Kelsey Tucker
Sports Editor
Seven weeks of professional football have now been played and each week in the NFL was more exciting than the last. Week 4 came with a vengeance and brought many upsets with it. The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Buffalo Bills 23-20, ruining the Bills’ perfect 3-0 record. The San Francisco 49ers barely scraped by the Philadelphia Eagles, beating them 24-23. The Houston Texans upset the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-10. The undefeated Detroit Lions beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-30. Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin was out with a hamstring injury, which might have contributed to their difficulty playing. In addition, quarterback Tony Romo’s ribs were still injured from Week 2, but he has continued to fully participate in both practices and games. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers triumphed over the Indianapolis Colts 24-17. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is still out until further notice, and the Colts have been playing his backup, Kerry Collins, in the quarterback position. Collins suffered a head injury during the game, so Chris Painter had to step up and fill the quarterback’s shoes. Painter had an amazing 87-yard touchdown pass in the game against the Bucs, a play that brought a smile to Peyton Manning’s face.
Week 5 included triumphant victories and disappointing losses. The Lions triumphed over the Chicago Bears, keeping their winning streak alive. The New Orleans Saints barely defeated the Carolina Panthers 30-27. The 49ers annihilated the Buccaneers 48-3 in an embarrassing loss for the Tampa Bay team. The Buffalo Bills beat the Eagles 31-24.
Week 6 was a week of unstable victory for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who only beat the Jaguars by 4 points, the score being 17-13. The New York Giants defeated the Bills 27-24. The Green Bay Packers expectantly beat the Rams 24-3. The Bengals beat the Colts 27-17. Colts’ wide receiver Joseph Addai was out with a hamstring injury which could have contributed to the Colts’ loss.
With Week 7 came detrimental injuries. Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware suffered a back injury, had limited participation in practice, and his game playing status was officially classified as questionable. His team still managed to defeat the Rams 34-7 in a much-needed win to motivate the Cowboys. Rams’ quarterback Sam Bradford had an ankle injury and did not participate in Week 7’s game, which could explain why it was so easy for the Cowboys to claim victory. The Saints dominated the Colts, beating them 62-7 in an embarrassing game for the Colts. The aforementioned Addai was still out with a hamstring injury. In better news, Tim Tebow got his first start with the Denver Broncos this week as quarterback. The Broncos claimed a win over the Miami Dolphins, beating them 18-15 with a field goal in overtime kicked by Matt Prater.
The Philadelphia Eagles and the Arizona Cardinals are struggling this season, having records of 2-4 and 1-5, respectively. Before his game against the Steelers in Week 7, Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald took to his Twitter account to say: “Feels great getting up this morning. About to have breakfast to give me that energy I need today. Gotta get this win and have a big day. Faith Focus Finish.” Unfortunately, the Cardinals did not get the win, and the Steelers defeated them. Neither the Colts or the Rams have won a single game this season, a very disappointing statistic, especially with Colts QB Peyton Manning being out and Rams QB Sam Bradford having such a good rookie season last year. Last year’s Superbowl champs, the Packers, and the always-dominant New England Patriots are both unsurprisingly doing very well this season, their records being 7-0 and 6-1, respectively.
Many manor surprises, upsets, and injuries have occurred this year, which have contributed to an exciting season so far. With the NFL football season roughly halfway over, fans are anxiously waiting to see how the rest of the season plays out.
