For football fans, Sunday is a day to unwind on the couch and spend all day watching their favorite teams go head-to-head. However, this Sunday was a day unlike any in NFL history as games across the country featured political protests from players, coaches and owners in response to remarks made by President Donald Trump.
Here’s what happened:
Throughout the weekend, President Donald Trump made remarks on Twitter regarding his concern about players protesting the national anthem.
The result: an unprecedented amount of NFL players engaged in a league-wide national anthem protest. Three teams — the Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers — stayed in the locker room as the anthem was sung. Other teams and players simply locked arms or took a knee to display their disapproval.
Players, coaches and owners were amongst the participants in the protests. As teams unify amidst a peculiar time in the country, one thing is for sure — the clash will continue to dominate headlines as the season continues.
With that being said, there was also football played on Sunday.
In fact, it was one of the most exciting NFL Sunday’s in recent memory. Certainly, the most action-packed, thrilling day of the young season.
Football is back, baby! High-scoring, drama-filled contests kept attentive eyes glued to television sets throughout the night.
Of the sixteen games played, eight of those games were decided by seven points or less. Five of those games came down to the last play of the game. Two games went into overtime.
The average margin of defeat in week two was 10.6 points before Monday’s game, which isn’t that staggering compared to the first two weeks. However, the offensive production in week three was far-more impressive than previous weeks.
Last week, just two teams surpassed the thirty-point mark. This week, ten teams scored more than thirty points before Monday. On Sunday, there was a grand total of 754 points scored, in the 15 games played. That number should continue to rise as teams begin to hit their offensive strides.
What did we learn in week two?
1. Rookie Running Backs are Taking the League By Storm
The NFL is a passing league. All things considered, there is no dominant rookie quarterback turning heads around the league. Deshaun Watson has a chance. But, let’s be honest, he’s a long way away from stardom.
Instead, the new-wave of running backs seem destined for the spotlight. There were fifteen running backs selected in the 2017 NFL draft. With the exception of a few, these RB’s have already made their mark on the NFL season.
Kareem Hunt, Ohio native and current Kansas City Chief, is the first player in NFL history to have a touchdown of at least fifty-yards, in each of his first three NFL starts.
That’s not the only record Hunt has broke; he is also the first player in NFL history to top 100 yards from scrimmage in each of his first three NFL starts. With his name already engraved in the history books, Hunt is ready to take the next step into NFL stardom.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have promise for the first time in what seems like forever. Yeah, you read that right.
It starts with Leonard Fournette, first round draft pick out of LSU, and his ability to put points on the board. Fournette has all the tools to be a work horse running back in the NFL; he can run between the tackles, run on the edge and catch the ball out of the back field.
Fournette provides Jacksonville with something they’ve been lacking: the ability to put points on the board. Fournette has scored a touchdown in each of his first three games. As long he stays hungry, the Jaguars will keep feeding him. Look out for a big year from number 27.
Meanwhile Adrian Peterson took his talents to New Orleans in the off-season. The Vikings didn’t have to mourn the loss of their star player for long. Dalvin Cook, a rookie out of Florida State, set a Vikings rookie-rushing record in week one, racking up 127 yards in a win.
Like Fournette and Hunt, Cook has the ability to run and catch the ball, making him a mismatch on any given Sunday. In week three, he tallied 169 yards from scrimmage (97 rushing, 72 receiving). With Sam Bradford still on-the-shelf, look for Minnesota to continue to feed their rookie running back.
2. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are still at the peak of their dominance.
In the words of the great Jay-Z, “Are they ever gonna fall off?”
No.
Brady and Rodgers both sit at 2-1. More importantly, they led their teams to statement wins on Sunday.
With thirty seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Patriots were staring into the dreadful eyes of defeat. As Brady dropped back to pass, a Texan hand jaded the view of the five-time Super Bowl Champion. Under duress, Brady delivered a strike to his newest weapon, Brandin Cooks. The touchdown gave New England a 34-33 lead over Houston which was followed by a two-point conversion; the game was all but over. Brady had done it again.
Likewise, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers found themselves faced with adversity late in the game.
As Green Bay drove down the field late in the fourth quarter, the game clock and odds were stacked against them. Though they did have one-thing going for them. His name is Aaron Rodgers. Have you heard of him?
With 21 seconds left, the Packers trailed the Bengals 24-17. It was a first and goal from the Bengals three-yard line. Rodgers scrambled to his right, threading-the-needle to his favorite target, Jordy Nelson. An outreached-Bengal arm was not enough to stop the perfectly-placed Aaron Rodgers pass. The score sent the game into overtime. A Mason Crosby field goal ended the game.
Until further notice, Brady and Rodgers are still the best Quarterbacks in the NFL. They say “father time is undefeated.” The 33-year-old Rodgers and 40-year-old Brady would disagree.
