The NFL Has A Serious Problem With The Quality Of Play

The National Football League has a serious problem that's being covered up by increasing interest and availability of sports betting. Throughout the league, but particularly in the lower tier of the sport, the quality of play has dropped significantly. And people are noticing.

A video posted on X earlier this week by "The Degenerate" received more than four million views for drawing attention to the quality of play across the NFL. And received mostly positive responses. 

"I'm 37-years-old, I've watched football my entire life, NFL and college, but let's focus on the NFL for a second," he says. "I don't ever remember the games being this bad.

"The four P.M. slate right now, every game is an a** whooping. There are some quality performances…none of these games are competitive." 

He also discussed how the NFL Sunday slate started with Daniel Jones, who is "pathetic." Even at the 1pm slot, he asks, "what game was worth watching?"

"This is bad. The NFL is bad," he continues. 

And he's absolutely right.

DENVER - Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young trying to pass the ball in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on Oct. 27, 2004. Photo: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

NFL Games Are Getting Increasingly Boring

He went on to mention Caleb Williams and how he exemplifies the mediocrity of modern NFL games. Lines like, 13 for 20 for 120 yards, which have become increasingly common as offense has declined across the sport. 

Finally, he closes with a succinct summary of the issue with the NFL in 2024, "this product sucks."

This has been brewing for years, and more and more people are noticing it, even subconsciously. Offense has declined, defenses are too good, quarterbacks, outside a few elite players like Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson, have struggled. 

For broadcasts that are already overwhelmingly commercials, standing around, or watching sideline shots, it's important that the games feel action-packed and exciting. Instead, many NFL games feel plodding, slow, and frustrating. Short run plays, incomplete passes, more penalty yards than passing yards, etc. 

READ: The NFL's Offense Problems Are Getting Worse

There aren't obvious fixes either; the league has already tried making it harder and harder to play defense, and virtually illegal to hit quarterbacks unless given an express invitation. Yet offense continues to decline and the quality of play has diminished.

There are individual games where the product is still the best that football has to offer. But they're becoming increasingly rare. The Red Zone Network and the effect of gambling make it so that the NFL can get away with a mediocre product. But watching individual games tells a different story. And it's a very concerning one for the league's future.