A lot has happened since the NFL season has gotten past the midseason mark. There have been many surprises, as well as disappointments through ten weeks.
Many NFL fans have been enjoying this season so far as Sophomore Elliot Twentey states, “I am enjoying the season so far. I find most of the games I watch exciting, and I am fascinated by the different crazy things going on in the NFL.”
CJ Stroud, rookie quarterback for the Houston Texans, has been one of the biggest surprises so far this season. He was drafted with the second pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, behind College Heisman winner Bryce Young. Stroud is performing as if he did this his whole life with being second in passing yards with 2,626, 15 touchdowns, and two interceptions. Stroud’s performance has been far better than Young, who only has 1,560 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Sophomore Evan Platt believes Stroud is the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year(OROY). “He is having arguably the best season a rookie has ever had. I feel like what he has already done would be enough to give him OROY.”
On the defensive side, there have also been some promising rookies. Rookie Cornerback, Devon Witherspoon, has played at an elite level this season with 12 passes defended, one interception, and one forced fumble. He has brought a lot of energy to a Seahawks defense that struggled in the 2022-2023 season.
Rookie Defensive Tackle, Jalen Carter, has also been playing at a high level with four sacks and two forced fumbles. He has helped elevate an elite Philadelphia Eagles defense to a different level. New England Patriots rookie Cornerback, Christian Gonzalez, played well before suffering a torn labrum in week four.
Through ten weeks, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles have the number one seed in both the AFC and NFC. Overall, the AFC has been much more competitive than the NFC as 11 teams in the AFC are at least .500, meaning they have won at least half of their games, compared to only seven in the NFC.
One of the biggest disappointments this year has been the Cincinnati Bengals. They are sitting at 5-4, which makes them the 8th seed in the AFC, even after making the AFC Championship in the 2022-2023 season, and the Super Bowl the year before. The 8th seed would put them just one spot out of the playoffs.
In the upcoming weeks after week 10, some matchups between serious playoff contenders should help to fix this problem. These include Baltimore vs. Cincinnati and Philadelphia vs. Kansas City in week 11, Seattle vs. Dallas and Cincinnati vs. Jacksonville in week 13, and Philadelphia vs. Dallas in week 14.
Thanksgiving games come up at the end of November, and there are always some good games. This year, there is Green Bay vs Detroit, Washington vs Dallas, and San Francisco vs Seattle. Detroit has played on Thanksgiving every year since 1934, and Dallas has played since 1966. The third game has only been a thing since 2006.
There has already been a lot of excitement this season, and more should be to come. Playoffs are coming up in only a couple of weeks and that should bring even more excitement as teams look to become this year’s Super Bowl Champ.
