The NFL Football Season begins and the first week was very compelling. First, the NFL has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Most NFL games did not have any fans in the stands and a few stadiums only allowed limited capacity. Many players had to make adjustments on the field without the noise of the crowd. The NFL also looks and feels different. The coronavirus pandemic forced how announcers present games and how studios broadcast. On the surface, the game seems the same but when you take a closer look – a lot has changed.
Another big factor of the 2020 – 2021 season had to do with the social justice movement for African Americans. Many NFL teams (games) are now showing their solidarity for the cause of African Americans. They have been showing Alicia Keys’ video “Lift Every Voice and Sing” which is considered the African American national anthem. Some teams stayed on the field for the performance and others left. The social justice aspect of the NFL is a new element that will be part of the 2020 NFL season.
There is a lot of talent around the NFL. Many teams performed well during their opening day. The Patriots no longer have Tom Brady but now have Cam Newton at the helm. He did a great job with his New England debut. Speaking of Tom Brady, he slugged it out with Drew Breeze and the Saints. Tom Brady is now the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He scored a touchdown on his opening drive against the Saints. Still, they came up short.
Aaron Rodgers didn’t miss a beat while he led the Green Bay Packers to a victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Still, the Vikings put up a strong fight and they will be strong competitors in 2020. Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans took on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans played excellent football but the 2020 Super Bowl champions (Kansas City Chiefs) were the victors.
The Baltimore Ravens pummeled the Cleveland Browns. The Browns are going to have to figure out what to do against Cincinnati in their second game. If not, the Browns will have another losing season and Baker Mayfield probably won’t be around next year. The Seahawks are still firing on all cylinders but Dallas and San Francisco both lost their home openers. The 49’ers loss is surprising but Kyler Murray the Cardinals fought until the end. The Panthers, Falcons, and Eagles all lost their games.
One of the most talked-about season-opening games had to do with the Detroit Lions loss to the Chicago Bears. It was 6 seconds in the 4th quarter and the Lions were down 4 points to the Bears. Lions quarterback, Matthew Stafford, threw the ball with perfect precision to running back De’Andre Smith who was in the endzone. Unfortunately, Smith could not hold onto the ball and the game was over at that point. That was a hard loss for the Lions. The 2020 – 2021 NFL season is off to a good start.
