Five weeks ago football fans were elated. We all woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed to don our lucky hoodie or favorite new jersey, tailgate with friends and scream at our TVs again — NFL football was back baby.
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Now, we're sitting smack dab in the season and a lot of fans are wondering where all the excitement has gone.
Week 5's Sunday action will be featuring a string of sleepy match-ups between losing lackluster teams and Thursday's meeting between the Colts and Broncos quickly became a unifying vent session for fans on Twitter.
Across the country NFL fanatics are asking themselves, 'Did I pay a hefty fee to the NFL for League Pass and Amazon Prime for this?' Would you rather be watching bad NFL games, or be sitting in the off-season yearning for the drama?
Is It Really That Bad?
Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Are fans acting ungrateful? Sure, there have been some dud games — but they haven't all been duds. Thank You, Chiefs, Eagles, Dolphins, Bills. Have we been spoiled with great football and now it's clouding our judgment? Is it us? We can't be the only ones questioning the entertainment value so far this season. Can we?
Don't fret fellow football fans, Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is here to validate our feelings about the overall underwhelming performances we've been devotedly watching. When asked about the inundation of 2-2 teams in the league he basically told the media, the NFL is wading in bad football. And I hate to say it, but Tom Brady may be right.
Tom Brady was asked about the parity in the NFL with so many teams currently 2-2. "I think there's a lot of bad football from what I watch. I watch a lot of bad football. Poor quality of football. That's what I see."
(🎥 @Buccaneers) pic.twitter.com/iCsBR2TYe3
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 6, 2022
NFL Twitter Loves Venting
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It's one thing to take to twitter and complain about how bored you are watching NFL games; maybe you secretly want to impress your friend, so you agree to meet up to watch the game and deep down you actively hate football. It's an entirely different problem when you love the game and find yourself struggling to keep your eyes open; despite looking forward to the action all week.
This season's level of boring, bad games is quickly becoming a running joke. Twitter is brimming with 'NFL football is lame this season' perspectives. Misery loves company, making NFL Twitter the perfect place for fans to vent about the level of football we're watching — and what spikes your serotonin more than being validated by thousands of strangers.
Who is the most boring team to watch in the NFL 👇 pic.twitter.com/L1CGWqpwhm
— Beerly Football (@BeerlyFootball) October 3, 2022
Preposterous! *Turns on Colts Broncos* https://t.co/xpfMCS9I7H
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) October 6, 2022
“You ever do anything dangerous? Like get the ball in the end zone?” pic.twitter.com/qW4cgBNbiB
— FanBuzz (@FanBuzz) October 7, 2022
Bad College Games vs. Bad NFL Games
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Some fans claim there is nothing worse than mundane NFL games. They'd rather watch awful college action than sit through an uneventful NFL matchup.
When you witness a historically bad NFL game, you feel like you've been a victim of property theft.
When you witness a historically bad college football game, you see nothing but greatness and abundance around you. pic.twitter.com/2neYodEo0B
— Avinash Kunnath (@avinashkunnath) October 7, 2022
How are bad college football games so much fun, but bad NFL games just depressing?
— Katie Pondiscio (@kpondiscio) October 7, 2022
I think the college game environment is the forgotten factor here. Of course college action is electric even if the talent is subpar — you've got a stadium packed with enthusiastic college students high on school spirit and pride.
Unpopular Opinion: I'd rather watch the best football athletes in the world sludge through an underwhelming NFL game than watch college players stumbling through a snoozefest.
Like the NFL Addicts We Are, We Keep Watching
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So, Brady proclaims "bad football" and NFL Twitter is crowded with unhappy NFL fans wishful for more explosive matchups. Have fans stopped tuning in to games? No, it's quite the opposite. Maybe we're reaching the hate watching phase of our fandom — but hate watching or not, fans are still watching.
This Sunday will have no shortage of 2-2 teams to watch — you know, the ones Tom Brady thinks are playing rotten football. We even have more than a handful of 1-3 teams in the mix this Sunday.
It's not too late to turn it around. #NFL pic.twitter.com/YKkwgERvsa
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) October 7, 2022
There are some good teams sitting at 2-2. 👀#NFL pic.twitter.com/6FqPMsS5Cr
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) October 6, 2022
So yeah, we've got some challenging games to sit through. But I'll happily sit through them for the hope of catching something energizing. There's a lot of NFL football ahead of us and who knows what storylines could still unfold. Maybe the Texans can make history like the 1992 San Diego Chargers. The 1992 San Diego Chargers are the only 0-4 team to ever turn it around and advance to the NFL playoffs. Is it unlikely, yes, extremely. Could it happen though? Sure, why not. Which is why we keep tuning in week after week, no matter how blasé we feel about the matchups — anything can happen, any given week and we don't want to miss it.
One of my favorite sports voices, Mina Kimes, tweeted a spot on take regarding the uninspired play exhibited Thursday Night, which can be applied to all the "meh" action we've been handed.
All of us knowing damn well we’re gonna watch overtime pic.twitter.com/sT9SoECXHI
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) October 7, 2022
Mina hit the nail on the head. Whether we claim we're bored, or frustrated with the matchups the NFL has given us, we will keep watching. Why? Because football, no matter how unexceptional, is still football — and we freaking love it.
