National Football League Kicked Off
By William Hathaway
The National Football League has kicked off the 2020 season with no major issues so far with COVID-19. This season will be played with little to no fans in the stands. Several players across the league staged protests for social justice and equality.
This season gets off to a humbling start for the New York Jets, who started their season with a tough loss at the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park 27-17. Jets quarterback Sam Darnold completed 21 of his 35 passes for 215 yards. Bills QB Josh Allen had a much better game, going 33-46 for 312 yards, two touchdowns passing and one rushing.
In other Sunday action, New England was led by former Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton, who ran 15 times for 75 yards and two TDs in a 21-11 win over the Miami Dolphins. The Washington Football Team beat the Eagles 27-17 in a comeback victory at home. The Green Bay Packers beat the Minnesota Vikings 43-34, while a costly penalty caused the Dallas Cowboys to lose on the road to the Los Angeles Rams 20-17 in the new SoFi Stadium. Tom Brady’s debut with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not go as planned, as the Bucs lost at the Superdome to the New Orleans Saints 34-23.
The season premiere of Monday Night Football saw no fans at MetLife Stadium, and no luck for Big Blue either. The Giants lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-16, behind a 21-32 229 yard performance from Ben Roethlisberger, and 19 carriers for 113 yards from running back Benny Snell, Jr. QB Daniel Jones went a respectable 26-41 for 279 yards with 2 TDs, but 2 INTs as well. However, RB Saquon Barkley was shut down, netting only 6 yards on 15 carries. In the late MNF game, Tennessee Titans kicker Stephen Gostkowski survived three missed field goals and an extra point to hit a game winner, giving his squad a 16-14 win against the Denver Broncos.
Last week, the Big Ten Conference mulled over whether to play football in October due to COVID-19 concerns. Now, the Conference announced that a nine-game conference run will start Oct. 24. This will include Rutgers, and their old / new head coach Greg Schiano.
