The old adage that defense wins championships still has merit, but the modern NFL is much different from what it was in decades past. In today’s game, teams are more likely to put up gaudy numbers through the air and on the ground. Even the best defenses can be susceptible to the firepower of a potent offense.
These rankings use PFSN’s Offense+ metrics, which combine statistics such as yards per play, points per drive, turnover percentage, success rate against the run and pass, third-down conversion rate, red-zone efficiency, pressure percentage when not blitzing, and various expected points added (EPA) measures against both the run and pass. These are then weighted accordingly to produce our rankings.
Here are the 10 highest-graded NFL offenses since the 2000 season.
10) 2020 Tennessee Titans/2013 Denver Broncos
The 2013 Denver Broncos and 2020 Tennessee Titans each posted a 94.0 Offense+ score. The Broncos’ offense was elite, leading the NFL in points scored (37.9 points per game) and total yards (457.3). They were led by Peyton Manning, who produced one of the most dominant quarterback seasons in league history.
At 37 years old, Manning won his fifth MVP award after leading the NFL in completions (450), passing attempts (659), passing yards (5,477), and touchdowns (55). The offense featured two 1,200+ yard receivers (Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker) and a 1,000-yard rusher (Knowshon Moreno). Denver posted a 48.1% conversion rate on third and fourth downs and scored a touchdown on an outstanding 76.1% of its red-zone trips.
The 2020 Titans weren’t an elite passing team, but instead, their offense wore down opponents with a physical, dominant rushing attack. Derrick Henry will go down as one of the best running backs of his generation, and this was his most productive campaign. He racked up 2,027 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on an absurd 378 carries.
Despite a low volume of pass attempts, wide receiver A.J. Brown still managed to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark and score 11 touchdowns. Tennessee’s success also showed up in the advanced metrics, posting a +0.14 EPA per play and scoring a touchdown on 75% of their red-zone drives.
9) 2011 New England Patriots
While the 2011 New England Patriots weren’t quite as prolific as the 2007 team, this was still one of the most efficient offenses of the 21st century. However, they suffered the same fate as the previous squad, falling to Eli Manning and the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.
Fortunately, the ranking is only based on regular-season performance, and New England’s offense was undoubtedly one of the NFL’s most productive that year. The unit ranked second in yardage (428 ypg) and third in scoring (32.1 ppg).
It was another Pro Bowl year for Tom Brady, who threw for 5,235 yards, 39 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while completing 65.6% of his passes and posting a 105.6 passer rating. The offense featured a dynamic group of pass catchers, including Wes Welker, who led the league in receptions (122), and the tight end duo of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez that combined for 2,237 yards and 24 touchdowns.
The Patriots’ advanced metrics were solid. They finished with 2.69 points per drive, a +0.18 EPA per play, a 55.3% pass success rate, and a strong 65.3% red-zone touchdown rate.
8) 2006 Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts make their second appearance in the top 10. The 2006 squad featured much of the same core as 2004, with the exception of Edgerrin James, who ended up in Arizona before the season began.
This iteration of the Colts also won the Super Bowl, knocking off the Chicago Bears.
The @Colts needed a touchdown drive to get to the Super Bowl. Peyton Manning delivered.
Rewatch the 2006 AFC Championship for FREE on https://t.co/TAuzHi7hnf: https://t.co/LqSIBuiGy2 pic.twitter.com/Jo2Ff4lV7t
— NFL (@NFL) May 9, 2020
Peyton Manning put together another strong campaign, leading the NFL in passing touchdowns (31) and passer rating (101.0). The tandem of Marvin Harrison Sr. and Reggie Wayne once again torched defenses, with each receiver eclipsing 1,300 yards. They also combined for 21 touchdowns in the regular season.
Despite moving on from James, Indianapolis still got solid production from its backfield. Rookie running back Joseph Addai led the way, carrying the ball 226 times for 1,081 yards and seven touchdowns. The unit posted a respectable 47.2% rush success rate.
Again, the Colts’ passing game was highly efficient, finishing with a 55.6% pass success rate and a +0.33 EPA per dropback. Indianapolis was elite on late downs, converting on 55% of its attempts. The offense also scored a touchdown on better than 66% of its red-zone trips.
7) 2024 Detroit Lions
The 2024 Detroit Lions are the most recent team to rank among the best NFL offenses of the 21st century. Led by one of the game’s brightest offensive minds in Ben Johnson and featuring a host of explosive playmakers, Detroit finished No. 1 in Offense+ last season.
The Lions led the NFL in points per game (33.17) and points per drive (3.04). Jared Goff enjoyed the most productive season of his career, ranking second in PFSN’s QB+ metric, behind only Lamar Jackson. He threw for 4,629 yards, 37 touchdowns (career high), and 12 interceptions, while posting career bests in completion rate (72.4%) and passer rating (111.8).
Detroit had two receivers eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in 2024, with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams combining for 2,264 yards and 19 touchdowns on the year. This was a balanced offense, though, as the 1-2 punch of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery helped the Lions finish sixth in rushing yards (2,488) and second in rushing touchdowns (29).
The unit’s advanced numbers were some of the best Offense+ has recorded over the past five seasons. The Lions posted a 50.2% conversion rate on third and fourth downs and scored a touchdown on 69.4% of their red-zone trips.
6) 2018 Kansas City Chiefs
It didn’t take long for Patrick Mahomes to establish himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. In his first season as a full-time starter, he and the Kansas City Chiefs lit the league on fire, averaging a league-high 35.3 points per game.
Led by one of the greatest coaches and offensive minds the NFL has ever seen in Andy Reid, the Chiefs put up big numbers in 2018. Their 6.8 yards per play and 3.12 points per drive were each among the best marks in the history of Offense+. They also posted a +0.21 EPA per play and a +0.33 EPA per dropback. Kansas City thrived in the red zone, scoring a touchdown on 71.8% of its trips.
Mahomes took home NFL MVP honors after an incredible individual season. He threw for 5,097 yards and a league-leading 50 touchdowns. But as great as he was, he also benefited from having two elite pass-catching weapons at his disposal in Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. Both racked up more than 1,300 receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns each. Hill also led the league with 15.0 yards per touch.
Even though this Chiefs team didn’t win a Super Bowl, the offense was nothing short of electric and marked the beginning of a dynasty.
5) 2011 New Orleans Saints
Led by one of the greatest quarterbacks of the modern era in Drew Brees, the 2011 New Orleans Saints’ offense was something to behold. Brees enjoyed a monster year, leading the NFL in completions (468), passing yards (5,476), touchdowns (46), and completion rate (71.2%).
The Saints averaged just over 34 points per game in 2011, second behind only the Green Bay Packers. Still, New Orleans fared better in the Offense+ metric grading system. Brees’ efficiency set the tone for the unit’s success, as they finished with a 56.1% pass success rate and a +0.31 EPA per dropback.
New Orleans averaged 6.7 yards per play and 2.94 points per drive for the season. The unit was also elite on third and fourth downs, converting on 55.5% of attempts. The dynamic duo of Marques Colston and Jimmy Graham shined, combining for 2,453 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns.
While the Saints’ passing game stole the show, they also had an efficient ground game, finishing with a 48.3% rush success rate. Behind the trio of Darren Sproles (1,313 scrimmage yards), Mark Ingram, and Pierre Thomas, the 2011 Saints proved they weren’t a one-dimensional attack.
4) 2019 Baltimore Ravens
The 2019 season officially marked Jackson’s arrival, as it was his first year as the full-time starting quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens. Jackson helped redefine what QB play in the modern NFL looks like with his performance that year.
He earned MVP honors in 2019 after leading the league in passing touchdowns (36) and only throwing six interceptions. He established himself as a lethal dual-threat quarterback, also racking up 1,206 rushing yards and another seven scores.
Behind Jackson, Mark Ingram, and Gus Edwards, the Ravens’ offense featured the NFL’s most potent rushing attack. They led the league in rushing yards (3,296) and ranked second in rushing touchdowns (21). Despite deploying a run-centric scheme (last in pass attempts), Baltimore averaged an NFL-best 33.2 points per game.
The Ravens finished the year scoring a remarkable 2.93 points per drive. They also posted a +0.16 EPA per play, a 67.2% red-zone touchdown rate, and a 49.8% conversion rate on third and fourth downs.
3) 2004 Indianapolis Colts
You don’t even have to dig deep into the numbers to know that the 2004 Colts featured one of the top offenses in NFL history. With Manning, James, Harrison, and Wayne, Indianapolis’ offense boasted four weapons who either are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame or belong there. Not to mention, Dallas Clark was one of the better tight ends of the 2000s.
Indianapolis led the league in scoring (32.6 ppg) and finished second in total yards (404.7 ypg). Manning showed why he’s one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play the game, throwing for 4,557 yards, 49 touchdowns, and just 10 interceptions, with an NFL-best 121.1 passer rating.
Harrison and Wayne each finished with more than 1,100 receiving yards on fewer than 90 receptions, and the duo combined for a whopping 27 touchdowns. James, meanwhile, produced an All-Pro campaign, racking up 2,031 scrimmage yards and nine scores.
The Colts were firing on all cylinders in 2004, finishing the year with 6.7 yards per play and 2.78 points per drive. They had a 56.9% pass success rate, a 48.2% rush success rate, and a +0.26 EPA per play.
2) 2007 New England Patriots
The 2007 Patriots made history, becoming just the second team in the Super Bowl era to go undefeated during the regular season. Despite coming up short against the Giants in Super Bowl 42, there’s no denying how special a group this was.
On this date in 2007, Patriots comeback from down 10 in the 4th to win 24-20 in Indianapolis
Here’s the 3 play game-winning touchdown drive pic.twitter.com/IpUTGYXskq
— RandomTomBradyHighlights (@TomBradyDaily) November 4, 2024
Led by Brady, who’s widely considered the best quarterback of all time, the Patriots boasted the league’s No. 1 scoring offense (36.8 points per game). Brady put together one of the most prolific QB seasons of all time, leading the NFL in passing yards, touchdowns, completion percentage, and passer rating en route to winning MVP honors.
MORE: Every NFL Team’s Highest-Graded QB Since 2000
New England’s passing attack led the way in 2007, with wide receivers Randy Moss and Welker each recording over 1,100 receiving yards on the year. Moss led the league in receiving touchdowns (23), while Welker led in receptions (112). The unit posted an elite 57.9% pass success rate and a 50.5% conversion rate on third and fourth downs.
The Patriots finished with a +0.25 EPA per play and averaged 3.19 points per drive, the highest mark in the history of Offense+.
1) 2020 Green Bay Packers
While the 2020 Packers may not be the first team that comes to mind when you think of the most dominant offenses since 2000, they earned the best score in Offense+ history (98.7) after leading the NFL in scoring with 31.8 points per game during the regular season.
The Packers’ passing attack was the driving force behind the offense’s success. Aaron Rodgers won the third of his four MVPs that year after leading the league in passing touchdowns (48), completion rate (70.7%), and passer rating (121.5).
Rodgers had an unstoppable connection with All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams, who caught 115 passes for 1,374 yards and an NFL-leading 18 touchdowns that year.
Green Bay’s advanced metrics were impressive. The unit finished with 3.06 points per drive, a +0.17 EPA per play, a 52.8% pass success rate, and a 50.7% conversion rate on third and fourth downs. The Packers were also elite in the red zone, scoring a touchdown 80% of the time.
While the running game wasn’t elite, it was still formidable and kept defenses honest. Aaron Jones racked up 1,459 scrimmage yards on the year, to go along with 11 touchdowns.
The 2013 Broncos hold the all-time record for most points in a season, as well as per game. Any model that places them anywhere but first (let alone TENTH) is deeply flawed. Go back to the drawing board.