YEAR OF THE QUARTERBACKS

Pivots putting up some record-setting offensive numbers this NFL season

All NFL teams are past the midway point in the 2018 season and, overall, quarterback play continues at levels heretofore unseen. Check out these numbers. After Sunday’s games, the 13 winning quarterbacks combined to throw 31 touchdown passes against just two interceptions. Incredible.

In particular:

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh (5 TDs- O INTs)

Baker Mayfield, Cleveland (3-0)

Drew Brees, New Orleans (3-0) Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago (3-0)

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay (2-0)

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City (2-0)

Marcus Mariota, Tennessee (2-0)

Jared Goff, L.A. Rams (2-0) Matt Barkley, Buffalo (2-0) Alex Smith, Washington (1-0) Dak Prescott, Dallas (1-0) Andrew Luck, Indianapolis (3-1)

Philip Rivers, L.A. Chargers (2-1)

The 13 losing quarterbacks combined for a 15-13 TD -to-INT ratio. So, do turnovers matter? They sure do.

Five quarterbacks are on pace for a 5-to-1 or better TD -to-INT ratio: Brees (21:1), Rodgers (17:1), Matt Ryan, Atlanta (7:1), Rivers (5.3:1) and Carson Wentz, Philadelphia (5:1).

To put that into perspective, only 16 times before 2018 has an NFL quarterback ever had a minimum 5:1 ratio in a season, and both Brees and Rodgers are on pace to break Tom Brady’s season record in this category, achieved in 2016 when the New England Patriots passer threw 28 TDs against only two interceptions, for a 14:1 ratio.

To further put this week’s and this year’s numbers into proper perspective, only 13 quarterbacks in NFL history have a minimum 2:1 career ratio and only two have a minimum 3:1 ratio — Rodgers, 4.18:1; and Brady, 3.02:1.

The Saints joined the 2000 Rams and 2013 Broncos as the only teams to score 40-plus points five times in the first nine games of a season.

Baker Mayfield’s 151.2 passer rating Sunday was the best ever for an NFL rookie with at least 20 pass attempts.

A special milestone mention must go to Mahomes, who on Sunday set a Kansas City season record, with six games to go, in throwing his 30th and 31st touchdown passes in a 26-14 victory over Arizona.

The first-year starter leads the NFL in TD passes by such a distant margin that only one other passer — Andrew Luck of Indy, with 26 — has more than 22. The league season record is 55 set by Denver’s Peyton Manning in 2013.

Hall of Famer Len Dawson held the Chiefs’ old record of 30 in 1964, when Kansas City was in the AFL. He did that in 14 games. Mahomes has only played 10 games.

If only Marvin Lewis had as much unwavering loyalty to his assistant coaches as his owner does to him.

Lewis, inexplicably in his 16th season as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, on Monday fired defensive coordinator Teryl Austin after the Bengals defence failed to force New Orleans to punt even once in a 51-14 homefield loss, which dropped Cincinnati to 5-4 on the season.

The Bengals have allowed 500 or more total yards in each of the past three games, the first time since 1970 that a team has done that.

So far, the 2018 Bengals have allowed 4,091 yards, which is on pace to break the single-season record for most total yards allowed, held by the 2012 New Orleans Saints (7,042).

“I will be coordinating the defence from here on out, and I’m excited to do that,” Lewis said. “This football team has a real chance to get back to playing winning football so we can compete for the playoffs, and that is our sole focus.”

Lewis has seven winning seasons and seven playoff berths in his previous 15 seasons in Cincinnati. His Bengals are 0-7 in playoff games.

Last year in Week 2, Lewis fired his offensive coordinator, Ken Zampese, reportedly because Bengals players on offence were ready to stage a “near mutiny,” according to reports at the time.

Before Zampese, Lewis had never fired a coordinator/assistant coach in-season. Now he’s done it in back-to-back seasons.

Since starting the 2015 season 8-0, Cincinnati has gone 25-27, including Lewis’ most recent playoff loss.

Bengals owner Mike Brown has steadfastly stood by Lewis since January 2003. When everyone was certain Brown would pull the plug on Lewis after last season, he went contrary to public opinion with the decision to bring him back.

Lewis’ regular-season record fell to 130-116-3 (.528) with Sunday’s loss.

This football team has a real chance to get back to playing winning football so we can compete for the playoffs, and that is our sole focus.