The Top 5 Biggest Events in the NFL This Season

Henry Griffee, Writer
February 18, 2021

The 2020-2021 NFL season has been one of a kind. From big stars getting injured  to crazy upsets, the 101st season of the NFL has some of the biggest stories in any season. There were many huge headlines that came out of the NFL this year but these are the top 5 biggest events that happened in the 2020-2021 NFL season. 

 

  1. Wednesday Night Football 

     On December 2nd the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers played the final game of week 12 on a Wednesday afternoon. It was the first time a NFL game was played on Wednesday since 2012. The game was originally scheduled to be played on Thanksgiving night but due to a Covid-19 outbreak in the Ravens facility the game was rescheduled to Sunday. Then due to more cases the game was moved to Tuesday and then finally Wednesday. The game was a battle but the Steelers came out on top . Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 266 yards and 1 touchdown as he  led them to a 14-19 victory. They moved to 11-0 on the season but unfortunately for the Steellers though, they would lose their last 4 of 5 games and then be eliminated in the Wild Card round of the playoffs by the Cleveland Browns. 

 

  1. New Winner of the AFC East

    For the first time in 26 years the Buffalo Bills have won the AFC East division. After 2 decades of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots winning the division with ease, quarterback  Josh Allen and the Bills are 2020 AFC east champs. This comes after the Bills had a 13-3 record and the collapse of the New England Patriots after QB Tom Brady left.  Josh Allen had an amazing season as well finishing with 4,544 passing yards and 37 touchdowns in the regular season. The Bills would then go on to beat the Indianapolis Colts 24-27 in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. This would be the team’s first playoff victory in over 20 years. 

 

  1. Pros Go Down 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the NFL preseason was cancelled. This led to players getting less practice before the season started. This  caused more injuries to players in the regular season than ever before. There were over 400 players that got injured in the regular  season this year. Here are some of the biggest names that went down this season, QB Dak Prescott, QB Jimmy Garoppolo, RB Saquon Barkley, and many more. 

 

  1. Losing Record Team in the Playoffs 

    On July 2nd, 2020 the team formerly  known as the Washington Redskins changed their team name to the Washington Football Team until a new name was made permanent. The Football Team and the rest of the NFC East quickly became the laughing stock of the NFL for they are one of the only divisions in NFL history for each team to have a losing record. But at least one team from each division makes the playoffs making the Washington Football Team only the third team in NFL history to advance to the playoffs with a losing record. The last team to make the playoffs with a losing record was the 2010 Seattle Seahawks. Expectedly the Washington Football Team would lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-23 in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. 

 

  1. Cleveland Wins a Playoff Game

       For the first time in 26 years the Cleveland Browns have finally won a playoff game. After going 1-15 in 2016 and 0-16 in 2017 the Browns are a playoff team once again. First year head coach Kevin Stefanski led the team to a 11-5 record in the regular season, the team’s best record since 2002. The Browns clinched a playoff berth in week 17 vs Steelers and then ironically had to play them next week in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Even though they were an underdog, the Brows dominated the game defeating the Steelers 48-37. Quarterback Baker Mayfeild called the win “Huge for both our team and the entire city of Cleveland”. This Browns team story really shows you that anything can happen in the NFL. 

 

The 2020-2021 NFL season was surely a season to remember. From testing, to injuries, to new team names it was a crazy year. Despite challenges the NFL pulled off this insanely different season. Even though it was so different from any other season it was sure one of the best in history. Let’s hope next season has even bigger and better headlines!

 

Works Cited

Elman, Jake. “When Did the Cleveland Browns Last Win a Playoff Game? – Sportscasting: Pure Sports.” Sportscasting, 10 Jan. 2021, www.sportscasting.com/when-did-the-cleveland-browns-last-win-a-playoff-game/.

“Josh Allen Stats, News, Bio.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3918298/josh-allen.