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The Season No One Expected



3/4/26

At the beginning of the 2025 NFL season, it’s fair to say most people didn’t expect the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots to be in the Super Bowl. The past few seasons, there has been a common pattern with teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, the Kansas City Chiefs, or the Buffalo Bills at the top. The Bills started off 4-0, while both the Eagles and the Chiefs lost their first games. Even though many people wave it off as the first week of the season, and that it can’t mean that much, I'm always skeptical that the season may be off to a bad start. The Seahawks and Patriots both lost their opening games, and the two teams were only 3-2 in Week Five. Another unexpected outcome was the Detroit Lions disappointing season, whereas they finished last season 14-2 before losing in the second round of the playoffs to the Commanders. A big factor in the Lion’s season was losing their offensive and defensive coordinators, which also led to the surprise that was the Bears winning season. 

Stars like Justin Jefferson had one of the slowest years of his career, yet he still surpassed Randy Moss in leading yards. He had yet another year with over 1,000 yards. Jamar Chase, also a crucial member of the Bengals, played an exceptional offensive position as he recorded 1,412 receiving yards. Although he played an outstanding year, his team did not. They finished the season 6-11, along with missing their quarterback, Joe Burrow. Now on the other hand, we have a team like the Bears, who did not necessarily have any stars who were leading the league statistically. They hired the Lions offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson to be their head coach and the team took a full 180. He turned Caleb Williams into a trustworthy passer. The Bears suddenly had both a strong offense and defense, which left fans shocked as they were known to have a low pressure defense and weak offense. 

Going into the season, the Seahawks quarterback was left as a big question mark. After trading Geno Smith to the Raiders in the last year of a 3-year, $105M deal, they were left with an open spot for a franchise quarterback.The Vikings had let Sam Darnold’s contract expire, leaving him to be a free agent. The Seahawks picked him up within a month of his contract expiring. Ending the regular season 14-3, and carrying the Seahawks through the playoffs into the Super Bowl, it's safe to say that this was one of the Seahawks best years statistically and overall.

At the opposing end of the Super Bowl was the Patriots, who are no stranger to championships. However, they were led by first-year Head Coach Mike Vrabel and second-year quarterback Drake Maye, not Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. While they didn’t win, most people didn’t expect the post-Brady era to result in a Super Bowl appearance this early. 

As the Broncos made the AFC championship and were free of the first round of the playoffs, they lost their starting quarterback, Bo Nix just after a major upset over the Bills. They continued on in the playoffs with their second-string quarterback and then proceeded to lose. This left Bills fans angry at the fact that the Broncos lost basically the key component to how they lost. If they had lost him one game before, the Bills vs Broncos game would have been a no brainer win for the Bills.  

Something that left fans aghast was the poor season (compared to the past few years) the Chiefs had. After making it to the Super Bowl four out of five years, they did not even make it to the playoffs. A big contribution to this was Patrick Mahomes ’ACL injury. Not only this, but the team was also missing their star wide receiver, Rashee Rice for the first six games. The offense was overall less powerful and explosive than what we have seen in previous years. But this definitely came to a shock for me because I always knew Andy Reid as being this outstanding head coach that always led a great team, but this year proved it wrong. Well, it's not just his fault, it's also the injuries. 

The Bills are always known to be a strong team but they have their weak spots. This year was really unfortunate for them because they always seem like they are Super Bowl contenders but at the end of the day, it's just who has the most points. Unfortunately, that sometimes is not the team who deserves it most. Josh Allen is an amazing player on and off the field and I believe that he is definitely deserving of that Lombardi Trophy. After the season ended, they fired their head coach, Sean McDermott, despite having such amazing seasons for a good six consecutive years, they always lost right before getting to the Super Bowl. I wouldn't understand their reasoning to fire their HC after this happened twice, but now it's been six times so clearly there is a hole they need to fix. 

Looking back at the season, even though it wasn't what people expected, that’s what also makes sports exciting. Going into next year, each team has a blank slate – the rosters could be different, coaches could be different, and any team can make a splash.

NFL Free Agency

4/27/26

While NFL free agency has only just begun, there have been some big moves already. Now, I think what has happened with Maxx Crosby has left fans shocked. With Maxx being one of the best defensive ends in the league or, dare I say, among the best in NFL history, the trade to a strong franchise like the Ravens was exciting for fans. However, the team announced the trade was no longer on due to a failed physical, so he is back on the Raiders for now. While uncommon, reversed trades due to medical testing happen somewhat often.  

Not only is free agency full of trades, but also exciting news such as Travis Kelce returning for his fourteenth season despite some speculations that he might retire, especially after Patrick Mahomes suffered an injury that likely will keep him out of a good portion of this season. 

The Chiefs also made a big move by trading for signing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker from the Seahawks. That wasn’t their only move, as they signed Justin Fields, as they were in need of a quarterback this season without Mahomes.

But the biggest move so far to me is the Vikings acquiring Kyler Murray. When Kyler was in Arizona, he displayed strategic and impressive plays. Don't get me wrong, the Cardinals have outstanding players and an excellent organization, but maybe it wasn't the right fit for Kyler. Some players excel in different environments. For example, Sam Darnold! Six years spent wandering through three different teams, and then the Vikings picked him up and he ended up going 14-3. In this league, players can make a full 180 switch solely due to the organization and group surrounding them. I am not saying this case will 100% happen to Kyler, but he has shown great skill even on a mediocre team, so what could he do on a team with a star receiver, such as Justin Jefferson and one of the best defenses. 

In my opinion, I think this was a great move by the Vikings as they have been struggling to find their quarterback for several years now. Could Kyler be their franchise QB? Maybe, who knows, but only time will tell. 

Staying on the topic of quarterbacks, Tua Tagovailoa was released by the Miami Dolphins after a rocky and unstable tenure. While he was a top prospect in his draft class after a standout college career, his time in the NFL was mostly spent on the sidelines. He signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons, but he’ll be competing with Michael Penix Jr. for the starting spot. 

It is still very early in the offseason so there is still so much more to come. A few players I’m keeping an eye out on are Jonathon Greenard, Stefon Diggs, Joey Bosa, and Aaron Rodgers.

All in all, free agency is a chaotic time filled with moves that leave fans jaw dropped, in both good and bad ways.

Will He Succeed?

5/6/26

To no one’s surprise, the Las Vegas Raiders selected Fernando Mendoza from Indiana University with their first pick. The Heisman winner quickly became a fan favorite this season on the road to winning Indiana’s first NCAA Title. 

While the Raiders haven’t been to a Super Bowl since 2003, will Mendoza be the missing piece that brings them back? They acquired top picks, tight end Brock Bowers in 2024 and running back Ashton Jeanty in 2025, hoping that this would bring them to a more successful season. Bowers showed off his striking technique leading him to be widely considered the best tight end in the league. He recorded 112 receptions which is the most of any NFL rookie, and highest amount of receiving yards for any rookie. Ashton Jeanty came in with high expectations but did not meet them. He was one of the top picks in the draft and the Raiders went right for him. Maybe all he needed was a quarterback to not only be able to throw him the ball, or hand it off, but to have good chemistry with. 

This year, Fernando Mendoza was the first overall pick in the draft, which didn't surprise many due to his skill set, which included winning the Heisman Trophy. A smart move coming from the Raiders was to pick up veteran QB, Kirk Cousins. Mendoza will be able to learn from not only the Raiders coaching staff, but also an experienced, well-known leader like Kirk with tricks up his sleeve.  

The Raiders are known to have a weak offensive line, and this is a crucial part of a team, especially with a rookie QB. Coming out of college, one might look physically strong, but the level of physicality and size in the NFL is far different than in college. Together, they will have to train for every scenario possible. 

Something that gives me hope for success would be that he transferred from University of California, Berkeley with not such a known reputation, to Indiana, where he became the most popular player in college football. And not only that, but he led them to the championship his first year, of course with the help of Curt Cignetti, who is a vital part of the Indiana Team, but it was the team's first appearance anywhere higher than the Rose Bowl since 1968. That is a huge jump and it really shows something. But I am also definitely not forgetting about Curt Cignetti and his outstanding contribution to the Indiana Football team. Credit is due there! 

If Mendoza brings his talents from Indiana over to the Raiders, and they can strengthen their offensive line, hopefully their vision can follow through!

Football is definitely not most straight forward, so here are some basics to know:

  • Explaining the first down concept: 

    • There are 4 ‘downs,’ which basically means four opportunities to advance the ball at least 10 yards. 

    • The first three are the times where the team should pass it, because the fourth try is what I like to call ‘the grace attempt, because if you don't get the ball past ten yards, then the other team gets the ball at the location the ball was. Unless there is a flag called, where you could be given a 15 yard penalty or ten yard penalty, that would be another way to pass the ten yards. 

    • Some teams will try to fake a play to get the other team to jump offsides, which will create an open slot to take the ten yards.

    • It might say second and seven, and the 2nd represents the second attempt to pass ten yards but the seven shows you have seven yards to go until you pass ten yards. 

    • Same concept with third and two, third attempt, and two yards to go. First and ten means first attempt with ten yards to go. The first will always be 10 yards. Sometimes there isn't even a second down because they passed it on the first try. 

    • There is not just one first down the entire play, meaning you might start at your 30 yard line and there will be many first downs to get to the opposite end of the field, unless it's a touchdown on the first play. 

    • Also, when it says first and goal, it's the same concept but goal represents your attempt to get to the endzone. Second and goal would be the second attempt. Third would be the third and so on and so forth. 

  • Two Point Opportunities:

    • There are two times where you could gain two points. 

    • There is a concept called a safety where if the opposing team's quarterback is tackled in your endzone, you can gain two points. ONLY if he touches ground in the endzone. It could also be that he tripped and fell back into the endzone, that would also give the opposing team two points. 

    • The other time to gain the two points is if you get a touchdown, you always have the choice to either kick for one point or throw for two. Most of the time, teams choose to kick because it is more likely to make it. The throw is harder to achieve but if you do, the total amount of points would be 8. 

  • Miscellaneous facts:

    • A field goal is worth three points.

    • There are 11 players on the field at a time.

    • The quarterback is different from the Cornerback. The quarterback is on offense, and corner is on defense.

    • Tight end and wide receiver are two main ball catchers on the field. 

    • A running back is normally handed the ball and runs with it. Sometimes they are thrown the ball to run with as well.

    • D-line (defensive line) is what tries to reach the opposing team quarterback to rush a pass, apply pressure, and or sack the QB

    • O-line (offensive line) is what protects their team's quarterback from the opposing team's defense. Their job is to help give time for the quarterback to throw, and or build a pocket for him to run through, or the running back to run through.