NFL Season Is Upon Us

As Summer fades out and Fall files in, many football fans are preparing for a thrilling season.

Story by Seyon Harsley, Warren McKenzie, and Timothy Wilson. Photo compliments of Google.

Well, are you? Ready or not, this year’s NFL season began on September 6, 2018 with a thrilling kickoff matchup between Super Bowl champs Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons. The Eagles won this game with a close score of 18 to 12.The season will conclude with Super Bowl LII on February 3, 2019 at the Mercedes Benz stadium in Atlanta, Georgia after a grueling seventeen weeks of action.

For some teams, gearing up for the season meant that a few trades needed to happen to prepare for their brightest and best performances as they go after the ultimate title of Super Bowl Champions.

On March 14, the Cleveland Browns traded defensive tackle Danny Shelton to the New England Patriots for a 2019 third round selection. This same day, the Los Angeles Rams sent linebacker Alec Ogletree to the New York Giants in exchange for a fourth round selection and a 2018 sixth round selection. Rounding out the trio of pivotal trades, a little over a week later, the New York Giants traded defensive end Jason Pierre Paul and their 2018 fourth round selection to Tampa Bay in exchange for a 2018 third round and a 2018 fourth round selection.

In addition to teams trading players, an important rule has seen changes also. In 2017 and earlier, the previous rule regarding placement of the ball after a touchback on a kickoff stated that the ball would be placed at the 20-yard line. Now, this has been changed to the ball being placed at the 25 yard-line.  This 5-yard difference may not seem like a lot, but when considering a vital play, it can easily become a “make or break” situation.

Football fans in the DMV area look forward to games between team rivals. It is no surprise that there are many Redskins and Cowboys fans in the area. This is a major rivalry in this area. Fans on either side can look forward to these two teams matching up during week 7 on October 21, 2018 and again in a week 12 game on November 22, 2018.

Two other rivalries on the East Coast are those between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens as well as the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants.

As fans get their sports caves, season tickets, and tailgating items ready for this year’s NFL season, they set their sights on wins for their favorite teams and a potential Super Bowl victory. Win or lose, this year is sure to be full of sportsmanship with a side of trash talking among rival fans, and tons of action.

Seyon Harsley, Warren McKenzie and Timothy Wilson are 5th grade scholars at Friendship Chamberlain Academy.