Large-Scale Trends and the 2018 NFL Season (part 1): Revenge of the Ants

The 2018 NFL offseason saw some of the most impactful rules changes in recent memory. The new rules reversed years of NFL biomechanical trends. Scoring was vastly increased, while injuries decreased. In combination with other recent rules changes regarding tackling helpless receivers, certain types of players/ offenses benefited disproportionately from these changes, even as all offenses saw their production increase. From a biomechanical standpoint, 2018 saw the return to prominence of the anterior-dominant players- cheekily referred to here as the “Revenge of the Ants”.

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