The NFL's Hottest New Offense Is the Oldest Trick in the Book

Heading into the playoffs, old-school smash-mouth football saw a dramatic resurgence this season-taking advantage of shifts that emphasize defending against the passing game

- ANDREW BEATON

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley earned himself a comfortable perch for his team's final game of the season: the bench.

After rushing for 2,005 yards, Barkley had already led his team to an NFC East title heading into Week 18. The only reason for him to step on the field against the New York Giants, the team that drafted him and let him get away in free agency, would have been to chase the 101 yards he needed to break Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record.

As more time has passed since Dickerson set that mark for the Los Angeles Rams back in 1984, the more unreachable it looked. Offenses increasingly built their schemes around passing, not running the ball. At the same time, the NFL has mostly abandoned the idea of a single bellcow running back who absorbs the brunt of the load.

All of those trends should make Barkley's historic season even more of an anomaly. But it turns out his stellar performance this season was actually a sign of the exact opposite: This was the year that oldschool, smashmouth football made a comeback.

With the playoffs set to begin next weekend, teams are rushing for 7.0 more yards per game than in 2023, the biggest single-season leap in 41 years. And it's all a result ofand a reaction to-modern shifts in the way the game is played.