The NFL’s new offensive golden age is upon us. With some teams being able to march down the field almost too easily, some have called for a reform. Whether it be the defense being limited due to rules, or just too much offense for their appetite, some don’t like the NFL as much today as even just five years ago. Say what you want, but I’m not sold on the idea that defense needs to be great in order for the league to thrive.

First and foremost, the new ‘roughing the passer’ rule has caused a lot of controversy. This year, the NFL instated a reform of the of the rule by adding an element. According to rule twelve, section two of the NFL Rulebook,

“A rushing defender is prohibited from committing such intimidating and punishing acts as ‘stuffing’ a passer into the ground or unnecessarily wrestling or driving him down after the passer has thrown the ball.”

Essentially, a defender can’t come in and tackle through the quarterback and then continue and drive him into the ground. Now, a defender must at least try to break his fall or shift himself so that the quarterback doesn’t receive all of his weight.

Many weeks into the season, the rule has caused mostly negative reaction. Linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, Clay Matthews, has been called for the penalty multiple times this season. One in particular against Redskins quarterback Alex Smith, in a play where Matthews sacked Smith but in the process continued with his fall and drove Alex into the ground, drawing a “roughing the passer” penalty.

In response, Rodney Harrison of NBC’s Sunday night “Football Night in America,” called the rule “ridiculous”, and said that the NFL should “change the rule, please.”

Matt Bowen, seven-year NFL veteran and NFL Writer and Analyst for ESPN said in a tweet talking about the hit that “this is putting pass rushers in a really tough spot.”

But does that all really matter? With all of the rules benefiting offense, fair or not, it’s fun television. The NFL now has dominate offenses all over the place. Teams like the Rams with Jared Goff and Todd Gurley, or the Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill, and the Saints with Drew Brees and Alvin Kamara. These star players help create dynamic offenses and create fun and explosive highlights. More importantly, with star quarterbacks getting to play this year instead of being hurt, it adds a lot of interest, it gives teams an identity.

Which brings us back, why are we upset about the defensive disadvantage? Yes, for the first time a defender has to think a little before going into hit a quarterback, instead of plowing into him like a hammer and launching him into the ground. It will be a little harder, but it’s not like the defense has ever had to remember the same schemes and routes like an offensive player, so good defenders will learn how to sack the quarterback without driving him into the ground. Two of the top defenders in the game in Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack have combined for only one roughing the passer penalty through week fourteen, and those two are always causing havoc in the backfield.

Even with the offenses, this season has seen plenty of highlights from the defensive talent in the league. There have been a lot of game deciding sacks and interceptions that stick out even more when offenses are succeeding at the rate they are.

The NFL has figured out that offense gets people watching the games and talking about how amazing that touchdown was or how great that player is. With the past few years showing ratings drops, the NFL is back up 5%, and has had milestones in ratings on games like Rams-Chiefs and Saints-Cowboys. While some people feel the need to bash on the NFL because ‘there is no defense’, the NFL is more interesting when there are offenses lead by star quarterbacks producing points rather than defensive games that are boring and caused by hurt quarterbacks.