Who has the best offensive trio in the NFL?
As we prepare ourselves for the upcoming season, I want to take a look at some of the best offensive trios in the game, specifically quarterbacks, receivers, and running backs. Now I know that many writers have already released their own versions of this, but that’s the beauty of sports – we all have different views and opinions on each player and team. For this particular list, I took into account availability – how often is the player injured and has he been suspended recently? For the sake of this list, clumped wideouts and tight ends together into one “receiver” category.
Let’s jump into the honorable mentions:
Saints
One name: All Day. New Orleans has paired up a record-breaking, future Hall of Fame quarterback in Drew Brees with an eventual Hall of Famer in Adrian Peterson. Will Peterson be able to return to his old self after missing two of the last three seasons (in 2014 for a suspension and in 2016 for a torn meniscus)? Rounding out the trio is Michael Thomas, who had a quiet-but-incredible rookie season. Now, with Brandin Cooks shipped out to New England, Thomas has all but shored up his status as Brees’s #1 target.
Packers
Here we have one of the greatest passers in NFL history, Aaron Rodgers, teamed up with Jordy Nelson. Nelson is coming off a 2016 campaign that proved he’s back to his old form after missing 2015 with a torn ACL in the preseason. Ty Montgomery, the converted running back, flashed at times in his limited starts, even dropping 162 yards on the ground vs. the Bears in Week 15. Like the Raiders, the running back is the question mark. Was Montgomery a flash in the pan or did we witness the beginning of a consistent run game in Green Bay?
Cowboys
If this was a Top 5 list, this trio would have easily made it. I really liked Dak Prescott coming out of college, but I never thought he would put up the numbers he did. Throwing 23 touchdowns to only four interceptions and having 11 games with a QB rating of 100 or more? Add in fellow sophomore Ezekiel Elliott, who led the league in rushing as a rookie with 1,631 yards. The final piece is Dez Bryant. Will Prescott and Bryant improve on their chemistry after only 50 receptions and 796 yards receiving from Bryant? This season will tell.
Now I have to go rinse my mouth out with soap after praising the Cowboys. Be right back.
The crème de la crème:
3) Patriots
This trio may be higher on my list than on others’, but how could you not include the best quarterback in NFL history (arguably, of course), Gronk, and whoever’s name they write in when they need to update the depth chart on their website?
Quarterback
It took me forever to openly acknowledge how great Tom Brady is. I’ve witnessed his MVPs, his Super Bowl victories, his stats, and in the back of my mind, I knew it. I, like many others within the NFL community, just despised his success. That is until I saw what he did in Super Bowl LI vs. the Falcons. I firmly believe that no other quarterback could’ve come back from being down 28-3 in the third quarter like Tom did. It was the icing on the cake on a season that saw Brady come back from his suspension and tear up the league going 11-1 and only throwing 2 interceptions during that span. It’s arguable, but in my eyes, he’s the greatest quarterback that has ever played the game.
Receiver
Our first tight end in the receiver category. I could’ve easily put in newly acquired wideout Brandin Cooks or even Julian Edelman, but when healthy, Rob Gronkowski is Tom Brady’s go-to. The only thing that can slow down Gronk are injuries, which ended his 2016 season early. A nagging hamstring injury forced him to miss the first two games of the season before a herniated disc took him out of the Week 12 game vs. the Jets, and ultimately, the rest of the season and playoffs. Word is that Gronk has not been limited in training camp thus far and has even started working with Tom Brady’s health guru, Alex Guerrero, who runs Brady’s TB12 Sports Therapy Center, to improve his durability and flexibility.
Running back
It doesn’t really matter who the Patriots plug in at running back; whoever they are, they always produce in this system. James White was the hero in the Super Bowl, amassing 139 total yards (29 rushing, 110 receiving) and three total touchdowns. However, the Patriots have stacked up their backfield by signing Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead this offseason. I predict Gillislee to get the brunt of red zone touches like he did in Buffalo, but I can see White getting a majority of the snaps by season’s end.
2) Falcons
What a year last season for the Falcons. It obviously didn’t end the way fans would’ve liked, especially fans of every other team in the NFL, but their achievements offensively can’t go unnoticed. This trio helped lead their offense to 540 total points, averaging 33.8 points per game in the process. Their 63 touchdowns were eight more than the second-place Saints, and they were very explosive as was evident by their 17 pass plays of 40 or more yards. But with their offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan, packing his bags and heading to the beautiful west coast, can former USC head coach, Steve Sarkisian, pick up where Shanahan left off?
Quarterback
Matt Ryan, the NFL’s MVP last season, took a MAJOR leap in his second year under Kyle Shanahan’s offense:
- 69.9 Completion Percentage: Third highest in 2016 only behind Sam Bradford (71.6%) and Drew Brees (70.0), 9th highest all-time in a single season.
- 4,944 Passing Yards: Second in 2016 behind Drew Brees (5,208).
- 9.3 Yards Per Attempt: Led the league with the next closest being Tom Brady at 8.2 yards. No active player has had a higher average in a single season in their career.
- 38 Passing Touchdowns: Second only to Aaron Rodgers’s 40.
- 117.1 QB Rating: First, ahead of Brady’s 112.2. Ranks fifth all-time and hits the books as Ryan’s first 100+ QB Rating season (previous career high was 99.1 back in 2012).
The only way a quarterback can put up ridiculous numbers like that is if he has weapons to throw to. Enter the physical freak, Julio Jones.
Receiver
Arguably (although many Steelers fans will disagree) the best receiver in the game, Julio posted big numbers even though his number of targets dropped from 209 in 2015 to 129 last season. However, even though the volume of passes thrown his way decreased, his efficiency went up with his yards per catch going from 13.8 to 17, his highest since his rookie season (17.8). After gaining 1,871 yards through the air in 2015, the second most in a single season in NFL history only behind Calvin Johnson (1,964 yards), Julio followed up with the second most receiving yards in 2016 (TY Hilton was first with 1,448). Couple that with 27 20+ yard receptions, 7 100+ yards receiving games (he only played in 14 overall), and breaking his own franchise record for most receiving yards in a game in Week 4 vs. Panthers with 300 yards on 12 receptions (previous record: 259 vs. Packers in 2014), 2016 was a year to remember for Julio. And how could we forget about this catch in the Super Bowl?
Running Back
The third piece to the Falcons puzzle and a key contributor to my fantasy football team last year: Devonta Freeman. Freeman followed up his sophomore season in the pros with another 1,000-yard season on the ground (1,079 yards) to go along with his 11 rushing touchdowns. He has shown the unique ability to beat you through the air as well, having nabbed 127 passes in the past two seasons, 54 of them coming from last season. His success continued throughout the playoffs where he gained 330 total yards (162 on the ground and 168 receiving), and he firmly believes that he would’ve been Super Bowl MVP if things had gone differently:
If I would have stayed in the game, I would have got MVP. I’m looking at my stats and I see my numbers didn’t lie. Look at my numbers.
He did, in fact, finish the Super Bowl with solid numbers, rushing for 75 yards on only 11 carries (6.8 average) and catching two balls for 46 yards, but only four of those 75 yards occurred in the second half.
And as we all found out recently, Freeman and the Falcons have agreed to a 5-year, $41.25M contract extension.
1) Steelers
I know, I know. A Steelers fan who puts the Killer B’s at the top spot. How predictable. I really tried to make an argument for someone else to take the crown, but it just didn’t make sense. Although the aforementioned teams sported more efficient and higher scoring offenses than the Steelers in 2016, one cannot deny the talent that these three black and gold players possess. And that’s what this list is about, right? However, the numbers the Steelers were able to put up, thanks in large part to this threesome, were nothing to scoff at. They gained 372.6 yards a game, good for seventh in the NFL, and scored nearly 25 points a game (tied for 10th in the league), close to the 30 point benchmark that they set for themselves. This past postseason was the first time the Killer B’s were all available and were able to beat the Dolphins and Chiefs before a hamstring injury during the AFC Championship Game forced Bell out of the game and the Steelers out of Super Bowl contention.
Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger had another good year for the Steelers to the tune of 3,819 yards through the air and 29 touchdowns (third most in his career) in 14 games in 2016. He missed the Week 7 Patriots game due to an ankle injury from the previous week and sat out the season finale vs. the Browns with a playoff spot already clinched. In typical Ben fashion, he had some really good games (Week 4 vs. Chiefs, Week 5 vs. Jets) and some really bad games (Week 9 vs. Ravens, Week 14 vs. Bills), and the difference in his play at home and on the road is astounding:
In what could be the final year of his career after seriously mulling over retirement this offseason, Ben has stated that he’ll be giving it 110% this season. Let’s hope that’s enough to dethrone the Patriots.
Receiver
If the offense starts and ends with Big Ben, then Antonio Brown is the catalyst. You know you’re a great receiver when a season of 106 receptions, 1,284 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns is considered a down year for you. The 2016 season saw Brown tie and/or break a couple of records including most catches in any four-year span with 481 (passing Marvin Harrison) and tying Harrison for most consecutive 100+ catch seasons. Imagine if he had played in the season finale vs. the Browns? And with Brown’s continued dominance and patience, the Steelers made him the highest paid receiver after inking a 4-year extension worth $68 million.
Running back
Le’Veon, oh how we miss you.
Well… most of us anyway. As we all know, Bell has yet to sign his franchise tag, so he does not have to show up to practice, and at this point, I don’t blame him. With his injury history, there’s really no need for him to show up prior to the preseason starting. I’ve said this before, but I would bet that he comes back around the same time Eric Berry did last year which was August 28. It allows him to avoid any freak accidents that happen during training camp, and trust me, it’s common. Just look at the Baltimore Ravens twitter feed to see their laundry list of injured players. And honestly, we know we won’t have to worry about him coming back out of shape. If you’ve made your rounds through his social media accounts, you’ll see all kinds of videos of him working on his speed, footwork, and even his basketball skills.
In no way, shape, or form do I support this decision in Bell’s part because I fully believe that holding out isn’t the answer. Showing up for practice to be with your teammates and continue building the team chemistry, especially around the new faces, is key, but I understand where he’s coming from. Nonetheless, putting his contract situation aside, Bell had another monster year eclipsing the 1,000 yard mark for the second time in his four-year career with 1,268 yards in just 12 games. He also amassed 616 receiving yards through the air on 75 catches. Currently, Bell is first in NFL history with 128.5 yards from scrimmage per game in his career, but has played the second least amount of games compared to the other players in the Top 10, which includes Hall of Famers such as Jim Brown (125.5), Barry Sanders (118.9), and the recently anointed Terrell Davis (113.9).
Bell’s biggest knock is his availability, whether that’s due to injury or suspension. Let’s cross our fingers that he’ll be able to make it through an entire season in one piece.
Do you guys agree or disagree with the list? Let me know how you feel and who you think should be included on this list!
