The NFL Roundup 2017 - Week 1

Written by John Edward Betancourt

(Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

​It’s a magical time of the year for football fans everywhere because this is it ladies and gentlemen, Kickoff Weekend is upon us at last and football has returned. Yet, despite the joy the fans are feeling, there is a different air hanging over the 2017 NFL Season, in that…it seems as though so many teams already have a chip on their shoulder. These squads clearly have something to prove this year, and that’s precisely what we are going to focus on today for the first edition of The NFL Roundup for the 2017 season…the statements that some teams are looking to make. 
 
The New England Patriots are undoubtedly looking to continue their revenge tour.
We learned last year that the Patriots are more than happy to show the league what they are capable of when they feel their backs are against the wall and we know how that story ended. But as 2017 gets underway and the defending Super Bowl Champions take the field to defend their title, I get the sense they want to come back out there with the same vengeful fury that propelled them to the championship last year and what’s scary, there’s fuel for that fire. People are questioning the offense’s ability to produce without Julian Edelman on the field and others, myself included, are wondering if Father Time will find Tom Brady this year and I have no doubt that Brady and the gang are planning to use those questions and those doubts as motivation to continue their revenge tour from last year and wow the league once again.
 
The Denver Broncos offense is hoping to impress us all once again.
There was a time, not that long ago, that the Denver Broncos offense was a force to be reckoned with. They would score at will, embarrass defenses and thrill Broncos Country in the process. But all of that has changed. Now the offense on this team is its own worst enemy, unable to score or move the ball down the field and come Monday night, the Broncos are looking to change that perception and the question is…can they? The answer to that is yes. If the offensive line can keep Trevor Siemian upright and if they can run the ball more than a couple of yards, they may put some decent points on the board and while that’s not exactly earth-shattering play, it doesn’t need to be when you have a defense like Denver’s. If the Broncos can accomplish that list of to-do’s and have Siemian play game manager again, expect Denver’s offense to indeed impress everyone after all.
 
The Los Angeles franchises need to prove their worth.
While it is incredibly awesome that football has returned to the City of Angels, let’s be honest…the teams selected for this incredible honor, have been sub-par over the past few years. Granted, both the Chargers and Rams have made steps to rebuild with new coaches and new players, but all the rebuilding in the world means nothing when game time arrives, it’s all about the wins and thrilling the fans that’s precisely what these two teams need to do this weekend. They have to come out in their respective games and wow the L.A. crowds and honestly, I’m not 100% sure they can make that happen. But, if Philip Rivers can conquer the No-Fly Zone in Denver and Jared Goff can manhandle the Colts D, both QB’s will make quite the case that their squads deserve to be in Los Angeles.
 
The Cleveland Browns need to show their fans, something.
The Cleveland Browns have been in perpetual rebuilding mode for what seems like an eternity now. Year after year they change out quarterbacks and other players throughout the year and sadly we know where all that work has taken us in Cleveland. But for the first time in a long time, there seems to be a sense of hope surrounding this once proud football city thanks to rookie QB DeShone Kizer. The former Notre Dame quarterback managed to wow fans and the franchise with his play in the preseason and now he gets an opportunity to unleash his vast potential against the Pittsburgh Steelers and at this point, no one is expecting a Madden-esque performance from Kizer, he simply needs to wow the football world with a few big time plays and/or keep the Browns in this game for this franchise to make a statement. If he can pull that off, or stun the Steelers with a win, then the talk that Cleveland is a proverbial loser will quiet down as everyone starts to wonder what the Browns can accomplish with Kizer at the helm.
 
The Jacksonville Jaguars need to live up to the hype this year.
It seems that every year, there is a level of hype that surrounds the Jacksonville Jaguars and it makes sense as to why. They are traditionally, a bad football team, which garners them some top-notch college talent in the draft and some decent free agents in the offseason as well thanks to their vast salary cap space. But alas, despite the big signings and big draft names the year always ends with the same results…a ton of losses and disappointed fans and here we are again, excited to see what the new additions to the team will bring to the field and well, at this point, it’s up to the players to answer the call and live up to the hype all while making a statement that they are indeed a team committed to winning, and the best way to accomplish that? Deliver a straight up beat down in Chicago this weekend. If Blake Bortles can settle down and play his game and if that talented defense can play mistake free football, expect the Jags to wow the football world for a change and hopefully for the Jags, a win in Chicago can serve as the building block to a successful season.

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