The NFL is off to a great start in 2012, even after a nervous couple of months involving an NFL Referee Association strike. Even after the NFL announced that it was hiring replacement officials, on September 26, 2012 a new agreement was finally reached, ending the lockout. Since then, we’ve seen some great upsets and some fantastic momentum going from some very unexpected teams.

Super Bowl XLVI Champions the New York Giants played the Dallas Cowboys at the start of the season on September 5. To the surprise of many, but not a surprise to pumped Dallas fans, the Cowboys defeated the Giants 24-17. As the season progressed, we saw a fair amount of wins and losses from our favorite teams. The Patriots, Jets and Bills are all tied for the top AFC East team, while the Ravens and the Bengals are tied for the top AFC North team. (As of October 1st, 2012)

The San Diego Chargers are barely retaining the top spot of the AFC West, but the real story of the entire NFL is the performance of the Houston Texans, a formerly low-ranked team that is now undefeated, besting the Colts, the Jaguars and the Titans. The Eagles are leading the NFC East while the Vikings are atop the NFC North. Two more teams to watch as we move into October 2012 are the Atlanta Falcons and the Arizona Cardinals; who are both undefeated with four wins in the season.

The Washington Redskins are playing 2-2 thus far, but everyone’s keeping an eye on them because of the “Redskins Rule.” This is a theory that suggests every time the Redskins win (specifically the most recent Washington Redskins home football game) so does the party which won the popular vote in the previous election win the electoral vote for the White House. Therefore, if the Redskins do win, historians are wondering if the Redskins Rule will repeat itself and Barack Obama will be reelected for a second term.

Regardless, this is shaping up to be an exciting season. Will we see an upset victory next year for Super Bowl 2013? Or will a familiar group of faces conquer Super Bowl Sunday? Or will the world end in December 2012? And if so, will the team with the highest score still claim the season? Whatever happens, we can’t wait!