Sports Then and Now

It’s right around the corner, and before you know it the NFL season will be upon us. There is nothing better than the fall when football returns, and Sundays are taken up with cheering, talking trash, and biting on your fingernails. With the NFL, the anticipation is not as good as the arrival, but it’s still fun to make predictions about what might happen in the coming season. Here are some bold, and maybe not so bold, prognostications heading into another exciting fall and winter of NFL football. 

Ezekiel Elliott Bounces Back In A Big Way

Last year was a rough one for the Dallas Cowboys, and Elliott was a big part of that. He’s won the rushing title twice already, even though he’s only 26 years old. However, last season he struggled, gaining fewer than 1000 yards and averaging only 4.0 yards per carry. To some, he might be considered washed up. However, there are plenty of reasons why he might bounce back and even win the rushing title yet again this year. 

To start, Dak Prescott will be back under center once again after a catastrophic injury early on in 2020. He’ll be throwing to their three-headed monster of a receiving corps, with Amari Cooper, Ceedee Lamb, and Michael Gallup. The ability to air it out will open up a lot of space for Zeke, allowing him to do what he does best. Plus, the Cowboys play in the weakest divisions in the league. This means that they should be able to win a lot of games. When they are in the lead, Elliott will get the ball a lot to run down the clock and lock down the wins. It should also be noted that Elliott had a very similar season in 2017 to the one he had in 2020, and he bounced back and won the rushing title the very next year. 

Julio Jones Takes The Titans To New Heights

If Julio Jones hasn’t been the best receiver in the NFL since he came into the league, he’s at least been in the conversation. With the Falcons, he was an instrumental part of one of the best offenses in the league year in and year out. Now he finds himself on the Tennessee Titans after requesting a trade in the off-season. 

The Titans have been a solid team the past few years, and won their division last year with 11 wins. They have one of the best running backs in the league in Derrick Henry, and an underrated signal-caller in Ryan Tanneyhill. With Julio Jones, they now have a very dangerous passing attack to pair with Henry. Wide receiver A.J. Brown is already a threat in his own right, and Jones will only open up more space by lining up across from him. Sites like Doc’s NFL Picks will be suggesting to bet the over all year long. The division is ripe for the taking again, with Jacksonville and Houston both rebuilding, and the Colts having an uncertain quarterback situation with the injury to Carson Wentz. 13 wins in a 17 game season is not out of the question. 

Houston Will Be The Worst Team In The NFL

In January of 2020, during the playoffs for the 2019 season, the Texans led the mighty Kansas City Chiefs 24 to 7 about halfway through the 2nd quarter. They were on the precipice of heading to the AFC championship behind their wonderful quarterback DeShaun Watson and a stout defense. 2.5 quarters later, and the Texans had lost the game to the eventual Super Bowl champions, and their shockingly sudden downfall had started. 

Over that offseason they traded their ace receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, but hopes were still high. However, they stumbled in 2020 to a 4-12 record, better than only the Jaguars in their division. They have since traded franchise icon J.J. Watt, and their all-star quarterback is facing several sexual assault allegations. He most likely won’t play at all, leaving them with the uninspiring Tyrod Taylor under center. 

On top of that, their competition for the worst team in the league, the division-mate Jaguars, are on the rise. They drafted possibly generational quarterback Trevor Lawrence and another first-round pick in Travis Etienne. With an improving defense, they should have enough to surpass the Texans and finish 3rd in the division. 

The fact is, when it comes to the NFL, anything can happen. There are surprises every year, which is part of what makes it so fun. Each of these predictions is possible, but it’s also possible that the exact opposite could come to pass. The NFL can be enjoyed in many ways. You can appreciate the incredible athleticism of the athletes, or you can crunch the numbers and try to make accurate bets, or you can just enjoy the narratives that arise over a 17 game season. However you like to enjoy, have fun this season.