4 opponents every NFL team faces each game

Is the NFL really RIGGED on Any Given Sunday?

The NFL is in the entertainment business. This season's BIG GAME will feature the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles in Glendale, AZ at State Farm Stadium on February 12th. Despite facing each other on the gridiron there are also 3 other opponents they must face.

During the course of this season, there has been much discussion about the overall league being potentially "RIGGED." Keep this in mind as we discuss each opponent. Don't make that face. The thought has crossed your mind once.

As a Dallas Cowboys fan, I beg to differ. If it were in fact rigged I believe that Jerry Jones could "BUY" his way into the BIG GAME each season.

Each team's opponents are a given every week as stated in the example above. However, the specific dates and times of those games are shared around the NFL draft each year. Placing more importance on PRIME TIME games as a result.

Any Given Injury

In the movie "Any Given Sunday" Al Pacino plays the role of Tony DAmato, Head Coach of the Miami Sharks. One of the movie's insightful underlying themes of football was centered around the athletes themselves when facing injury.

The "Injury Opponent" without a doubt is every NFL team's worst nightmare. This regular season we saw the Damar Hamlin nightmare of the Buffalo Bills occur on primetime television which brought the league and its fans to a critical stop.

Lawrence Taylor played the role of Luther "Shark" Lavay. Held in high esteem by DAmato for "revolutionizing" his middle linebacker position by being highly skilled in both pass rushing and defending against the run. But at a cost. Shark had a cortisone addiction and was nearing the twilight of a very successful career. With a 1 million dollar bonus on the line, he needed just 1 more "HIT" to cash in.

The team doctor concealed that Shark is suffering from a previous injury, a broken neck that did not heal properly. If he suffers a serious "HIT" again, he may be killed or permanently disabled as a result.

Any Given Sunday every NFL player puts their body in harm's way for millions of dollars. Like Shark, or even Damar Hamlin in real-time. In the process, a key injury to a star player on each team in any given week changes the complexity of the game. This is the second of four opponents every NFL team faces.

What Happens Here Stays Here

In November 2015 I sat In a crowded hotel conference room in Olympia, WA. While commissioners from the Washington State Gambling Commission (WSGC) listened as two of their special agents gave a public presentation on the nation’s fantasy sports industry.

Fast forward to 2023 and the state now has multiple casinos with betting kiosks for fans to place their wager on "THE BIG GAME" this February. Prior to retiring from the Navy in '16, my dream was to open a sports bar with a fantasy football concept. At the time due to state laws against sports betting I scrapped it.

Summer of '16 I joined the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) for their historical archived data. Especially kept by them for the potential market my business plan would eventually cater to. Since then they have become the FSGA, the Fantasy Sports Gaming Association.

The Super Bowl is the most BET-on game in the world. While the NFL shunned Las Vegas for many years, even banning ads for the city during the Super Bowl, anyone who watches ESPN or even scrolls the sports sites knows the truth: the NFL and Las Vegas are woven together. Even Willie Beamen knows that.

The relationship began to thaw when NFL owners started to seriously consider the Raiders’ plans to move to Las Vegas from Oakland, California. They voted 31-1 in favor in March 2017. Jerry Jones was instrumental in this process.

Now major television networks like NBC Sports offer "Betting Advice" to NFL fans. What better person than Mathew Berry to unite the two. What does this all mean in terms of each NFL team facing Las Vegas as a formidable opponent each week?

The U.S. Supreme Court also had much to do with that new relationship when it overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018. The act outlawed sports betting, except where it already was legal, such as in Nevada.

It's no secret that the NFL helps shape the outcome of games. Especially with the help of the final 4th NFL opponent each week. As I stated in the opening the NFL is in the entertainment business. Las Vegas just so happens to be the entertainment capital of the world. What Happens Here Stays Here.

The NFL Referees

Is there a potential pathway for the NFL to have a Tim Donaghy-type scandal? The NBA gives us a reference point on how to RIG a game. You do it from within. Most recently Let's examine this December game between 2 NFC East teams.

The irony in this is the source from which this argument or discussion stems from. Mathew Berry's Twitter, the OG of Fantasy Football.

This is just one example of how the line teeters within the gridiron between officiating and game outcomes. Remember how I shared with you earlier that the NFL has been known to help shape the outcomes of games?

Outside of that, the fourth and final opponent can be beaten through a rudimentary approach. Instead of blaming NFL referees each week, here is how NFL teams must defeat them. Though discipline.

According to Statmuse the most penalized team in the NFL this season was the Arizona Cardinals (118). Only 3 penalties separate the Philadelphia Eagles (90) ranked 20th from the Kansas City Chiefs (87) ranked 25th overall out of 32 teams in the league. Possibly, this points to why they have remained the 2 final NFL teams to play in "THE BIG GAME."

Coaching matters. Coaching becomes the X factor in this theoretical math equation. Especially when on the outside looking in. Discipline matters on the gridiron just as it does on the battlefield for veterans. It could be the difference between life and death, or in this case a win or loss. May the best coach win.

Big Game Summary

As a Fan Base Creator for the Dallas Cowboys, our season looked promising at one point. The major opponent that hurt us was the injuries. And of course some undisciplined play at the most polarizing position in professional sports. Dak Prescott led the league with 15 interceptions despite missing 5 games due to a thumb injury. In addition, he threw 2 INTs in the second round of the playoffs resulting in a loss.

This regular season's case scenario was very educational and allowed me to look at the NFL game differently. Also providing some fresh context that the NFL in fact is NOT rigged. Or is it?

If it were rigged Jerry should pay admission for America's Team to play in Super Bowl 58 in the entertainment capital of the world next February. Only time will tell, Dak's for sure.

I drove myself to look at the game outside the painted lines of the gridiron this season. This is how I came up with the theory that every NFL team faces 4 opponents on Any Given Sunday. The other team, the injury bug, the sports book, and the NFL Referees.

Are you not entertained?