The Beginning of the NFL season has been different to say the least.
In a 20-18 loss to the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday, the New England patriots lost its first home opener in 11 years. Regarded as one of the most clutch teams in the NFL, Stephen Gostkowski of the Patriots could not pull off the 42 yard field goal attempt with 0:06 seconds left in the 4th quarter as it went wide left. That’s just one of the many upsets/disappointments that occurred this past week in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles, even with a 2-0 record have had 9 turnovers in only 2 games, Six of those turnovers are from Michael Vick interceptions.
The Chicago bears are also among one of the more disappointing teams in the NFL. The offensive line has allowed Jay Cutler to be sacked 9 times in only 2 games, Jay Cutler has thrown 5 interceptions already in only 2 games. One of their biggest disappointments has been J’Marcus Webb, who after much poor play on Thursday’s game was confronted by Jay Cutler after he allowed yet another sack which stunted the momentum for the Bears. That game resulted in a 23-10 loss to the Packers.
With all of these team disappointments that have arisen it can be concluded what has made the most impact on the league are the new replacement referees. It is certainly not their fault but there have been many calls and/or botched or calls that should have been called but, weren’t. A controversial situation has been with the referees calling pass interference rather than illegal contact or vice versa. Another irritation is coming from the Quarterback’s in the league feeling like they are not getting the roughing the passer calls like they should be. Coaches have said that it is “embarrassing for the league” and “a big distraction to the players” and it is believed that it has negatively affected the players because they are afraid to play to their full potential due to the inconsistent calls.
At this point in only Week 3 it is safe to say this may be one of the most contreversial and interesting of NFL seasons in recent memory.