The 2021 American football season was marked by thrilling finishes, standout individual achievements, and significant shifts in the competitive landscape of both professional and college football.
NFL: The Rams Secure Super Bowl LVI at Home
The 2021 NFL season culminated in Super Bowl LVI, which saw the Los Angeles Rams triumph over the Cincinnati Bengals with a final score of 23-20.
- The Super Bowl: Played at the Rams’ home stadium, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, the game was a tightly contested battle featuring two strong defenses. The Rams, led by veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, engineered a game-winning, 15-play, 79-yard drive late in the fourth quarter.
- Super Bowl MVP: Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp was named Super Bowl MVP after catching eight passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning one-yard reception with 1:25 remaining. Kupp’s historic season saw him join Joe Montana as the only players to win Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP in the same season.
- Defensive Dominance: The Rams’ defense, anchored by Aaron Donald and Von Miller (who each recorded two sacks in the Super Bowl), relentlessly pressured Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, tying a Super Bowl record with seven sacks. Aaron Donald‘s pressure on Burrow on a crucial fourth down effectively sealed the victory.
- Season MVP: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers claimed his fourth regular-season MVP award.
College Football: Georgia’s Triumph and Bryce Young‘s Heisman
The 2021 college football season featured dominant performances from the SEC and the emergence of a new superstar quarterback.
- National Champions: The Georgia Bulldogs captured the College Football Playoff National Championship. This marked a significant achievement for the program, solidifying their status as a national powerhouse.
- Heisman Trophy Winner: Alabama quarterback Bryce Young won the 2021 Heisman Trophy, becoming the first Alabama quarterback to receive the prestigious award. In his first season as a starter, Young led the Crimson Tide to a 12-1 record and an SEC Championship, throwing for 4,322 yards, 43 touchdowns, and only four interceptions.
- Heisman Finalists: Young secured the award with 2,311 points, significantly ahead of runners-up Aidan Hutchinson (Michigan defensive end), Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh QB), and C.J. Stroud (Ohio State QB).
More 2021 Gridiron Milestone Moments
The 2021 season provided numerous memorable moments and notable award winners across both levels of the sport:
- NFL Award Winners: Beyond Rodgers and Kupp, other notable NFL award recipients included T.J. Watt (Defensive Player of the Year), Ja’Marr Chase (Offensive Rookie of the Year), and Joe Burrow (Comeback Player of the Year). Mike Vrabel of the Tennessee Titans was named Coach of the Year.
- Record-Breaking Performances: Cooper Kupp‘s 2021 campaign was truly historic. He led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns during the regular season, becoming only the fourth player since 1970 to achieve the “triple crown” of receiving. He also set a new record for most receptions in a single postseason (33).
- Cincinnati’s Historic Run: In college football, the Cincinnati Bearcats, led by Coach of the Year Luke Fickell, made history by becoming the first Group of Five team to reach the College Football Playoff. They faced Alabama in the Cotton Bowl semifinal.
- 17-Game Schedule: The National Football League expanded its regular season from 16 to 17 games for the first time in its 102-season history.
A Deep Dive into 2021 Football History and Highlights
- January 1, 2021 – Mercedes-Benz Super Dome, New Orleans – In the 2021 Sugar Bowl, the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes decisively defeated the No. 2 Clemson Tigers by a score of 49-28. Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields fueled the victory with a historic performance, throwing a Sugar Bowl-record six touchdown passes despite suffering a painful rib injury during the first half. The Buckeyes paired this explosive offense with a stout defense, limiting Clemson star running back Travis Etienne to just 32 rushing yards while running back Trey Sermon racked up 191 yards on the ground for Ohio State. This dominant win avenged the Buckeyes’ playoff loss to the Tigers from the previous season and advanced them to the College Football Playoff National Championship.
- January 1, 2021 – For only the 2nd time in history, the Rose Bowl was not played in Pasadena. The 2021 Rose Bowl presented by Capital One as a College Football Playoff Semifinal was staged at AT&T Stadium due to Pandemic concerns. It goes down as the 107th Rose Bowl Game but had no fans in attendance. The Undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide steamrolled the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 31-14. Bama’s WR standout, DeVonta Smith, was the offensive MVP while teammate Patrick Surtain II, a cornerback, was the Defensive MVP.
- January 11, 2021 – The No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide capped an undefeated 13–0 season by defeating the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes 52–24 in the College Football Playoff National Championship. Alabama’s historic offensive performance was propelled by quarterback Mac Jones and Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, who racked up 215 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone before leaving with an injury. The game holds immense historical significance as the conclusion of a college football season played entirely amid the challenges and disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the victory earned head coach Nick Saban his seventh career national championship, surpassing the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant for the most titles by a major college football head coach in history. (Source)
- February 7, 2021 – Super Bowl LV saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers convincingly defeat the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs 31–9 at Raymond James Stadium. Dominated by Tampa Bay’s relentless defense, the game featured zero touchdowns from Kansas City’s high-powered Patrick Mahomes-led offense. This matchup etched itself into football history as the Buccaneers became the first team to win a Super Bowl in their own home stadium. Additionally, quarterback Tom Brady captured his record-extending seventh Super Bowl ring—and fifth Super Bowl MVP—solidifying his legacy across two different franchises at 43 years old.
- April 22, 2021 – According to an NFL.com story by Kevin Patra, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that NFL owners approved a proposal from the Kansas City Chiefs to change jersey number rules. Originally, the temporary adjustment had allowed more positions to wear expanded numbers during the 2020 season, due to COVID-19 protocols for expanded practice squads. With the new approval, restrictions are permanently adjusted: single-digit numbers, once reserved for QBs, kickers, and punters, can now be worn by running backs, fullbacks, halfbacks, receivers, and tight ends, with eligible players able to wear numbers 1-49 and 80-89.
- April 23, 2021. NFL rule changes for 2021 were passed at the NFL owners’ Spring meetings, allowing single-digit numbers for all eligible receiver positions on offense. The rule makers also tweaked the instant replay rules, according to an article on the Washington Post’s website. Team owners ratified a proposal to expand the duties of the replay assistant in the press box on a limited scope of calls. According to the report, with the revisions to instant replay, the replay assistant can now consult with the on-field officials on rulings related to possession of the ball, whether a pass was complete or incomplete, whether a ball carrier reached the goal line or first-down marker, or was in bounds or out of bounds, and whether a runner was down by contact. Troy Vincent, the NFL’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations, stated. “The game should be called on the field with the support of the replay official in-stadium as well as [the NFL officiating department in] New York, when appropriate,” and believes the direction of the instant replay revisions is going in a positive direction to improve.
The owners did NOT approve of the Eagles’ proposal to insert a fourth-and-15 alternative to the onside kick, but they did subtly aid the kicking teams in attempting to recover these onside kicks. The article explains that these new rules limit the receiving team to having no more than 9 players line up within 10 to 25 yards of the kickoff spot. By prohibiting the receiving team from having 10 or all 11 of its players in that “setup zone,” the new rule could tilt the odds somewhat in favor of the kicking team as it tries to recover an onside kick. - April 29, 2021 – The prime time extravaganza of the 2021 NFL Draft was held in Cleveland, Ohio, on a rainy, chilly day. The Jacksonville Jaguars brought a little bit of sunshine to their fans when the Commissioner read the card that stated that their first pick in the NFL Draft was Quarterback Trevor Lawrence from Clemson.
- June 21, 2021 – Carl Nassib made history when he came out on social media, becoming the first active NFL player to publicly identify as gay. The then-Las Vegas Raiders defensive end, Nassib, uploaded a video to Instagram to announce the news.
- September 26, 2021 – Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker hit a record-breaking 66-yard game-winning field goal as time expired against the Detroit Lions.
- October 3, 2021 – Gillette Stadium – It may have seemed like a ho-hum 28-yard completion to wide receiver Mike Evans in the first quarter during a regular-season game when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played New England. The storyline of the game was Bucs’ new QB Tom Brady facing his former team of the 20 prior seasons. That pass, though, allowed Tom Brady to surpass Drew Brees to become the NFL’s all-time leader in career passing yards. The Buccaneers defeated the New England Patriots 19–17.
