2020 NFL: The first Sunday of the season begins, here’s what you need to know
However, things will be very different this year.
There will be no fans in most stadiums to start the year, and you may not see some of your favorite players in uniform due to the pandemic.
With most teams playing today, here’s what you need to know on the first Sunday of the NFL.
Teams will have the phrases “It takes us all” and “End Racism” drawn in the end zones for each team throughout the season.
The NFL will play the song “Raise Every Sound And Sing” – known as the Black National Anthem – before matches on the opening weekend, while broadcasting footage showing acts of social justice to players and teams.
Gödel said a number of players told him that voting was the first issue of their concern, and that helped stimulate the votes of the NFL, a voting initiative the league launched in July.
Gödel said it is a non-partisan initiative at the league level that “supports and encourages civic participation and vote of fans, players, legends, club and league staff.”
The initiative will focus on three central parts of the electoral process: voter education, registration and activation. Educational programs were conducted with players in all 32 teams, and Gödel said the league encouraged teams to present their stadiums as polling stations.
Players will wear these badges throughout the season.
The Presidents begin defending the title
The Kansas City Chiefs began their defense of the Super Bowl by knocking out Houston Texans 34-20 on Thursday.
Midfielder Patrick Mahoms looked sharp as ever, and upward sprinting Clyde Edwards-Hillier would cement one of the loudest attacks in the league.
The Chiefs seem to have missed a beat, and are the favorites to win again this year and repeat as Super Bowl champions.
Tom Brady in Tampa Bay
Midfielder Tom Brady shook the world of football when he decided to leave the New England Patriots and sign the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as free agent.
With Buccaneers, Brady will have the most talented arsenal of weapons surrounding him in the offensive. All professional players Mike Evans and Chris Goodwin are two of the most talented receivers he has ever played with, and narrow ending Rob Gronkowski has come out of retirement to join Brady.
While the 43-year-old Brady has shown signs of decline in recent years, he is widely considered the greatest midfielder of all time and could lead the Pirates to his first playoff victory since the team won the Super Bowl in 2003.
Brady Less Patriots
With Brady at Tampa Bay, the Patriots signed midfielder Cam Newton to replace him.
This is a new era for Patriots without Brady under the center. The team will display a completely different attack because Newton is a mobile quarterback player.
While the Patriots have chosen a number of star players not to play this season due to concerns over Covid-19, coach Bill Belischik is hard to count out of the game.
Can the NFL end the season?
There were some doubts that the NFL would be able to start its season as scheduled due to the pandemic, but the league managed to get past the training camp and start the season as planned Thursday evening.
As the league plans to go into the season as scheduled, things could change quickly as thousands of new coronavirus cases continue to be reported across the United States.
“We expect to have positive cases,” said Sales. “No matter how careful we try to be and how many protocols we have in place, we know that this disease is still endemic in our communities and our societies, and it is highly contagious.”
An outbreak could easily force the NFL to change its plans, and the league may have no choice but to close the season in the event of a major outbreak.
Jill Martin, David Close, Kevin Dotson, Lea Smelash, and Wayne Sterling of CNN contributed to this report.
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