Football is Back! NFL Sunday Round Up

Well folks, we made it! The first NFL Sunday of 2018 is in the books. And boy was it interesting. For some us it was a heart stopping, nerve wrecking affair while for others the drudgery of the previous season carried over to the new one. In many cases it wasn’t pretty, but the job got done. One thing is for sure, the highs and lows of any given Sunday are back in full swing. Here’s what stood out to us after Week 1:

Browns (sorta) snap their losing streak

Torrential rain made for a sloppy affair for both sides as the Steelers opened their season away to the Browns for the second year in a row. And this matchup was a lot tighter than a year ago. The Browns much improved Defense forced 6 turnovers( causing steelers fans to go a little bit greyer in the process) and Tryod Taylor did just enough to claw back in the fourth quarter and force Overtime. The browns squandered the first possession, but dodged a bullet when the Steelers missed a potentially game winning field goal. Despite stand out performances from TJ Watt and James Conner for the Steelers, they ultimately shot themselves in the foot. Both sets of fans will be feeling a bit “meh” after this one and will look to improve in Week 2

Aaron Rodgers rallies

When Aaron Rodgers went down under a wave of Chicago Bears and started clutching his hamstring, Packers fans thought their season was over. Rodgers cut a forlorn figure as  he was carted off and backup QB Kizer took over. Kizer performed well initially. But then he met Khalil Mack. The new Bear turned the second year pro out of Notre Dame over twice in 2 series, scoring a pick 6 in the process. But then Aaron Rodgers rallied, and really earned his money. He brought the Packers back from the dead and snatched victory from the jaws of the reinvigorated Chicago Bears. Rodgers threw a couple of absolute dimes, including a ridiculous 50 yard bomb to the back of the endzone for a spectacular catch. Now that the bears are finally competitive again, the NFC North just got interesting.

Gambling on football is risky business

When I joined my team’s last man standing league, paid my entry fee and picked the Steelers as my week 1 team. I was quietly confident. Roethlisberger has more wins at First Energy Stadium  than any Browns QB since 1999. So you can imagine why I presumed that I’d sail through week 1 without a care. This was not the case. As I stated above ( the Steelers really got to me this week) they turned the ball over 6 times. 6! My nerves were absolutely shot. Putting money on a game certainly gives it more weight. If the Steelers had lost and I hadn’t bet on them, I’d be mildly miffed. But now I’m ticked off! Ladies and gents if you’re going to bet on American football, professional or otherwise, do yourself a favour and make sure that it’s an absolute given. Otherwise you’ll end up like me: out after week one.