With the 2021 season looming, it is time to take a look back at the best passing attacks in the league from last season and how they have evolved since then.
We are getting closer and closer to opening kickoff between the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 9th. Both of those teams will trout out passing attacks that are highly productive and dangerous to all NFL defensive coordinators.
With this in mind, we are going to examine some of the stats and changes from the five best aerial attacks in 2020. Using total yardage as the determining factor, these are the top five passing games from last season.
5. Falcons
Notable Stats:
- Matt Ryan: 10 straight seasons with 4,000+ passing yards
- Ryan led the NFL with 626 pass attempts in 2020
- Calvin Ridley in 2020: 90 receptions, 1,374 yards, 9 touchdowns, 65 1st down receptions
- Offensive line in 2020: 41 sacks allowed
Starters lost:
- WR Julio Jones
- RB Todd Gurley
- C Alex Mack
- LG James Carpenter
Starters added:
- TE Kyle Pitts
- C Josh Andrews
We start off with an Atlanta squad that despite having the 5th most passing yards, finished the season with just four wins. The argument will likely be that a lot of the yards came from “garbage time”.
However, the Falcons played in 10 games that were decided by one possession or less. So once again the problem in Atlanta was not production, it was finishing games.
Heading into 2021, the Falcons made massive changes to their passing attack by drafting Kyle Pitts at #4 overall and trading Julio Jones to the Titans. Pitts will now be looked at as the defacto Julio Jones replacement. Julio was arguably the most dynamic receiver of the past decade and has broken nearly every Falcons receiving record.
Despite losing a franchise icon, Pitts brings in the size and athleticism capable of filling in those big shoes. During his 24 games at Florida, Pitts recorded 100 catches for 1,492 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Don’t think Calvin Ridley is being forgotten about either. Ridley broke out last year with his best season as a pro and made the decision to move on from Julio Jones a bit easier.
Building around Pitts and Ridley looks like the plan of the future. But it will be interesting to see how Matt Ryan finishes off his career in Atlanta. Will he able to string together 3-5 more seasons with the team that drafted him? Or is 2021 the final dance for Matty Ice in Atlanta?
4. Texans
Notable Stats:
- Deshaun Watson finished 2020 with career highs in completion percentage (70.2%), passing yards (4,823), and touchdown passes (33)
- Offensive line in 2020: 50 sacks allowed (4th most in the league)
- Brandin Cooks finished the season with 1,150 receiving yards. (He now has recorded 1000+ yard seasons in 5 of his last 6 seasons)
Starters lost:
- WR Will Fuller V
- TE Darren Fells
- C Nick Martin
- RG Zach Fulton
Starters added:
- RB Phillip Lindsay
- RB Mark Ingram
- QB Tyrod Taylor
- OT Geron Christian
- C Justin Britt
- G Justin McCray
- G Cole Toner
The Texans follow the Falcons as teams who struggled mightily, but had great passing seasons. Deshaun Watson continued his assent into the elite level of QB’s and led the league in passing yards.
Brandin Cooks had a seamless transition into his first season with Houston and put up yet another solid season. Cooks has been one of the unsung receivers in the league, putting up consistent production year in and year out.
Uncertainty is the best word to describe Houston’s 2021 offseason. They completely revamped their coaching staff and roster despite not having a first round draft pick. We do not know Watson’s status heading into training camp and do not have any idea if or when his situation will be resolved.
Will Fuller and Darren Fells combined for 12 of Houston’s 33 receiving touchdowns in 2020, but have both moved on to different teams.
All in all, it is tough to envision what this Texans team will look like in 2021 without knowing Watson’s situation. He could be traded, suspended, or even decide to sit out.
If this team could only win 4 games with Watson having a career year, it would be a devastating blow for them to go into 2021 without him or a suitable replacement for his production.
3. Bills
Notable Stats:
- Josh Allen ranked top 5 in completion percentage (69.2%), passing yards (4,544), and passing touchdowns (37)
- Stefon Diggs led the NFL in receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535)
- Diggs and Cole Beasley were on the receiving end for 209 of Josh Allen’s 396 completions (52.7%)
Starters lost:
- WR John Brown
- RG Brian Winters
Starters added:
- WR Emmanuel Sanders
- LG Forrest Lamp
- RT Bobby Hart
The Bills broke out in 2021 as the next exciting offense in the NFL, primarily based off it’s passing game. Trading for Stefon Diggs was expected to be a great move for the Bills. But, I can’t imagine they were expecting him to break out as the league leader in catches and yards.
Cole Beasley was a dependable target over the middle and showed off his grit by finishing the playoffs with a broken fibula. The Bills also added Emmanuel Sanders to the receiving room, who has played in 13 playoff games in his career.
Josh Allen took a massive leap into superstardom with his play last season, and it’s hard to imagine him taking a step back at 25 years old. Allen is a legitimate MVP candidate going into 2021 and will be one of the more exciting QB’s to watch going forward.
The offensive line did a solid job of protecting Allen, but did allow him to get hurried 64 times last year (4th most in the league). Allen worked well against collapsing pockets, but the ceiling of this offense will only be reached once the offensive line develops from good to great.
2. Buccaneers
Notable Stats:
- Tom Brady in 2020: 40 touchdown passes (2nd in NFL) and 4,633 passing yards (his highest mark since 2015)
- Mike Evans became the first player in NFL history to begin their career with 7 consecutive seasons with 1000+ yards
- Tampa Bay’s passing attack in the postseason: 1,061 yards, 10 touchdowns, 3 interceptions (all in one game) and 6 sacks allowed
*Returning entire starting unit from last season*
When Tom Brady signed with Tampa Bay in 2020, the natural comparisons were to Peyton Manning signing with the Broncos and Joe Montana signing with the Chiefs. Both Manning and Montana followed up their first seasons at a new team with statistical jumps in virtually every passing category (Manning won league MVP in 2013).
If that is the fate that is awaiting Tom Brady and this passing game, the Bucs are going to be a huge problem for the rest of the league.
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are one of the scariest duo’s in the league and offer different matchup problems. If both stay healthy, it would not be a surprise to see both of them go for over 1000 yards in 2021.
They are also getting a full season of Antonio Brown, who up until 2018 was considered the best or one of the best receivers in the game.
Put these weapons behind an offensive line which is among the best in the league and you get an elite offense that may have not even scratched the surface of their potential.
1. Chiefs
Notable Stats:
- Led the NFL in yards after catch (2,267)
- Patrick Mahomes led the league in passing yards per game (316.0)
- Travis Kelce led the league in 1st down receptions (79)
Starters lost:
- LT Eric Fisher
- RT Mitchell Schwartz (missed majority of 2020 season)
- WR Sammy Watkins
- RB Damien Williams (opted out of 2020 season)
- FB Anthony Sherman
Starters added:
- LT Orlando Brown
- LG Joe Thuney
- C Austin Blythe
- RG Kyle Long
- C Creed Humphrey
There is not much more that needs to be said about the extraordinary trio of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Tyreek Hill. All 3 of them had an enormous impact in making the Chiefs’ passing game unstoppable in 2020 (until the end).
The Chiefs were unable to re-sign Sammy Watkins or even sign a legitimate replacement. They instead focused on reshaping the offensive line after a Super Bowl in which Mahomes was running for his life for 4 quarters. Mitchell Schwartz and Eric Fisher had solidified the tackle positions in KC for the past 5 seasons.
Injuries obtained by the two during the 2020 season have pushed the Chiefs to move on and find younger options.
It could be argued that Orlando Brown and Joe Thuney were the most highly sought after offensive lineman this past offseason. And now, both of them will be protecting Patrick Mahomes.
There are three reasons why the Chiefs passing attack will likely top the leaderboards in 2021 as well. The offensive line has just gotten younger and more talented. The entire offensive coaching staff from last season will return in 2021.
And the most important reason being the Big 3 of Mahomes, Kelce, and Hill are operating in the prime of their careers and will have more to prove after being torched in this past Super Bowl.
How do you think these aerial attacks will perform in 2021? Let me know on Twitter @James_Costanz.
