The NFL 2021-2022 season kicked off with 17 total games consisting of high-ranked matches and returning all-star players. Looking close to home, the Kansas City Chiefs had an uncertain, stressful game against the Cleveland Browns but managed to secure the victory in the 4th quarter. As the season has just begun, fans and experts are comparing the teams’ performances to the previous years. So, how is the season looking for fans here at Barstow?
CBS Sports reports, “Let’s start with the obvious one. For the first time in history, the NFL season will feature 17 regular-season games. According to the NFL, it marks the first change to the season structure since 1978, when we started playing 16 regular-season games.”
First taking into consideration the AFC West division leader, we are seeing lots of similarities in the Chiefs’ performance compared to their previous years. The Kansas City Chiefs’ unpredictable playstyle certainly puts pressure on their fans, however, they are still able to perform and bring home victories. The Chiefs had a close call against the Cleveland Browns; they trailed on the scoreboard for the entire first quarter before bouncing back in the fourth quarter. The Mahomes-Hill-Kelce offensive trifecta is still alive, and they showed their fans that they are ready for another Super Bowl appearance this season. Tight End Travis Kelce scored for two touchdowns, Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill scored a shocking 75-yard touchdown, and Quarterback Patrick Mahomes had a touchdown himself. The Chiefs have since continued to perform unpredictably in the last few games.
In the AFC East, the Buffalo Bills performed poorly in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a total score of 23-16. Quarterback Josh Allen had a lot of expectations surrounding his performance prior to the game, however, the Steelers’ defense locked up the offense exceedingly well. For this reason, the Bills’ offense was not able to perform as they usually do. Looking forward, it is likely that we see Josh Allen bounce back from this game and see the offense do much better as they learn from their mistakes from Week 1. Within the AFC East division, it is almost certain that the Bills maintain their first seed position as the other teams do not compare. The first game can be difficult for the teams as it sets the momentum for the rest of the season, however, it is also likely that we see the Bills come out on top and perform as they have in the past.
The AFC North will be another tightly contested division as always. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and Cleveland Browns seem to be the top three teams in the grouping. The Cincinnati Bengals are still rebuilding and will be a couple of years away from true contention going forward. All three are playoff-caliber talent and many expect them all to be in the hunt during 2021. Perhaps all three will make the playoffs like they did last year as they showed the NFL why they are the toughest division in the sport currently. The Ravens should be one of the top teams yet again this year and might pull off the divisional crown when you look at recent history. The Browns are still a young team, but they now have some playoff experience and some stepping stones to make another move forward this season.
Looking towards the AFC South, the Houston Texans sit atop the division as the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Indianapolis Colts all lost. The Texans notched a victory at home over the Jaguars, topping their division rival 37-21 to give them sole possession of first place at the moment. The Titans were wiped out by the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, losing 38-13 in a game that was never really close. The Colts struggled as well, dropping their home opener to the Seattle Seahawks, 28-16.
The Philadelphia Eagles lead the NFC East as they crushed the Atlanta Falcons 32-6. The NFC East play started Thursday night with the Cowboys’ narrow loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Though they didn’t get the win, Dallas’ near upset of the defending champions and Dak Prescott’s huge performance earned them wide respect in the league as contenders in 2021. Washington fell at home 20-16 to the Los Angeles Chargers. There is not much to say about the Giants as they got outclassed by the Denver Broncos in a 27-13 home loss.
The 0-1 Minnesota Vikings are in first place in the NFC North division heading into Week 2. Every team in the NFC North lost on Sunday, but because the Vikings were the only one who played a team from the AFC, they technically sit atop the divisional standings due to having a 0-0 conference record. Not only did all four teams lose, but they all also trailed by at least 14 points during the course of their Week 1 games.
The NFC South is in a three-way tie for first place right now as the Panthers won 19-14 against the New York Jets, the Buccaneers won 31-29 over the Cowboys, and the Saints ran over the Green Bay Packers 38-3. The only team to lose was the Atlanta Falcons who got crushed by the Philadelphia Eagles 32-6.
The Week 1 schedule for the NFL is complete and if there is one thing to take away, it is that the NFC West is going to be very competitive. The Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and the Seattle Seahawks all played Sunday and all four teams won their season opener and scored at least 28 points. The only team not to win by double digits was the 49ers. The four teams combined to have a +65 point differential after one week. The standings after Week 1 are the 49ers and Rams on top as they have conference wins so they are ahead of the Cardinals and Seahawks, who both played AFC teams in Week 1.
The NFL is looking more exciting than ever as the first week of games was full of many upsets. Due to the pandemic, there were fewer fans in attendance for much of the 2020 season. Some teams did allow fans at the end of the regular season and in the playoffs, but it wasn’t full capacity. Now, the fans have the opportunity to return in full force this upcoming season. Also, this is the first NFL season that consists of 17 games which means more matchups during the regular season such as the Chiefs v. Packers in Week 9 that everyone is anticipating.
