On Thursday, Sept 6th, the NFL (National Football League) season began. The weekend was full of many thrilling finishes along with some stunning and surprising games. The Cleveland Browns got off to their best start in 14 years as they tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Along with all of the exemplifying games, there were plenty of injuries that went along with them, and many fantasy owners are already shaking in their boots.

Although the NFL came down hard with new rules to protect quarterbacks and other offensive players, there were still an abundance of injuries around the league. One of the biggest was quarterback Aaron Rodgers as he was carted off the field in the second quarter with an apparent knee injury. Rodgers did return and surprisingly played fantastic although he was mostly on one leg for the rest of the game. Many people around the league are debating on if Rodgers can play week two against their division rival the Minnesota Vikings, but Rodgers is as confident as ever.

“It was going to take some catastrophic injury to keep me off the field in the second half,” Rodgers said. “I’m planning on playing next week.”

Rodgers injury was one that was known league wide but there were a handful of other injuries that ended many players seasons.

In the first game of the season, The Atlanta Falcons top defensive back Keanu Neal went down. Losing him would affect the rest of their season because he their best defensive back. As Neal came down awkwardly on his knee, many Falcons fans would hold their breath. As the injury did not look very severe, he was able to walk off the field and would be taken to get an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) the next day. The Falcons got a rude awakening when they found out Neal would be out for the season with a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).

“This one really hurts,” Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said. “Neal certainly exemplifies the way this team is and how to be a teammate.”

Injuries have plagued many players careers, and the seasons their teams have. The NFL is doing everything they can to try to maintain players health while keeping the game entertaining. One of the many rules that the league changed to try to keep players safe is that the defender can no longer lead with their head while tackling, and many defenders disagree with this rule. 

“There is no “make adjustment” to the way you tackle,” San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman said. “Even in a perfect form tackle the body is led by the head.  The rule is idiotic and should be dismissed immediately. When you watch rugby players tackle they are still lead by their head. Will be flag football soon.”

Many fans are unhappy with how soft the game has become, including president Donald Trump.

“Today, if you hit to hard, 15 yards, throw him out of the game,” Trump said. “They’re ruining the game, right? They’re ruining the game. It’s hurting the game.”

Even with the new rules, 15 players, on offense and defense were hurt in week one. Anywhere from concussions, to torn ACL’s there were injuries all over the league.

One of the best performances of the week, was from wide receiver Desean Jackson for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had 5 receptions for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns. Even with the stats that he put up, he was sidelined due to a head injury and is now in concussion protocol.

Players should know that playing professional football comes with risks, and that the NFL shouldn’t have to form rules to protect them. The rules have been the same since football started, and football is known for the brutal hits and the physical activity that comes along with it.

The NFL is losing more and more viewers each year because of the decrease of the in game entertainment. According to Business insider,  the average audience dropped from 16.5 million in 2016, to 14.9 million in 2017. Overall, the league is trying to protect its players while maintaining the electric physical level they are known for. There are still many players getting hurt week in, and week out and fans are starting to wonder if the rules are truly working.