Points per game over the last 40 years

[ArgoRavi]

Despite so many injuries at the QB position this year, the number of points per game this season actually went up slightly from last season (52.40 vs. 51.81). The average number of points scored per game over the last 40 seasons is 50.67 although this is not entirely accurate as I have only taken all of the totals in the post above and divided them by 40 rather than taking the total number of points scored and dividing it by the total number of games played. I don't imagine that the 50.67 number is too far off though. BTW, 1974 was the first season when eastern and western teams played the same number of games and blocking was allowed on kick returns.

It really is amazing to see the low point totals in the 1970s and I would wager a guess that those totals weren't any higher prior to that time. As Paul Woods has pointed out, there are fewer plays from scrimmage being run today than ever and yet offences seem to be making the most of the plays that they do run. It is interesting to see all of the ebbs and flows over the years which I have commented on. The early 1980s seem to be a turning point in how the Canadian game was played with a rise in passing with the Argos' run-and-shoot offence being particularly influential as Paul mentions in his book. Also, I would suggest that the 51 to 54 point per game range is the "sweet spot" for the CFL where there is enough offence being produced to excite fans but defences can and do still assert themselves.