Football is back! After months of waiting, entertaining themselves with offseason rumors and speculating about trades, football fans can finally put on their sweaters, fire up their grills, crack open a cold one at the tailgate and watch their favorite team start their journey in pursuit of the Lombardi Trophy.
This year, NFL fans will face a season of reckoning. More young quarterbacks are on the bubble than ever, and with a handful of star-studded teams, the Super Bowl is up for grabs. Brock Purdy, Kyler Murray and Trevor Lawrence represent the group of quarterbacks five-to-seven years into their career: a point where they are expected to take a step up or step out of the league altogether. In a year when teams across the league have revamped their offenses, there are no excuses for faulty quarterback play. But as football ramped up, avid fans opened Instagram to a reminder of what the season is all about. On Tuesday, August 26, we were given a taste of the game we missed so much. In a joint Instagram post, @taylorswift and @killatrav (better known as Travis Kelce) announced their high profile engagement, undermining skepticism of their relationship’s legitimacy once and for all.
The 106th NFL season kicked off on Thursday night when the Dallas Cowboys traveled up to Philadelphia to play the reigning champion Philadelphia Eagles on opening night. The game was filled with drama from the kickoff when Eagles star defensive lineman, Jalen Carter, was ejected from the game for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Despite losing one of their star players at the onset of the match, the Eagles recalibrated and answered the Cowboys’ first drive touchdown. The teams exchanged punches and finished the first half tied at 21.
The Eagles would come out on top after Dallas star receiver Ceedee Lamb failed to haul in a number of big passes in the final quarter of the game. On Friday night, the Kansas City Chiefs played the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil at Corinthians Arena. Unfortunately for @killatrav, it appears that his engagement ring is the only ring he will put on his finger this year as the dynastic Chiefs dropped their season opener to Justin Herbert and co. in Friday night’s matchup in São Paolo.
As the 1:00 p.m. games kicked off on Sunday Sep. 7, an unlikely contender for game of the week captivated viewers. The New York Jets faced the Pittsburgh Steelers at MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. If you were confused when you turned on your television on Sunday, you were not alone. New York and Pittsburgh effectively swapped quarterbacks this offseason with Aaron Rodgers moving from the Jets to the Steelers, and Justin Fields making the trip to the Big Apple. Both ball-tossers dropped dimes, including a laser from Fields to overcome allegations of limited throwing ability.
The two squads surprised viewers with a 36-point shootout in the first half in one of the most exciting games of the week. But the fun did not end there. This game went down to the wire until Chris Boswell nailed a 60-yard field goal to take the lead back from the Jets with about a minute to go in the game. The Steelers would go on to take down the Jets in this exciting season-opener.
At the same time, about 700 miles to the west, the Indianapolis Colts took on the Miami Dolphins in a less competitive matchup. It was an emotional afternoon as the Colts honored the late, great Loyola Academy and Southern Methodist graduate and CEO, President and Owner of the Indianapolis Colts Jim Irsay. The presence of Mr. Irsay was apparent at Lucas Oil Stadium as the Colts won their first season opener in 11 years.
The Colts sprinted out of the gates to a 10-0 lead, capitalizing on a Tua “Turn-da-ball-ova” Tagovailoa interception. On the second play of the subsequent drive, Indianapolis’ Kenny Moore strip-sacked Tagovailoa, leading to another Colt’s touchdown. For the first time since Peyton Manning in 2006, Daniel Jones and the Colts scored in each of their possessions in the first half. But more significantly, Jones led a scoring drive every time he had the ball, the first instance of such a feat since 1991. The Colts showed they may be a frisky team to watch come December.
The Atlanta Falcons battled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in another unlikely thriller. Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. lunged towards the endzone on fourth down with 2:17 minutes left in the game to take the lead over the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers returned the favor with rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka hauling in his second touchdown of the day with less than a minute to go to take a three point lead. Atlanta marched down the field in response, putting their kicker Younghoe Koo 44 yards out with just six seconds left and the opportunity to send the game to overtime. The typically-reliable kicker failed to meet the moment, sending the ball wide right of the posts. Baker Mayfield and the Bucs start their season with a win.
Despite failing to end the week in the win column, Michael Penix Jr. and Justin Fields reflected an exciting storyline in this year’s NFL. Finishing with a touchdown, 298 passing yards on 27/42 passing and 21 rushing yards, Penix Jr. showed he is ready to take the next step. In New York, Fields posted a strong stat line of 218 passing yards, a touchdown, 48 rushing yards and two rush touchdowns in his Jets debut. The pressure on young quarterbacks is higher than ever this year, and passers are expected to take the next step or step aside for a top draft pick to take their place. But Penix and Fields showed no signs of weakness on Sunday.
Sunday’s slate ended with fireworks as the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills Sunday Night Football matchup was an instant classic. Reigning MVP Josh Allen clawed his team back from a double digit deficit late in the fourth quarter to the shock of two time MVP Lamar Jackson. With just under four minutes remaining in the game, the Bills trailed by 15 points. Set up with a big fourth-and-two in the redzone, Allen faced pressure and hurled a deflected ball into the endzone that was eventually pulled in by Keon Coleman. With about three minutes left, the Bills defense forced the football out of the hands of star Ravens running back Derrick Henry and regained position, down by eight.
Allen marched the Bills down the field before punching in a touchdown with two minutes left. Down by two points, the Bills elected to try for a two point conversion: the pass was broken up, and they punted to the Ravens, down by three with less than two minutes left on the clock. Allen pushed the Bills within field goal range with another clutch late game performance before Matt Prater knocked in the game-winning field goal as the clock expired. Bills win.
If Week 1 is any indication of what is to come, NFL fans should enjoy another season of drama, intrigue and suspense. The NFL season is so much more than the sixty minutes on the gridiron each week; it is the storylines, the rivalries and the spectacle that keep fans coming back week after week, season after season. With new surprises coming every single day, this season has all the makings of something special. So NFL Fans: soak it in because football is back, and it is beautiful.