Over the course of the past several years, there has been some consistency in the highest scoring teams in the NFL. Since Patrick Mahomes became the starting quarterback in KC, the Kansas City Chiefs have finished in the top six in scoring in each of the past three seasons. They were tops in 2018 at 34.8 points per game.
The other consistent scoring team has been New Orleans. The Saints were actually a top five team in each of the past three seasons. The difference this year is that the New Orleans Saints will not have future Hall of Famer Drew Brees at quarterback.
Which team will lead the NFL in scoring this season? Which team is your best bet?
If It Ain’t Broke
After leading the league in points per game in 2018, the Chiefs were second in 2019, and finished sixth last season averaging 28.5 points a game. As long as Mahomes is running the offense and as long as he has weapons like TE Travis Kelce and WR Tyreek Hill, the Chiefs will always be a threat to put up a lot of points.
Kansas City is a +500 favorite to lead the NFL in scoring this season. Another big key is the return of offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy. He was a candidate for several of the open head coaching jobs last season. The continuity in coaching will be a big plus for KC heading into the 2021 season.
The Challenger
The big challenger to the Chiefs winning the scoring title, at least according to oddsmakers, will come from defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs finished second in the league last year averaging 30.8 points per game. Any offense led by Tom Brady has to be considered a threat to win the scoring title.
What the Bucs have that hasn’t happened in the Super Bowl era is an offensive starting lineup that returns in its entirety. Brady threw for 40 touchdowns last season with WR Mike Evans grabbing 13 of them. Chris Godwin and TE Rob Gronkowski had seven each and running backs Ronald Jones II and Leonard Fournette combined for 13 more. That’s why the Bucs are listed at +750.
What About Green Bay?
A different team has led the league in scoring in each of the past three seasons. Last year, it was the Green Bay Packers (31.5) led by NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers. Now that his situation has been worked out, Rodgers returns as does RB Aaron Jones and WR Davante Adams.
Rodgers threw for 48 touchdowns while Jones ran for 1,104 yards and nine scores. Adams is arguably one of the best receivers in the NFL and he led the league with 18 receiving touchdowns in 2020. Green Bay scored 30 or more points in 11 of its 16 games last season and hit 40 or more in four games. With essentially the same offense, the Packers have the potential to lead the league again. The payout would be nice at +1200.
Sleeper
The wild card in this race could be the Dallas Cowboys. They return Dak Prescott from an ankle injury. Remember, Prescott finished second in passing yards in 2019 as Dallas averaged 27.1 points per game, which was sixth-best in the league.
2021 NFL Highest Scoring Team Odds
Kansas City Chiefs +500
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +750
Buffalo Bills +1000
Green Bay Packers +1200
Baltimore Ravens +1400
Dallas Cowboys +1600
Cleveland Browns +1800
Los Angeles Rams +1800
San Francisco 49ers +1800
Indianapolis Colts +1800
Seattle Seahawks +1800
New Orleans Saints +1800
Tennessee Titans +2000
Los Angeles Chargers +2000
Minnesota Vikings +2200
Arizona Cardinals +2200
Atlanta Falcons +2800
Pittsburgh Steelers +3000
Miami Dolphins +3500
Las Vegas Raiders +3500
Denver Broncos +4000
New England Patriots +4000
Washington FT +4000
Carolina Panthers +5000
New York Giants +5000
Philadelphia Eagles +5000
Cincinnati Bengals +5000
Jacksonville Jaguars +5000
Chicago Bears +6500
Detroit Lions +10000
New York Jets +10000
Houston Texans +20000
