Welcoming Week One: NFL is Back
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prepares to defend his Super Bowl championship win against the Dallas Cowboys Thursday night in the first game of the 2021-2022 NFL season
Get your fantasy teams ready because this Thursday marks the start of the 2021-2022 NFL season. After weeks of preseason games, fans finally have an idea of how their team will perform this year in hopes of winning the Lombardi Trophy. Whether it be rookies like Trevor Lawrence or returning stars like Patrick Mahomes, this season is sure to be unlike any other.
This week, Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys will kick off their season against Tom Brady and the reigning Super Bowl champs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After an ankle injury shortened his year in 2020, Prescott is back and ready to try to break the Buc’s eight game winning streak from last season. We know Brady and his offense will put up points early and Tampa’s defense is very talented as well. Dallas struggled with its defense in the preseason, but if their offense can find a way through the Buc’s brick wall of defense and score often, they are likely to see success.
If there is one thing you should look out for this Sunday, it’s the rookies. No. 1 overall draft pick this year for the Jacksonville Jaguars, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, will make his NFL debut this Sunday against the Houston Texans. After an incredible college career at Clemson, leading the Tigers to a championship in 2018, all eyes are on Lawrence as fans are curious to see if he can turn a somewhat struggling team into a Super Bowl worthy powerhouse. The Texans are not where they should be after controversy arose about who their starting QB will be, so this matchup is heavily favoring Jacksonville.
Another rookie quarterback that is sure to turn heads is the New England Patriots’ Mack Jones. Jones led Alabama to a NCAA championship win last year and is looking to dominate against the Miami Dolphins this Sunday in his first NFL game. It will not be easy because the Dolphins also have a rookie starter in QB Tua Tagovailoa. Both the Patriots and Dolphins have decided to go with rookies over their veteran quarterbacks, Cam Newton of New England and Ryan Fitzpatrick of Miami. Nevertheless, this matchup will be close but in the end, the Patriots have the better defense, and as we all know, defense wins games.
The Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the Cleveland Browns. The Red Kingdom has long awaited the return of Mahomes and the unstoppable offense of Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and company. Even though the Browns have created some huge upsets last year, the Chiefs are the fan favorites in this Sunday matchup. The question on everybody’s mind this season: will there be a team that can stop the dominant Chief’s offense?
Some more matchups that you should keep an eye out for are the Minnesota Vikings against the Cincinnati Bengals. Joe Burrow is back after an ACL tear ruined his rookie season at Cincinnati. Needless to say, LSU and Bengals Nation could not be more excited to see him back on the field. Big Ben is back for another season with the Pittsburgh Steelers who will kickoff against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. Allen is coming off a great year and hasn’t been slowing down from what we saw in preseason. This game is sure to be memorable as it may be the final season for the Steelers veteran QB, Ben Roethlisberger who is more hungry than ever to get one last Super Bowl victory.
The first Sunday Night Football game of the season will be between the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams. Quarterback Andy Dalton hopes to make a name for himself by getting a win for the Bears but with this being his tenth season in the NFL with few successes, many wonder how long he has left in his career. The Rams hope to dominate the defensive play with returning defensive end superstar Aaron Donald. Donald will keep the defense steady but the offense is a different story. With Matthew Stafford replacing Jared Goff this season, it is a mystery how Stafford will lead this team. The good news is that his receivers and running backs are top notch but all in all, it is likely to be a Los Angeles win on Sunday night.
But that’s not all! The Baltimore Ravens will take on the Las Vegas Raiders in prime time on Monday. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are the favorites for this matchup. They are stellar at running the ball and arguably have one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Raiders will have to prepare to play a lot of defense in this game.
Whether you are planning a watch party with a group of friends or just tuning in with your family, be sure to make time to watch week one of the NFL. For all the information on when and where to find each week one game, click the link below!
Kennedy is a senior here and it is her third year in the journalism program. Kennedy is the president of C.R.U. and a family captain this year. She is...
