I am still riding this high I call the NFL Funday Football Simpsons Game. Wow. Even taking this day and a half to soak in everything we witnessed to best describe my thoughts on this production, I am still at a loss for words. However, much like Amarius Mimms attempting to block Moe Szyslak coming off the edge, all I can do is simply try my best.
Here are my thoughts on the 2025 NFL Funday Football Simpsons Game.
First of all, I MUST know how it was decided upon that Homer Simpson would represent the Cowboys while the Bengals were thrown with his 10-year-old son. I will admit, for a 10-year-old, this was an impressive showing. Bart became the youngest QB to throw for an NFL touchdown since Tommy Maddox in 1992, who was 21 years old. However, while Bart displayed a promising performance for what his future could hold, there was an obvious talent gap between him and Homer, and whoever decided the Cowboys (who had the better record) should get Homer should be fired.
Homer was EVERYWHERE on the Atoms Stadium Field Monday, accomplishing an unheard-of feat, recording the first ever game with a Passing TD on offense, while also catching an Interception on defense. Even better, this becomes the first CAREER to have both a Passing TD and a Defensive INT in the NFL.
Despite the historic performance, Homer and his Cowboys came up just short, fumbling a massive, blocked punt in the final moments of the game, and ultimately fumbling their shot at what would have surely been at least three points and a likely win, and THANK GOD this was the case. Homer is miles ahead of Bart in their current playing state, and they should not have been the two players assigned to these teams. Who decided Dallas gets Homer? They had the better record coming into this so if anything, they should have gotten Bart.
Producers knew there was a talent-gap between the two, so made up for this by LOADING up the Bengals with a few game-wreckers that would change the game completely. Ralph Wiggum, often recognized as Springfield’s most intellectually challenged 2nd grader, had the most surprising performance of the day. Late in the 1st quarter, Wiggum ran a slant route which resulted in him hauled in what would be Cincinnati’s first score of the day. Wiggum became the youngest player to ever step foot on an NFL field, passing up Amobi Okoye who was 19 years old when he suited up for the Texans in 2007.
Surely the Producers thought the addition of Ralph Wiggum was enough talent to level the field between Dallas and Cincinnati, right? Wrong. The unsung hero of the night was the OTHER offspring of the rivaled father, in Bart’s 8-year-old sister, Lisa Simpson. Lisa was hands down the MVP for Who-Dey Nation on Monday night, with two of the biggest plays of the game resulting in touchdowns. With speed that literally formed sparks out of her heels, Lisa caught a screen-pass from Joe Burrow before scurrying to the end-zone, edging the sideline in such a way that would make any field squeal. On top of this lead-taking TD, the child-prodigy sealed the game with a 40-yard touchdown from her brother Bart, becoming the first siblings to connect on an NFL score, and ending the Fantasy Football Playoff dreams of millions around the globe. Lisa would finish the game with 4 receptions, 85 scrimmage yards, and 2 touchdowns off just 8 total snaps.
Other notable players out of Springfield included Dallas running back Barney Gumble, Bart’s long-time friend Milhouse Van Houten protecting his partner in crime on the offensive line, and local bartender he was often matched against in Moe Szyslak. Milhouse struggled to contain Moe coming off the edge, often allowing Szyslak to disrupt the quarterback’s play.
All in all, this game was must-see TV. Fans are hopeful that this father-son (more like father-daughter) rivalry can continue next year, as both the Cowboys and Bengals are hoping to flip their lost seasons back into contending organizations in 2025.