The Los Angeles Rams exploded in a big way in 2017 by scoring a league-best 478 points. The New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles scored 458 points and 457 points respectively and the New Orleans Saints finished with 448. In all, 8 teams finished with over 400 points.
In the history of the NFL, 17 teams have put up more than 500 points in a season with the Atlanta Falcons being the last team to do so when they scored 540 points in 2016. The most points ever scored in a season was the 606 points that Denver put up in 2013. That was the only time that a team eclipsed the 600-point plateau.
Since 2007, nine teams have scored over 500 points in a season including 2011 when the Saints, Packers, and Patriots all did it. The only times in that span that no team reached the 500-point plateau were 2008, 2014. and 2017.
So, are any teams going to score at least 500 points in 2018? Let’s take a look with handicapper Jeff Johnson of Premium Picks who correctly predicted that the Philadelphia Eagles would win the Super Bowl using his algorithmic software before the season began. Here are his 5 NFL teams that will rack up the points in 2018.
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Houston Texans
The Houston Texans might have finished their disappointing 2017 season with 338 points but if Deshaun Watson can pick up where he left off before getting injured last year then Houston might be one of the most exciting offenses to watch in 2018. He might not have gotten off to a hot start when he replaced Tom Savage in the second half of their season opener against the Jags and he flew under the radar in Houston’s Week 2 win against the Bengals but then he broke out in a big way in Week 3 against the Patriots and continued to amaze as the Texans put up no fewer than 33 points in 5 straight games until Watson was sidelined for the season.
Consider that Houston scored 195 points or 39 points per game in that 5-game span. That adds up to a whopping 624 points in a season. Sure, the chances of Deshaun Watson and the Texans maintaining that pace are slim to none but there is definitely a good possibility that the Texans can be one of the highest-scoring offenses in 2018. Let’s not forget that Houston has the easiest strength of schedule.
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New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints finished 2017 with 448 points or 28 points per game. This should come as no surprise for a team that is led by Drew Brees. What makes New Orleans so interesting going into this season is that they have an excellent running game on top of a potent air attack. Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara are a deadly combination while a young Michael Thomas showed that he can be counted on to make big plays as a number one receiver. Ted Ginn and Austin Carr are reliable and rookie Tre’Quan Smith looks like he’s going to be something special. The offensive line is also arguably one of the best which makes life so much easier for Brees and the running backs.
The Saints offense has plenty of weapons that will keep opposing defenses guessing. Even though New Orleans will be facing a tough schedule, these guys aren’t afraid to engage in shootouts and will be one of the highest-scoring teams in 2018.
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New England Patriots
It’s been 12 years since the New England Patriots scored less than 400 points in a season but it has been 5 years since they scored more than 500. Being an elite team that plays in a weak division along with having a favorable schedule is sure going to help them score in 2018.
The Patriots manage to do extremely well despite having a rotating door of running backs, receivers that aren’t really superstars, and a defense that sometimes looks totally lost. It looks like Julian Edelman will miss the start of the season but you can bet your boots that the Pats will be just fine without him. Tom Brady will make Cordarrelle Patterson, Chris Hogan, and Eric Decker look like studs and the New England Patriots will rack up the points. They will put up even more if the often-injured Rob Gronkowski can stay healthy.
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Pittsburgh Steelers
Although they scored over 400 points in 2017, the Pittsburgh Steelers finished 8th overall in that department. Look for them to be a top-five scoring offense in 2018. Pittsburgh finished the season with a 13-3 regular season record but a lot of their wins weren’t exactly convincing. A pair of 4-point wins over Cleveland? Narrow 3-point wins against the Colts and Packers?
Perhaps it was their Week 3 overtime loss to the Bears that illustrates best how the Steelers lacked the killer instinct in 2017. They allowed bad teams to hang in games that they had no business being in. Edging the Ravens by a single point in a shootout at home? C’mon man!! They even had New England on the ropes at home in Week 15 but their inability to go for the jugular cost them that one as the Patriots put up 11 points in the final 4 minutes to win 27-24.
The point of all of this is that we are counting on Pittsburgh having learned their lesson. They need to put teams away when they are given the chance. This means scoring more points against what appears to be one of the easier schedules in the league. Le’Veon Bell is one of the best running backs in the NFL and Antonio Brown is one of the best at his position. Add in other talented receivers like JuJu Smith-Shuster and rookie James Washington along with capable tight ends and there is no reason why Pittsburgh can’t rack up the point in 2018.
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Los Angeles Rams
This team was just 22 points shy of hitting the 500-point mark last year. Todd Gurley was on fire rushing for 1,305 yards which was second only to Kareem Hunt. His 13 rushing touchdowns led all running backs and his 788 receiving yards and 6 receiving TDs showed that he is a dual threat. Gurley accounted for 114 points on his own.
Of course, with the help of some high-flying receivers, Jared Goff enjoyed a breakout season in which he threw for 3,804 yards and 28 touchdowns. Perhaps even more impressive is that he tossed just 7 picks. Legend Jon Price has picked the Rams in the pre-season to be Super Bowl Contenders. He also successfully predicted the Broncos to win the 2016 Super Bowl winning over 1 million dollars off of that pre-season wager and was handicapping college for HERO Sports years ago.
Goff and Gurley both benefited from having such a stout offensive line which is shaping up to be even better this year. Sammy Watkins might be out of the picture but the Rams brought in Brandin Cooks as a replacement. Cooper Kupp showed that he will be an impact player and is a shoe-in to reach 1,000 receiving yards while Robert Woods gives Goff yet another solid option. The Rams have one of the hardest schedules this season but that won’t stop them from being one of the highest-scoring teams of 2018.