There were only 2,214 punts last season, an average of just 4.32 per team game. That number is low, and it’s really low considering the low number of turnovers. Meanwhile, NFL teams scored 1,286 rushing or passing touchdowns last season and kicked 947 field goal attempts, meaning there were a total of 2,233 drives last year that ended in a touchdown or a field goal attempt.

You won’t be surprised to know that offensive production is on the way up, and we’ve long known that turnover rates are declining, scoring is up, and punting is down. But the 2018 season became the first since the merger with more drives ending on a scoring play or potential scoring play than on a punt.

The graph below shows the number of punts per team game, and the number of combined touchdowns and field goal attempts per team game, for each season since 1970.

Teams just aren’t punting that much anymore, because offenses have become really good at moving the chains. At this point, an offense that goes three and out is basically committing a turnover. According to Football Outsiders, 21% of drives ended with a three and out, a rare enough event now that it is becoming more like a turnover in the 1970s. The expectation should be that offenses will gain yards and first downs every time it has possession, and last year set new records for first down rates via the pass and the run.

The graph below shows the percentage of rushing plays that picked up a first down, and the percentage of passing plays (including sacks) that picked up a first down, for each year since 1970.

Last year set league records for both, with the passing first down rate (33.1%) and rushing first down rate (24.2%) both the highest since World War II.