The New England Patriots had their home opener against the Baltimore Ravens. After going back and forth with no scores, the Ravens were the first to strike, with quarterback Lamar Jackson making a touchdown pass to tight end Mark Andrews. On the next drive, Patriots kicker Nick Folk made a thirty-four yard field goal. After a few more scoreless drives, and a failed fourth down conversion by the Patriots which gave the Ravens solid field position, Lamar Jackson threw an interception. On that drive, Patriots quarterback Mac Jones made a dash for the endzone, bringing the Patriots in the lead by three points. However, the lead didn’t last for too long, as Lamar Jackson made a long throw to tight end Mark Andrews for his second touchdown of the day. To close out the first half, Patriots kicker Nick Folk made a field goal from fifty yards away. 

During the second half, Ravens tight end Josh Oliver scored his first NFL career touchdown, tying the game, with the point-after-touchdown sending them in the lead by one point. After a scoreless drive by the Patriots, they had to punt off to the Ravens, with receiver Devin Duvernay taking the return. He was about to go all the way across the field for a touchdown for the second kickoff this season, before Patriots punter Jake Bailey shoved him out of bounds. After many more drives, including an interception thrown by Mac Jones, the Ravens got a fifty-six yard field goal. Soon, the Patriots were able to score a touchdown, and took a two point attempt, in order to get within three points of taking the lead. After a hard-fought attempt, they were unable to make the two point conversion, keeping the score at twenty-six to thirty-one, in favor of the Ravens. On the next drive, the Ravens’ had a fumble, which was recovered by the Patriots. However, Mac Jones threw an interception in the endzone to Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey. 

Late in the fourth quarter, Lamar Jackson ran with the ball for a touchdown, and the Patriots received possession of the ball back with two minutes left to go. After a great, forty-yard pass, Mac Jones threw an interception, but was seen hopping off of the field, favoring his right leg, after a Ravens defensive lineman landed on his leg, twisting his ankle. He had to be helped off of the field, and was seen screaming in pain as that happened. The teams were well-matched, and the game was back-and-forth, but the Patriots weren’t able to pull out a win. 

• Update on Mac Jones: After going through an x-ray and an MRI, it has been determined that while his ankle isn’t broken, he suffered from a high ankle sprain, and will likely need surgery. However, he is expected to return at some point this season. 
• It has been revealed who will be performing at this year’s Super Bowl halftime show… It will be Rihanna!
• For the second time, there was a sewage water leak at Fedex field, home of the Washington Commanders. Fans in the lower section of the stadium were showered with this dirty water, and the same thing happened last year at this stadium. 
• At Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there was a massive beehive under one of the goalposts, and it was noticed right before the Buccaneers home opener versus Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Not only did this happen, but absurdly warm temperatures led to some tough play, especially for the Packers, who are used to the chilly, Wisconsin weather. The players were doing anything to try and stay cool, including shading their bench, and putting cool towels on themselves, but after scoring a touchdown, Packers receiver Allen Lazard was seen running off of the field to throw up, likely due to the heat. 
• The Miami Dolphins hosted the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon. Their quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, suffered from a blow to the head during the game, and appeared to be off-balance, before stumbling onto the ground. He was taken off of the field, and sent to concussion testing. He was cleared, allegedly not having a concussion, and returned to the game. However, it is believed that this was a neglectful decision on the part of the athletic training staff, as after seeing him stumbling off of the field, it was clear that he had a concussion. The NFL players’ association (NFLPA) has since launched an investigation regarding the handling of Tagovailoa’s injury. 
• The NFL is now threatening punishment for any players who break tablets or any other league-issued equipment on the sidelines. This came right after Tom Brady broke two of them in one game!
• Going into halftime, the score of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Green Bay Packers game was fourteen to three in favor of the Packers. The Buccaneers had a great rally going in the final few minutes, scoring a touchdown with less than thirty seconds left in the game. All that they needed was a two-point conversion to tie it up. However, after a delay-of-game penalty, backing them up five yards, they were unable to get the score, losing the game by two points.
• Improvement in Jacksonville: After ending the 2021-22 season with a record of 3-14, the worst in the NFL, the Jaguars are currently 2-1, including being the only team to shut-out another team this season
• The only remaining undefeated teams in the NFL right now (with a record of 3-0) are the Philadelphia Eagles and the Miami Dolphins, 

Final Scores

• The New England Patriots versus the Baltimore Ravens (played in New England) – Ravens win 37-26
• The Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Cleveland Browns (played in Cleveland) – Browns win 29-17
• The Green Bay Packers versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (played in Tampa) – Packers win 14-12
• The New Orleans Saints versus the Carolina Panthers (played in Carolina) – Panthers win 22-14
• The Houston Texans versus the Chicago Bears (played in Chicago) – Bears win 23-20
• The Kansas City Chiefs versus the Indianapolis Colts (played in Indianapolis) – Colts win 20-17
• The Buffalo Bills versus the Miami Dolphins (played in Miami) – Dolphins win 21-19
• The Detroit Lions versus the Minnesota Vikings (played in Minnesota) – Vikings win 28-24
• The Cincinnati Bengals versus the New York Jets (played in New York) – ​​Bengals win 27-12
• The Las Vegas Raiders versus the Tennessee Titans (played in Tennessee) – Titans win 24-22
• The Philadelphia Eagles versus the Washington Commanders (played in Washington, D.C.) – Eagles win 24-8
• The Jacksonville Jaguars versus the Los Angeles Chargers (played in Los Angeles) – Jaguars win 38-10
• The Los Angeles Rams versus the Arizona Cardinals (played in Arizona) – Rams win 20-12
• The Atlanta Falcons versus the Seattle Seahawks (played in Seattle) – Falcons win 27-23
• The San Francisco 49ers versus the Denver Broncos (played in Denver) – 
• The Dallas Cowboys versus the New York Giants (played in New York) – Cowboys win 23-16

by Kristina Klausinski ’24, Assistant Sports Editor

24kklausinski@montroseschool.org