NFL preseason has finally begun, which means that football is officially back! The long six-month wait is finally over and what a long six months it was. Preseason was set to begin on Sunday, August 7, 2016, with the Hall of Fame game between the Green Bay Packers and the Indianapolis Colts but was cancelled due to poor field conditions. The cancellation forced football fans to have to wait until Thursday, August 11, 2016, to finally watch some football. The first day of preseason featured six games: Redskins vs. Falcons, Buccaneers vs. Eagles, Panthers vs. Ravens, Patriots vs. Saints, Jaguars vs. Jets, and Broncos vs. Bears. After the first day, the defending Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos looked the most impressive with a 22-0 win over the Chicago Bears, while the defending NFC Champion Carolina Panthers ended up falling to the Baltimore Ravens by a final score of 22-19. Panthers fans do not worry, it is only preseason and there is still plenty of time left to improve.
The second day of NFL preseason featured only five games: Lions vs. Steelers, Dolphins vs. Giants, Bengals vs. Vikings, Browns vs. Packers, and Cardinals vs. Raiders. RGIII made his first start as a Brown, while he had some ups and downs, it finally looks like Cleveland may have a decent quarterback. Rookies Laquan Treadwell and Jake Rudock also made their debuts for their respective teams and both impressed. Treadwell caught four passes for 41 yards for the Minnesota Vikings and Rudock completed eight of his 11 passes for 72 yards and rushed four times for twenty yards, not a bad start for either rookie. Saturday features four games: Seahawks vs. Chiefs, Colts vs. Bills, Cowboys vs. Rams, and Chargers vs. Titans. The final game of preseason week one is on Sunday between the Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers. Although it may only be preseason, it is a good time to take a look at the rookies and new additions to each team to see how they fit into each scheme and how they play. Which teams will prove doubters wrong? Which players will emerge as stars? Who will be the sleeper team in preseason but the dominant team in the regular season? We'll find out in just a few weeks. The NFL regular season officially begins on Thursday, September 8, 2016, in a Super Bowl 50 rematch. Be thankful everyone, football is back!
