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The National Football League’s regular season got underway last Thursday when the Bills went into Los Angeles and blew out the defending champion Rams. Most fans thought this game would have been a lot closer, but this was only the beginning of the Week 1 shocks.
Sure, the Rams lost a few of their key players during the offseason, but it seemed as though their super team was mostly intact. The Bills have been Super Bowl favorites the last few months so their win over the Rams was not a surprise. It was the dominating fashion in which they won that left many fans wondering: What are the Rams doing? This game should have been a clear indication of what was to come over the weekend, but like what happens every year, there were plenty of shocks around the league on Sunday.
There is a reason American Football is America’s most popular sport. The game is full of exciting twists and turns in almost every game, and nothing can compare to it. Let's take a look at what transpired on NFL Sunday.
Fans expected both the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles to have significant improvements from last year, and in the first week of the year, they both put on a show against each other. The score was close through most of the game, and it came down to the last minutes. Newly acquired receiver for the Eagles, AJ Brown, showed why the Eagles traded for him. Brown put up over 150 yards which was the best performance by anyone on the field. This ultimately led to the Eagles winning the game 38-35.
In Chicago, the Bears hosted the San Francisco 49ers in quite the weather. Northern Illinois was under a flash flood warning throughout most of the day on Sunday, providing some interesting field conditions for the two teams to play on. Although the sideline crew tried squeegeeing water off the field before the game, there was still quite a bit of water the players had to splash and slide through during the entirety of the bout. A lot of fans are blaming the weather for the Bear’s upset over the 49ers, however it may be their decision to start Trey Lance over Jimmy Garoppolo that ruined their chances. Either way, it was Chicago who slid to victory 19-10.
The 2021 AFC Champion Bengals took on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Cincinnati. This game was dominated by the underdog Steelers Defense for the first three quarters. Star quarterback Joe Burrow threw four interceptions and fumbled the ball twice. This was the first time in his career that he threw for more than 2 interceptions. Many fans were shocked to see the way Burrow was playing. In the fourth quarter, the Bengals finally found a way to turn it around and give their team hope. In the last seconds of the game, Joe Burrow found Ja’Marr Chase in the endzone to tie the game up 20-20. It all came down to Evan McPherson to put up the extra point and win the game, and… the kick was BLOCKED. The game was headed to overtime. In overtime, both teams managed to miss field goals, and it seemed like the game was going to end in a tie. However, after a stellar drive by Mitch Trubisky, the Steelers kicker, Chris Boswell, nailed a field goal to win the game. Another upset on the day.
There were many other interesting games and results that came through on Sunday. The Dolphins defeated the Patriots in dominating fashion. Newly acquired Dolphins receiver, Tyreek Hill, caught 8 passes for 94 yards on the day. The Browns narrowly upset the Panthers 26-24, ending the excitement for the former Brown Baker Mayfield. The Colts shocked their fans when they tied with the Texans in a game most thought would be a blow-out. The Falcons choked yet another lead, letting the Saints comeback after being down 16 points. Joe Flacco came up very short against his former team, The Ravens. Lamar Jackson looked solid coming off of his injury. The Vikings destroyed the Packers in another big upset. It seemed as though the Packers receiver room was really lacking without their former star, Davante Adams. The Giants somehow came back to beat the former #1 seed in the AFC, The Titans. Meanwhile the Chiefs blew out the Cardinals in Arizona. Plenty of action all around the league. The day ended with Sunday Night Football, with Tom Brady doing the usual: winning. The Bucs not only beat the Cowboys, but they injured Dallas’ star quarterback Dak Prescott, sending him out for around 8 weeks.
The Broncos are set to finally play tonight in Seattle against the Seahawks. Us fans are very excited to see what this team looks like with a completely new era, led by star quarterback, Russell Wilson. It will be Wilson’s first game in the orange and blue, and it will be against his former team, in his former stadium. Madness. It will also be Denver’s first game under newly appointed head coach, Nathaniel Hackett. There will be a lot to prove in the Broncos’ first game this season, and it all happens tonight at 6:15 MDT.
Jayden O’Bannon is the Lead Writer for The JOBA Report.