A Deep Dive into the National Football League

By: David Maslar, Staff Writer                            

The Best of the Best

    Kansas City Chiefs- The obvious choice as the best team in the league, as they won the Super Bowl this past season. The Chiefs have many great players including quarterback (QB) Patrick Mahomes, tight end (TE) Travis Kelce, and defensive end (DE) Chris Jones. They also have promising players including wide receiver (WR) Isiah Pacheo and running back (RB) Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Head coach Andy Reid is a top head coach as well, drafting many great players over his ten year tenure. The Chiefs have made the playoffs every year since 2017 when they drafted star QB Patrick Mahomes. They also won the Super Bowl this season, 38-35 over the Eagles, making it their second win and third appearance over the last four years.

    Philadelphia Eagles- The Eagles had their best season in years this past season since they won the Super Bowl back in 2018. They have star players like QB Jalen Hurts, defensive tackle (DT) Fletcher Cox, and WR A.J. Brown. They also have great young players including WR DeVonta Smith and RB Miles Sanders. They faced off in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs, losing 38-35 in an extremely close game.

    Buffalo Bills- Similar to the Eagles and Chiefs, the Bills have a star QB in Josh Allen. Also leading the offense is superstar WR Stefon Diggs. Diggs and Allen connected for over 1400 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Bills also had a great defense, despite the loss of key players cornerback (CB) Tre’davious White and linebacker (LB) Von Miller.

    Cincinnati Bengals- In 2020, the Bengals drafted QB Joe Burrow with the first pick in the draft. Despite suffering a torn ACL in his rookie season, he bounced back and made it to the Superbowl the next season. In this past season, the Bengals made it to the AFC Championship but lost to the Chiefs 23-20.

Up-and-Coming

    Jacksonville Jaguars- The Jaguars took QB Trevor Lawrence with the first pick in the 2021 draft. After a rough start, he excelled in his second season, making the playoffs and finishing at the top of their division with a 9-8 record. The Jaguars have a bright future in sight, with many young weapons like RB James Robinson, LB Josh Allen, and of course, QB Trevor Lawrence

    Detroit Lions- The Lions have been in a losing streak since the 90s, and at the start of the 2022 season, it looked like they were going to continue this streak, winning just one out of their first seven games. However, after a win against the Packers, things started to turn around. To finish the season, losing just two of their last ten games.

    San Francisco 49ers- Possibly the brightest light in the NFL, the 49ers season had a rocky start. In week two, QB Trey Lance went down with an ankle injury. For the next few games, backup Jimmy Garapollo started until he suffered an ankle injury in week 13. In week 14, third string QB Brock Purdy started and got off to a great start Purdy showed his immense talent by winning six straight games to end the season, putting the 49ers at a 13-4 record, and at the top of the NFC West. The 49ers went all the way to the NFC Championship, however, disaster struck early in the first quarter as Purdy had his arm hit during a pass. Purdy tore a ligament in his elbow and will likely be out for all of next season. This, however, will allow for other young QB Trey Lance to show his talent in front of his coaches, and possibly create competition in the 49ers QB room. The 49ers also acquired star RB Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers in a blockbuster trade in the middle of the season, a big talent to add to their already great roster.

Middle of the Pack

    Green Bay Packers- The Packers have been a great team for over a decade, however, with veteran QB Aaron Rogers showing his age, things aren’t looking great. They have bright stars like rookie star WR Christian Watson and RB A.J. Dillon. Backup QB Jordan Love has not gotten much playing time, leaving his playing ability a mystery.

    Science teacher Mr. Christopher Kochiss has been a Packers fan all his life, saying, “I have been a Packers fan since elementary school. They are a team that is on TV a lot, and they were a good team when I was growing up. Many of my favorite players were on the Packers.”

    Dallas Cowboys- While the Cowboys are a great team, they tend to crack under pressure. They have made the playoffs numerous times in the past few years, however, they have not made the Super Bowl yet. They have many great players like QB Dak Prescott, RBs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, WR CeeDee Lamb, LB Micah Parsons, among numerous others. Diehard Cowboy fan Mikey Piscitelli says his dad forced him to be a Cowboys fan when he was younger.

    He added, “My favorite memory was watching them beat the Steelers in 2016 on a game winning touchdown.”

Local Favorites

    New England Patriots- The Patriots have been the most dominant team since the turn of the century, winning six Super Bowls, making the playoffs 17 times, and making the Super Bowl nine times in just 17 years. This is thanks to duo Tom Brady and Coach Bill Belichick. After Brady went to the Buccaneers in 2020, the Patriots have been mediocre, however, there is lots of potential for the upcoming seasons with young QB Mac Jones.

    New York Giants- After a less-than-stellar decade or so, the Giants are finally starting to find their groove. After the hiring of Coach Brian Daboll, the Giants finally made the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. Daboll also won Coach of the Year at the NFL Honors.

    New York Jets- The Jets are likely the weakest of the three local teams mentioned above. In 2021 they drafted QB Zach Wilson, however, in 2022, he was benched after a few less-than-stellar performances. Backup QB Mike White came in and won just one of his four games.

Foran Community

    In the Foran community, 69% of respondents would consider themselves fans of the NFL, while 31% would not. Among those who considered themselves fans, ten people said they were Giants fans, nine were Patriots fans, and four said they were Cowboys fans.