Wyatt Cushman, Staff Writer |
Normally through six weeks of the NFL season we have an idea of which teams are going to top the rankings, and which ones are going to sit at the bottom waiting for a good draft pick. However, so far all we know is that we don’t know much. This week especially gave us games that people were sure they could predict the winner of, but the playing on the field would prove them wrong.
In Atlanta, the Falcons took on the Dolphins in a game many thought would be a comfortable win for Matt Ryan and his team. Atlanta is the defending NFC champion and was 3-1 entering the day while Miami was 2-2, and hadn’t looked impressive in any game so far this season. The game started like everyone thought it would, as the Falcons jumped out to an early 17-0 lead. The Dolphins didn’t back down though, and came all the way back to win 20-17. This was a shocking win to everyone because the Dolphins are a middle of the pack team in the AFC, and the Falcons are among the best in the NFC — or so we thought. This game may make people rethink their opinions of these two teams.
Another shocker this weekend was the game in Kansas City. The Chiefs were considered one of the best teams in all of football, and coming into the game, was the only team still undefeated. The Steelers came into Sunday having lost two of their last three games, including their last one at home to Jacksonville. Everything changed on Sunday though as the Steelers’ stars came to play. Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell combined for 334 yards and two touchdowns for Pittsburgh, paving the way for a 19-13 victory. The Steelers are now 4-2 on the season while the Chiefs are 5-1.
The Sunday night football game may have been the biggest surprise of the weekend. The 0-5 Giants went into Denver to play the 3-1 Broncos. The Giants have struggled all season to protect their quarterback, and they were forced with the task of holding Von Miller, one of the league’s best pass rushers, in check. The offensive line, defense, and all other units contributed for the Giants en route to their first win of the season. The G-Men finally looked like the team everyone thought they would be this season, but it could be too late at this point. They may only be able to afford one more loss if they are going to make the postseason. With many of their top players out due to injury, there is little hope left in New York.
If there is anything that we do know about the NFL this season, it’s that no star player is safe from injury. Players like David Johnson, J.J. Watt, and Odell Beckham Jr. have all already gone down with season ending injuries this year, and the latest victim was Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers broke his collarbone in the first quarter of the Packers’ game against the Vikings and could miss the remainder of the year, shaking up the playoff picture in the NFC. We’ve seen injuries pile up before in the NFL, but this season all the serious injuries have been to the big names, which could be contributing to all the craziness and unpredictability we are seeing on the field.
This season has been great so far because it appears that every team has a chance to win. If this trend continues and we see upsets week after week, there will be some surprise teams that could squeak into the playoffs. Let’s all hope that team is ours, and pray that our best player doesn’t go down with an injury.
Leave a Reply