It’s officially here! NFL Sundays are for cozying up on the couch with a fall breeze and lighting a pumpkin spice candle. On the surface, the NFL can seem like a “bro fest” for us girls. It may look like a bunch of grown men throwing around a ball and acting childish when they lose. But there is enough testosterone to cause some juicy drama. Here are the top bits and pieces that you wouldn’t want to miss from the first few weeks of the season.
the giants quarterback room
Our favorite young quarterback heartthrob Jaxson Dart has suffered a season-ending injury. In week two against the Los Angeles Rams, the Giants quarterback severely injured his left knee, resulting in immediate surgery. After week three, the Giants chose to trade for former Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who has been a hot-and-cold player for the past two seasons since he was drafted in 2024. This leaves the Giants with two options at quarterback. The other is veteran Jameis Winston, who led the Giants to a win in week three, despite throwing no touchdowns. The Giants have a tough decision to make, as they put the vet against the relative rookie and weigh the consequences. The quarterback debacle has put the New York Giants in a sticky situation at the beginning of their season. Hopefully, they will have time to recover the rest of their season.Â
a heated rivalry
The Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers have a rivalry that runs deep. The AFC North pairing meets twice a year, and there is bound to be a tiff every time the teams face off. In week three, the squabble between Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf and Bengals defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence came after a shoving match between Steelers center Zach Frazier and Lawrence. The exchange between Metcalf and Lawrence was unsurprising to fans and refs alike, although both players are relatively new to their respective teams. This quarrel shows the deep-rooted rivalry between the teams, no matter the circumstances. The final score of the matchup was 27-30 Steelers, leaving the four teams in the AFC North tied with records 2-1.Â
justin herbert and madison beer controversy
What’s NFL drama without a little bit of WAG tea? Over the summer, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and popstar Madison Beer announced their engagement. Herbert’s love and happiness should translate to success on the field, right? Wrong. The Chargers have started their season 0-3, and many fans believe that their beloved QB is distracted by his fiance. Former NFL player and Super Bowl champion T.J. Ward commented on Herbert’s situation on a recent episode of a podcast, fueling the online discourse that has blamed Herbert’s subpar start to the season on Beer. Is Beer actually wrecking Herbert’s season? No. But the internet loves to point fingers, and unfortunately Beer is in the hot seat for this one.Â
the apology
To close us out, the beef between Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald and the public fallout that followed is something that no one had on their 2026 bingo card. The bad blood started back in 2024, when Payton and the Broncos were going to accuse the Seahawks of cheating. Payton hoped to keep it under wraps, but we all know nothing can ever stay secret. The leak of this juicy information led to a public “I’m sorry” from Macdonald to Peyton. This is not an amazing look for the 2026 Super Bowl champs and is putting a spotlight on the 2-1 team early in the season.Â
All in all, the NFL has a lot more to offer than passing around the pigskin. There is always tension between the teams, and the tea is almost always piping hot. So next time your certified NFL bro asks you what you know about the league, you’re gonna have a lot of drama that they may not know about to report back to them.Â