The Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles matchup doesn’t lack storylines
The NFL season has gone by way too quickly, but this also means that we’re in for a treat for this Sunday’s Super Bowl.
This year, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs will be facing off at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, where the Eagles will have home-field advantage.
After finishing the regular season with a league-wide best 14-3 record each, the Eagles and the Chiefs will go through the ultimate test to determine who truly is the best.
While the Chiefs would normally have the advantage with quarterback Patrick Mahomes against the Eagles’ quarterback Jalen Hurts, this won’t necessarily be the case this time around as Mahomes is still dealing with a high ankle sprain.
The Eagles will have the advantage on the defensive side of the ball in this game. They finished the regular season ranked second in the league, compared to the Chiefs’ defence ranked 11th.
Although everything points to the Eagles winning, I wouldn’t count Mahomes and the Chiefs out. After all, they surprised everyone with their win against the Cincinnati Bengals and could very well do it again.
But this Super Bowl is about more than just that.
With Mahomes and Hurts starting at the quarterback position, this is the first time in NFL history that two Black quarterbacks are starters in the Super Bowl.
So not only will this be a great matchup between two skilled players, but it will also be an opportunity for Black representation at the highest level in football.
Only eight black quarterbacks have made it to the Super Bowl and three have won it: Doug Williams in 1988, Russell Wilson in 2014, and Mahomes in 2020.
So either Hurts will become the fourth to lift the Lombardi Trophy, or Mahomes will be the first Black quarterback to win two Super Bowls. Either way, history will be made.
This will also be the first time we see brothers competing against each other in the Super Bowl: Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce and Eagles’ centre Jason Kelce. So it will be a big day for the Kelce family.
This game won’t be lacking in talent, storylines, and entertainment — we also can’t forget about Rihanna performing at the halftime show!
In the end, both the Chiefs and the Eagles have shown that they’re worthy of being Super Bowl champs, but my unwarranted prediction is that the Chiefs will win. It will probably be a close game, and it won’t be pretty. But I think if anyone can bring their team to victory, even if injured, it’s Mahomes.
Stingers' running back Dwanté Morgan at the Concordia Stadium, 2022. KAITLYNN RODNEY/ The Concordian
Brothers, a career and fun are what Morgan sees in football
Dwanté Morgan still remembers the moment he realized he loved football and wanted to play competitively. He was in his second year playing U15 with the Chateauguay Raiders.
Morgan remembers winning his first championship that year with the Raiders, cementing his love for the game of football.
“It was my first championship in my life, I was so excited and so happy,” said the now 22-year-old running back. “I was with my friends and I was just like ‘I love football.’”
“That’s something I always loved. Because before my stepsiblings, I was an only child. So it’s like, I didn’t really have brothers or anything like that. So the camaraderie in football, the brother aspect, I loved it. To this day, I love it,” Morgan continued.
Knowing a lot of people grow up not having brothers or close bonds with friends, Morgan tries to be that person with new teammates, even though he doesn’t think he’s the most social guy. It’s how he meets people, or brothers — through football.
Stingers’ slotback Jaylan Greaves has played alongside Morgan on multiple occasions throughout civil football in Chateauguay.
“We were opposites,” Greaves said, thinking back to when they first met. “He was always quiet and I was always outgoing. But when he would step on the football field, his game always did the talking.”
Dwanté Morgan and teammate Jaylan Greaves. KAITLYNN RODNEY/ The Concordian
“It’s always a blessing to play with your brothers and close friends but being able to reunite at the university level is definitely a special feeling,” Greaves added.
Now in his second year at Concordia, Morgan has been adjusting to the busy life of a student-athlete in Canada. As the Bronx native noted, it’s more challenging here than it is in the United States.
Between school, work, practice, meetings, and games, the culmination of it all adds up to a lot. Morgan also pointed out that the added responsibilities for students living on their own force them to become adults.
“I still live at home and I have siblings, so I gotta be a big brother,” he said. “Being a student-athlete grows you up.”
Morgan at Concordia’s Athletics Complex, 2022. KAITLYNN RODNEY/ The Concordian
Morgan hasn’t had the easiest path either, battling injuries going back to his time at Vanier College and most recently this season at Concordia. But he looks forward to the rest of his time with the Stingers, and to the future beyond that.
“I play football because I have fun, but I don’t play for fun,” said Morgan. “That’s what I told [everybody] when I got here, ‘coming here I’m trying to get to the NFL.’ It’s a hard path, but it’s already been a hard path to get here. So why can’t I?”
Stingers’ head coach Brad Collinson said that, while recruiting him, the team was impressed with how versatile Morgan was: his running play as well as his contribution on special teams. Other than his skillsets on the field, Morgan’s energy also doesn’t go unnoticed by his teammates.
“Dwanté is a huge spark, leader, and vet to the team,” Greaves said. “A lot of people including myself admire his game and what he brings to our team.”
Collinson added that Morgan has developed a higher level of maturity during his tenure in Concordia’s football program.
“I think that he’s maturing, he takes coaching very well,” Collinson explained. “He wants to get better, he wants to be the best. He understands it’s a process. But we’re really happy with the way he’s matured throughout his two years here. We’re looking forward to the future as well, and he can only get better.”
Morgan was named RSEQ offensive player of the week after having 148 all-purpose yards and scoring a touchdown in the homecoming game against McGill. He was also one of the Stingers’ athletes of the week for that same period.
Running back Dwanté Morgan during the homecoming game against the McGill Redbirds on Sept. 17, 2022. CATHERINE REYNOLDS/The Concordian
The Stingers’ #21 wears this number for a couple of reasons: his birthday, Jul. 3 (7×3) and the jersey number of his favourite player growing up — long-time San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson.
As much as he loves football, Morgan’s first love was actually basketball.
“But I’m 5’11 so I really didn’t have a choice,” he joked. “And I was nowhere near as good as I was at football so it was an obvious choice.”
Morgan first started playing football when he was seven years old, as an offensive tackle. It was only once he was nine that he started primarily playing running back, with a touch of defence.
He remembers watching his stepbrother — wide receiver Jahquan Bloomfield now at Prairie View A&M University in Texas — on TV initiating a trick play and scoring a touchdown. He recalls just how ecstatic his mother and stepfather were.
“I was like, ‘yo I want to be able to make them happy too,’” Morgan said. “I started going on jogs — what I would see in football movies, not even knowing any better — doing push-ups, doing squats. And then eventually I came back. I was nine. I was taller than everyone, I was bigger than everyone, I was faster than everyone.”
Morgan scored a touchdown on his first-ever play as a running back. And he has stuck with it since.
Stingers' running back Dwanté Morgan in Concordia's Homecoming game against the McGill Redbirds on Saturday, September 17 2022. CATHERINE REYNOLDS/The Concordian
The Stingers’ football team comes out on top in the Homecoming game to get their first win of the season.
In Concordia’s Saturday Homecoming game, the Stingers honoured the alumni by getting a dominant 42-16 win against the McGill Redbirds at the Concordia Stadium.
The Redbirds were first to score two field goals. An early 34-yard goal and a 37-yard field goal later in the first quarter — by kicker Antoine Couture — earned the team a 6-0 lead.
After a significant drive led by Stingers’ quarterback Olivier Roy, backup quarterback Adrien Guay — who is mostly utilized for short-yardage plays — pierced through McGill’s defensive line to score the tying touchdown. Stingers’ kicker Ali El Sehemawi got the extra point, ending the first quarter with a 7-6 lead over the Redbirds.
At Concordia’s three-yard line, a touchdown was almost certain for McGill at the beginning of the second quarter, but the Stingers’ defence stood tall and forced their rival to kick a field goal instead.
The Redbirds weren’t done yet, scoring a touchdown on their next drive, resulting in their last points of the game.
The Stingers’ defence once again came up big, this time with halfback Derek Acheampong intercepting a pass in Concordia’s end zone, which was a turning point for the Stingers in the game.
They followed up with a strong 90-yard drive, during which wide receiver Jeremy Murphy had two receptions for 57 yards. Roy ended it with a nine-yard rush for a touchdown. With a successful kick attempt, this put the Stingers only two points behind the Redbirds at halftime.
“I think we played a good 30 minutes, the second half,” Stingers’ head coach Brad Collinson said. “The first half we were a bit sloppy. But I think coming off the bye that’s what happened. We got to clean that up and hopefully the next game we play a full 60.”
In the third quarter, after a drive led by Roy and running back Dwanté Morgan, Guay came out to replace Roy at McGill’s one-yard line and got the touchdown. With El Sehemawi’s extra point, Concordia was up 21-16.
Guay credited his teammates, saying everyone on the field did their job and made his job of scoring near the endzone “very easy.”
Morgan later scored a touchdown on the Stingers’ first drive of the fourth quarter, earning them a bigger lead.
The Stingers had everything going well for them. They got two more touchdowns, another scored by Roy and the last one by runningback Franck Tchembe, which cemented the 42-16 victory.
Quarterback Olivier Roy and slotback Jaylan Greaves celebrate a win against the McGill Redbirds on Saturday, September 17 2022. CATHERINE REYNOLDS/The Concordian
“On our offensive line we imposed our will on them and we ran the ball very well,” Collinson said. “I think that was the deciding factor in the game.”
Concordia’s defence continued its solid play and made one more end zone interception, this time by cornerback Ahmadou Boubacar.
Collinson pointed out that the defence cleaned up their game in the second half.
“Kudos to them,” he said. “They relaxed, they calmed down, they played the way they were supposed to play.”
Safety Dawson Pierre said that a big part of the defence’s success was communication.
“We started talking to each other,” he said. “We stayed composed, and we just did what we had to do, and then we made plays and that’s what it was.”
Roy ended the game with 25 completed passes for 352 yards, while Murphy had eight receptions totalling 149 yards, and Morgan had nine rushes for 111 yards.
Murphy said that their game plan worked well, and getting the win felt good as it relieved a lot of pressure.
“We were more physical than them and we wanted it more,” he added.
Pierre also said it felt good to see all the work they put in so far this season and during training camp paying off.
The Stingers will be looking to get another win next week in Quebec City where they will face the Rouge et Or at Laval University.
Members of the Stingers' football team on the field at a recent practice. CATHERINE REYNOLDS/The Concordian
The football team wants to redeem itself after a tough first couple of games.
With a difficult start to the season and an early bye week, the Concordia Stingers are looking to bounce back in their homecoming game against the McGill Redbirds on Saturday.
The Stingers played their last game on Sept. 3 at Sherbrooke and fell 23-24 to the Vert & Or. Concordia is currently 0-2 on the season and ranked before last in the conference, in the Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ).
Stingers’ quarterback Olivier Roy said that this bye week was mostly about focusing on the mental aspect of the game.
“The only thing we want to do is get back on the field and get a chance to redeem ourselves,” he said.
But with bye week, it was a long two weeks without games, so the Stingers wanted to make sure everyone was still focused.
“Our execution level has to be better than what it was for our first two games,” Roy said, which is something they work on by practicing. “One of the good things about bye weeks is that you get a head start on your opponent when they’re still focusing on the game they have [that] week.”
Roy added that they were already looking at McGill film last week while the Redbirds were still preparing for their game against Sherbrooke.
Something the team is looking to improve on is to start the game at a faster pace, and to play throughout the entire 60 minutes.
The Stingers had a better start in their second game scoring first, but they emphasized the need to play a full game.
Head coach Brad Collinson said the message over the past two weeks has been to “play Concordia football the way we know we can play,” which is something he said they haven’t done yet.
Collinson added that bye weeks are never really fun but they are an opportunity to improve.
“We think we got better during the week… we practiced three times, we cleaned up some things,” he said.
“We have to go out there and have fun and have a pleasure being out there on the football field. Guys spend a lot of work for this, we just want them to have fun and be loose,” Collinson concluded.
On Feb. 1, the former Miami Dolphins head coach filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL and all 32 teams
It’s not unusual for drama to surface in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl. For some reason, the extra week of hiatus (ignoring the Pro Bowl, because I honestly don’t know a single person who cares) tends to stir the kettle of NFL headlines.
A little over a week ago, Brian Flores’ NFL lawsuit became this year’s pre-Super Bowl noise that dominated sports media. Among the many allegations outlined in his 58-page filing, the former Dolphins head coach spoke out about his personal experience with racial discrimination in the league’s hiring process. The story was a topic of discussion on mainstream news platforms and late-night talk shows in the days following the allegations. I won’t go into the details here but there’s no shortage of information available, and Flores has since spoken about the lawsuit in an interview on ESPN’s “Get Up.”
Super Bowl LVI will be a wildly entertaining and eventful distraction, as the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams battle for a once-in-a-lifetime chance at immortality. But once the limelights dim, I hope developments in Flores’ situation continue to nab the attention of sports fans.
Objectively, Flores is qualified to coach an NFL franchise. He put in the groundwork as a scout and assistant coach in New England, winning four Super Bowl rings with the Patriots. In his two-year tenure as head coach of the Dolphins, the 40-year-old helped produce consecutive winning seasons. Nonetheless, he was inexplicably fired shortly after the 2021-22 regular season, a decision that shocked most people in the sports world.
There is an esteemed list of premier head coaches in the NFL, including the likes of Bill Belichick, Mike Tomlin, and Andy Reid to name a few. Flores doesn’t have the pedigree to be on that echelon yet, but purely from a football perspective, he is a coaching talent that should be highly sought by most NFL teams, in theory.
At the time of this writing, there are two Black head coaches across 32 teams (one before the Houston Texans announced the hiring of Lovie Smith on Feb. 7). When you consider the fact that 70 per cent of the players in the NFL are Black, something obviously doesn’t add up.
By speaking out, it’s likely Flores has jeopardized his career as an NFL head coach by choosing this path against the league. But no matter the legal outcome, the attention he has drawn will hopefully set up an infrastructure that allows minority coaches an equal opportunity at success.
An unorthodox Super Bowl matchup, and Tom Brady ends his chokehold on the rest of the NFL
The epic conclusion to the 2021-22 NFL season will feature a matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams.
The matchup everyone saw coming heading into the season, right? Here are my thoughts ahead of the Feb. 13 championship game.
Super Bowl LVI Prediction
The Rams will be hosting the Super Bowl in their home stadium, only the second time that’s happened in the league’s history (oddly enough, the first occurrence was last year’s championship game, where the Buccaneers prevailed at home).
On paper, the matchup against the Bengals just isn’t fair. Los Angeles has spent the last few seasons trading away first-round picks in the draft to upgrade their roster through superstar acquisitions. Their list of talent on both sides of the ball is something pulled straight out of a video game.
They have a young, transcending coach in Sean McVay, who has already been handed the torch by his football peers and the media for his unique offensive mind. They also traded for a veteran quarterback in Matthew Stafford, who probably deserves a ring more than anyone else in the league. Finally, they arguably have the best player in football by the name of Aaron Donald.
On the other hand, the Bengals have had their backs against the wall for the entire postseason. They already overachieved in the regular season, winning the AFC North division in Joe Burrow’s third season. Frankly, it was impossible to predict this outcome for Cincinnati, considering Burrow was coming off of a torn ACL in 2020, one of the most difficult injuries to manage and fully recover from in sports.
Suddenly, the Bengals are one win away from cementing themselves in NFL history as champions. Entering the playoffs, Cincinnati seemed to be a year or two away from true contention, but proved me wrong every step of the way. The Bengals are well ahead of schedule, considering the team will have plenty of cap space to work with in the coming seasons, with Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase still on rookie deals.
Most people without a dog in this race want the Bengals to win. It’s hard not to root for this build of a team, one which carries themselves with youthful swagger. Even their rookie kicker Evan McPherson is hitting game-winning field goals in the playoffs with ice in his veins.
I’m going with the Bengals in this one, simply because they’ve already made it this far and they’ve done the improbable in back-to-back rounds against the Titans and Chiefs. I worry about the Bengals pass protection, as they’ve been overwhelmed in the past and won’t get any breaks against the likes of Von Miller, Leonard Floyd and the aforementioned Donald. Lastly, I expect an entertaining back-and-forth contest, seeing as both teams have struggled to play consistently for four quarters this postseason (especially the Rams, who turned the ball over at an alarming rate against the Buccaneers, and were begging Tom Brady to add to his comeback resume).
Speaking of Mr. Brady…
The end of the Brady era
On Tuesday, Brady announced his retirement from football on social media. The 44 year-old played in the NFL for 22 seasons and redefined longevity in a physical sport that typically sees its superstars only don their uniforms for half of that time. Brady continued to spearhead a potent Buccaneers offence while ranking among the league’s best passers. It’s crazy to think, but he could have easily pressed on. Instead, he chose to move on after dedicating half of his life to the NFL (literally).
Brady’s G.O.A.T. case is unassailable. He appeared in 10 Super Bowls, won seven of them, and was the MVP for his team in five instances. He owns so many records but those aforementioned numbers are all that matter. Football is the ultimate team sport, with so many moving parts in the salary cap era that make it extremely difficult to win titles, let alone multiple.
Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever, but there are players who can conceivably fight for his throne. Wayne Gretzky might never be beat from a statistical standpoint, but I can’t rule out the possibility of another hockey player joining the conversation. In baseball, Babe Ruth was a trendsetter who paved the way, but there are wildly unique players in today’s game that are bringing new elements to the table.
Brady will always be the greatest football player ever. I truly believe there’s no one that can reach the success he was able to achieve. I was never a huge fan of his, but I am an admirer of greatness in sports, and I’m grateful to have witnessed history unfold firsthand.
Stingers win overtime thriller as Olivier Roy smashes single game passing record
The Stingers etched their name into RSEQ history books on Saturday against the Sherbrooke Vert & Or, after starting quarterback Olivier Roy threw for a whopping 580 yards, which included five touchdowns.
Roy said it felt good to break the record, but there are aspects that can still be improved.
“The game plan wasn’t to throw the ball that much, but you gotta do what you got to do. I’m proud of our guys,” said Roy.
The game started off with a touchdown throw from Sherbrooke quarterback Anthony Robichaud, completing a 47-yard catch and run to Charles Giroux. The Stingers responded with a stellar 55-yard catch from electric wide receiver Jaylan Greaves. Finally, the drive was capped off with a tight throw in the endzone to wideout Jeremy Murphy.
The second quarter was when Concordia’s offence truly came to life. After both teams kicked field goals, Concordia capitalized on a bad Sherbrooke snap, which led to a safety. Sherbrooke rallied however, retaking the lead with excellent special teams play. The Stingers then recaptured the lead with a short touchdown throw to Greaves.
With 36 seconds left in the half, the Stingers made the most of an errant situation; a catch from Concordia pass catcher Tristan Mancini was knocked loose, and the fumble was recovered by speedster slot wide receiver Jacob Salvail who took it 50 yards to the house for a Stingers touchdown.
An interception from linebacker Zach Philion ended the half with Concordia leading 26-14.
The second half started with punts from both teams, as the defences were reinvigorated after the break. This stalemate ended abruptly after a 50-yard touchdown throw from Robichaud, with a single point touchback to make it an eight point drive for Sherbrooke.
The teams once again traded field goals, before Concordia responded with a 50-yard touchdown of their own, once again to Savail, giving Concordia a 36-25 lead heading into the 4th quarter.
A Sherbrooke touchdown to open the fourth quarter with a successful two point conversion put the visiting team within a field goal of tying the game. The Stingers’ situation worsened when their star wide receiver Jeremy Murphy went down with an injury following a monster reception.
Late in the quarter was when Roy surpassed the previous record holder, former McGill quarterback Matt Connell. He held the record for 14 years with 557 yards in a single game. The record now belongs to Olivier Roy, who eclipsed Connell by throwing for 580 yards.
After a Sherbrooke field goal to tie up the game, the match went into overtime. An unsuccessful drive marred by penalties set up Roy to throw a dime to Greaves for the walk-off touchdown to win the game.
“You dream about it as a kid,” said Greaves moments after the final whistle. “It’s pure, it just fell into place. I can’t even speak, it’s just amazing.”
The Stingers have an upcoming bye week, giving them some time off before their next game on Oct. 10 at Laval.
On one end, more football means fans get to bathe in America’s sport for an extra week. More games will also mean less variance in the standings.
But the NFL already struggles with annual injuries, and the addition of a highly-competitive game to the schedule certainly won’t help that cause.
An additional game will leave plenty of room for records pertaining to totals to be broken: things like team wins/losses and individual statistics will inflate this year for better or worse. This is just something to keep in mind when Week 18 rolls around and the term “historic” is being thrown around sports media circles left and right.
Who will be the overachievers/underachievers?
As a disclaimer, I’m looking at teams that aren’t getting enough attention that can potentially make the leap from good to great, or bad to unfathomable.
The Cleveland Browns have been getting hyped up for years, but have failed to produce meaningful results in the postseason. Last year, they took their first baby steps in advancing to the divisional round and giving the AFC’s Super Bowl representatives, the Kansas City Chiefs, a real run for their money.
If the Browns were stacked from a personnel standpoint in 2020, now they’re a full-course meal. Injuries and quarterback Baker Mayfield’s ability to get his skill guys the ball reliably are the only concerns for this team in their second year under head coach Kevin Stefanski.
If the Browns have known nothing but mediocrity for over a decade, the Pittsburgh Steelers are their polar opposite: under head coach Mike Tomlin since 2007, the team has never posted a losing record in the regular season.
That can all change this year with aging franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger entering the twilight of the twilight of his career and into a young and unproven offensive line. On the other hand, this team should still boast a strong defensive game, and drafted a promising running back this year in Najee Harris.
There’s potential upside here, but I would bet against it.
Wait, Tom Brady is 44 years-old? This is it, right?
Guess again.
Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers retained nearly every significant player from their championship run in February, a notion that seemed impossible six months ago. This team won a Super Bowl in Brady’s first year with the team (and made it look easy), so another offseason under their belt as a group should instill fear league-wide.
Until proven otherwise, this is Brady’s world and we’re all just living in it.
After an 18-month hiatus from all university sports, Concordia football fans will experience a more tame football match than ever before
Though many Concordia University sports fans are eager to attend games in person this upcoming school year, they will be subject to a number of newly imposed rules since the Stingers last played in November 2019.
With the Concordia Stingers football home opener happening on Sept. 4 against the Laval Rouge et Or, Concordia University and the athletics department are trying their best to fall in accordance with all the new regulations imposed by the Quebec government.
Long lines at the concession stand, on-site ticket purchases, large crowds, and tailgating are just a small fraction of what will be missing in this new phase of in-person attendance, as the provincial government continues to err on the side of caution for this year’s sporting events.
In addition, the Quebec government introduced vaccine passports to the public on Sept. 1, making it mandatory to present proof of vaccination before entering a public venue. This passport will be in effect come gameday, prompting all fans in attendance to show validation of double vaccination.
If ample space is available, teams must now practice on separate fields before they face off against each other. Catherine Grace, media officer for the Stingers, said that even the slightest details, such as team introductions, will be altered this year.
“Usually our team comes out of the endzone, smoke bombs go off, running into music, jumping, yelling and celebrating while going to the bench. We’re not allowed to do any of that,” Grace said.
While it isn’t encouraged for fans to yell for their teams, the roughly 800 socially distanced, masked fans will be placed two meters apart. Freshly painted, marked zones enclosing coaches will now be the new norm during games.
“Our facilities guy has to spray paint over by the bench a line that coaches aren’t allowed to move out of,” Grace said.
Concordia will begin the sports agenda by allowing just over half of the 1,400 fans the government is permitting into their stadium. Grace said that even if they’re allowed that number of attendees, they don’t want to lose control.
“We’re scaling it back the first game because we’re just afraid that it’s going to be hard to handle,” Grace said.
Stéphane Boudreau, assistant director general of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), said that the RSEQ only provides rules to universities that the government has imposed.
“We’re very close because of our relationship with the government,” Boudreau said. “As soon as guidelines come out, they provide an idea of how to interpret the necessary sanitary measures needed.”
It’s still too soon to tell what the guidelines will be as the school year progresses. Though much is still unsure, one thing is certain. The spike or decrease in daily COVID-19 cases will determine the outcome and regulation of in-person attendance at sports events this academic year.
“New numbers come out every day so it’s a little bit a day at a time. But things could always change,” Grace said.
The CFL and XFL have discussed a potential partnership
The Canadian Football League (CFL) has been hit hard financially by COVID-19. After cancelling its last season due to the pandemic, forcing many of its players to find another job, we’re still waiting to know if there will be a season this year.
The news of having a partnership with the XFL came as a surprise to fans. The XFL, which is a football league, but uses a few different rules to entertain fans and add some fun, filed for bankruptcy last year because of the pandemic.
However, a consortium, led by famous actor and former wrestler Dwayne Johnson, purchased the XFL. Since then, the league has apparently been focusing on working with the CFL to develop a possible partnership and advance their sport.
Such a partnership would mean the end of the CFL as we’ve known it for years. This would mean Canadian and American teams would play in the same league. Many rules would change, as the CFL and XFL don’t have the same rulebook. Players and coaches would need to adapt to a new game, literally. However, this doesn’t mean all CFL teams are up for a partnership, but, financially speaking, it could help CFL teams a lot, as games would be televised in the United States.
There’s still a lot to be announced on these two leagues possibly merging together. What’s sure now is that there’s a possibility that the next time we see CFL teams like the Montreal Alouettes play, it won’t be in the same CFL we knew before the pandemic.
Tom Brady wins his seventh title as the Buccaneers dominate the Chiefs
Following an entertaining Conference Championship weekend, the National Football League (NFL) couldn’t have asked for a better Super Bowl matchup outcome on Feb. 7, as defending champions Kansas City Chiefs faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
What was a highly touted competitive matchup on paper ended up being a one-sided affair, as the Buccaneers won the franchise’s second Super Bowl title in a seemingly effortless 31-9 victory over the favoured Chiefs.
Tampa Bay’s quarterback Tom Brady threw for 209 yards and three touchdowns in an MVP performance that will be immortalized alongside his countless other career accolades. In winning his seventh Super Bowl, the superstar further cemented himself as the most accomplished player to ever grace the sport.
Brady’s seventh ring gives him more titles than any NFL franchise. His previous six were with the New England Patriots, who remain tied for first with the Pittsburgh Steelers with six championships.
Meanwhile, the NFL’s undisputed quarterback of the future Patrick Mahomes struggled all night, throwing for 270 yards and a couple of interceptions. More notably, Mahomes was sacked three times and was held to zero touchdowns for the first time in the 2020–21 season.
Brady will get most of the attention for winning the game for his team as quarterbacks typically do — and rightfully so. However, it was Tampa Bay’s defence, orchestrated by defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, that set the tone of the game early.
Throughout the 2020–21 regular season and playoffs, the Buccaneers struggled at times on offence, but had the benefit of playing alongside a consistent and authoritative defence. As growing pains eventually settled as the weeks went by, everything emphatically culminated on Sunday in their dominating two-way performance against the offensively inclined Chiefs.
The game began and ended at the line of scrimmage, as Kansas City’s offensive line was unquestionably the weakest link in the team’s otherwise potent attack throughout the season. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, one of the Chiefs’ starting guards, was the first player to opt out of the 2020 NFL season due to COVID-19 concerns. Additional injuries to Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz forced the Chiefs to heavily rely on backups and late-season waiver wire acquisitions to protect Mahomes.
On the other end of the field, the Buccaneers’ defence was able to employ a simple yet effective strategy that took the most influential players on the Chiefs’ roster out of the game.
Bowles and the Buccaneers rarely blitzed Mahomes, realizing that the team’s pass rushers and tackles alone could generate pressure with their inherent mismatch. The Buccaneers also had at least two safeties deep downfield for much of the game, making it problematic for Mahomes to connect with his ludicrously fast wide receiver Tyreek Hill while he was constantly showered with double-teams.
On paper, superstars Hill and tight end Travis Kelce ended the game with decent counting statistics, but failed to make their emblematic game-breaking plays.
Despite the somewhat disappointing lack of competition on the field, Super Bowl LV will go down in history for dispelling out-dated American sports standards and breaking barriers.
Kansas City’s assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust and assistant strength and conditioning coach Maral Javadifar became the first women to win Super Bowl rings as part of a coaching staff. Meanwhile, no other team in the league has more than one woman coach.
NFL official Sarah Thomas also became the first woman to referee a Super Bowl. On Sunday, the league took a significant step in the right direction towards gender diversity and inclusivity.
In addition, the Weeknd made his fair share of history by becoming the first solo Canadian artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show. The Toronto-native, sporting his signature red blazer, performed songs spanning his entire career, ranging from “House of Balloons” from his 2011 debut mixtape, to his 2020 hit, “Blinding Lights.”
Despite several COVID-19-related setbacks, the Weeknd achieved Super Bowl greatness in his memorable and flamboyant performance alongside Thomas, Javadifar, Locust, and the Buccaneers.
Amidst a shower of confetti, Brady was asked during the post-game celebration if he would be returning next season following another unprecedented championship. The 43-year-old, coming off his most lopsided Super Bowl win to date, kept his answer short and sweet.
“I’m coming back, you already know that,” Brady said.
The NFL playoffs have offered fans all kinds of results so far
With the National Football League (NFL) playoffs currently at the Conference Championship stage, we’re quickly approaching Super Bowl LV, which will be held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida on Feb. 7.
It didn’t take long this year to have some surprising — or, in other words, disappointing — playoff exits.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the favourite teams to win the Super Bowl entering the playoffs, faced their rivals the Cleveland Browns in the wild card round. Contrary to what many expected, the Browns delivered an almost perfect first half, even establishing a new record in NFL history with 28 points in the first quarter.
It was the Browns’ first win in Pittsburgh since 2003, and the team’s first playoff victory since 1994. Unfortunately for them, they lost 22-17 to the defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, in the divisional round.
An exciting divisional round matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints sent the latter of the two teams out of the Super Bowl picture. The Saints, 12-4 in the season, lost 30-20 in what was a game full of turnarounds and key plays.
Less surprisingly, the Baltimore Ravens offered a disappointing performance against the Buffalo Bills. After beating the Tennessee Titans by a touchdown in their wild card game, the Ravens scored just three points against the Bills and lost 17-3.
The conference championship matchups also offered exciting battles between teams that haven’t disappointed so far. All four teams were looking to continue on their good winning streak, but had one last challenge before punching their ticket to the Super Bowl.
The Buccaneers battled against the Green Bay Packers, who registered a better record than the Buccaneers in the regular season. Still, both teams were coming off important wins in the divisional round. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, Buccaneers’ and Packers’ quarterbacks respectively, are both among the NFL’s best players of all time. They were for sure going to give their best against the other. It’s been an exciting offensive game, but the Buccaneers had the best of the Packers 31-26.
On the other side, the Bills, perhaps the most improved team this season, played the Chiefs. Those two franchises have combined for only five losses in 32 games this season. Yet, one of them had to lose. It’s finally the Chiefs’ offence that had the final say, winning 38-24.
With a second consecutive appearance in the Super Bowl final, the Chiefs could be the first team since the 2004–05 Patriots to win back-to-back Super Bowl championships. For the Buccaneers, it will be their second championship game in franchise history. The first time happened to be just before the 2004–05 Patriots, as they won Super Bowl XXXVII.
