Jaeger Center. Aly Wein/Gettysburgian.
By David Goldman, Staff Writer
Thursday, Sunday, and Monday: a football fan’s favorite days of the week. With the NFL season just starting up recently, these days will soon be filled with dramatic rivalries, unbelievable highlights, and outstanding players. The road to Super Bowl 56 starts now.
We begin with some of the huge offseason moves that occurred in preparation for the 2021 season. The quarterback trade between the Los Angeles Rams and the Detroit Lions certainly made national headlines. Detroit shipped Matthew Stafford to LA in exchange for Jared Goff and some future draft picks. For Stafford, this is a fresh start with a talented team to try and win himself his first ring, and for Goff, it is a challenge to revive a struggling Lions team.
Other monster deals included the Atlanta Falcons sending star wide receiver Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans, the Philadelphia Eagles passing QB Carson Wentz over to the Indianapolis Colts, and the Miami Dolphins signing free agent wide receiver Will Fuller. Five-time Pro Bowl defensive end J.J. Watt will also wear new threads this year, agreeing to a two-year $31 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals.
In terms of divisions to keep a close eye on in 2021, the NFC West is bound to heat up. After a rough 2020 season for the San Francisco 49ers, who saw a good portion of their stars go down with injuries, the team will look to bounce back after having a healthy team again. Defensive end Nick Bosa will try to revive a defense that has lost defensive tackle Solomon Thomas and cornerback Richard Sherman, while QB Jimmy Garoppolo heads the ship on offense, backed by a promising rookie in Trey Lance. Two-time Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle is itching to get back on the field and make an impact after missing significant time last season due to a foot fracture.
The Arizona Cardinals will not let San Francisco take the throne atop the division that easily though. As mentioned earlier, Arizona added a huge weapon in J.J. Watt, and DeAndre Hopkins is looking to top his previous season, in which he had over 1,400 yards receiving. Of course, we can’t forget about stud Kyler Murray at quarterback, who threw for almost 4,000 yards and 26 touchdowns last season.
The West also features the LA Rams, who are coming off a short-lived playoff run last season after defeating the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card game, but then losing to the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round. Nonetheless, LA seems to have an even better shot at success this season with Matthew Stafford now running the offense. Lastly, Seattle is always a contender in that division as long as Pete Carrol is in charge and Russel Wilson is slinging the football to the likes of D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
Over in the AFC, the East is also up for grabs, with the exception of the New York Jets, who are starting from scratch with rookie QB Zack Wilson. However, the Buffalo Bills put on quite the show last season, winning the division for the first time since 1995. It also doesn’t look like they are slowing down; with quarterback Josh Allen, and a core of trusty receivers, Buffalo wants a shot at another division title.
The only problem with those aspirations is that Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are not used to losing and most definitely have vengeance on their minds after not winning the AFC East for the first time since 2008. Belichick has himself a new quarterback in Mac Jones, who was the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, leaving Cam Newton behind when New England decided to release him before the start of the season.
Down in Florida, the Miami Dolphins also have a shot at making some noise this year. Miami has placed their full trust in 23-year-old quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who showed his potential last season when he took over for veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. The acquisition of wide receiver Will Fuller will be of great help to the young QB, along with tight end Mike Gesicki. The Dolphins are also coming into the season with a strong defense, reemphasizing the fact that there is certainly no clear winner in this division.
Around the rest of the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles can make a statement in the NFC East if Jalen Hurts can live up to the hype. Hurts started four games last season and threw for over 1,000 yards and six touchdowns. Philly fans cannot be sold on Hurts yet though until they see his performance this year. But with the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, and the Washington Football Team making up the rest of their mediocre division, it is anyone’s game.
With their inner conflict suppressed for now, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers will be heavy favorites in the NFC North as they have been in recent years. Rodgers can look to running back Aaron Jones and wide receiver Davante Adams when looking to score a quick touchdown. Meanwhile, outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith will do his thing on defense, coming off a 2020 season where he totaled 12.5 sacks and four forced fumbles.
It’s hard not to throw the two teams who fought for a Super Bowl ring last season into the potential playoff mix. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one of the best defenses in the league and managed to return every single one of their 22 starters, but many can summarize their newfound winning culture in two words: Tom Brady. In the Midwest, the Kansas City Chiefs are also led by one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Patrick Mahomes, and they have the best tight end in Travis Kelce, Mahomes’s top receiver. A Super Bowl 55 rematch this season is certainly not out of the question.
NFL football is back. That’s all that needs to be said. Happy watching.
