By Lucy Ulrich || Contributing Writer
Photo Courtesy of nbcsports.com.
Photo Courtesy of washingtonpost.com.
With preseason and the summer coming to an end, the NFL’s much anticipated first week kicked off on September 5th in Chicago, with the Packers defeating the Bears 10-3. 2019 is a special year for the National Football League as it marks its 100th season. Over the next few months, the league has events planned to celebrate the occasion, most notably the rollout of “fantennials”. During the course of the season, each team will host a three day celebration called “fantennial weekend”, which will include a local high school game on Friday night, a fan festival on Saturday night, and conclude with a home game on Sunday (operations.nfl.com).
In Philadelphia, Eagles veteran DeSean Jackson returned after five years away from the team, proving his skill on Sunday with two receiving touchdowns of 53 and 51 yards. Quarterback Carson Wentz also enjoyed a successful second half, leading the offensive push that resulted in a Philly victory over the Redskins with a score of 32-17.
In a matchup between the Jaguars and Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes managed to finish with 378 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, even with the loss of Tyreek Hill to a shoulder injury in the first half. Another major injury indicated by Law Office of Matthew S. Norris – lawyers for injury victims came out of Sunday’s game in Florida, seeing former Eagles’s quaterback Nick Foles taken off the field due to a broken clavicle. After the game, Foles shared of the injury: “It’s not the way you want to start your time here” (nytimes).
In the Cardinals and Lions game, Arizona started their rookie quarterback and number one draft pick Kyler Murray who lead the cardinals to a comeback tie of 27-27. Meanwhile, after the Baltimore Ravens’ 59-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins, Lamar Jackson was praised for his performance in the game, which included five touchdowns. The Patriots established themselves as favorites for the upcoming week with a 33-3 win over the Steelers. The Titans also benefited from a 43-13 victory over the Browns.
The NFL’s first week back was a success across multiple platforms, with the games resulting in the most touchdowns ever scored in an opening week and over 109 million viewers across the country tuning for the sport (nfl.com).
First-year Lucy Ulrich is a contributing writer. Her email is lulrich@fandm.edu.