The 2020 American football season was a year unlike any other. Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, it posed unprecedented challenges to players, coaches, and organizers at every level of the sport. The season was characterized by delayed starts, numerous cancellations, empty stadiums, and historic performances on the field.
This is a season that we all can remember waiting to see if games would be played, delayed, or canceled because of the pandemic. Star players may sit out a game because they have symptoms or might not play for the whole season as they worry about health concerns, just as the rest of the world was doing in daily activities.
Football was a much-needed distraction, though in the 2020 season it helped us forget about our global crisis for a moment and find some normalcy, even as we saw empty stadiums with piped-in crowd noise.
The NFL: A Season of Offense and a Historic Super Bowl
Despite the lack of preseason games and a traditional offseason, the 2020 NFL season became a showcase of offensive dominance.
- Scoring Records Shattered: The 2020 season finished with a total of 12,692 points scored, destroying the previous record by more than 700 points. It was the highest-scoring season in NFL history, largely driven by stellar quarterback play. Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers threw an impressive 48 passing touchdowns, while Josh Allen accounted for 45 total touchdowns to lead the explosive Buffalo Bills offense. Running back Derrick Henry also made history, rushing for over 2,000 yards and scoring 17 touchdowns for the Tennessee Titans.
- The Rise of the Buccaneers: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by 43-year-old quarterback Tom Brady in his first season with the team, embarked on a historic run. After an underwhelming 7-5 start, the Buccaneers did not lose another game. They made history by becoming the first team to play and win a Super Bowl in their home stadium.
- Super Bowl LV: In the championship game, played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, the Buccaneers faced the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. Behind a dominant defensive performance and steady play from Brady, Tampa Bay defeated Kansas City in a blowout, 31-9, to capture the Lombardi Trophy.
College Football: Chaos, Adaptability, and the Crimson Tide
The 2020 college football season was fraught with uncertainty. In the summer, several major conferences, including the Big Ten and Pac-12, initially postponed their seasons before ultimately reversing course.
- Scheduling Chaos and Opt-Outs: The pandemic led to a highly disjointed season. The Big Ten and Pac-12 played shortened, conference-only schedules. A staggering 139 regular-season games were canceled or postponed, including historic rivalries like the Michigan-Ohio State game, which was not played for the first time since 1917. The bowl season was heavily impacted as well, with 16 bowls canceled and at least 21 schools opting out of postseason play.
- Heisman History: In a season dominated by offenses, Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first wide receiver to win the award since Desmond Howard in 1991.
- The College Football Playoff: The postseason looked different, notably with the Rose Bowl being moved from Pasadena, California, to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, due to pandemic restrictions.
More 2020 Gridiron Milestone Moments
The culmination of the college season saw two powerhouses meet for the title. On January 11, 2021, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, the undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide, coached by Nick Saban, faced the Ohio State Buckeyes. Alabama cemented its legacy as one of the greatest teams in college football history by defeating Ohio State 52-24 to claim the National Championship.
Beyond the field, the 2020 season will be remembered for the eerie visuals of empty or severely capacity-restricted stadiums, the constant anxiety of COVID-19 testing, and the resilience required to complete the season. It was also the year the Washington NFL franchise temporarily rebranded as the “Washington Football Team”.
A Deep Dive into 2020 Football History and Highlights
- January 1, 2020 – The 106th Rose Bowl featured the Wisconsin Badgers of the Big Ten against the Pac-10’s Oregon Ducks. This was a tight game and a great matchup. The Badgers seemed to have the upper hand as they were more potent on offense, racking up 322 yards, and held Oregon’s star QB Justin Herbert to a measly 138 yards passing on the day with one interception. However, late in the game, the Ducks were up 28- 27, but the Badgers were on the march to score. A controversial offensive pass interference call stalled the drive, and the Ducks held on for the one-point victory.
- January 13, 2020 – Superdome, New Orleans – The College Football National Championship took place as Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow and his teammates of the #1 LSU Tigers faced Trevor Lawrence and the rest of the #3 Clemson Tigers. LSU overpowered Clemson 42-15 to win the National College Playoff Championship in this battle of Tigers.
- January 19, 2020 – Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara – The results of the NFC Championship game were that the San Francisco 49ers thwarted the Green Bay Packers, 37-20.
- January 19, 2020 – The Kansas City Chiefs overcame the Tennessee Titans 35-24 to reach the Super Bowl.
- January 26, 2020 – Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida – At the 2019 season’s NFL Pro Bowl, the AFC defeated the NFC, 38-33. Lamar Jackson, QB of the Baltimore Ravens, and his future teammate Calais Campbell, who at the time was a Defensive End with the Jacksonville Jaguars, were awarded the Most Valuable Player awards.
- February 2, 2020 – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami – Super Bowl LIV saw the Kansas City Chiefs overcome a 20-10 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20. Patrick Mahomes orchestrated 21 unanswered points in the final six minutes to secure the Chiefs’ first championship in 50 years, earning Super Bowl MVP honors in the process.
- March 20, 2020 – After 20 seasons in a New England Patriots uniform, six-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady officially agreed to move and play with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a 2-year, $50m guaranteed deal. We look back at this now and know the results with the Bucs winning the Super Bowl with Brady at the helm, but at the time, many believed it would be a disaster for both Brady and the Patriots when the QB was separated from the genius of Bill Belechik. Tom Brady was a sixth-round pick, the 199th draftee overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. Hindsight makes it unbelievable that there were 198 others taken before him in any Draft, and maybe all the drafts put together!
- April 23, 2020, at the NFL Draft: LSU quarterback Joe Burrow was the first pick by the Cincinnati Bengals. Other headlines included the slide of Cal QB Aaron Rodgers and a handful of Auburn players taken in the first round. We have more details in our 2020 NFL Draft post.
- June 19, 2020 – The National Football League (NFL) formally recognized Juneteenth (June 19) as a league-wide holiday to commemorate the end of slavery and combat systemic racism. The NFL committed nearly $250 million to support diversity and influence positive racial harmony. The league committed significant funding and established the date as a paid company-wide holiday for league offices.
- June 25, 2020 – The NFL announced the cancellation of both the 2020 Hall of Fame Game (originally scheduled for August 6 in Canton, Ohio) and the Hall of Fame induction ceremony due to the pandemic. [Source]
- July 3, 2020 – Washington Redskins Name Change Review: In 2020, the Washington franchise publicly announced it would undergo a thorough review of its controversial name and logo, ultimately adopting the “Washington Football Team” placeholder on July 23. (Source)
- July 14, 2020 – The Cleveland Browns ink Miles Garrett to a 5-year $125 million contract extension that will keep the prolific pass rusher in Cleveland until he reaches 30 years old.
- July 15, 2020 – The Tennessee Titans re-signed superstar running back Derrick Henry to a 4-year, $50 million contract extension. Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith won the award, becoming the first receiver to claim the trophy since 1991
