By William Hathaway
The National Football League will kick off its regular season this week, but with an unusual look. Most of the league’s stadiums with be without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, some teams will have fans in attendance, but not at full capacity.
The World Champion Kansas City Chiefs will host the Houston Texans with 22 percent of seats at Arrowhead Stadium filled. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals will have 6,000 fans in their stadiums, by order of the Governor of Ohio. Right now, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy will not allow fans to attend New York Giants and Jets home games this season. This was announced back in July by both teams.
As for the local pro teams, the Jets will open on the road against the Buffalo Bills (no fans). Gang Green is looking to jump above its 7-9 mark form last season and make the playoffs, in a division without Tom Brady, who left for Tampa Bay. It will not be easy, as the team traded safety Jamal Adams to the Seahawks in the offseason.
Meanwhile, the Giants will play their home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. This will mark the debut of new Giants head coach Joe Judge, who is looking to improve on the team’s 5-11 season from last year.
In college football, while Rutgers University football is currently on hiatus due to the Big Ten football conference cancelling its season, there has been pressure to change the decision, so stay tuned. As for teams who are playing, Marshall University beat Eastern Kentucky 59-0 at home in Conference USA, while Texas State took a tough loss to SMU 31-24.
As the action in the NBA bubble heats up, the Nets made a stunning move off the court, as they hired Steve Nash as the team’s new head coach. The former two-time NBA MVP has no prior coaching experience.
