The 100th Season of Football is Underway

Evan Pollack, Sports Writer

The 100th year of football brought much excitement to the fans for week one. Teams such as the Patriots who are ranked #1 in this year’s NFL power rankings, were followed by the Chiefs, Saints, Rams, and Eagles. These teams are already being considered heavy favorites for this year’s Lombardi Trophy.

Defending Super Bowl Champions, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots started their season off well with a dominating win over Juju Smith-Shuster and the Pittsburgh Steelers 33-3. Kyler Murray who was the first pick in the 2019 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals made his debut against the Detroit Lions. #1 draft picks were 0-16 when starting the first game of the season until Murray broke the continuous streak with a 27-27 tie in overtime.

The New Orleans Saints hosted the Houston Texans for the first of the Monday Night Football games on ESPN. The Saints who were hoped to be forgetful of the blown pass interference call in last season NFC Championship game came out strong in the first half. The Texans who were led by Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins equaled the Saints high pressured offense by outscoring the Saints in the first half.

Brees and the Saints took the lead late in the 4th only for Watson to connect with Hopkins for a touchdown with 31 seconds on the clock. Brees, however, lead the Saints past the 50 into Houston territory leaving enough time for Will Lutz to kick a 58-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.

It is hard to think that the National Football League has been thrilling fans for 100 years. Along the road, there have been miracles and heartbreaks for franchises, which can all root back to coaching and fanbases. Football continues to evolve every day and expand across the globe.