The end of the 2012 NFL season was hardly the last time anyone talked about professional football before the start of this year’s season. With players traded, multi-million dollar deals, drug tests, countless arrests, and murder the NFL has proved to continue to be the best drama on TV even when the season is over. This year, when football was actually played the drama continued to develop and only about a quarter of the season has been played.
The biggest story so far this year is the progress of the quarterback of the Denver Broncos, Peyton Manning. After spending more than a decade and a half in Indianapolis, Manning is likely finishing his career in Denver after being released by the Colts. In his second year in the Broncos organization, it has become very clear what type of quarterback Manning will be for his new team: a game changer. In his first four games this season Manning has thrown a record breaking 16 touchdown passes and no interceptions. Manning leads the league in passing touchdowns and understandably has helped in making the Broncos the highest scoring offense in the NFL and led the team to a 4-0 record in the first four games.
Outside of Peyton Manning’s great early season performance, the lack of production from the NFC has taken the headlines as well. Of the six teams in the NFC who made the playoffs last year only two of the teams have won more than one game this year, as of week four. This has led to teams like the Saints, Lions, Cowboys being in first place in their respective divisions along with Seattle, the only playoff team from last year to be leading their division. Teams such as the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and Washington Redskins all went to the playoffs last year and all only have one win as of week four. The Falcons and the Packers look to have the potential to turn their seasons around and make the post season again, but the situation looks different in Minnesota and Washington.
The 2013 season has also brought hope to some otherwise hopeless teams. For the first time in recent memory the Cleveland Browns are on top of the AFC North Division. After posting a 3-2 record the fans of the Browns appear to no longer feel bad about their team moving to Baltimore in 1996, as the Ravens have only been able to post a 2-2 record. But just as the fortunes of Cleveland seemed to have changed, quarterback Brian Hoyer, a Cleveland native who helped the team to its first two wins, went down with a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season.
Although the season is still young and there is much more football to play, the season has already taken several turns no one saw coming. But, at the same time proving the situation of some teams and players will always stay consistent.