CFL scoring is on the rise through two weeks, thanks to passing offence's return

`The decline in CFL scoring last year (which fell by 62.3 points per team during the regular season, largely driven by the downturn in passing offence) led to plenty of criticism of the league and was cited as a factor in the lower TV ratings, and the big rule changes this offseason were at least partly designed to remedy that (despite claims to the contrary). Through two weeks, the desired effect has been found; we're seeing 26 points per team per game, a 24 per cent increase over the 21.0 we saw in 2014. At this point, we don't know that this is an effect of the rule changes, and we don't know that it's going to hold up over the whole season. We do know that points are on the rise, though, and the boost in passing offence is likely a big part of the reason why. Here's a spreadsheet I've put together on the point totals through two weeks (click to embiggen):

So, points are up substantially, and a big part of that is about the rise in passing offence. Here's how each team has changed in passing and rushing offence so far (click to embiggen):

There are teams that have gone up and down in each category, but the passing improvement across the board has been more significant, with rushing yards actually slightly dropping so far. Moreover, all but two teams (Montreal and Edmonton) are passing more effectively this year than last, while four teams have experienced rushing declines. An average gain of 23.2 yards per game may not seem like much, but it is significant; that's 21 per cent of the CFL's 110-yard field, and the scoring jump we saw was 24 per cent. Passing offence isn't the only factor here, of course; we've also seen plenty of special-teams and defensive touchdowns, and the rule change to encourage two-point conversions is also part of this conversation. Still, the CFL's passing offence has been ticking up, and that's helped boost scoring. We'll see if that continues with the growing list of quarterback injuries, but some backups have played well so far. Data from last year and this year to date suggests passing offence is closely linked to scoring, and both are on the rise for now; that will likely make some in the league offices happy.