Passing stats around the NFL are up across this board. But there’s one very noteworthy exception.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has seen his stats decline this season, and that decline is even more notable within the context of the overall improving passing numbers around the NFL.
Brady is averaging 7.4 yards per pass this year, while the NFL average is 7.5 yards per pass. Last year, Brady averaged 7.9 yards per pass while the NFL average was 7.0 yards per pass.
Brady is completing 65.2 percent of his passes this year, while the NFL average is 65.1 percent. Last year, Brady completed 66.3 percent of his passes while the NFL average was 62.1 percent.
Brady is averaging 1.7 touchdown passes per game, while the NFL average is 1.8. Last year, Brady averaged 2.0 touchdown passes per game, while the NFL average was 1.4.
Brady is averaging 0.7 interceptions per game, while the NFL average is 0.8. Last year, Brady averaged 0.5 interceptions per game, while the NFL average was 0.8.
Brady’s passer rating this year is 94.7, while the NFL average is 94.6. Last year, Brady’s passer rating was 102.8 while the NFL average was 86.9.
Of the 23 quarterbacks who have thrown at least 200 passes both this year and last year, only five have a lower passer rating this year. Brady is one of those five; the others are Matthew Stafford, Deshaun Watson, Case Keenum and Alex Smith.
At age 41, Brady may finally be declining. It had to happen eventually.