Dominant quarterback, running back, and wide receiver trios are known as “Triplets” in the NFL. Arguably the most famous triplets in NFL history were a part of America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s. Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin dominated the scene and together they won three Super Bowls in four years.
Every team in the NFL has talent at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver. But which NFL offensive Triplets will have the most impact in 2016?
Top NFL Offensive Triplets Going into 2016
Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy, Jordy Nelson
When discussing the top triplets who are currently in the National Football League, it would be difficult not to mention Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy, and Jordy Nelson, who are easily among the top of their respective positions in the league. The three are a key part of how Green Bay has remained a superior team in the NFL for the past few years.
In 2015, the entire Packers offense suffered a decline in their performance. Rodgers couldn’t be himself without his leading receiver, Jordy Nelson, who tore his ACL during the pre-season. Running back Eddie Lacy also found himself battling his weight. During the off-season, he managed to drop a significant amount of weight, something he’s struggled with in the past.
With Nelson’s return and Lacy’s weight loss, the Packers offense should be off to an explosive 2016 season.
New York Jets
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall
The New York Jets are one of the teams in the National Football League that are on the rise. They have not been a terrible team in the past, making six playoff seasons since the start of millennium but have not has a single Super Bowl appearance since winning Super Bowl III in 1968. Now, a completely different team, they have a chance to turn things around under second-year head coach, Todd Bowles.
Many may argue that veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick is not the Jets franchise quarterback. He had years to prove himself but did not managed to do so until the 2015 season, his 11th year in the league. In 2015, Fitzpatrick had a career high of 3,905 yards and 31 touchdowns. He led the Jets to a 10-6 record, an improvement from 4-12 the previous season, along with his career-high in passing yards and touchdowns, but they just missed the playoffs after their loss to the Buffalo Bills in week 17.
Running back Matt Forte spent his first eight seasons with the Chicago Bears. He has had only one playoff season in his career and a total of 8,602 rushing yards and 45. In the 2016 off-season, signed with the New York Jets, hoping to revitalize his career as a top back in the NFL.
Forte isn’t the only recent addition. Brandon Marshall joined the New York Jets in the 2015 off-season after he was traded by the Chicago Bears. Marshall has been nothing short of a receiving threat during his career in the NFL, stacking up over 11,000 yards and nearly 80 touchdowns. Partnering with Fitzpatrick and Forte could create a force to be reckoned with.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell/DeAngelo Williams, Antonio Brown
The Pittsburgh Steelers have started to be doubted by many to become a top three team in the league Despite reaching the playoffs last season, the Steelers offense collapsed when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered various injuries to his knee and foot.
But that wasn’t the only injury for Pittsburgh in 2015. Star running back Le’Veon Bell suffered a season-ending injury to his MCL mid-season after missing the season’s first two games. In his place, backup DeAngelo Williams took the starting job. In his first season with Steelers he stacked up over 900 yards and 11 touchdowns. Bell is expected once again to miss the first four games of the 2016 season. He was previously suspended in 2015 for missing an NFL mandated drug test. But the Steelers shouldn’t worry with Williams ability to step in until Bell’s return.
Those aren’t the only stars on the team. The Steelers drafted wide receiver Antonio Brown in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Brown, in his first season in the NFL, was apart of the Steelers Super Bowl run, where they would come to lose to the Green Bay Packers 31-25. Brown quickly adjusted to being in the big leagues upon his entry. Last season, he had a career-high of over 1,800 receiving yards and second highest of 10 touchdowns.
Dallas Cowboys
Tony Romo, Ezekiel Elliott, Dez Bryant
If Tony Romo can stay healthy in 2016, he could have an explosive season. He has a history of injuries with his back and most recently his collarbone. Some may argue this statement but Romo is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the league. His career passing yards are nearing 35,000 with 250 touchdowns. He can thank wide receiver Dez Bryant for that. Bryant has had three of his six seasons in the NFL with over 1,000 receiving yards and touchdowns in the double digits.
The Dallas Cowboys are generally an intelligent team when building their roster with talent. Dallas drafted running back Ezekiel Elliott out of Ohio State in the 2016 NFL Draft. Elliott had an astounding college career with nearly 4,000 yards in three years, 43 rushing touchdowns and over 400 yards receiving. He was the top running back going into the draft and was taken early with the number four pick overall.
Atlanta Falcons
Matt Ryan, Devonta Freeman, Julio Jones
The Atlanta Falcons are another team on the rise within the National Football League. There’s no denying the talent that they have on their team but three names stick out; Matt Ryan, Devonta Freeman, and Julio Jones, their three key offensive players of have all spent their entire careers in Atlanta
Matt Ryan can be considered a top tier quarterback. In his nine years, he has over 32,000 yards and 200 touchdowns. In six of these seasons, he had over 4,000 yards passing. This is expected when you have such a tremendous wide receiver like Julio Jones, who has 6,000 yards in his five years himself.
When not counting on the passing game, the Falcons can count on the running game with Devonta Freeman in the back field. Freeman had only 200 rushing yards and one touchdown in rookie year but came back in his sophomore campaign for over a 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns.
