanged for Elijah Moore and designed Cedric Tillman with their first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

On the other side of the ball, Berry and Co. have continued to draft cornerbacks and invest (including drafting) in pass rushers on the defensive line. Michael Hall Jr. with their first pick in 2024), designed and expanded Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (a speedy linebacker who can cover and rush the passer) and signed a free agent Juan Thornhill to patrol the back end of the pass defense.

The Browns are far from the only team investing heavily in everything related to the pass (offense or defense). Most teams have worked hard to become better at throwing the ball and attacking the quarterback.

With 2024 now four weeks old, it seems as if the trend of increasing pass offenses has hit a wall:

All of these numbers are interesting, but the first two really stand out, as completing short-yardage passes means passing attacks are less explosive than ever before. The explosive properties of throwing the ball are one of the main reasons why the passing game has become more important.

As defenses now adapt to more two-high shell defenses, quarterbacks are limited to either quick passes for short yards or holding on to the ball in hopes of finding an explosive play (resulting in a higher number of sacks ).

While the pendulum may never swing back to the 1980s and 90s, when all that mattered was football, rushing attacks are back in fashion in early 2024.

While Cleveland fans are excited about RB’s return Nick Chubb Soon he may not be able to save a rushing attack that has the third-fewest attempts in the league and ranks in the bottom 10 in rushing yards per game.

While the Browns and many other teams have been busy building up their passing attacks and defenses, it’s possible that the league has gotten used to being more balanced than it has been in decades. Chubb’s return may help, but the assumption that passing the ball would continue to become more important may have been wrong in Cleveland.