NFL Week 1 Takeaways
NFL Football is back and between “moments of unity” and Quarterback debuts, there’s a lot to unpack. Here’s what I noticed during Week 1:
Washington Football Team Comeback Win
Even typing this feels really weird, but hey, stranger things have happened in 2020. The Washington Football Team had a surprising comeback win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Washington put up an impressive 13 points in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Washington is the only 1-0 team in the NFC East. Considering the emergence of rookie Chase Young, this team should not be slept on.
Supercam’s Debut
Former Panthers QB Cam Newton played his first game as a New England Patriot. He scored two rushing touchdowns, set a Pats QB rushing record (15 attempts), and went 15/19 in a win over the Miami Dolphins. It’s still too early to tell, but this could be the beginning of the return of the 2015 NFL MVP.
Trouble in Tampa?
Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay debut did not go as planned. He threw 2 touchdowns, but he also threw 2 interceptions. The “seasoned” veteran was also criticized by his new head coach, Bruce Arians, after the 34-23 loss to the Saints. It’s only week one and there was no preseason, so I’ll try to lay off the Bucs for now.
Moments of Unity and BLM
The NFL is trying to do their part to show support for the “Black Lives Matter” movement, although the ways in which the league is choosing to show its support are heavily criticized… by the fans. Before the start of the season opener, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans joined together for a moment of unity, which was received with boos from the Chiefs fans in the stadium. Announcers from every game also made a point of noting who did what while the National Anthem was playing. Interesting…
Aaron Rodgers is still Aaron Rodgers
The 36 year old veteran proved that he is still one of the best QBs in the league during the Packers season opener against the Vikings. He completed 32 out of 44 pass attempts. He also threw for 364 yards and 4 touchdowns. This is him telling the rookie QB that his team drafted to get comfortable in the backup role.
Although this season will continue to look different from past seasons, a lot of the NFL’s stars are still the same. These players will be fighting for racial equality as they are also fighting for the Lombardi trophy. This is going to be fun.