The long-awaited 2021 NFL season is finally here and it is coming back in a way fans have never seen before. Each team was issued an additional game making for a 17-game season for all teams with 18 weeks of football in total. From September 9th to September 13th, all 32 NFL teams got the opportunity to play in front of full capacity stadiums for the first time in over a year and spectators saw some early “Game of the Year” candidates within the first week of the NFL season. 

For the seniors at Nutley High School, their final two years of high school football were plagued with COVID-19 and cut short in many ways. However senior captains Paul Scutti and Joseph Alberti have done everything they can to make the most out of these years. Both individuals were three-year starters and saw varsity football before the pandemic and played through it as well.

After closing an unpredictable 2020 season, the 2021 season is already here as fans are just weeks away from the season’s first games. After the draft comes and goes, the next step in the early stages of the season is the annual rookie minicamps. These camps allow teams to bring in all their rookies and have them work together to become aware and immersed with the team’s scheme and figure out how they will fit best.

Julian Edelman recently announced his retirement from the NFL. What many people fail to realize is the impact he had on the league while he was in it. He paved the way for athletes that weren’t highly recruited out of high school and even helped in the battle of anti-semitism in the NFL. Although things like this may go unnoticed, his postseason statistics are something you can’t help but notice.

Back before any NFL games were even televised, football was a completely different sport. Players played a more physical game as there were no rules to protect players. It favored the players who played hard nose football and didn’t let up for anything. A perfect example of that is the pre-Super Bowl era Chicago Bears. A team that dominated by any means and made sure they won no matter the circumstances however as time went on, the NFL began to put player protective rules in place.

As fans and players head into the NFL offseason, many things are uncertain. Some of the league’s best wide receivers hit the market as unrestricted free agents while many teams are just a wide receiver short of being Super Bowl contenders. Along with that, many teams are fielding trade offers for their quarterbacks as almost a dozen teams are in need of a quarterback.

NFL fans saw the first-ever Super Wild Card Weekend, where there were six total playoff games and many more firsts. The NFL introduced a new playoff structure where 14 total teams made it into the playoffs and only the top team from each division got a bye week. Fans saw things as crazy as a Nickelodeon-themed game that made it child friendly to introduce the younger audience to American football. Each game was decided by 12 points or less and gave fans entertaining, close games to watch all weekend.

As NFL fans approached the end of 2020’s summer, one question lingered among all sports fans. Everyone asked themselves if there would even be an NFL season due to the national pandemic of COVID-19. Although the fans got the outcome they wanted, it left many to wonder if it was truly worth it.