After a regular season rich in lessons and twists and turns, here is the typical team of the most successful offensive players in 2024.
Quarterback: Lamar Jackson (Baltimore)
Stats: 4172 yards, 41 touchdowns for 4 pass interceptions. 915 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground.
If Josh Allen (Buffalo) and Joe Burrow (Cincinnati) definitely deserve a mention, the Ravens leader's season is simply stratospheric! Already twice elected MVP, in 2024 he had the best season of his career.
Most passing yards and most passing touchdowns in his seven NFL seasons. His progress in the aerial game is also evident with his greatest total of “air yards”: the yards that his passes gained, before those added after receptions by his teammates.
Runner: Saquon Barkley (Philadelphia)
Stats: 2005 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground, 2 touchdowns after receptions
Hard not to mention Derrick Henry (Baltimore) but for his first season with the Eagles, Saquon Barkley behaved like a hurricane!
Happy are those who had him on their fantasy team! Yards, touchdowns and spectacular actions: he did it all in 2024. And it will continue in the playoffs: until the end?
Receiver 1: Ja'Marr Chase (Cincinnati)
Stats: 1612 yards and 16 touchdowns
Impressive ! Despite an up-and-down season for his team, Ja'Marr Chase dominated the aerial debates. Most total yards, most touchdowns, most receptions, as well as the best total yards after receptions (761)!
The only downside to this painting worthy of Picasso or Van Gogh is its 9 released balloons! He is therefore human and not a machine: well, not a human like you and me either!
Receiver 2: Justin Jefferson (Minnesota)
Stats: 1533 yards and 10 touchdowns
Ten times in 2024, he was able to dance the Griddy in the end zone! Justin Jefferson knows how to make differences anywhere on the field. Inside, he is formidable. And among the ten players who amassed the greatest total yards, he is the one with the highest average yards per reception: 14.9 yards.
Receiver 3: Amon-Râ St.Brown (Detroit)
Stats: 1263 yards and 12 touchdowns
The Lions player is the master of the interior of the field. When following Slant, Flat or Comeback routes, it is almost impossible to mark it effectively.
Tight end: Mark Andrews (Baltimore)
Stats: 673 yards and 11 touchdowns
Six tight ends have gained more yards than him in 2024: but none have scored more touchdowns with their 11 achievements!
No touchdowns in his first five games. Then, he went on to score 11 touchdowns over the next twelve games!
Left tackle: Tristan Wirfs (Tampa Bay)
Very consistent since his draft in 2020, Tristan Wirfs establishes himself in 2024 as the best in his position. If Baker Mayfield was able to do a lot of damage, the quarterback owes a lot of it to the protection received from his blind side.
Left guard: Ben Powers (Denver)
Typically, the player “unsung hero” in the original version, “underrated” in French! No player on an offensive line has won more duels in quarterback protection. If Denver was able to reach the playoffs with a starting quarterback, the Broncos offensive line as a whole and Ben Powers in particular had a lot to do with it.
Center: Tyler Linderbaum (Baltimore)
Excellent in protection and effective in the ground game, Tyler Linderbaum is one of the rare players in this position to have been chosen in the 1st round of a draft. In 2024, it amply justifies this selection.
Right guard: Sam Cosmi (Washington)
A tackle at the college level, Sam Cosmi took time to adapt to the NFL level. However, in his new position further inside, he is formidable in efficiency. Very good at protecting Jayden Daniels, he is especially excellent for the ground game.
Right tackle: Lane Johnson (Philadelphia)
Yet aged 34, Lane Johnson is still the reference for this position. Only two sacks conceded and even more impressive, only 1.3% of duels lost for the ground game! Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley, as well as the entire city of Philadelphia, can count on him for the playoffs.
Coach: Ben Johnson (Detroit)
He is the architect of an effective attack both in the air and on the ground! After working with Dan Campbell in Miami, their meeting in Detroit worked wonders.
The Lions playbook is not the most comprehensive in terms of different formations. The system is effective because of its modulations.
“I want every different play to be executed the same and every identical call to be executed differently. “, he told Sports Illustrated.
By reducing the amount of information to remember, it allows players, and particularly quarterback Jared Goff, to be comfortable with the patterns. The possible variations make it possible to adapt to the opponents and the moments of a match.
