The National Football League Season is here and the action is in full swing. After 32 games played over the course of the last two weekends, many teams are appearing very promising while others are already beginning to falter. This recap will provide a brief overview of some of the most vital storylines to keep track of during the course of the season. 

First, the Kansas City Chiefs are 2-0 to begin their season. However, they have lacked their usual dominance in the league which viewers have come to expect from the reigning Super Bowl champions. The Chiefs kickstarted the NFL season on Thursday, Sept. 5 with their nail biting victory against the Baltimore Ravens, in which the shoes of Ravens tight end, Isaiah Likely, just grazed the out of bounds line on a potential game winning touchdown catch. Furthermore, in the second week of the season their vulnerability was further apparent. The Cincinnati Bengals, noto- rious for their sluggish starts at the beginning of seasons, took them to the brink, even though the Sept. 5 game was played at the Chiefs home venue, Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs eked out a 26- 25 win, but the play from superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes was quite less than stellar. The usually unflappable Mahomes showed uncharacteristic weaknesses, throwing for a mere 151 yards and suffering miscues on two interceptions. Additionally, tight end Travis Kelce, an integral piece of the Chiefs’ high powered offense, has essentially been a no show through two weeks, catching only four passes for 39 yards. While their record still portrays their season as flawless, the Chiefs have to drastically change their mentality if they want to further cement themselves as one of the NFL’s greatest dynasties. 

Unfortunately for fantasy football owners, star running back Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers has been placed on injured reserve. This means that he will not be available until week five of the NFL season, having already missed the first two weeks of action. McCaffrey, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year who finished 3rd in Most Valuable Player voting, was the league’s leading rusher last season, and his absence will be sorely felt by his Niners teammates. Last season’s Super Bowl runners-up will have to find a way to replace his production over the next few weeks in order to remain afloat. While McCaffrey’s backup Jordan Mason proved up to the task during a Sept. 9 thrashing of the New York Jets in the first week, an embarrassing loss to the Minnesota Vikings in week two put the Niners’ offensive struggles sans McCaffrey on center stage. 

While the 49ers and Chiefs are encountering some difficulties in the early portion of the sea- son, they are nevertheless expected by experts to bounce back and contend for the Super Bowl. On the other hand, certain teams wish that this sea- son would end as quickly as possible. Even though the beginning of the new NFL season is supposed to be a time filled with optimism and hope for the future, not every team is experiencing confidence. No team would prefer a premature end to the season more than the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers have taken two drubbings by the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers to begin their season on Sept. 8 and 5 respectively. The Saints loss was particularly humiliating: it was a 47-10 week one annihilation that saw Panthers quarterback Bryce Young look even less NFL ready than he did last season, if that was even pos- sible. While he still is retaining his starting job for the immediate future, do not be surprised if the Panthers pull the plug on the 2023 first pick. Conversely, the 2024 first pick, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, has impressively held his own over the course of their 1-1 start. While his numbers are not eye-popping, he has shown great resourcefulness in the face of constant pressure due to a weak offensive line. 

Not surprisingly, I was not able to comment on the prospects for all 32 teams after these two weeks. However, the NFL regular season extends for 18 total weeks, even into the next calendar year, so there will be a great deal more time to evaluate how the premier teams will fare during the looming playoff period this winter. Only time will tell if teams with hot starts are on their way to glory, or if their early success will ultimately be short-lived. The same goes for teams faltering in these early days – anything can happen in a league filled with so many contenders. So, as fans, let’s enjoy spending our Sundays (as well as late Thursdays and Mondays) in front of the television to see where the season progresses! Be sure to check out the matchup featuring the Baltimore Ravens vs. Dallas Cowboys next Sunday, as well as the clash between the Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings!