The NFL season started last week and we already have highlights, crazy stat lines, and stories. In week 1 every NFL team played. Our Thursday night football game was a rematch of last years NFC Divisional Round with the Eagles beating the Falcons. Carson Wentz (Quarterback for the Eagles) is still not playing due to a torn ACL. The Buccaneers and the Saints had the highest scoring game of week 1 with the Buccaneers coming out on top beating the Saints 48-40. The Patriots beat the Texans 27-20 and we saw Tom Brady face off against the quarterback of the future Deshaun Watson. The Giants vs Jaguars game showcased a great matchup between Odell Beckham Jr. and Jalen Ramsey. The #2 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft Saquon Barkley showed off his speed running to the end-zone for a 68-yard touchdown. The Steelers played against the newly revamped Browns roster. The game was tied at the end of the game and went into overtime only to remain tied. Tyreek Hill is racking up yards and touchdowns carrying over his dominance from last year. The Green Bay Packers entered there 100th season with a well-earned win. The Packers were down 10-0 to the Chicago Bears when Aaron Rodgers got sacked by defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris. He struggled to put weight on his left leg and was taken to the locker room after going to the medical tent. Rodgers came back to the game in the 4th quarter when the Packers were down 20-0 to the Bears. Aaron carried the team to a come from behind win tying the biggest comeback of his career.

The chances of someone making the NFL are slim to none, but even the thought of making the NFL while only having one hand is unthinkable. Beating all the odds Shaquem Griffin a linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks started in his first NFL game on September 9, 2018. Shaquem Griffin didn’t have the same life growing up as other NFL players did when they were kids. Shaquem Griffin (born 2 minutes after his twin brother Shaquill) was born with amniotic band syndrome. It caused the fingers on Shaquem’s left hand to not fully develop. Later in his life, when Shaquem was 4 years old he had his whole left hand amputated due to excruciating pain. This amputation forced Shaquem to adapt to a new lifestyle with one hand. Fast-forward to July 27, 2012, Shaquem Griffin committed to the University of Central Florida after receiving a football scholarship there by Coach George O’Leary. Shaquem’s brother Shaquill turned down playing football at his dream college so he could play alongside Shaquem. Shaquem decided to redshirt his freshman season after not receiving any playing time. For a short streak Shaquem was a second-string player, but shortly after fell all the way to the scout team in the depth chart. His next season UCF signed a new coach Scott Frost. Scott frost gave Shaquem the opportunity he was waiting for. Shaquem quickly saw his playing time and performance increase. In 2016, Shaquem was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Year. During this 3 year stretch, he racked up lots of achievements and awards such as 2x First-Team All-AAC, Second-Team All-American, Sports Illustrated All-Bowl Team, AAC Championship, Peach Bowl Championship, Peach Bowl Defensive MVP, and ESPN All-Bowl Team. After a great final year at UCF Shaquem was initially not invited to the NFL Combine, but later on, was invited to the 2018 NFL Combine. Shaquem proved he deserved to be at the combine by running a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, the fastest 40-yard dash ever by a linebacker. Shaquem Griffin’s amazing performance at the combine boosted his value in the draft. Shaquem was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He signed a 4-year deal worth 2.8 million dollars. Shaquem Griffin had his NFL debut on September 9, 2018, against the Denver Broncos.

NFL Week 1

 

                           Falcons 12          Texans     20       Steelers       21    Seahawks  24

                           Eagles       18      Patriots     27      Browns       21     Broncos      27

 

                           Bengals      34       49ers        16           Chiefs         38      Bears        23

                           Colts           23       Vikings      24         Chargers    28        Packers   24

 

                           Bills 3              Titans       20           Cowboys 8                    Jets         48

                           Ravens 47       Dolphins  27           Panthers 16                 Lions      17

 

                           Buccaneers 48      Jaguars    20        Redskins  24           Rams        33

                           Saints          40      Giants      15         Cardinals 6             Raiders     13

 

NCAAF Top 10 Week 2

 

                     Arkansas State 7     (2) Clemson 28       (3) Georgia                  41  

                     (1) Alabama 57         Texas A&M      26 (24) South Carolina      17

 

                     Rutgers            3           New Mexico      14           UCLA                  21

                     (4) Ohio State 52       (5) Wisconsin      45         (6) Oklahoma      49

 

                     Alabama State 9       Ball State                16        North Dakota         3

                     (7) Auburn      63      (8) Notre Dame      24       (9) Washington      45

 

                     (17) USC             3

                     (10) Stanford   17