NFL 2016 Year in Review
What a year it was in 2016 in the NFL. There was no shortage of controversies, high profile stories, records broken, or surprises. With that said, let’s recap all the biggest stories from the NFL this past season.
Deflategate: The season started and ended being all about deflategate. Tom Brady finally had to serve a 4-game suspension for his role in deflategate, and all the Patriots did was start 3-1 with two different quarterbacks and make us question just how important Brady is to this team. That was before Brady came back with a vengeance leading the Patriots to an 11-1 record going into the playoffs before completing the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history en-route to number five. It’s finally settled- deflated balls or not, Tom Brady is the greatest of all time.
Romo Injured Again: Tony Romo once proved to be the most fragile quarterback in the league and went down with a preseason injury, instantly changing the Cowboys from contender to bottom feeder. What happened next was the most surprising part, with 4th round rookie Dak Prescott taking the reins and leading the Cowboys to the #1 seed in the NFC. Still, all season long the question was whether or not Romo should start when he is healthy. This is settled as well, it’s Dak’s team from now on, and Romo will either be the most expensive backup in the league, or out of town next year. The future is bright in Dallas behind the duo of Dak and Zeke Elliott.
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Thursday Night Football Debate: It is obvious watching Thursday Night Football games that the teams simply can’t perform to the same level they do on Sunday’s. They don’t have the same time to recover or heal, and it leads to mostly boring games. Will there be an attempt at fixing Thursday night games next season through a change in scheduling? Richard Sherman called Thursday nights a poopfest at one point this season, and the worst part is, he may have had a point.
Rams move to LA: The Rams were generating all kinds of buzz this offseason. They were a young team with some promising talent and were thought to possibly just be a quarterback away from competing for a wild card berth. They made the splash move to trade up to #1 in the draft for Jared Goff to get the fan base excited while moving to LA. What a flop. The Rams stunk, Goff didn’t even start until late in the year when they were already out of it, and he stunk. Star running back Todd Gurley stunk. Jeff Fisher got fired. Now the question is if the new coaching staff can turn this team around. They still have some talent on both sides of the ball. Bringing in Wade Phillips to coach the defense may be the best under the radar move in the entire NFL so far this offseason. Look for at least a little bit of a rebound in 2017. Maybe 7-9 next year?
Collapse of Contenders: Going into the season, who were some of the playoff favorites in each conference? Carolina and Arizona were a shoo in right? Minnesota and Washington were up and coming in the NFC. Denver surely would be making noise in the playoffs in the AFC. What happened? Was it a Super Bowl hangover for Carolina or did they just stink? Did Arizona just get too old? Denver wasn’t able to find an answer at quarterback. Minnesota was derailed by injuries (more on that next). Washington took a step backwards this season. When it was all said and done, many of the expected favorites didn’t perform, and some surprise teams surfaced.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Another 5-0 Collapse: The Minnesota Vikings season was ruined before it even started with Teddy Bridgewater going down less than 2 weeks before the season started. It forced a desperate trade for Sam Bradford who became the starter by week two. Then Adrian Peterson went down week two, and the Vikings didn’t stand a chance. All they did was roar to a 5-0 start and were one of the top favorites to compete for the Super Bowl heading into their bye week. Then they fell flat on their face coming out of the bye week, finishing 8-8, and missing the playoffs. The injuries continued to pile up and they just couldn’t sustain the success. Reports have Bridgewater missing all of 2017 as well now, so at least they have Bradford under contract for another year. They boast one of the best defenses in the league with a few solid pieces on offense. If they can stay healthy, they should bounce back in 2017, but the offensive line is still a major question mark.
Run the Table: What is it with Aaron Rodgers and his little comments made to the media jump starting historic runs for Green Bay? R-E-L-A-X, we could run the table, if Rodgers says it, Green Bay does it. This year they stumble to a 4-6 start and the story is that Green Bay stinks and won’t make the playoffs. Then Rodgers says they can run the table, and they win the next 6 games to win the division plus their first two playoff games to get to the NFC championship. Quietly, while Green Bay ran the table after the famous prediction, Pittsburgh also ran the table in the same fashion in the AFC after starting 4-5 before getting knocked off in the AFC championship.
Rebirth of the Raiders: The Raiders finished the 2015 season with a lot of promise, a lot of young talent, and a lot of cap space. They hit on some big free agents, but what they accomplished in 2016 was still surprising. Derek Carr became a legitimate MVP candidate, and through 15 games they were 12-3 and in position for a 1st round playoff bye before Carr broke his leg and the season was lost. It was probably a year early to seriously compete with the Patriots, but this team could have made some noise in January had Carr not gotten hurt. Watch out for Oakland (Or will it be Las Vegas) in 2017, because this team is really, really good.
Chip Kelly One and Done: It seemed like a little bit of an odd match with Chip Kelly in San Francisco, but if anyone could help revive Colin Kaepernick’s career, it would be Chip. Well, that project fell flat and Chip was fired after a pathetic 2-14 season where the only team they beat was the Rams twice. It may have been Chip’s last chance as a head coach in the NFL. Enter Kyle Shanahan from the Falcons, and let’s be honest, he has his work cut out for him. San Fran just flat out stinks right now, and he doesn’t have much to work with to start. If Kyle can turn this thing around, there will be no questioning his coaching ability.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
National Anthem Protests: Speaking of Colin Kaepernick, he became infamous this season for his kneeling protests during the national anthem in order to protest inequality. He was joined by several other players throughout the league, and there was not a more controversial topic to debate in the league this season. We’re not going to take a side here and open a can of worms. Everybody has their opinion on whether they agree or disagree with Kaepernick, and they are entitled to that opinion. We won’t tell anyone they are right or wrong for their beliefs.
Super Bowl LI: Once again the Pats came out on top in the Super Bowl, and it was a historic game to say the least. Not only did the Patriots come roaring back from down 25 to win, they won in overtime, which marks the first time a Super Bowl has ever gone to overtime. Brady was magnificent en-route to his 5th title, and him and Belicheck are without a doubt the best coach and quarterback of all time after this win. Atlanta is young and supremely talented, and they should be here to stay for a few years. The key now is to avoid the Super Bowl hangover.
That’s a wrap for the 2016 season. What did you think of the season as a whole? Did we miss anything? Comment and let us know! Stay tuned for more current sports stories. Don't forget to follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram @beyondthemetrics, and Twitter @byondthemetrics
