Lions just one of many teams in new look NFL with offensive outputs up in 2020

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Darrel “Mouse” Davis was a genius that never got his due in the old NFL.

Remember the old NFL?

Ground and pound: run the ball, run the ball, and run it some more.

But Davis, in his three years as the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, changed the game at the highest level.

While it may not have caught on at the time, his time in the NFL certainly had an effect on the current league.

Davis started changing football way back in the 1960s and 1970s, in places all over the country. He was a disciple of Glenn “Tiger” Ellison, who wrote a book called Run and Shoot Football: Offense of the Future (interesting that the two people who revolutionized the game were a Tiger and a Mouse.)

Ellison was right: the future of the NFL certainly is run and shoot. Scoring this season is through the roof; the average so far is 25.4 points, which is up almost three points per team from last season, and five points per team from the turn of the millennium.

What has been the effect of this? The over/under totals for NFL games (and NCAA College Football games) have followed suit.

It used to be when you saw totals in the high 40s, it was a big deal. A total of 50? What, that is crazy.

Not anymore.

Seven of the 12 games this weekend will have over/unders above 50 points, and a couple others could join them. The Lions play Indianapolis at home Sunday, and that total is currently 50.5 with BetMGM promotional offer. Of course, that line could move before the game.

Detroit’s offense is scoring 26 points per game this season, while its defense has allowed 27.5 points per game. Where do those numbers rank the Lions in this crazy year?

The middle of the pack.

The 26 points per game is 15th in the league, and the 27.5 allowed is 13th.

Last year, one team averaged over 30 points per game for the season: The 14-2 Baltimore Ravens, although the Kansas City Chiefs were at 29.9.

So far through seven weeks of 2020, seven teams are at 30 points, and another is at 29.8. Six teams are allowing 30+ points each week, which only one team did last year.

What is the take from all this?

Bet the over. Those numbers might start ticking down slightly now that the weather is changing, but maybe not.

Michigan residents might be able to bet their overs online very soon, including with BetMGM. Sports betting is legal now, and online wagering could be available before December, just in time for the final month of the NFL, and bowl season in NCAA College Football.

If you or anyone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.