For better or worse, the NFL has developed into a 12-month-a-year news cycle.
Between the Deflategate saga that began last January, a wild ending to one of the most dramatic Super Bowls in NFL history, an unprecedented trade frenzy once the free agency period opened in March, and a surprising team on the verge of a perfect season, there was no shortage of storylines in 2015.
10. The year of Gronk
It wasn’t the most important story on the football calendar but no one could get enough of Rob Gronkowski following his first-career Super Bowl victory. Between going to the Kentucky Derby, appearing on Family Feud, judging a bikini contest, spiking pineapples in Vegas, doing Dunkin’ Donuts commercials with David Ortiz, along with pure domination on the field, it was a great time to be Gronk in 2015.
Jeff Simmons: Breaking down Gronk on and off the field
9. Receivers all the rage
Quarterbacks get the headlines but the most exciting position in the NFL has become the wide receiver. Between Odell Beckham Jr., Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald, Brandon Marshall, A.J. Green (to name just a few), there is a multitude of talent on display on a weekly basis and the list certainly doesn’t end there. There’s never been a point in NFL history with this much freakish ability at receiver before.
Arden Zwelling: Odell Beckham Jr. set for stardom
Kyle Enright: Top five catches of the 2015 season
8. Cowboys a total disaster
The Dallas Cowboys were inches away from an appearance in the NFC Championship last January, but 2015 certainly didn’t go their way. They lost the 2015 offensive player of the year, DeMarco Murray, in free agency and drew the ire of the sports world less than a month later after signing controversial defensive end Greg Hardy, coming off a full-year suspension. Dallas started the year 2-0 before Tony Romo suffered a clavicle injury that essentially ended the Cowboys’ chances. Romo returned briefly in Week 11 but suffered an injury a few weeks later and the Cowboys couldn’t recover from having to play the combination of Brandon Weeden, Kellen Moore, and Matt Cassel at the most important position in the game.
Jordan Heath-Rawlings: Why the Cowboys are the worst
Donnovan Bennett: Cowboys making dangerous gamble at running back
7. Panthers on the verge of an undefeated season:
No one saw this coming. Not after the team lost No. 1 receiver Kelvin Benjamin to a torn ACL in the summer. Not after a 7-8-1 season. But that didn’t faze quarterback Cam Newton or the Carolina Panthers, who rallied off 14 straight victories and are just two (might need to be updated) games away from becoming the third team in NFL history to finish a regular season with an undefeated record.
Donnovan Bennett: Why Cam Newton is running away with MVP award
6. Buffalo Bills flop… again:
The Bills were one of the most fascinating teams heading into the 2015 season. They brought in splashy, big-talking head coach Rex Ryan to replace Doug Marrone following a 9-7 campaign. They had a new starting quarterback in Tyrod Taylor. They brought in big-name players such as LeSean McCoy and Percy Harvin to supplement star receiver Sammy Watkins. Yet it was the same old story for the hapless Bills, who continued the league’s longest playoff drought in an extremely disappointing season.
Jeff Simmons: Bills are wasting Sammy Watkins
5. Chip Kelly makes unprecedented changes in Philly:
Not many coaches come to the NFL with the hype of Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, one of college football’s most innovative minds during his time at the NCAA level with Oregon. After two solid seasons in Philly, Kelly craved more power and personnel control. He eventually got his wish and the Eagles became a rapidly different looking roster, replacing the team’s starting quarterback, running back, and one of the team’s primary receivers. And yet the Eagles didn’t improve at all.
Donnovan Bennett: Brutal offseason to blame for current struggles
Jordan Heath-Rawlings: Chip Kelly’s big bet in Philly
4. Adrian Peterson returns from full-year suspension:
2014 was a dark year for Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson. He was suspended without pay for the entire year for violating the league’s personal conduct policy for ‘an incident of abusive discipline that he inflicted on his four-year-old son.’ Peterson took the year to get himself right—personally and professionally—and returned in 2015, following a brief saga where he tried to leverage his way out of Minnesota via trade, back to his all-pro level. As of Week 16, Peterson ranked first in the NFL in rushing, averaging his first yards per carry (4.6) since 2012, and is tied for third in the league with nine rushing scores.
Geoff Lowe: Peterson will be an impact player in 2015
3. Broncos thinking about life after Peyton:
Peyton Manning is one of the most accomplished players in NFL history, but due to a combination of age, injuries, and declining arm strength, he just wasn’t the same player in 2015. The Broncos were winning in spite of the future Hall of Fame quarterback, who had just nine touchdown passes and 17 interceptions in nine games this season. The Broncos knew he wasn’t right and decided to bench Manning for Brock Oseweiler—just a few hours after he broke Brett Favre’s record for career passing yards in Week 10—and he has yet to return to the field.
Donnovan Bennett: Why Manning needs to think about a lesser role
2. Seahawks give away Super Bowl XLIX:
It seemed inevitable. The Seahawks had the ball inside the Patriots’ two-yard line, trailing New England 28–24 with less than 30 seconds to play. The Patriots were about to drop another Super Bowl… until the unthinkable happened. Rather than handing the ball to star running back Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks dialed up a passing play in what turned out to be most debated play call in NFL history. Russell Wilson’s pass was intercepted by Malcolm Butler, leaving the Seahawks and the sports world shaking their heads in disbelief.
Sportsnet Staff: Worst call in football history?
1. Deflategate dominates the headlines
Following their win over the Colts last January at the AFC Championship, the Patriots were accused of deflating several game balls in order to benefit Tom Brady. The league investigated the matter, which took months, and the NFL suspended the star quarterback for his involvement on May 11. The story took off from there. Did the NFL go too far? Was Brady a cheater? Did this affect his legacy? The discussion dominated sports talk radio for months—especially after the commissioner upheld the suspension on July 28—but after an appeal, a few filed lawsuits, and several court dates, federal judge Richard Berman overturned the ruling and Brady was eligible to return for Week 1.
Stephen Brunt: Brady ruling shines light on latest Goodell misstep
Arash Madani: Patriots defined by dynasty, not deflation
