Tag: New England Patriots

Post-Week 2 Power Rankings

Through two scintillating weeks of play, we’re starting to get a better idea of where every team in the NFL stands — the good, the bad, the ugly, and the very ugly.

Cover photo taken from San Diego Union-Tribune.

1 – 49ers (2-0)

I don’t know how you’re supposed to stop this team. The Rams put together a masterful offensive gameplan and still essentially lost by multiple scores. Even with a lackluster Brock Purdy performance, the offense continues to hum their way to 30-point outings. Christian McCaffrey has scored in 11 straight games. Deebo Samuel is getting back involved in the run game.

Until I see them even remotely slow down, the 49ers are going to live in this #1 spot. Considering their upcoming schedule, they should get nice and cozy.

2 – Cowboys (2-0)

Once again, I seriously considered putting the Cowboys at the top of this list. Their defense is just so incredible, and Micah Parsons is on an unstoppable tear. The offense is thriving in every facet, which is something I wasn’t expecting against the caliber of defenses they’ve played. The Giants aren’t great, but to cut up the Jets the way they did was eye-opening.

History leads me to believe that the wheels are bound to come off, but this might just be the Cowboys. team to flip the script.

3 – Chiefs (1-1)

In the least shocking development ever, the Chiefs are totally fine! That tends to happen when you get Travis Kelce and Chris Jones back. They both made their usual impacts in their season debuts, just as I predicted.

Oh, and Kansas City’s next six games are against teams with a combined 1-11 record. Hope you didn’t make the mistake of writing these guys off.

4 – Eagles (2-0)

While Philly continues to dazzle offensively — despite some strange playcalling — and dominate up front, their secondary is a real concern. If it wasn’t for a flurry of turnovers — including some lucky ones — there’s a real chance that they could have lost to the Vikings on Thursday. I suppose you could make the argument that they’ve given up a ton of garbage time yards in the last two games, which is fair.

We’ll see how the pass defense looks when the going gets tough.

5 – Dolphins (2-0)

At this point, 5 feels too low for the Dolphins. They have arguably been the most impressive team in the league through two games.

Their defense still concerns me a bit, but they played much better than I expected them to on Sunday night. Again, it might not even matter when their offense is as insane as it is. Mike McDaniel’s schemes combined with the execution of Tua Tagovailoa has this offense looking like the single best in the league, and I don’t know how anyone is supposed to stop them. I thought the Patriots had a shot, but they weren’t even close. While there are some tough defenses ahead on paper, I’ve seen nothing to make me believe that this offense won’t stop decimating opponents while the team keeps racking up wins.

By all accounts, the AFC East — and maybe even the 1 seed — is theirs to lose. 

6 – Ravens (2-0) 4

I’ll never know how they do it. Year in, year out, the Ravens rack up injuries like no other team and still find ways to win.

I have to give a ton of props to Lamar Jackson, who was infinitely better against the Bengals than he was against the Texans. He looked like his usual self, which involved some incredible throws. Zay Flowers is already proving himself as the WR1 in that offense, and the running game didn’t fall off at all despite the absence of J.K. Dobbins. The defense also continues to look like one of the scariest in the NFL, and although I recognize that they’ve played Houston and a Cincinnati offense with Joe Burrow on one leg, I have no doubts that they’ll continue to play at an elite level.

As the only 2-0 team in a division with three other teams with plenty of questions to answer, Baltimore figures to get out ahead of the pack in the coming weeks. 

7 – Bills (1-1) 6

The Bills are the beneficiary of a lot of teams that were above them last week turning into pumpkins this week. They completely met my expectations as they predictably tore apart a Raiders team that somehow looks worse than I anticipated. But I’ll give credit where credit is due — Josh Allen had one of his patented elite September performances, and the defense looked amazing.

Still, I will always proceed with caution with this team. I’m going to have to actually see it against real teams to believe it. 

8 – Jaguars (1-1) 2

I didn’t want to give the Jaguars the benefit of the doubt, but I’m going to… for now.

They looked absolutely lost on offense, but they were also playing an elite defense that just got its best player back. The defense gave up a ton of yards, but they did force timely turnovers to keep them in the game. There’s just nothing you can do when your star quarterback goes 0-for-7 in the redzone and your offense doesn’t get in the endzone. Week 1 was an indicator of what this offense can be at its peak, Week 2 was proof that maybe they’re not ready for primetime yet.

But they have plenty of time to prove me wrong. 

9 – Seahawks (1-1) 6

The Seahawks seemed to return to form in a wild way on Sunday, excelling offensively and making the necessary defensive plays to come away with a win. It was very reminiscent of what we saw for so much of last season. And when they play like that, they will be very difficult to beat. That combined with the apparent fact that their Week 1 loss doesn’t look as bad as it did in the moment makes me feel comfortable inserting them into the top 10.

As long as they stay healthy, they will continue to rack up wins against a pretty soft upcoming schedule. 

10 – Falcons (2-0) 7

The Falcons in the top 10. Something I never thought I’d do. But they have earned it, and they have really, really impressed me.

Sunday’s comeback win was a truly inspiring one as the defense played incredibly down the stretch and the offense found ways to win. Bijan Robinson is already one of the best running backs in football, and Drake London is really starting to emerge as a true WR1. I still have my reservations about Desmond Ridder, and I have no idea what this team is doing with Kyle Pitts, who has eight targets in two games. But I love Robinson and London, I love their defense, I love their culture, and I think they are getting ready to make some real noise. 

11 – Packers (1-1) 4

The Packers played a very strange game on Sunday. For three quarters, they were absolutely lights out. Jordan Love was tearing it up once again and the offense was churning out yards and points despite not having Aaron Jones or Christian Watson.

Then, all of a sudden, they just stopped. They straight up stopped playing offense. Up 11 in the fourth quarter, they refused to move the chains, and the wheels eventually fell off the defense, which makes sense considering they kept on being put back on the field.

I think it was a strange ending to an otherwise impressive performance, and one that shouldn’t repeat itself any time soon, especially with the two key offensive pieces returning. But it was definitely concerning. 

12 – Lions (1-1) 4

I don’t want to say the Lions got too ahead of themselves, but it appears that might’ve been the case considering how they played on Sunday.

It wasn’t a bad performance by any means, but it was definitely a lackluster considering how they looked in Week 1 and all of last season at home. Jared Goff finally ended his crystal clean play with a backbreaking pick six, Jahmyr Gibbs couldn’t quite get going, and David Montgomery got injured. The defense seemed to return to 2022 form as well as they got carved up by the same team that dropped 48 on them last season.

These are the reasons I told you all to err on the side of caution with the Lions. I need to see them churn out great performances more consistently. So far in 2023, I’m not seeing much of that. 

13 – Commanders (2-0) 7

I don’t even know where to begin.

2-0 for the first time since I was 10 years old. Sam Howell is 3-0 as a starter and just played a game I never thought I’d see out of him. Terry McLaurin is top 10. Both Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson looked amazing. Eric Bieniemy might just be a godsend. Chase Young is back. The defense — which leads the league in sacks and pressures — was absolutely incredible (other than an abysmal start and a wonky ending, of course).

This team has never given me so much of a reason to be excited. Not for several years, at least. I’m still not going to get my hopes up for the sake of my own sanity and emotional well-being, but I’ll be damned. I’m this close to doing it. 

14 – Buccaneers (2-0) 7

It may have been against two 0-2 teams, but Baker Mayfield and this Bucs offense are cooking. I see a regression in their future, but for now, I’m going to give them props.

Baker has looked excellent through two games, which makes it hard to believe the offseason quarterback “competition” was remotely close. Him and Mike Evans already have an incredible rapport. The offensive line is looking better, and Rachaad White actually had a nice outing.

But again, the defense continues to stand out to me. While the Bears are pretty abysmal, the Vikings are clearly no pushover on offense, which makes that performance even more impressive.

Again, I don’t know how long Tampa can keep this up, and this division might be better than we gave them credit for. But I really like what they have going on right now. 

15 – Titans (1-1) 10

This is a huge jump, but more than anything, it’s an apology. I was far too harsh to this team last week for no reason. This is me making amends.

Their wild comeback to beat the Chargers was a classic Titans win. It wasn’t pretty by any means, but they just found a way to win. I understand things might have gone differently if Austin Ekeler had played for LA, but I’m not going to knock Tennessee because of that. I was impressed with what they did on Sunday, and while I still don’t really believe on them, it’s a good sign that they’re still going to fight tooth and nail week in and week out. That will translate to plenty of wins. 

16 – Chargers (0-2) 7

It’s only Week 3, and the Chargers’ season is already on the line. Thanks to two brutal fourth quarters, this team is 0-2, and now every single game is a must-win for them. It’s a bit hard to put any faith in this team in a must-win scenario. But they could easily be 2-0. With Austin Ekeler back in the lineup, you’d have to think they find a way to win a game.

But that’s not what this franchise does. They find ways to lose games instead. And one more essentially ends their year. 

17 – Bengals (0-2) 6

Speaking of teams who are one loss away from their season being cooked, the Bengals are staring down a very long, treacherous barrel right now. And realistically, they have no one to blame but themselves.

I don’t necessarily think Joe Burrow was rushed back from his calf strain, but he definitely returned a bit too soon, as he has been completely ineffective through two games and is now looking at missing time after re-aggravating it on Sunday. Cincinnati doesn’t exactly have many breaks in their schedule that allows that to be easy. It certainly doesn’t help that the defense isn’t playing nearly as well as expected.

This team is just so disappointing and lackluster on both sides of the ball right now. In the last four seasons, they’re the only team to make the postseason after starting 0-2, which they did last year. With Burrow either active and a shell of himself or not active at all, the Bengals are going to have another steep uphill climb to the playoffs.

18 – Rams (1-1) 4

I still think I’m being pretty mean to the Rams. They’ve surprised me more than any other team through two games.

They’ve been very good offensively thanks to the incredible emergence of Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams, and Matt Stafford continues to make me look foolish. Perhaps the most shocking thing about this team is that their defense is actually solid as well. I think the Rams have what it takes to be a very good, competitive team. I’m not going to rush to call them a top 10 squad like some people in the media are, but they certainly don’t appear to be nearly as bad as I anticipated. Their two performances so far this season give me reason to believe they can float around .500. 

19 – Saints (2-0) 4

I’m being cautiously optimistic with the Saints, but I must say that I like what I’ve seen through two games. They haven’t been the prettiest wins, but they’ve been solid ones.

I still think Derek Carr is simply not a good player, but he doesn’t have to be for this offense to succeed. They just need to go on a few scoring drives here and there while their defense does the rest. That side of the ball has been fantastic so far this year thanks to their ageless wonders up front and their continued elite secondary play led by Marshon Lattimore.

The Saints clearly have their winning formula. It’s just a matter of sticking to it. 

20 – Steelers (1-1) 1

Pittsburgh’s defense, which won them the game on Monday night, needs no introduction. I could talk about T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith all day, but that’s not how I want to spend this time.

I instead want to continue to implore the Steelers to fire Matt Canada and figure out what the hell they’re doing on offense. Because I don’t know if I can stomach any more of the nonsense they are putting on the field. Not only is it impossible to watch, but it’s honestly embarrassing. And I’m a lifelong Steelers hater. I can’t imagine what it’s like being a fan of a team with this offense. George Pickens and Jaylen Warren are great players, but Najee Harris looks worse by the week, and the scheme shows us nothing to like with Kenny Pickett. The pieces are clearly there, but this offense is going nowhere fast as it stands. That means the team is likely going nowhere either.

The Steelers are lucky that their defense is as amazing as it is. Teams don’t put up -7 total yards of offense in a fourth quarter and still pull off a comeback victory very often. 

21 – Browns (1-1) 5

Congratulations, Browns! You are the Week 2 Team of Shame! It was going to be the Cardinals, but you swooped in and stole it at the last moment! Hope you enjoy all these years of paying Deshaun Watson hundreds of millions to look like one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL! 

*note: I want to mention that Nick Chubb’s injury was horrible and I feel absolutely terrible for him and the Browns fanbase. Nobody deserves that, least of all a guy as elite and likable as Chubb. I don’t know what a recovery timetable looks like for him, but I’m praying for him and always rooting for him.

22 – Vikings (0-2)

For as long as it continues to apply, I’m going to keep saying it: regression to the mean. 11-0 in one-score games in 2022. 0-2 in such contests in 2023. That’s really all that needs to be said.

The Vikings realistically could have won on Thursday if it wasn’t for a wave of wonky turnovers, but part of that is on them. This is a team that’s going to put up big numbers and feel like they should be far better than they actually are, but that’s not going to translate to a lot of wins. They have to be more focused on not beating themselves than beating the other team. Doesn’t seem like a recipe for success.

One more loss and the season is effectively over in Minnesota. Luckily for them, they have their AFC mirror image coming to town for what should be an absolutely hilarious matchup on Sunday. I can’t wait to see it. 

23 – Patriots (0-2) 5

The Patriots are 2-0 in the moral victories department. Maybe they can replace their dynasty of Super Bowls with one of moral victories.

Maybe if they didn’t get off to such awful starts, they’d be able to rack up some actual wins. But they’ve faced 16 and 14-point deficits to start each game this season. When your offense operates like it does under Mac Jones, you’re not going to win games falling behind like that. I don’t know why it takes this defense so long to adjust, but once they do, they actually play great football. It’s just strange that it takes them so long. It doesn’t help when the offense is as turnover happy as it has been, especially early in games to put themselves in such holes.

These all feel like things that could improve and/or balance themselves out as the season progresses. But as it stands, the Patriots are in trouble. The time to figure this out is running out quickly.

24 – Jets (1-1) 12

The Jets are back to being the Jets. I wasn’t expecting it to happen so early in the year, but here we are.

I’ll keep this brief so I don’t sound like a broken record. Zach Wilson is the worst quarterback in the NFL. Starter, backup, practice squad, it doesn’t matter. He is not an NFL player. I don’t understand this team’s commitment to remaining steadfastly at his side and insisting that he’s “their guy.” He’s no one’s guy. He’s an abhorrent football player. The sooner this team makes a move for a veteran quarterback to right the ship, the better.

But you just get the feeling that’s not going to happen. Who knows, maybe I’ll have to throw the Jets in the Caleb Williams Sweepstakes. Imagine telling that to someone three weeks ago.

25 – Giants (1-1) 4

You are so lucky. So, so lucky.

I was so ready to tear into the Giants this week, but I’ll give credit where credit is due. Pulling off the biggest comeback in franchise history on the road with a nearly flawless half of football is no easy task, even if it was against one of the worst teams in the league. That’s a win that this team needed desperately after starting their season in a 60-0 scoring hole, which grows to 98-7 dating back to last season’s playoffs. Brian Daboll clearly worked some magic at halftime for the Giants to come out firing on all cylinders thanks to Daniel Jones playing the best half of his career.

Still, I don’t remotely buy this team. Saquon Barkley being out for a few weeks with an ankle sprain is going to expose a lot of problems with this offense, even if Jalin Hyatt looked really nice on Sunday. This defense is just terrible, and with San Francisco coming up, it could be another ugly outing on national television for the team that everyone implored me was better than the Commanders. 

26 – Raiders (1-1) 2

The Raiders are who we thought they were. They might actually be worse.

I’m mainly concerned with how unfathomably terrible their run game has been. How do you have the third worst rushing offense in the league with the defending rushing champ in the backfield? It certainly doesn’t help that you have a pumpkin at QB and both of your top two WRs have gotten knocked out of back-to-back games. I wish I could say that I still like this defense, but Sunday was a clear return to form for them.

I think we’re going to see a lot more Raiders performances like that than the one we saw in Denver to open the year. 

27 – Broncos (0-2) 1

The Sean Payton era is off to a rocking start as the Broncos have lost back-to-back games at home with a loss to a bad Raiders team and a blown 18-point lead second-half embarrassment at the hands of the Commanders. Who could have seen this coming?

I guess the sky isn’t completely falling in Denver, considering how well Russell Wilson has been playing, at least on paper. But I can’t make heads or tails of this team. I never can. I mainly can’t wrap my head around this defense, which got absolutely torched on Sunday.

But it doesn’t matter. Like I said last week, these are the same old Broncos. They may be finding new ways to do it, but you can keep on counting on them to lose.

28 – Colts (1-1) 1

The good news is that Anthony Richardson seems to be pretty good at football. The bad news is that Anthony Richardson is hurt.

I hope he doesn’t miss too much time, if any at all, because he has been shockingly fun to watch. The offense didn’t seem to miss a beat in his absence, but they were also playing the Texans, so I’ll take that with a grain of salt.

With or without Richardson, this isn’t a great team, but at the very least, they’re fun. And who doesn’t love a fun bad team?

29 – Panthers (0-2) 1

The Panthers could feasibly be lower on this list. This season is off to the worst possible start for them, and it doesn’t look like it’s getting better any time soon.

The offense is a complete dumpster fire with Bryce Young showing us barely anything to like through two games. The skill position additions are largely nonexistent, either due to a lack of talent or a head-scratching scheme. Yes, the defense offers lots to like, but they have folded at the biggest moments in each game thus far. And they’re not a good enough unit to make up for the offensive shortcomings.

Buckle up, Carolina. It’s going to be a long year. 

30 – Cardinals (0-2)

The Cardinals were going to be this week’s Team of Shame before the Browns stole that mantle at the buzzer. But that doesn’t mean this team is excused from being torn apart.

Blowing a 21-point second half lead is simply inexcusable at any level of football. It’s even worse when you do it to a team as bad as the Giants on your home turf. I was still impressed with their ability to build such a big lead, and I still think this is a competitive team that isn’t as bad as they seem, but it’s losses like that which prove to everyone that you’re not worth taking seriously.

But we all know the truth: Arizona definitely views losses as wins at this point. 

31 – Texans (0-2)

You know, at least C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins lit up the box score. Other than that, I have nothing remotely positive to say about the Texans. They should probably be at the bottom of this list. Regardless, they won’t move from this basement any time soon. 

32 – Bears (0-2)

I’m running out of things to say. I just don’t get it anymore. It truly pains me to say it, but I don’t know how much more of Justin Fields we’re going to see before it becomes apparent that he simply isn’t an NFL QB. That’s truly heartbreaking for me, but it’s just the truth. I can’t even blame this on the team around him. For at least this week, this is on him.

And he needs to turn it around. Fast. 

All stats taken from ESPN.

Week 2 Picks

Week 2 has a tough act to follow after a thrilling opening slate, but with some very enticing matchups on tap, we should be in for another very fun weekend.

Cover photo taken from New York Post.

Last Week: 9-7

Season Total: 9-7

Eagles 30-20 Vikings

Thursday, 8:15 PM EST, Prime Video

The Eagles thrashing the Vikings in Philadelphia is starting to become a yearly tradition.

While I think there’s a nonzero chance that Minnesota can hang in this game for a bit, I don’t see a path to victory for them. Philly’s offense is simply too stacked for the Vikes’ paper-thin secondary to stop for a full sixty minutes. And the Eagles defense is just as good. Even though they let up a lot of passing yards last week, I’m expecting a better game here, even if they’re facing a good passing offense. I think Justin Jefferson and company will do enough to put up some solid numbers, but it won’t be enough to win a game against this good of a team.

Packers 23-20 Falcons

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

I was shockingly torn over this game. If it was in Lambeau, I’d easily be able to pick the Packers. But this being a tough first road test for Jordan Love made me think about it for a bit. But once I remembered who the other quarterback in this contest is, it became pretty easy. 

We saw how good the Green Bay defense was last week in Chicago, and I’m expecting another great game out of them against Desmond Ridder, who is easily worse than Justin Fields. It’ll be interesting to see how Bijan Robinson and Atlanta’s run game perform in a tougher test for them. I think they can do enough to keep things close for a bit. Bijan is one of the biggest nightmare matchups in the league, after all.

But the Packers simply have more talent on both sides of the ball to lose this game. Like I said, it’s a tough road test for them, and I think they might struggle offensively for a bit against a Falcons secondary that excelled last week. But when the going gets tough, I think they’ll have the better execution and make the necessary plays to come out on top and improve to 2-0.

Bills 26-16 Raiders

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

The Bills should be licking their chops. This is a perfect bounce-back game for them.

Don’t get me wrong, I was pleasantly surprised with what I saw from the Raiders last week. But this is just a terrible matchup for them. They really struggled running the ball last week, and although Buffalo got absolutely gashed by the Jets on the ground on Monday, I think their defense should have an improved performance against a worse offensive line. The Bills were also able to generate consistent pressure, so they should get after Jimmy Garoppolo. Jakobi Meyers probably won’t be suiting up for Las Vegas, so unless Jimmy G and Davante Adams go nuclear, I think this offense will be stagnant. 

The Bills offense should realistically have a great game, but I never know what to expect out of Josh Allen at this point. He’s either going to put up video game numbers or hand the ball to the defense on a silver platter. I’ll say there’s a bit of both in this game. But he doesn’t need to be a superhero to overcome a much less fearsome defense than the one he faced on Monday night. 

Bengals 27-20 Ravens

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

I don’t feel comfortable being this confident in the Bengals when it has become increasingly obvious that Zac Taylor has no idea how to coach in the first few weeks of the season. But I just have a hunch that there’s no way Cincinnati plays as poorly as they did last week in Cleveland. They’re back home and ready to make amends. 

On top of that, the Ravens are already limping. Four starters are down, including two on the offensive line. They could barely move the ball on the Texans for crying out loud. You’d have to imagine they’ll struggle in the run game again. And the Bengals’ secondary isn’t easily exploited. I just feel like that defense is in for a big game.

With better conditions, Cincinnati’s offense should return to form. They are facing a very good defensive front, but Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase have a history of absolutely torching Baltimore defensive backs. So I’ll also say the Bengals offense comes out and cooks as well.

I want to proceed with caution considering how close this game was in the playoffs last season when the Ravens were also dealing with a ton of injuries. But that was the playoffs, where everyone is fighting for their lives. In the regular season, the Ravens have gotten toasted by Burrow time and time again. I don’t see anything to assuage me of the notion that it’s not going to happen one more time. 

Lions 30-27 Seahawks

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

This matchup was an absolute thriller last year in Detroit with the Seahawks outlasting the Lions, 48-45. While I’m not expecting nearly as many points as that, I still think this will be a very fun shootout between two great offenses.

I’ll start with Seattle, who should have no business looking as poor as they did a week ago. I trust in their talent and coaching to have gone back to the drawing board and put together a much better performance. I can’t say with certainty that they’re facing a worse defense, considering I thought nothing of the Rams defense before they held the Seahawks to just 13 points at home. The Lions defense was the difference in their win over the Chiefs, so I’m not completely ruling out the possibility that Seattle struggles again. I just find it unlikely. 

Still, I like the Lions more in this one on both sides of the ball. They’re at home, where Jared Goff absolutely thrives. The offense will look better than it did in Kansas City, and if Jahmyr Gibbs gets more involved, then we could see an explosion from Detroit. You can already count on Amon-Ra St. Brown getting plenty of action, even against a seemingly great Seahawks secondary. That unit is going to have to regain my respect after getting cooked by Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell. There’s a real chance they get toasted again and the Lions win comfortably. 

But I’m going to give the Seahawks the benefit of the doubt for one more week and say they keep it close. I just don’t can’t pick them in confidence after seeing how vastly different these two teams looked last week. 

Chargers 20-17 Titans

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

The Titans are in for an encore of their Week 1 game against the Saints. Being at home this time around, the chances of them winning are actually pretty solid. But I think it’ll be the same outcome for them. 

Tennessee’s defensive front was excellent last week, but their secondary looked like one of the worst in the league. That plays right into the hands of Justin Herbert and the Chargers. Their running game thrived last week, but Austin Ekeler is nursing an injury. Even if he suits up, it’ll be up to Herbert to air it out all over the field. He had a quiet opener, but against a vastly worse secondary, I think he’s in for a great game. But the Titans aren’t the kind of team that gives up a ton of points, so this offense won’t necessarily look as explosive as it did last week. 

The Titans should be in for a better offensive performance considering they’re going up against a defense that gave up the most yards in the league last week. If by some miracle they can throw the ball effectively, they can certainly win this game. I just have no faith in that happening. So I’ll say they hang in there all game long, riding some defensive stops and chunk plays on the ground before eventually committing a turnover or two that loses the game in the clutch. 

Buccaneers 22-17 Bears

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

I couldn’t decide whether or not this one is going to be a rock fight or a blowout. I don’t really think it matters, though. The Buccaneers should win no matter what.

I have lost any and all faith I had in the Bears to be a good team, but they can still be competitive like they were last year. I think they can certainly be competitive this week, but this is a defense that made Justin Fields’ life miserable in their matchup last year. We could very well see a repeat performance in this one. Tampa Bay’s biggest defensive weakness is in their secondary, but that doesn’t really matter against a Chicago team that doesn’t exactly have the best passing offense. The Bears will have to run the ball effectively to win, and that doesn’t seem likely against a very stout front that allowed the least rushing yards in the league last week. 

I don’t have much faith in the Bucs offense either, but they won’t have to do too much to move the ball on a Bears defense that was simply atrocious in Week 1. Unless Baker Mayfield turns into a complete pumpkin, which is always on the table, I think Tampa should go on enough scoring drives to put a requisite amount of points on the board and let their defense do the rest to get off to a surprising 2-0 start. 

Chiefs 27-24 Jaguars

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

This is easily my most anticipated game of the week. The rationale is fairly obvious — these are two of the best teams in the NFL led by two of the best quarterbacks in the league who had a fantastic Divisional Round matchup back in January.

Trevor Lawrence is still chasing his first win against Patrick Mahomes. This is easily his best shot. But it still won’t be easy. The Chiefs finally have Chris Jones back after ending his holdout with a new one-year deal, and Travis Kelce will likely be returning from injury on the other side of the ball. But the Jags are still plenty capable of winning this game. We saw how deadly their offense can be now that Calvin Ridley has entered the fold. However, Kansas City’s defense will be a much tougher test than Indianapolis’, especially with Jones back on the interior. This will be a great litmus test for what this Jaguars offense is truly made of. 

At the end of the day, I think Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense will overpower the Jaguars young defense as they have year after year. They should look infinitely better than they did in the opener with Kelce back, and after the mini-bye coming off a Thursday nighter, Andy Reid should dial up a great game

This is where the Jags can make a name for themselves and prove themselves as a true Super Bowl contender. I simply have to see it to believe it. 

Texans 24-21 Colts

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

I’m actually excited to see how this game plays out. Both rookie quarterbacks in this game had solid debuts and should look better in this one considering how much tougher their Week 1 opponents were. I’m not too sure who is going to look like the superior signal-caller, but I’m going to roll with the Texans to win for a couple reasons.

For starters, I think C.J. Stroud is simply better than Anthony Richardson. But I don’t think that’s going to be the difference in this game. The difference on offense is going to be the talent around the rookies. The Texans don’t have the best weapons in the world, but a ton of different people got involved last week, and Dameon Pierce is certainly a better starting back than Deon Jackson. On the flip side, Michael Pittman had a fantastic game for Indy last week, but I don’t think he alone can carry the Colts to a win. 

I also think the Texans have a slightly better defense, especially in the back end. Guys like Derek Stingley and Jalen Pitre will make things tough for Richardson. And up front, Will Anderson will be an absolute menace coming off the edge against a poor offensive line. I don’t have a lot of faith in a Colts secondary that got diced up last week, and I think Stroud can have a very nice performance. I just like what Houston has on both sides of the ball more.

49ers 30-16 Rams

Sunday, 4:05 PM EST, FOX

Was Week 1 a mirage for the Rams? We’re about to find out. 

If Los Angeles wins this game, I’ll be fully bought in. Them beating the consensus best team in the NFL — whose fanbase is guaranteed to invade the stadium — without Cooper Kupp as nearly double-digit home underdogs would be truly remarkable, even moreso when you consider how terrible Kyle Shanahan makes Sean McVay look whenever they match up. 

Unfortunately for the Rams, I don’t see a universe where they win this game. San Francisco is simply too good on both sides of the ball. They have the most stacked roster in the NFL, and they have owned Los Angeles in recent years. I think their defense will bring the Rams offense back to earth, and their offense will once again do what they have to do to win comfortably. 

Maybe LA hangs around for a while in this game as divisional matchups typically tend to go. But at the end of the day, the Niners should win and cover with ease. 

Giants 23-16 Cardinals

Sunday, 4:05 PM EST, FOX

Desperation is a funny thing. It can bring the absolute best or worst out of a team. In this case, you’d have to imagine the Giants are desperate to prove that they’re not the dumpster fire of a team we saw last Sunday night. If New York loses this game, their season is effectively over. More than that, they’ll have an infinite amount of questions to answer. A 40-0 home defeat followed by a loss to the consensus worst team in the NFL? Complete and utter disaster.

Luckily for the Giants, their chances of losing this game are pretty low. It’s entirely possible, but I don’t see it happening. I will reiterate that I was impressed with Arizona’s effort last week, especially defensively. Their front had a very nice game while New York’s offensive line got tossed around all night long. So I wouldn’t count out the Giants struggling on offense for most, if not all of this game. But when it comes down to it, they simply have the better talent on both sides of the ball. Their path to victory will be very similar to the Commanders’ last week: struggle for a bit, but make the key plays in the biggest moments to ensure a victory. I’ll put my faith in Daniel Jones and the offense to do that. 

Cowboys 20-13 Jets

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, CBS

With Aaron Rodgers being out for the season and the Cowboys coming off one of the most dominant victories in NFL history, everyone is ready to declare this game as a complete wash. Not me. That’s not how this league works.

If the Jets were going to lay down and die in this game, they probably would have done so on Monday night as well. But they didn’t. They continued to play inspired football and win the damn game. Their offense was stuck in quicksand, but the defense and special teams did what they needed to do. That’s how games like that are won. The culture in that locker room is outstanding, and that defense is a bonafide elite unit. I see no reason to believe that they won’t have another good performance where they make things tough on the opposing offense. 

The problem for the Jets is that their offense is led by Zach Wilson, and that offense is going up against perhaps the scariest defense in the league. I don’t think Dallas will be nearly as dominant on that side of the ball, but against another very stagnant offense, it’s possible that they once again completely dictate the game. 

I just see this as a defensive slugfest between two of the best units in all of football. So I think a 9.5-point spread is a bit unwarranted. But at the end of the day, the Cowboys are the better team on both sides of the ball, and at home, they have no business losing this game. Just don’t be surprised if it’s much closer than you anticipate. 

Broncos 13-10 Commanders

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, CBS

Speaking of defensive slugfests, I strongly advise any offensive enthusiasts to watch literally anything other than this football game. It’s not going to be pretty. 

Last week, the Broncos scored 16 points at home against the Raiders while the Commanders scored 20 at home against the Cardinals. Neither offense looked particularly good outside of a couple of nice scoring drives despite not going up against very great defenses. Denver has an extremely washed up Russell Wilson under center while Washington’s very raw Sam Howell gets his third career start. However, both teams have outstanding defenses of their own that are typically the reason they’re in any game to begin with. Put this all together and you have the makings of what might be the lowest-scoring game of the entire season. 

In a game like this, you usually take the better defense. I actually think that’s ours. But we literally never win in Denver. We haven’t done so since 2001. It’s a very tough place to play, and I don’t know if this team has what it takes to notch the first Washington victory in the mile high city since I was two months old. So I’ll say a late field goal and forced turnover from the Broncos notches them a victory to send both teams to early .500 records.  

Patriots 24-23 Dolphins

Sunday, 8:20 PM EST, NBC

I was pretty torn over this game. Both of these teams gave me plenty to like and plenty to dislike last week. The outcomes of each of their games kind of overshadows some of the bigger takeaways. Miami’s offensive explosion clouds their defensive struggles while New England’s horrible start completely dwarfs their comeback attempt in which the passing game was cooking. So, at the very least, this will be a very close game.

I’m taking the Patriots for a couple of reasons. It’s hard to go into Foxboro and beat New England in a primetime setting, especially in a divisional matchup. The Patriots did win this game at home last year, after all (yes, I know Tua wasn’t playing, but still). I liked what I saw out of the Pats defense against a prolific passing offense last week, although the pouring rain might have had something to do with that. But most importantly, Mac Jones was cooking against a great Eagles secondary. Who’s to say that he won’t have a great game against a Miami defense that thoroughly struggled last week? Even if he takes a step back, Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott figure to have much better games against a run defense that gave up over 200 yards on the ground in Week 1. 

The Dolphins obviously boast the better offense, but I think this will be a tougher test for them, and I’d be genuinely floored if Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill can even sniff the type of game they had last week. I just feel like Bill Belichick is going to put together a great defensive gameplan, taking what he learned from last week’s loss and applying it to a matchup that he knows very well. Maybe if this game was in Miami I’d take the Dolphins, but as it stands, I just like the Patriots more here. 

Saints 22-16 Panthers

Monday, 7:15 PM EST, ESPN

Bryce Young’s home debut should be fun to watch, but it’s clear to see that the Panthers still have a lot to figure out. That offense had plenty of struggles last week against Atlanta. Now they have to face a better defense that could make things a lot more difficult for them. Young will have to show up and show out if Carolina wants to hang around in this game. I believe in his abilities, but I still think it’s too early for that. This offense needs a lot more time to come together.

Carolina has a nice defense of their own, and they put together two nice performances against New Orleans last year, but I think this will be different. The Saints have a true weapon in Chris Olave, who is already an infinitely bigger part of this offense than he was a year ago, and you can count on Derek Carr to sling it all over the place. Even if I’m not the biggest fan of Carr, I think he can do enough to lead this offense to a winning performance. If Desmond Ridder and the Falcons could do it, I think Carr and the Saints can too. 

Steelers 16-13 Browns

Monday, 8:15 PM EST, ABC

See: Washington-Denver. But make it AFC North style.

I’m fascinated to see if either of these teams is who we saw in Week 1. I personally don’t believe the Steelers are that bad, and while I think the Browns are solid, I don’t know if they’re that good. 

While I believe the Steelers have the better defense, the loss of Cam Hayward on the interior definitely hurts. They could have some struggles stopping Nick Chubb and Cleveland’s prolific running game. But you can count on T.J. Watt to completely wreck the game off the edge, and the secondary figures to have a bounce-back performance against a much worse passing offense than the one they played in Week 1. 

This is simply going to be an offensive struggle for both sides. That’s how the AFC North operates in a primetime setting. And I’m not going to pick against the better coach and the better defense at home, even if Vegas is doing so. 

All stats taken from ESPN.

Post-Week 1 Power Rankings

An incredibly fun, upset-littered opening week of the year has made the Power Rankings even harder to construct than they already are to start a season. Here’s my first crack at it in 2023.

Cover photo taken from AS USA.

1 – 49ers (1-0)

San Francisco was probably the best team in the league entering Week 1. Their performance in Pittsburgh validated that sentiment. They went on the road and made a seemingly solid Steelers team look like they didn’t belong on the same field as them. Pittsburgh never gets embarrassed like that, especially at home.

Brock Purdy looked fantastic just six months removed from his UCL surgery, Christian McCaffrey was dominant as always, Brandon Aiyuk looked like a true WR1, and the defense was just mesmerizing. No one in the world is beating the 49ers when they play like they did on Sunday. 

2 – Cowboys (1-0)

Dallas didn’t just have the most dominant performance of Week 1. They had one of the most dominant performances I’ve ever seen. I seriously considered putting them at the top spot this week.

I expected them to go into East Rutherford and look significantly better than the Giants, but I never could have expected the type of game they had, especially defensively. I had very high hopes for that unit, but to pitch a road shutout in a divisional game and dominate a seemingly good offensive line the way they did was stunning. Seven sacks, two interceptions — including a pick six — a blocked field goal for a touchdown, and five forced fumbles is the type of statline you put up when you play your younger sibling in Madden for the first time.

And it wasn’t just the defense — the offense was able to move the ball up and down on a pretty solid Giants defense. Tony Pollard thrived in his first game as the RB1, and it didn’t matter at all that the passing game wasn’t very effective due to the pouring rain. The Cowboys dominated in the trenches on both sides of the ball. I don’t know if it will look like that every week, but I think we can get used to seeing it. 

3 – Chiefs (0-1)

Let’s all pump the brakes. The Chiefs are going to be just fine. God forbid they lose a game by one point without arguably the best tight end of all time and a top three defensive tackle in football!

You know what the funniest part of this whole narrative is? Kansas City would have won if Kadarius Toney made literally any of the catches he dropped. The first one would have prevented a pick six, the second would have set up a score, and the third would have set up the winning field goal. For the Chiefs to be largely in control in that game without Travis Kelce and Chris Jones tells me everything I need to know about them. They’re a very good football team. And once those two get back, it’ll be curtains for the league.

A lot is being made of the lack of WR talent on the team, which is fair. But once Kelce is back, it’ll look a lot like it did last year — defenses will be so consumed with Kelce that everyone else is going to have space to operate.

And I was thoroughly impressed with the Chiefs defense. The young guys like McDuffie, Karlaftis, and Bolton are absolutely hooping. With Jones back, they’ll also be back to being a very, very good unit.

This team is going to be more than fine. Just wait a bit. 

4 – Eagles (1-0)

I’m giving most teams that played in the elements the benefit of the doubt. But I honestly wasn’t very impressed with the Eagles on Sunday.

Their offense only scored one touchdown, and it was after a fumble set them up at the 26-yard line. Their patented run game only generated 97 yards on the ground as they were outgained by 132 yards of total offense by a team that’s significantly worse on that side of the ball. I understand pouring rain doesn’t exactly enhance an offense, but the Eagles looked much better in those conditions last year against Jacksonville than they did on Sunday in Foxboro.

The defense didn’t have the best game on paper, but there was a lot to like with their performance. Darius Slay returned an interception 70 yards for a score, Jalen Carter was impossible to stop in his debut, and Jordan Davis forced a fumble. I don’t know how or why there were so many coverage breakdowns that let Mac Jones cut them up for 316 yards and 3 touchdowns, but I get the impression that these are just some growing pains that come with a new defensive scheme. They’ll probably be just fine.  

5 – Dolphins (1-0)

We all know Tua Tagovailoa is a solid quarterback. We all know that Tyreek Hill is one of the best receivers in football and perhaps the single most dynamic player in the league. But I don’t think any of us could have predicted that.

Tua and Tyreek’s offensive explosion on Sunday in Los Angeles was simply stunning. I was mesmerized from start to finish. Tua played what has to be the best game of his career — including making hands down the best throw of his career, the 4th quarter deep shot on the run to Hill — against a very solid Chargers defense. He was pinpoint with his accuracy, he made good decisions, and he put up one of the best Week 1 performances ever. It helps when you’re throwing the ball to Tyreek Hill, who simply never slows down. He embarrassed LA’s defense all day long with his once-in-a-lifetime blend of speed and ball skills. It might’ve been the most impressive game he has played as well.

Despite the offensive explosion, Miami’s defense left a lot to be desired. They gave up 433 yards of offense including a whopping 234 on the ground, allowing the Chargers to gash them for 5.9 yards per carry. But, when they needed it most, the defense shored up, especially up front. This is a unit that figures to get better with time as the new pieces continue to gel under Vic Fangio. Once that happens, this team is going to be terrifying. 

6 – Jaguars (1-0)

It wasn’t pretty, but how many road divisional games are?

I was very confident in picking the Jaguars last Thursday, but as time went on, I got more and more skeptical. I always thought they’d win, but a struggle seemed likely. It was certainly a struggle, but a very weird one.

The wacky live ball fumble returned for a touchdown and a few other nice plays from the Colts made things difficult, but in the end, the Jags looked great in all of the ways I expected them to. Calvin Ridley burst onto the scene with a fantastic opening game in a Jacksonville uniform, Travis Etienne had a solid outing, and Trevor Lawrence was absolutely pinpoint with the football.

The defense didn’t have the best day in the world, but I certainly liked what I saw from Travon Walker, who could be in for a special sophomore campaign. The Jaguars needed to get this weird one out of the way ahead of their Week 2 matchup with Kansas City. Now that they have, they should be in for a torrid stretch of football.

7 – Packers (1-0)

I know it’s the Bears, but… I told you so?

It has only been one game against the worst team in the league, so I want to proceed with caution. But at this rate, I’ve nailed all of my takes about the Packers thus far. Their defense is still great. Jordan Love is a fantastic talent that will only get better. All of their young receivers are dogs. They are going to continue to run this division.

Sure, it wasn’t a perfect performance by any means. But the way they turned it on in the second half was truly something to behold. This team has the talent and the coaching to have a great regular season, just like I predicted.

8 – Lions (1-0)

Kudos to the Lions for proving me wrong so far. I won’t get into the reasons why the win doesn’t mean as much as most people think it does because I already did that (see: No. 3). I’ll use this space to talk about what I liked with the Lions on Thursday.

I have to start with Jared Goff, who not only looked very comfortable, but very effective. He made some fantastic throws, especially over the middle, and I was very pleasantly surprised with how poised he looked in the pocket. And this was with two of his receivers — Marvin Jones Jr. and Josh Reynolds — being extremely ineffective. Obviously it helps when you’re throwing to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who looked incredible and could be in for his best season yet. He also got some lifts from his new RB duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs — who clearly is the flashier back and should be used more, but might be being saved for later this season, who knows.

Defensively, I thought the newcomers really splashed. Jack Campbell looked effective in both the run and pass defense, C.J. Gardner-Johnson had a few key PBUs, and Brian Branch had the game-changing pick six that essentially won the game for Detroit.

Everything is really coming together for this Lions team right now, and I think they’re only going to continue trending upwards. I’m ready to eat crow.

9 – Chargers (0-1)

New season, same old Chargers.

Offense puts up over 400 yards? Defense is worth over a half billion dollars in contract money and has so-called superstars all over the place and is facing an offensive line without it’s elite starting left tackle? That’s cool, they’re going to give up over 500 yards, including 466 through the air with 211 going to one Tyreek Hill. Run game is absolutely feasting? Doesn’t matter, the passing game can’t follow suit.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like Sunday was a total disaster for LA. The team looked pretty good for the most part against one of the best teams in the league. But that was a performance that they need to put in the rear view mirror, especially defensively.

I think the only thing they should feel good about is the fact that they have Austin Ekeler. In every other aspect, they need to go back to the drawing board. 

10 – Ravens (1-0)

How foolish of us to believe that the injury bug wouldn’t live rent-free in Baltimore this season. Some things never change.

Despite a blowout win on Sunday, the Ravens probably feel worse now than they did at this time last week. J.K. Dobbins suffered his third consecutive season-ending injury with a torn Achilles after being tackled from a weird angle, Marcus Williams could miss extended time with a torn pec, and both Ronnie Stanley and Tyler Linderbaum left the game due to lower leg injuries. I think it’s safe to say that without their starting running back and potentially two star offensive linemen, this running game could struggle. And without one of the leaders of the defensive backfield, the Ravens secondary could be in for some more tough times.

On top of all this, Lamar Jackson looked straight up terrible against a bad Texans team. He was careless with the football, inaccurate with his passes, and ineffective on the ground.

But it’s not all doom and gloom in the Charm City. Zay Flowers looked electric in his NFL debut, and their front seven is still elite. Those are about the only two positives I have for this team right now. 

11 – Bengals (0-1)

I don’t have many words for the Bengals this week. There’s just nothing I can say. This is their annual disasterclass in Cleveland. I’m not going to overreact like I’m sure many will. I’m just going to acknowledge this yearly occurrence and I’m going to move forward. 

12 – Jets (1-0)

I don’t think I have ever seen such a bittersweet few hours for a team like the Jets had on Monday night.

The Aaron Rodgers era lasted four plays. It’s next-level heartbreak for a franchise that has endured it for far too long. I’m devastated for those fans that created one of the most incredible environments I’ve seen in an NFL game in a long time.

But through all that, the Jets came out and played their asses off. It was an incredibly inspiring performance, predominantly defensively. They backed up all the hype on that side of the ball with an amazing showing — dominating at every level to the tune of 16 points allowed and 4 turnovers generated. The secondary had Josh Allen seeing ghosts as Jordan Whitehead picked him off three times. The front looked like one of the best in football. And we can never forget the special teams winning it in overtime with Xavier Gipson’s punt return touchdown.

But now we must look to the future. Unfortunately for New York, that’s another season of Zach Wilson, barring a likely move for a quarterback. Garrett Wilson — who made one of the best catches I’ve ever seen — Breece Hall, and Dalvin Cook all looked great on Monday night, but Wilson proved that he’s still the same old bust. I think the Jets should definitely search for an alternative; I just have no idea what that alternative would be.

This performance signified what these Jets are capable of: winning a Super Bowl. But they’ll never do that with Wilson. They might not do it at all without Rodgers. They might not even make the playoffs. That is sports cruelty at its finest. 

13 – Bills (0-1)

I’m really never wrong.

Josh Allen’s turnovers have been a problem for so long now, and I’ve been talking about how that’s a massive problem since last year. It’s a miracle that it took this performance to people to realize it. He’s as careless as any quarterback in the NFL — which includes the likes of Zach Wilson, who he just lost to. He makes terrible decisions both throwing and running the ball, and he actively holds his team back. Spoiler alert: that means the Bills are going nowhere fast with his shenanigans. People love to place the blame on the lack of a run game or a bad offensive line, which isn’t exactly unwarranted. But because Allen makes some flashy throws and hurdles over a defender every once in a while we ignore the fact that he’s just as big of a problem as any on this Buffalo team.

With a distinct lack of offensive talent and clear defensive struggles on the way, I think the Bills could firmly be in a position to take the step back that I thought they would. 

14 – Rams (1-0)

I truly never could have seen that coming.

I said this team was the worst in the league. I said they’d suffer the worst defeat of the week. I have been eviscerating them for months. I said Matthew Stafford was cooked. For them to go out and simply dominate the way they did makes me seem really, really silly.

The Rams haven’t looked that good on either side of the ball since the Super Bowl. I honestly don’t know how we got here. Stafford looked like his Super Bowl self, Puka Nacua of all people stepped up as the Cooper Kupp replacement, Kyren Williams had himself a day, and the defense absolutely locked up one of the best offenses in football.

I have no idea if this is who the Rams are or if this is just a fluke. But they deserve my respect this week. Let’s just hope my preseason prediction doesn’t end up as the single worst take of my career. 

15 – Seahawks (0-1)

Here’s a new Power Rankings addition for the 2023 season: every week, I will make one team my Shamed Team of the Week and simply not talk about them because of how ashamed I am of them.

Week 1’s honor goes to none other than the Seattle Seahawks, who were embarrassed at home by the team I said was the worst in football and didn’t have its best offensive player. Congrats on being the first winners of this award, Seattle!

16 – Browns (1-0)

The Browns are such a weird team. For 16 games of the year, they look incompetent. But for that one home game against the Bengals, they pull out all the stops. Their defense turns into the ’85 Bears while their offense does what they need to do for a blowout win. The fact that this keeps happening is just weird.

Sunday’s win marks the ninth win in the last 11 games in Cleveland against the Bengals, including the last four against Joe Burrow. Like the Rams, I don’t know if this is who the Browns actually are, or if this is just a one game thing. But also like the Rams, I’m going to put some resect on them for now. 

17 – Falcons (1-0)

Solid showing, Atlanta. It was as formulaic as it gets for you guys. And that’s a pretty solid formula.

The Falcons looked exactly how we expected them to look, if not better. That certainly increases my confidence in this team. The running game thrived with Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, and Robinson made incredible plays in the passing game. The defense also looked drastically improved with some solid plays made up front and newcomer Jessie Bates snagging two interceptions.

But those were the expected improvements. Everyone was waiting to see what Desmond Ridder would look like, and while most people expected a step in the right direction, I was vindicated on my steadfast take that he is simply not good. There was a time where he had four completions for zero yards. Zero! You can’t even blame the scheme for that. And it’s definitely not like this offense isn’t talented. There are teams that would love to have Drake London, Kyle Pitts, or Bijan Robinson. Ridder has all three at his disposal! He’s just not a starting quarterback, let alone a franchise quarterback.

The Falcons have their guys everywhere else, which could take them places this season. But they need to address the quarterback position ASAP.

18 – Patriots (0-1)

As far as moral victories go, that was the best win of the week.

New England should feel great about their defense performance against one of the league’s top offense, as well as their own passing offense’s numbers against one of 2022’s best secondaries. Mac Jones played what was probably his best game since his rookie season with over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. He did throw a game-changing pick six, but it was off his receiver’s hands while rain poured down, so I’m giving him a very slight pass.

But I think the Patriots probably feel as good as possible considering the fact that they lost the game. I think there’s some very big positives to take away from Sunday. And with Buffalo reeling and New York losing its star quarterback, this division could be wide open. Don’t count out these Patriots. 

19 – Steelers (0-1)

The Steelers very nearly got the award that the Seahawks got, but then I remembered that Pittsburgh lost to the team I said was the best in the NFL while Seattle lost to the team I said was the worst in the NFL. So Mike Tomlin’s boys are off the hook in that regard. They are not off the hook in any other regard, however. Because that was really, really embarrassing.

The Steelers never lay duds like that at home, especially not with tons of hype and expectation surrounding them. They’re supposed to be the team that plays up to their opponents. They’re not the team that lays down and dies for sixty minutes, including a nearly 30-minute stretch where they could only muster one yard of offense. One yard! I don’t care whose defense you’re up against, that’s simply inexcusable. I’ve said it a million times — I don’t know how or why Matt Canada is still on this staff. The offense has plenty of young talent that could be so much more than they currently are, but they’ll never get there under Canada. It doesn’t help that Diontae Johnson ripped his hamstring in two on Sunday and is likely going to miss extended time.

Here are the positives for the Steelers: T.J. Watt is a superhuman coming off the edge and Minkah Fitzpatrick is still the best safety in the NFL. But once you look at the rest of the defense, the negatives creep back in. Cam Hayward is going to miss extended time with a groin injury. Patrick Peterson looked every bit like a 33-year old cornerback on his way out of the league. And the rest of the secondary clearly has the same problems that have plagued them for so long.

Perhaps we were a bit premature in declaring the Steelers’ ability to be anything but mid for the millionth straight year. 

20 – Commanders (1-0)

A win is a win. It wasn’t pretty by any means — in fact it was rather ugly — but it’s a win. And for the fans of this city and everyone else involved that showed up and showed out on Sunday, that feels really, really good.

Of course I have my concerns. The offensive line is just about as putrid as expected. Sam Howell clearly still has some things to work on. The run game wasn’t great. The receivers need to get more involved. Ball security is a real issue — Antonio Gibson should honestly be RB3 on the depth chart at this point. But when the going got tough, the offense pulled themselves up and made every play they needed to in order to come away with a win, and a lot of that was on Howell’s shoulders. His poise and his confidence never got rattled despite the struggles and getting headhunted by the Cardinals defense. That is something that I absolutely love to see.

But what really won us that game was the defense, which we should all come to expect at this point. The front was absolutely dominant. Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen completely gobbled up the interior. Montez Sweat was far and away the best player on the field and truly won the game with the fourth quarter forced fumble. The secondary held up for the most part with Darrick Forrest and Kam Curl continuing to prove themselves as one of the best safety duos in the league. And Emmanuel Forbes poetically made the game-winning PBU to usher in the new era of Washington football with a 1-0 start in front of a sold out home crowd.

Like I said, that feels really good. 

21 – Buccaneers (1-0)

One thing about Baker Mayfield: that dude is going to compete his tail off, no matter what. There’s not many built like him in this league. It’s honestly inspiring to watch some of the stuff he does. It almost makes up for his lack of ability as a quarterback. But when you’re playing the Vikings defense, you can get away with those deficiencies.

In the second half, the Bucs went on drives of 15, 10, and 10 plays — the last of which iced the game. That’s incredible for a team who looked inept at offense with Tom Brady at the helm the last time we saw them. I was also very impressed with the defensive effort from Tampa Bay. I kind of wrote that unit off, but they did their thing against a pretty good offense. They let up a lot of yards and chunk plays, but when the stops needed to be made, they got them, and Christian Izien’s redzone interception of Kirk Cousins was really the difference in the game. In a division with young quarterbacks and the very bad Derek Carr, I think this defense can rise to the occasion and be the reason the team wins games. We’ll see if these types of efforts can continue. 

22 – Vikings (0-1)

I told you so. Regression to the mean. The Vikings were 11-0 in one-score games last year. They’re 0-1 in such contests to start 2023. That’s really all that needs to be said.

This team got extremely lucky in so many key spots last year. That luck won’t be with them throughout this season. Their flaws will be exposed. Their defense will lose them games like they did on Sunday. The offense is bound to make mistakes like Kirk Cousins’ redzone interception. Justin Jefferson will look very sad on the sideline despite putting up monster numbers. This is who the Vikings are. And there’s no more masquerade. 

23 – Saints (1-0)

That was about as unimpressive a win as I’ve ever seen. Probably because they didn’t deserve to win. The Titans should have and would have won if the referees didn’t blow a scoop-and-score dead, but such is life in the NFL.

Still, I feel worse about the Saints now than I did last week, largely because Derek Carr looked pretty awful for the most part. A lot of that will get overshadowed by guys like Chris Olave making plays and the passing game putting up numbers, but man. All the problems he had down the stretch in Vegas are already showing in New Orleans. I know 300 yards is nothing to scoff at, but the tape certainly isn’t inspiring. And neither is the offensive line.

But if the Saints are going to do this in every game this season, I still like their chances. The defense looked pretty good, albeit against perhaps the worst starting QB in the NFL at this point. Their new kicker Blake Grupe is clearly ready. And they shored up across the board when they needed to. I guess that’s all you can ask for.

24 – Raiders (1-0)

Jimmy Garoppolo is bring his winning ways to the desert. Okay, maybe not, but 1-0 with a road win over a divisional opponent is a good start.

Jimmy didn’t look half bad, though. He was accurate other than a tough interception in the endzone, had a strangely great repertoire with Jakobi Meyers, and made two really nice touchdown throws. The defense also played a very nice game, but I’m taking that with a grain of salt considering they were going up against the mighty Broncos offense. And I’m also going not going to overreact to a poor rushing performance from Josh Jacobs considering the quality of defense he was going up against.

At the end of the day, I was pleasantly surprised with what I saw. I hope Meyers — who is in concussion protocol after getting absolutely crunched by Justin Simmons — is okay, because if Sunday was any indication, the Raiders could have a sneaky good WR duo with him and Davante Adams. 

25 – Titans (0-1)

For the sake of anyone and everyone who watches the Titans, can we please move on from Ryan Tannehill? He’s 35 years old, his best years are long behind him, and this offense is going absolutely nowhere with him under center. You have not one, but two young QBs who could greatly benefit from getting the reps. Just give the offense to them instead. Because they’re absolutely unwatchable as it currently stands.

I will say that this is exactly what I expected from Tennessee: a dreadful offense with a solid defense. Their front had a solid game with four sacks and great run defense, but the secondary got torched. If that problem persists and the offense doesn’t wake the hell up, the Titans could end up being even worse than I imagined. 

26 – Broncos (0-1)

Here’s the Broncos’ week summed up perfectly: Russell Wilson looked vastly improved and still only threw for 177 yards on a drab 5.2 yards per completion as the offense put up just 16 points — with just a single field goal coming in the second half — and lost to the Raiders by a point. You can change the head coach, you can talk all you want, but at the end of the day, these are clearly the same Denver Broncos.

The good news is that the defense is still great. But nothing they do can make up for the offensive shortcomings. They’re the reason that the Broncos were in that game late, but they couldn’t get the stops they needed to prevent the Raiders from icing the game away late in the fourth quarter. There’s simply no reason to believe that anyone involved in this operation is capable of turning this disaster around. The Denver Broncos are in football purgatory. 

27 – Colts (0-1)

All things considered, that went pretty well.

The Colts didn’t have the world’s best opener in the world, but I think they have to like what they saw. Anthony Richardson had himself a nice game, looking sharp while notching a rushing and passing touchdown. I think Colts fans everywhere would have liked to see him protect himself a bit more, but that’s what you’re going to get with Richardson. Michael Pittman played a fantastic game, which helped out the young quarterback. But running game was atrocious as they only picked up 2.5 yards per carry and Deon Jackson ran for 14 yards on 13 carries in his first game at RB1 in Jonathan Taylor’s absence. Nobody is going to win football games with a running game that poor.

The defense wasn’t great either as they got cut up all game long. They had one real good play, but it was on the wacky non-dead ball play that the Jaguars essentially gifted them. That side of the ball figures to continue its struggles as well.

But, it’s like I keep saying: the most important thing is Richardson’s development. I think there’s a lot of positives to take away from his performance on Sunday.

28 – Panthers (0-1)

I’m very disappointed in the Panthers. They truly have everything they need to be a solid team, but they looked completely discombobulated on Sunday.

I understand that there’s a lot of new pieces and moving parts on this offense and that the offensive line is still coming together, but man. That was really bad. I think if Bryce Young didn’t throw those interceptions, the Panthers could have had a real shot to win the game. Their defense balled out, only holding the Falcons to 221 yards of offense and completely shutting down the Falcons passing game — which is admittedly abhorrent. But when you’re -3 in the turnover battle, you’re simply not going to win games.

I’m expecting a lot more growing pains on both sides of the ball in Carolina.  

29 – Giants (0-1)

Good lord. I don’t even know what to say. I don’t even know if the Giants have deserved being talked about this week. I guess I’ll keep this brief.

That was simply one of the most embarrassing, lifeless performances I have ever seen in any sport at any level. And that’s coming from someone who saw the Giants come into my team’s building and beat us 40-0. At least we were in the middle of a lost season and starting Mark damn Sanchez.

New York has no excuses. They talked so much about how they deserve to be respected after last year’s complete fugazi season and how Daniel Jones is actually good and worth the money. All of that got completely and expeditiously flushed on Sunday night. Jones was the worst quarterback in football this week, the offensive line looked absolutely dreadful, the offense as a whole still lacked any semblance of a pulse, and the defense might as well have not shown up. 

It’s going to be a long, steep uphill climb to gaining anyone’s respect back. 

30 – Cardinals (0-1)

The Cardinals completely met my expectations on Sunday. The only area where they surprised me was their ability to wreak havoc in the backfield, as they racked up six sacks including a strip sack returned for a touchdown right before halftime. But I don’t know how much that means when you consider how awful the Commanders offensive line is.

Their own offense looked pretty terrible, but we all saw that coming. Josh Dobbs is good enough to keep this thing from going off the rails, but that unit isn’t going anywhere.

My biggest takeaway from Week 1 for the Cardinals is that my take that they’ll be competitive enough to not be the worst team in the league has been vindicated. Jonathan Gannon is building a team that isn’t going to go down easy. Whether thats via actually good defense or dirty play and headhunting remains to be seen.

31 – Texans (0-1)

The Texans looked about as awful as expected on Sunday. I considered putting them last, but at least they met expectations. Some teams are supposed to look competent and end up playing like the worst team in football.

Houston didn’t score a single touchdown on Sunday, being one of three teams to bear that shame. But at least they have the excuse of playing one of the best defenses in football. For what it’s worth, C.J. Stroud was actually the better quarterback in the game, at least statistically. He had more completions and yards than Lamar Jackson while having less turnovers. On top of that, nine different players recorded a catch — 10 if you include Stroud catching his first career completion off of a deflection.

The Texans defense really made Lamar struggle thanks to the performances of young guys like Will Anderson Jr and Christian Harris, who each notched a sack. That’s certainly a positive to take away from this game. They definitely have some burgeoning talent on both sides of the ball.

32 – Bears (0-1)

So much for the hype.

The Bears proved to all of us that they are still the sorry little franchise that they’ve been this whole time. No amount of preseason media narratives or splash acquisitions are going to change that. They were absolutely dreadful on both sides of the ball at home against a team with a bunch of moving parts without its WR1. There is zero excuse for that.

I am still not going to give up on Justin Fields, but man. We have to see it sooner or later. I don’t think Chicago’s struggles on Sunday were entirely his fault seeing as though he was running for his life for the entire game, but he certainly didn’t play well. And that figures to be a trend moving forward. It’s like a positive feedback loop — the offensive line will continue to get decimated meaning that Fields will continue to look bad, and the cycle isn’t stopping any time soon.

Someone please save him.

All stats taken from ESPN.

Week 1 Picks

The NFL is finally back with a loaded Week 1 schedule that should kick off the 2023 season with a bang. Here’s how I see the opening slate playing out.

Cover photo taken from NBC Los Angeles.

2022 Season Total: 181-100-2

Chiefs 34-20 Lions

Thursday, 8:20 PM EST, NBC

Please allow me to present you with some numbers.

Patrick Mahomes has never lost (5-0) in Week 1. Here are his stats in those five games: 1,542 yards, 18 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and a 136.9 passer rating. Seems pretty good. Considering he’s going up against last year’s third-worst passing defense, I think he will once again feast en route to a victory.

I will admit that the uncertainty around Travis Kelce’s availability in this game is a bit concerning after he hyperextended his knee in practice on Tuesday. As much as I’d like say “it doesn’t matter, it’s Mahomes,” it definitely matters. But even if Kelce misses this game, I’m not picking against #15.

I’m on the record as not being as high on the Lions as most others, but I’m definitely excited to see what they can do in this game. I think their offense will cook for a little bit, and I can’t wait to see what the rookies Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta have, but I don’t think they have what it takes to keep up with the Chiefs, especially with Detroit’s own defense bound to get gashed all night long.

At the very least, this should be an entertaining opener. But there’s zero doubt whatsoever about the outcome here.

Falcons 23-20 Panthers

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

This is the first installment of the NFC South’s imminent Battles of Mid in 2023, but we have plenty of reasons to tune in to this game — namely the rookie debuts of Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson and Carolina’s Bryce Young. I think both of them will put up solid performances, but this game really boils down to everyone else. 

Is Atlanta’s offense going to look as good as we think it can? Is Carolina’s offensive line going to hold up? Will the Falcons secondary perform like the improved unit it is on paper? Will the Panthers pass rush make life hell for Desmond Ridder? Will the Falcons be able to run the ball on a stout Panthers front? Will we get something nearly as entertaining as these teams’ 2022 Week 8 matchup?

The answer to all of those questions is simply, I don’t know. This game could go any which way. I’m giving the edge to the Falcons because I am a bigger fan of their roster from top to bottom, even if they’re worse at the QB position. But it wouldn’t shock me at all if Bryce Young wills his team to victory in his debut.

Bengals 24-21 Browns

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

I was this close to picking the Browns to win this game, but I just couldn’t do it. My main reason for picking them in the first place was that Joe Burrow has never won a game in Cleveland (0-3) and I’m not sure what he’ll look like coming off his preseason calf injury.

But at this point, I know better than to doubt the Bengals. They’re so much better than the Browns, and even in a tough divisional game, they really have no excuse to not win. I thought back to how Cleveland looked significantly better than Cincinnati in that Monday nighter last year, but then I remembered that Ja’Marr Chase didn’t play in that game, and I’m assuaged of any notion that the Bengals will lose once again. 

I do think it’ll be close from start to finish, and I recognize that Browns +2.5 is one of the most tempting bets of the week. But in the end, one of these teams is simply better than the other. So I’ll roll with them.

Jaguars 27-16 Colts

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

The Jaguars are one of the best teams in the AFC. The Colts are one of the worst teams in the AFC. 

This one is pretty simple.

I will say that I’m excited to see what Anthony Richardson can do in his debut for Indy, but I also recognize that he’ll be without his star RB in Jonathan Taylor and will likely struggle against a very solid defense. So I’m not going to get my hopes up too high for him. I’m much more excited to see how Jacksonville’s offense looks — especially the new Trevor Lawrence to Calvin Ridley connection. We might see a lot of fireworks from the Jags in this game, and they should win very comfortably.

Vikings 26-23 Buccaneers

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

It doesn’t really feel like it on the surface, but this game feels sneaky good, mainly because I feel like we’re going to see a lot of offense. Neither of these defenses are good, and while the Vikings offense is significantly better than Tampa’s, Minnesota’s defense is bad enough to make any offense look elite. So don’t be surprised if Baker Mayfield and the Bucs come out and look actually competent. But please don’t expect that to be the norm. 

I’m still going to take the Vikings to win this game because their offense is simply going to be too much down the stretch. Also, those throwbacks are too nice to lose in. Seeing Justin Jefferson make plays in the uniform that Randy Moss and Cris Carter wore is going to be awesome.

Saints 19-16 Titans

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

Well, this is boring. 

The only enticing aspect of this game is seeing how the Saints look with Derek Carr starting his first game under center. There’s a chance he lights it up, slinging it left and right to Chris Olave and Michael Thomas. 

But I think he most likely outcome of this game is a slugfest where both teams try desperately to run the ball but can’t get it going. So, it’ll come down to whoever has the better passing offense. That is obviously going to be New Orleans. It might not be the most prolific aerial assault we’ve ever seen, but it’s certainly better than whatever the hell the Titans are doing. Carr and the Saints offense will simply make more plays down the stretch to win it late. 

49ers 23-17 Steelers

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

This might just be the best game of the week. I’m very high on both of these teams this year and I’m expecting them to both come out and play a great opener.

Both offenses should look solid as the Steelers enter year two of the Kenny Pickett era with their core of young playmakers and the 49ers get Brock Purdy back after his unceremonious exit last January. With the sheer amount of offensive talent across the board on both sides of the ball, I think there could be more points than expected. 

But I really think this matchup boils down to whoever makes more plays defensively. It feels natural to assume that both offenses will put together enough drives to put up points, but this is the type of game that gets won on a strip sack or a late interception. And when it comes to defenses, there’s none that I’m going to take over the 49ers.

Commanders 24-15 Cardinals

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

The fresh start of football in the nation’s capital gets underway in front of a raucous, sold out FedEx Field crowd against the worst team in the NFL starting Josh Dobbs at quarterback.

If we lose this game, you might never hear from me ever again.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we’ll come out and look like world beaters by any metric. This team isn’t exactly built like that. I’m expecting a performance more similar to the 2022 Texans game. It’ll be largely boring, but dominant. The defense should absolutely feast up front, the secondary will make plays, and the offense will do their jobs. 

I would love to see Sam Howell light up a Cardinals defense that should, by all means, get carved up by any team in the league. But I’m not expecting him to come out and play perfectly. As long as he does what he has to do and puts this team in a position to win the game, this will be a success. 

Ravens 27-13 Texans

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

The Ravens are one of the best teams in the AFC. The Texans are one of the worst teams in the AFC. 

This one is pretty simple. Déjà vu anyone?

I will still be locked in on this game for two reasons. My primary interest is seeing how C.J. Stroud looks in his NFL debut. I’m not expecting anything crazy from him considering the complete and utter lack of talent surrounding him and the fact that he’s going up against an elite Ravens defense, but I just want to see more positives than negatives. And then there’s the matter of the new-look Baltimore offense, which has been hyped up to no end. If the hype is real, they should absolutely dismantle this Houston defense. We’ll see how it plays out for them.

Packers 23-20 Bears

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, FOX

Nothing says Week 1 like Packers-Bears. 

I’m actually very excited to watch this game. I’m obviously very high on both Jordan Love and Justin Fields, although I think one of them is in a much better situation right now. All of the storylines in this game revolve around those two young signal-callers. How is Love going to look now that he’s the franchise QB in Green Bay? How is Fields going to look now that he has D.J. Moore to throw to? Are the Packers going to look better than they were under Aaron Rodgers last year? Are the Bears still going to look like the worst team in the NFL?

I don’t know if any of these are going to happen. But this game figures to be a close one. It’s an opening game rivalry between two young QBs who are bound to make some mistakes. It really just comes down to whoever makes less of them. And as much as I love Justin, I think I actually trust Jordan more at this point. It helps that he has a much better surrounding cast. 

I just think Green Bay’s talent on both sides completely trumps Chicago’s, and that’ll end up being the difference down the stretch. 

Broncos 20-17 Raiders

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, CBS

This game is going to be a total dumpster fire. Let’s just hope it’s a watchable one. 

I’m picking the Broncos here because, at the very least, they have the better coach in this game. They might have the better quarterback. They certainly have the better defense. I’d say they have a home-field advantage, but that meant nothing for them last year. The Raiders won in Denver last year for crying out loud! 

But that was then, and this is now. This feels like the kind of game that the Broncos win on the back of a few turnovers or key defensive plays down the stretch. I just don’t trust the Raiders on either side of the ball to do anything to actually win a football game. 

Eagles 26-20 Patriots

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, CBS

This will be a tougher test for the defending NFC champs than a lot of people expect. I wouldn’t even be surprised if the Patriots manage to come out on top. They certainly have the defense to keep the Eagles in check, and Bill Belichick always brings his A-game against mobile QBs.

But Jalen Hurts is more than just a mobile QB. He’s one of the best at his position in the league for a reason. He can certainly hurt you on the ground, but he can sling it all over the yard with the best of them. Mac Jones, on the other hand, can’t do either. And that’ll be the difference in this game. 

Both defenses should ball out for a while, but when it’s time for the offenses to step up, I think the Patriots will struggle while the Birds are able to fly high and simply make more plays to earn a hard-fought victory.

Chargers 27-24 Dolphins

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, CBS

This matchup has simply turned into a yearly reminder of how much better of a quarterback Justin Herbert is than Tua Tagovailoa. While I don’t think that’s going to be the whole story on Saturday evening, it’s certainly going to be the difference.

These rosters are both stacked from top to bottom and always match up well with one another. In a matchup like that, there are two differentiating factors. The first one is typically the better QB, which is obviously Herbert. The second is the better defense, which I definitely think is Miami’s. But sometimes the better QB overcomes the better defense — see: Super Bowl LVII. I think that’s exactly what’s going to happen yet again in this game. 

There should be fantasy points galore, but when it boils down to it, the Chargers have the better player throwing the football, and he will lead them to victory.

Seahawks 30-14 Rams

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, FOX

Alright, let’s do this one last time.

The Seahawks are one of the best teams in the NFC. The Rams are one of the worst teams in the NFC. 

This one is pretty simple.

With no Cooper Kupp for the Rams, they won’t have a semblance of an offensive identity. They’ll just force feed Cam Akers carries and hope that works against a very stout Seattle front. The Seahawks, on the other hand, should make minced meat of LA’s atrocious secondary with their trio of exceptional wide receivers. Geno Smith should have a field day, as should the playmakers on Seattle’s defense, and this one should be the biggest blowout of the week.

Cowboys 24-16 Giants

Sunday, 8:20 PM EST, NBC

Death. Taxes. Cowboys-Giants on Sunday Night Football to open the season.

Last year’s matchups between these two rivals proved how much better Dallas is than New York. That’ll be the case once again on Sunday night.

The Cowboys are significantly better on offense and improved on defense to the point where I don’t even know if this one will be close. New York’s defense could keep the team in it for a bit, but the wheels have to come off eventually. There’s a real chance this is a complete blowout. But with this being a divisional game and the Cowboys going on the road, I’ll give the Giants the benefit of the doubt to keep things close for a bit. Still, there’s no doubt in my mind that Dallas is the better team that should win comfortably in the end. 

Bills 23-16 Jets

Monday, 8:15 PM EST, ESPN

I think it’s fair to say that I’m a bonafide hater of the 2023 New York Jets. But even if I wasn’t, I still don’t think I’d pick them to win this game.

The Jets definitely match up well with the Bills — they won this game last year in East Rutherford and only lost by 8 in Buffalo. You’d think with a reloaded offense with Aaron Rodgers at the helm instead of Zach Wilson or Mike White or whoever, the Jets should be the better team. 

But they’re not. I’m sorry, they’re just not. They are plenty talented, but games are not won on paper. 

There’s no evidence to suggest that Aaron Rodgers won’t look just as bad against the Bills as he did on Sunday Night Football last year in Buffalo. Even with Von Miller being out, the Bills defense is still plenty good enough to shut down a Jets offense with maybe three real playmakers. I’m sorry for not saying it’s likely that Garrett Wilson is going to catch 15 passes for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns. It’s much more likely that the Jets offense struggles in their first game after being smushed together like a bunch of puzzle pieces that don’t fit.

The Bills, on the other hand, know exactly who they are on offense, and Josh Allen always lights up the scoreboard when it’s warm out. I think he’s going to vastly outplay Aaron Rodgers and the Bills offense will make far more plays to help their team come out on top.

I’m not saying it’s going to be a blowout — although that wouldn’t surprise me — but I genuinely don’t see an avenue for a Jets win here unless Allen turns into a pumpkin. New York’s defense is good enough to make that happen, but their offense isn’t good enough to capitalize on it. At least not yet.

All stats taken from ESPN.

2023 AFC Preview and Predictions

With its abundance of young quarterback talent and stacked rosters, the AFC figures to be just as great and entertaining as it was a year ago. But, when it’s all said and done, it should play out just how it always does.

Cover photo taken from CBS Sports.

AFC East

1st: Miami Dolphins (12-5)

It was pretty difficult for me to come to a decision on who’s going to win this division, but I settled on Miami for a few different reasons.

I think their offense will once again be one of the best in football. I feel confident in Tua Tagovailoa to run this offense, and you’d have to imagine there will be a very, very heavy emphasis on keeping him upright this season after last year’s concussion fiascos. If anything happens to him, this team will come under very heavy fire. Even if he goes down, this offense is elite enough to survive. Tyreek Hill is simply the most dynamic offensive player in football and Jaylen Waddle is as good as a WR2 can get. Together, they formed arguably the best receiving duo in football. I do worry about the running game, which was pretty terrible a year ago and hasn’t improved much since. Raheem Mostert will be the lead back with rookie Devon Achane behind him. If Achane splashes, then this offense could be unstoppable. But with the offensive line in a weird spot, it’s hard to see that happening.

The good news is that the Dolphins definitely improved defensively, highlighted by the acquisition of Jalen Ramsey. He did get hurt in camp and will be out until December, but that just means he’ll be healthy and rested in time for Miami’s playoff push and/or run. I also really liked their second round pick in Cam Smith out of South Carolina — a very physical corner who fits the defense very well. The newcomers join a defense with studs like Jevon Holland and Xavien Howard in the secondary and monsters up front like Christian Wilkins, Jerome Baker, Jaelan Phillips, and Bradley Chubb. 

This is simply one of the best rosters in the league, and even though this division should be a tough one, I like the Dolphins’ chances in year two under Mike McDaniel. If Tua is healthy throughout the year, they have no excuse to not win the division. 

2nd: Buffalo Bills (11-6)

I had sky high expectations for the Bills in 2022 and they let me down in a massive way. I picked them to go 15-2 and win the Super Bowl, and although they had a good regular season, they laid their biggest egg to date in an embarrassing home loss to Cincinnati in the Divisional Round. So, I’m going to temper my expectations a bit here.

This team has become extremely predictable in recent years. They’re going to dominate the regular season and light up the stat sheets. Josh Allen is going to dazzle us with his incredible playmaking abilities. They’ll probably beat the Chiefs in the regular season because that’s the only game they care about. Then they’ll make the playoffs and get dealt with thanks to their inability to win in January. The only thing that’s different this season is that I don’t even think they’re going to win the AFC East, but that’s in large part due to them having a tougher schedule than the Dolphins. 

This is essentially the exact same offense as last year with a few minor changes. James Cook is taking over as the full-time RB1, which should help take some of the burden off Josh Allen in the run game. They should also get a boost from a couple rookies: O’Cyrus Torrence at guard and Dalton Kincaid at tight end. I liked both picks, but it might be a bit early for them to make instant impacts. Kincaid probably won’t even start over Dawson Knox, but he should catch a lot of passes. Regardless, this offense is still the same. Josh Allen will force feed Stefon Diggs and run all over the place — a formula that works extremely well until it doesn’t.

The defense is also pretty much the same except for the addition of Leonard Floyd, which should help limit the damage until Von Miller returns from his ACL injury. It’s an elite defense — which was fifth in yards and second in scoring in 2022 — with playmakers all over the place. Even with a very difficult schedule, they should dominate against most teams. 

Again, it’s only in the playoffs that this team forgets how to play football. And I can guarantee it happening once again this January.

3rd: New England Patriots (9-8)

I feel good about this Patriots team, but it only feels right that they’ll essentially be the exact same team we saw a year ago. I just haven’t seen enough improvement across the board to believe they’ll be anything more than mediocre — a fringe playoff team.

The biggest question mark in New England is the quarterback position (still feels weird to say that) as nobody knows whether or not Mac Jones is the guy. The team would have you believe that’s the case considering they released the other QBs on the roster — Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham — at the end of the preseason. This is Macaroni’s do-or-die year. He has to return to his 2021 form, or he’s done in this league. He got a weapon this offseason in Juju Smith-Schuster, but I don’t think he’s exactly a bonafide WR1. In fact, I don’t think the Patriots have one at all. Juju, Devante Parker, and Kendrick Bourne are all just… there. I love Rhamondre Stevenson out of the backfield, and I think the addition of Ezekiel Elliott should make them better in the redzone. But this offense is going to be average and straight up boring all year long. Luckily for them, boring works just fine.

New England had a top-10 defense in 2022, and they could be even better this season. I absolutely loved their first round selection Christian Gonzalez, who should bolster that secondary which has been missing its CB1 since Stephon Gilmore left. The trio of Joneses — Jack, Marcus, and Jonathan — are also solid playmakers in that secondary. The defensive line is stacked with Matthew Judon, Deatrich Wise, Davon Godchaux, and Lawrence Guy. I do worry about the middle of the defense, which doesn’t feature very good on-ball linebackers. But I feel good about every other area.

The Patriots are the Commanders of the AFC, but with much better coaching. Their great defense and mid offense will keep them in most games, but ultimately lead them nowhere as they miss out on the playoffs and end up with a mid-tier draft pick.

4th: New York Jets (9-8)

I’m sick of hearing about the Jets. I’m sick of talking about the Jets. The hype is warranted, but we need to start being realistic about what this team is actually going to be in 2023. 

Yes, the young talent on this roster is astounding. Yes, they have the reigning OROY and DROY in Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner — two of my favorite players in football. Yes, they have one of the best defensive tackles in football in Quinnen Williams and perhaps the most underrated corner in the league in D.J. Reed. And yes, they added Aaron Rodgers — one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time — to try and lead them to a Super Bowl. 

No, I do not care.

Let’s stick to the facts. The most important thing to consider here is that Aaron Rodgers is coming off a season where he posted the worst passer rating of his career and his off-the-field weirdness clouded anything he did on the field. He hasn’t thrown for 300 or more yards since 2021. He’s going to turn 40 this year. It’s not exactly bold to assume that he’s not magically going to return to form. But that’s not the only problem I have with this offense. Outside of Garrett Wilson, I don’t feel good about anything the Jets have going on. Breece Hall is a great player, but coming off an ACL tear. Their WR2 is… Allen Lazard? And the offensive line is an injury-prone mess. I liked the Dalvin Cook pickup, but considering the Jets rushed for less than 100 yards per game last year, I don’t think he’ll provide much out of the backfield from a rushing perspective. Him and Hall will catch a lot of passes, but that’s only going to take you so far. And it certainly doesn’t help when you don’t exactly have an offensive head coach and your offensive coordinator is one of the weirdest personalities in football who just had perhaps one of the worst head coaching stints in recent memory. I wouldn’t be remotely shocked if this offense straight up sucks for a while until they get their bearings set. 

I do love this defense, however. As I said, Sauce Gardner is one of my favorite players in football, D.J. Reed is criminally underrated on the other side, Quinnen Williams is a beast up front, and C.J. Mosley is a commanding presence in the middle. This defense was in the top four in yards, passing yards, and scoring last year without forcing many turnovers for a reason. Maybe if the defense does get more takeaways, they can be the best in the league. 

Combine all of this with the fact that the Jets won’t win a game until October, and you simply don’t have a playoff team. They’ll lose to the Bills, Cowboys, Patriots, and Chiefs to open the year, and when they sit at 0-4, there will be a lot of questions to answer. And when your QB is Aaron Rodgers, an 0-4 hole isn’t easy to dig out of. He’ll quit on your team at the earliest convenience. 

AFC North

1st: Cincinnati Bengals (12-5)

There really isn’t much to say about the Bengals that hasn’t already been said. I’m pretty sure my preview of them from last year could suffice today. They are still the class of the AFC North — even if some other teams are starting to catch up with them — and they will be very, very hungry to win.

The 2023 Bengals offense will be largely similar to last season’s as Joe Burrow continues to lead the charge with the assistance of the consensus best WR trio in the league of Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd. I think Burrow and Chase are in for their biggest season yet, but that’s a story for tomorrow. Joe Mixon is back in the backfield after taking a paycut, and Burrow might have finally found a rock defending his blindside in Orlando Brown Jr. Let it be known that I was not a fan of this move, as I don’t really like Brown as a pass-blocker. But I trust Joe Burrow more than all but one quarterback in this league, and even with him suffering a calf strain in camp, I think he’ll be just fine. This offense will continue to be elite, especially with Chase hopefully being healthy for a full season, and it should win them most games.

The biggest changes in the defense are the emergence of two second-year players as impact starters — safety Dax Hill and corner Cam Taylor-Britt. These two former Big Ten stars ended last year very well, and Hill has had a great camp and preseason as the Jessie Bates replacement. While the secondary has struggled at times, I think they will be elite this year. If guys like Chidobe Awuzie and Mike Hilton can put together solid years, this could be one of the best pass defenses in the league after a tough 2022.

The AFC North is bound to cannibalize itself this year, but I think the Bengals have the experience and talent to come out on top. I trust them more than any other team in the division, and I think they’re destined for greatness in 2023. 

2nd: Baltimore Ravens (11-6)

I don’t know if it’s an overstatement to say that the Ravens haven’t had expectations this high in the Lamar Jackson era. After a fantastic offseason that saw Jackson finally get the bag and some weapons to throw to, Baltimore is one of the favorites to win it all this year. 

The key additions in the Charm City are Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers who join Rashod Bateman to form the most boom-or-bust receiving trio I’ve ever seen. Bateman has flashed when healthy, but he has missed far more games than he has played since being drafted in the first round in 2021. Beckham hasn’t played a football game since tearing his ACL in Super Bowl LVI, and he has always had his own injury problems. Flowers is an undersized but lightning-quick rookie who could be Baltimore’s version of Tyreek Hill. Mark Andrews is coming off a down year, but is still one of the best tight ends in the league. If these guys stay healthy and Flowers ends up being the caliber of player the Ravens had in mind when selecting him in the first round, this could be a top passing offense in football. They also need new OC Todd Monken to prove that he’s more than just a great college coordinator, which might be a tall task. But everyone has injury concerns, including the QB himself and even the running backs on the roster like J.K. Dobbins. In each of the last two seasons, injuries have completely ruined the Ravens, who could have accomplished so much more if they were healthy. It’s simply not a given that they’ll be completely healthy, and that’s why I can’t pick them to win this division.

The other side of the ball should be as solid as ever. The Ravens defense was top three in scoring and rushing yards a year ago, and they could be even better this year. They have what is likely the best linebacking core in the league with Roquan Smith, Patrick Queen, Odafe Oweh, and Jadeveon Clowney, which gives them the perfect blend of pass-rushing and run-stopping ability. The secondary is highlighted by Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Williams, and I liked the addition of Rock Ya-Sin. If 2022 first-rounder Kyle Hamilton develops into the generational safety talent that he was at Notre Dame, this could end up as a much improved unit, which would be a massive leap after being the seventh-worst pass defense in 2022. 

I think this roster is good enough to contend for a division title. But I just don’t know what to expect out of their offense, and that makes me hesitant to claim them as anything other than a Wild Card team. But, this is the wild AFC North, and anything can happen down the stretch.

3rd: Pittsburgh Steelers (11-6)

In short, the Steelers are like a better version of the Patriots. They have a young QB who thrived in college and could develop into a solid starter in the pros. They have one of the best coaches in NFL history who refuses to lose. They have a great defense that will keep them in most games. But the difference in Pittsburgh is that their offense actually looks like it’s ready to take a leap.

Kenny Pickett had a great preseason, and although I’ve been rude to him in the past, I think he’s poised to make a big leap this year. It helps that he has plenty of weapons at his disposal. George Pickens is an absolute freak out wide, Diontae Johnson is one of the most underrated receivers in the league, Pat Friermuth is a very solid tight end, and Najee Harris should have a bounce-back year behind a potentially improved offensive line. I loved the move to trade up and snag Broderick Jones, who they hope is their franchise left tackle in the making. With Pickett having a year under him and a full preseason as the starter, I think this offense should be much better than the mess it was in 2022.

As always, Pittsburgh’s defense will be elite. They have two of the best defensive players in the sport in T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick, the ageless wonder Cameron Hayward in the defensive interior, a new solid edge rusher in Larry Ogunjobi, a budding star in the middle in Alex Highsmith, and a potentially improved secondary with additions like Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace. A better defensive backfield will help take the Steelers over the top, and I think at the very least they should be better than last year. 

Combine all of these improvements with the fact that the Steelers play one of the easiest schedules in football and are coached by Mike Tomlin and it becomes pretty obvious that this team will be contending not just for a playoff spot, but a division title. Unfortunately for them, I have them just missing out due to the way the rest of the conference shakes up as well as tiebreakers. But it wouldn’t shock me at all if one or two games went their way to help get them into the dance. 

4th: Cleveland Browns (6-11)

Do I have to? Fine.

The Browns are a solid football team. But that’s about it. They’re okay, probably average and nothing more. I’m not going to talk about their quarterback because I’m sick of doing that. Their offensive line and run game needs no explanation as it was the sixth-best in the league last year thanks to the dominance of their elite front five and star RB Nick Chubb. The rest of the offense, however, was rather terrible thanks to shoddy quarterback play no matter who was under center and no real playmakers other than Amari Cooper — who is still just incredible at what he does. I don’t think this offense will be as poor as they were a year ago, but I don’t think they’ll be anything special either. The quarterback’s best days are far behind him, and the running game will only take them so far.

The defense is still solid and should be better with some key additions up front like Shelby Harris and Za’Darius Smith. Myles Garrett will wreak havoc on backfields as always, and the secondary is actually sneaky elite. The Browns had the sixth-best passing defense in the league last year, which I find really interesting. Denzel Ward is obviously elite, but other guys like Grant Delpit and Greg Newsome have come along well. I think the addition of Juan Thornhill back there will also help out. 

So, Cleveland has a very meh offense with a solid defense. In a division where that can work, you’d think they’d do better than just six wins. But I think you really need a good offense to compete in this division. With them having the worst one of these four teams, I think it’s fairly obvious that they’ll be in the basement yet again. You’ll hear no complaints about that from me.

AFC South

1st: Jacksonville Jaguars (12-5)

The Jaguars are going to be so, so good this year. It helps that they play in the worst division in football where the other three teams are each going to be picking in the top 10 of next year’s draft. But more than anything, this is one of the most exciting young teams in football that should build off a wildly successful 2022 and contend for the conference title this year.

Doug Pederson proved to be one of the best head coaching hires of last year as he helped get Trevor Lawrence to elite QB status and the new offensive weapons proved to be great additions as Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Travis Etienne all had good years. Now, they get Calvin Ridley back from a suspension to be their bonafide WR1, and I think that’s absolutely massive for this offense. Lawrence to Ridley could be one of the top duos in all of football this year. In fact, I’d be shocked if it wasn’t. The offensive line isn’t great, but the run game was still effective last year, and should be better this year with the addition of Tank Bigsby — a physical back to complement Etienne perfectly — through the draft. Considering how terrible some of the defenses in this division are, this offense should be one of the best in the league. 

The defense also proved their worth last year, as they’re the ones who really got the Jags into the playoffs in their division-clinching Week 18 victory over Tennessee. There’s playmakers everywhere, especially in the linebacking core. Josh Allen and Travon Walker are great pass rushers — and Walker still has the chance to develop into a superstar after being taken first overall a year ago — and Devin Lloyd and Foye Oluokun are tackle machines in the middle. The secondary certainly leaves a lot to be desired, but they had their moments last year. They really need someone to step up and be the leader of that unit. I was surprised they didn’t address it more through the draft, and it could really hurt the Jags in the playoffs, but they have a while to figure it out.

Jacksonville gets six free wins and should win five or six more elsewhere. They’re probably the biggest lock for the playoffs in the entire NFL. Once they get there, I think they could even more damage than they did a year ago.

2nd: Tennessee Titans (6-11)

I think the Titans could truly be one of the worst teams in the league, but they have one of the best head coaches in football in Mike Vrabel and a truly elite defense. Even when you think they’re going to be awful, they just find ways to win. So I’m not going to predict them to be totally terrible, even if they lost seven straight games to close out the 2022 season and had a very boring offseason.

This offense was bottom-five in total yards, passing yards, and scoring a year ago largely thanks to an injury to Ryan Tannehill and terrible QB play in relief of him combined with a complete and utter lack of playmakers. Even with the addition of DeAndre Hopkins — which means virtually nothing, by the way — this is probably the worst skill position group in football. DHop’s best days are behind him, and the millionth straight year of riding Derrick Henry just doesn’t seem like it’ll be as fruitful as it has been in the past, especially behind such a dreadful offensive line. Tannehill’s time will be up soon, whether that’s due to injury or ability isn’t a concern. They drafted Malik Willis last year and Will Levis this year because they know they need a QB. Unfortunately for the Titans, I don’t have much faith in either of those guys to be a franchise QB. I think this team is pretty much doomed on that side of the ball.

The defense should still be really good thanks to an absolutely stacked front seven and very solid secondary. Jeffrey Simmons is one of the best defensive tackles in the league, Denico Autry and Harold Landry are great pass-rushers, Azeez Al-Shaair was a great free agent pickup, and Kevin Byard is still holding it down at safety. But nothing this defense does will be able to make up for how poor the offense is. 

The combination of the defense with Mike Vrabel’s coaching will win them games, especially against the younger rebuilding teams in the division. But I think the Titans could be a sneaky awful team this year. I wouldn’t be surprised if they dealt Derrick Henry at some point this season. And I’d support a move like that. The sooner they kick this rebuild into high gear, the better. 

3rd: Houston Texans (5-12)

The Texans made one of the biggest splashes of the offseason when they selected C.J. Stroud with the No. 2 pick in the draft to be their franchise quarterback before trading all the way up from No. 12 to No. 3 to select Will Anderson to be their franchise edge rusher. New head coach and hometown hero Demeco Ryans has his two key players to build a team around, and I fully support him. I will say that not having a first round pick this year certainly hurts considering how stacked the incoming draft class is at the top, including Stroud’s former Ohio State buddy Marvin Harrison Jr. But I generally like the direction the Texans are going in.

In Stroud’s rookie year, the offense is likely going to struggle. He doesn’t have much to work with to be fair. His WR1 is Nico Collins for crying out loud. Luckily, his offensive line is very solid, and he has a workhorse RB in Dameon Pierce, who should have a very solid sophomore campaign. The defense — which was one of the worst in football a year ago — will probably be bad once again, but they’re starting to put some pieces together. Anderson joins a unit with two studs in the secondary in Jalen Pitre and Derek Stingley, but the rest of the defense is just a bunch of guys. The good news is that Demeco Ryans can squeeze great play out of any defense, so I think they should at the very least be better than they were in 2022. But that’s a very low bar. 

I’d say the rebuild is off to a solid start in Houston. We’ll need to see some solid evidence of that this year to justify giving up their top selection in this April’s draft. As it stands, the Cardinals are licking their chops at the prospect of having both the No. 1 and No. 2 picks. Please don’t let that happen.

4th: Indianapolis Colts (4-13)

I think the Colts will be the second worst team in football this year, allowing them to select Marvin Harrison Jr. to come home and play for his pop’s old team. Between that and the Rams letting Caleb Williams stay in Hollywood, the NFL script is starting to get a bit obvious, isn’t it?

All jokes aside, the Colts are the worst team in the AFC, but that doesn’t mean they’re not trending in the right direction. Much has been made of the selection of Anthony Richardson with the No. 4 pick in the draft, but no one is doubting that he has the potential to be a great QB in this league. He’s an incredible athlete with a generational arm. If he gets sculpted into an actual NFL quarterback, he will undoubtedly be a franchise player in Indy. It doesn’t help that the won’t have his elite running back behind him as Jonathan Taylor is still injured and might not even end up playing for the Colts if they don’t pay him. Seriously, what is Jim Irsay doing? Is it safe to say he’s now the worst owner in pro football? I think so. Anyhow, a RB tandem of Deon Jackson and Zack Moss in Taylor’s absence isn’t exactly inspiring. Neither is a receiving core consisting of Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce, and Isaiah McKenzie, although I loved the selection of Josh Downs in the third round. Even the offensive line doesn’t look great, even with one of the best guards in the league in Quenton Nelson holding down the middle. With Richardson’s development being the emphasis of this offense, I think it’s possible that they end up as the worst in the league.

Then there’s the defense, which seemingly has no business being bad, but was the fourth-worst scoring defense in football a year ago. You’d think with guys like Kwity Paye, Shaquille Leonard, and DeForest Buckner up front that this defense would cook. Quite the opposite! The secondary is simply terrible outside of Kenny Moore, but the Colts did a good job of addressing that through the draft by selecting JuJu Brents in the second round and Jaylon Jones in the seventh. With luck, the defense won’t be as porous as they were last year. But with the offense in a very sorry state, I think these guys will just be gassed down the stretch. 

All of this adds up to Indianapolis being one of the worst teams in football. It just makes too much sense. But that’s not a problem for the Colts. As long as Richardson shows signs of development and they sort out the front office nonsense, this season will be a success. And if they wind up with the No. 1 pick and get to trade it away for a king’s ransom? They’ll be set.

AFC West

1st: Kansas City Chiefs (14-3)

The defending Super Bowl champions who have the best quarterback ever, one of the best tight ends ever, and one of the best coaches ever are going to run through the AFC yet again en route to another 1-seed. Shocking, right?

To put it in the simplest possible terms, as long as Patrick Mahomes quarterbacks this team, they will be division winners and guaranteed to be in the AFC Championship Game. His MVP season and playoff run last year — which was primarily on one damn leg — was astonishing. It didn’t matter that they lost Tyreek Hill. It didn’t matter that their WRs were largely below average. It didn’t matter that the rest of the AFC West spent over $500 million on key free agent acquisitions to stop him. He can’t be stopped. And he won’t be stopped this year either. Even with the WRs being largely the same, he’s guaranteed to cut up defenses all year long. It helps that Travis Kelce continues to dominate the NFL, even as he enters his mid-30s. This week’s news about his knee injury is definitely a cause for concern, so we’ll see how that shapes up as the week progresses. But as it currently stands, there’s no reason to believe that they won’t continue to be the most dominant duo in the NFL that carries this offense to New Heights (sorry, I had to).

As it stands, the defense isn’t in the best spot as Chris Jones continues to hold out and still hasn’t returned to the team. But the Chiefs are a well-run organization that’s smart enough to realize that they should pay their best defensive player. He’ll be back soon enough. I have high hopes for this defense though, considering they just won the Super Bowl while starting rookies all over the place. Those young guys like George Karlaftis up front and Trent McDuffie in the secondary have experience under their belt now, and I think this defense will be much improved from a year ago. Once Jones returns, they have the chance to be elite.

Like I said, it’s a simple calculus. Mahomes. Reid. Kelce. Jones. 1 seed. Sixth straight AFC Championship Game at home. Back-to-back Super Bowl titles? Very, very likely.  

2nd: Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)

The Chargers, man. They never change. A blown 27-0 lead in last year’s Wild Card game in Jacksonville certainly led this franchise to do some soul searching in the offseason. Luckily, I think this summer was a good one in Los Angeles.

The biggest success of the offseason was locking up Justin Herbert with a massive long-term deal, which was due. He is in the upper echelon of QBs in the NFL no matter what narratives people like to push, and he deserves every penny. I do wish the Chargers gave him some better receivers to work with — I wasn’t a big fan of taking Quentin Johnston in the first round when guys like Jordan Addison and Zay Flowers were on the board — but Keenan Allen and Mike Williams will still do their thing. It certainly helps that Austin Ekeler is back after requesting a trade. He continues to absolutely decimate defenses out of the backfield, and is easily the most important skill position player on this team. Getting him back was massive for this offense. With an improving offensive line and the addition of a real offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore, I have no doubt that LA should boast one of the top offenses in the NFL this year.

The defense was a massive letdown in 2022, and I honestly have no idea what to expect from it this year. Injuries did bite them, and the secondary was actually pretty solid, but this feels like it has to be the year for these pieces to come together and form an elite unit. When you have guys like Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack up front with J.C. Jackson, Asante Samuel Jr., and Derwin James in the secondary, there’s no excuse to be anything but great. Luckily, Derrick Ansley is here to save the day. He was clearly a fantastic coordinator in Tennessee and should help whip LA’s defense into shape. 

So, the Chargers are doing some good things. They will certainly be a playoff team. But at the end of the day, they’re still the Chargers. They’re guaranteed to fall apart when it matters most. It’s really a damn shame for a team that I really, really like.

3rd: Denver Broncos (6-11)

The Broncos are a joke. And the joke sucks. I truly hate talking about them. It’s a shame for such a proud organization to be going out so sad.

It’s crystal clear that last year’s Russell Wilson trade was a complete and utter disaster that could go down as one of the worst trades in NFL history. It didn’t help that they also made one of the worst head coaching hires ever in Nathaniel Hackett, who didn’t even make it to New Year’s before being told to kick rocks. Enter Sean Payton, who comes out of retirement to clean up this mess. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not very confident that he can. I have no faith in this roster, and I don’t have much faith in him as a coach these days either. I know he’s supposed to be this quarterback guru, but let’s be real here — Russell Wilson is beyond saving. His arm is shot, his confidence is shot, he lacks the mobility that made him truly great, and he’s just so weird off the field. There’s a reason that the internet enjoys making fun of Russ more than any other player in football. The rest of the offense isn’t even bad — the offensive line was improved in free agency through the additions of Mike McGlinchey and Ben Powers, the receivers are solid, and Javonte Williams is back. But you have to dig deeper to see the problems. McGlinchey completely fell off a cliff in the last couple of years in San Francisco, Jerry Jeudy can’t stay healthy, Marvin Mims is an unproven rookie, and Javonte Williams is coming off an ACL tear. Even when this team was healthy, they were the single worst offense in the league. There’s nothing here to convince me that’s going to change. 

However, this defense is truly special. It was their only saving grace for most of last season. There was a time where they had the top scoring defense in the league and the worst scoring offense in the league. That’s just unheard of. But there’s simply studs all over this unit, even with some key losses like Dre’mont Jones. They added Frank Clark to go alongside Randy Gregory off the edges, Josey Jewell holds down the middle, and the secondary is stacked to the brim with Pat Surtain II — perhaps the best corner in football — Justin Simmons, and others. I don’t know if they’ll be the best defense in the NFL or even the AFC, but they will certainly be near the top.

So I guess the 2023 Broncos will just be a slightly better version of the 2022 Broncos. Spoiler alert: that’s still pretty bad.  

4th: Las Vegas Raiders (5-12)

The Raiders are essentially in the same spot they were last year, but slightly worse. They still have so many elite players, but they have nothing else outside of them, and they will be sabotaged by their abysmal coaching staff. I think they’ll be firmly in the running for the No. 1 pick in the draft.

The offense will look vastly different now that Derek Carr is gone. All of those downfield throws will be replaced by dinks and dunks over the middle as Jimmy Garoppolo takes over under center, reuniting with his old buddy from New England Josh McDaniels. Josh Jacobs is back on a new deal, which is absolutely huge for this offense, as he made this abysmal offensive line look elite en route to leading the NFL in rushing last year. And of course they have one of the league’s best wide receivers in Davante Adams, who should inhale targets like Kirby this year. But the rest of the offense is just sad. As I said, the line is terrible, and they don’t have any other real pass-catchers now that Darren Waller is gone. Maybe Michael Mayer emerges as a solid rookie tight end or Jakobi Meyers becomes a bonafide WR2. But there’s not much reason to believe any of that will happen with McDaniels leading this team.

The defense has perhaps the best edge-rushing duo in the league in Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones with a great defensive tackle in Jerry Tillery and an athletic freak at linebacker in Divine Deablo. The secondary isn’t much to look at, but I wouldn’t say it’s terrible by any means. Despite all of this, the Raiders had one of the worst defenses in the NFL last year, statistically speaking. With Patrick Graham back at defensive coordinator, I don’t see that changing, even with the abundance of talent in the unit. 

I think the Raiders are more talented the Broncos in bunches, but they’re just worse overall and have a much worse defense. So, when it comes down to it, this is your last place team in the AFC West. And they might end up being one of the worst teams in the AFC as a whole.  

Playoff Picture

1 – Kansas City Chiefs (14-3)

2 – Miami Dolphins (12-5)

3 – Jacksonville Jaguars (12-5)

4 – Cincinnati Bengals (12-5)

5 – Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)

6 – Buffalo Bills (11-6)

7 – Baltimore Ravens (11-6)

Wild Card Weekend

Dolphins over Ravens: If last year’s matchup between these two teams is any indication, this would be a thriller. I do think both defenses are better now than they were in that game, but in any case, these two teams matchup very well with one another and would provide a fantastic contest. I simply like Miami’s roster better from top to bottom, and I’d have to give them the edge in a very close one.

Jaguars over Bills: Death. Taxes. The Bills unceremoniously going out earlier than expected in the playoffs. This one just feels right. The Jags are trending upwards at an exponential rate while the Bills just seem to be plateauing. This is the type of game that establishes Jacksonville as one of the NFL’s premier teams and puts Trevor Lawrence on the podium as one of the league’s three best quarterbacks.

Bengals over Chargers: This game would be simply awesome. Two of the best young QBs in the NFL duking it out in the playoffs is essentially what the AFC has turned into, but we haven’t gotten this matchup just yet. I’d have to give the edge Cincinnati being the home team with the better roster. I think the Bengals are starving to get back to the Super Bowl, and they’re not going to let the NFL’s living embodiment of a choking hazard stand in their way.

Divisional Round

Chiefs over Bengals: Simply put, the winner of this game will win the Super Bowl. It’d be a damn shame if this wasn’t the AFC Championship for the third straight year. Alas, I’ll settle for another classic in the Divisional Round. We know the Bengals are capable of beating the Chiefs anywhere on any field. We know they’re going to be desparate for revenge after last year’s title game. But I learned my lesson in January and February of this year. I’m not picking against #15 in a spot like this. He has proven time and time again that he just wills his team to win. And I think he’d do that to the Bengals once again. For as long as this rivalry exists, I just don’t think we’ll see a game like the 2021 AFC Championship Game again. Patrick Mahomes won’t let that happen.

Jaguars over Dolphins: I think Florida might collapse in on itself if this ends up being a huge playoff game. I also think that it’d be one hell of a matchup. Two of the best young offenses in football going at it is something that the AFC playoffs are made for. Although I think the Dolphins have a better defense than the Jaguars, I think Trevor Lawrence is the difference in this game. When the going gets tough, I trust him far more than I trust Tua Tagovailoa. I think he’ll once again lead his team to victory and carry the Jags to their first AFC title game since the infamous 2017 matchup against the Patriots.

AFC Championship Game

Chiefs over Jaguars: This game would essentially be apropos of the 2022 Divisional Round matchup, except Patrick Mahomes would be healthy for the whole game. That means that Kansas City would probably win comfortably. I love what the Jaguars are doing, but this is the tallest task in the NFL. One does not simply beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead in the playoffs. Maybe one day they’ll get there. But I don’t think this is that day.

So it’ll be a Super Bowl LIV rematch this February in Las Vegas with the Chiefs taking on the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. Bold prediction on my part, I know. Simply put, I’m never going to pick against Patrick Mahomes. So I’ve got the Chiefs going back-to-back as Mahomes wins his third ring in six years as a starter and Kansas City establishes their dynasty behind the best quarterback to ever play the sport.

All stats taken from ESPN.

Ranking All 32 Uniform Sets in the NFL

In light of all the new uniforms we’ll see around the NFL this season, I decided to rank every single wardrobe in the league while picking out each team’s best uniform ahead of the 2023 season.

Cover photo taken from Sports Illustrated.

This might have been the most eventful offseason for uniforms in NFL history. Nearly half the league unveiled new throwbacks, alternates, and helmets, including one complete wardrobe overhaul. As someone who cares about uniforms way too much, I thought it would be fun to give my input on which NFL teams are the best dressed from top to bottom, while also shouting out the best set in the collection. The only real criteria I use is how much I like the unis from an aesthetic standpoint, so feel free to yell at me if you disagree on a more technical level.

1 – Chargers

Best Uniform: Blue on Gold

h/t Sports Injury Central

Before the Chargers even took the field in their new uniforms in 2020, they snatched the crown for having the league’s best unis. The new sets looked absolutely incredible when they were unveiled, and in the three seasons since, they only look better and better. Every set is absolutely gorgeous with colors that pop on the field and that modern but exciting numbering. I’ve heard some pushback on having the numbers on the helmets, but I’ve always loved that on any uniform. I’m extremely fond of every single combo the Chargers have brought out since 2020, but the blue/gold home set is by far my favorite. I’m a huge fan of the gold pants, and combining them with the powder blue makes for the most beautiful uniform in all of football.

2 – 49ers

Best Uniform: Red on Gold

h/t Draft Kings

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. These Niners digs have never looked like anything but the cleanest, most classic uniforms in the league. The same can be argued for the team I put right below them, but I’m much more fond of San Francisco’s throwbacks, which were definitely considered for the nod of the team’s best unis. I adore both the home and road throwbacks for how simple and clean. they are while remaining faithful to the originals. No matter which set the Niners roll out in, they are almost guaranteed to be the best-looking team on the field.

3 – Raiders

Best Uniform: Black on Silver

h/t NFL Spin Zone

Apropos of what I said about the 49ers. The Raiders have boasted what might be the league’s most classic and clean uniforms for decades now, and they should never change them. They’re as gorgeous as they are unique. Even their color rush/alternate is pretty great, although I definitely prefer their primary sets. I’ve always wondered what an all-black Raiders alternate would look like, especially in the old Black Hole in Oakland, but I don’t think that would serve a purpose in Vegas.

4 – Bears

Best Uniform: White on Navy

h/t The Athletic

The Bears are one of the only teams in the NFL with better road uniforms than home ones, although I think it’s close. I’ve just always loved how clean the white tops are with the orange trim on the numbers and the shoulder stripes. I think they’re simply nicer to look at than the navy tops that they wear at home. Regardless, both uniform sets are some of the best in the league, and like so many other franchises which stay true to their roots, the Bears should never deviate from this classic look.

5 – Packers

Best Uniform: Green on Yellow

h/t Cheesehead TV

There’s not much that I can say about the Packers uniforms that haven’t been said a million times over. It’s the definition of classic and iconic and one of the most unique looks in sports. I have always loved the green and yellow color scheme, although the white/yellow road sets aren’t exactly the prettiest unis. in the league. Regardless, it’s a timeless look that is synonymous with NFL heritage.

6 – Browns

Best Uniform: Brown on White

h/t Cleveland.com

The Browns returning to their classic look with a modern flair was one of the best uniform decisions that any NFL team has made in recent years. It’s like a better version of what the Buccaneers have done. These are simply gorgeous uniforms that are faithful to the Browns’ history and I will always love them. It’s not easy to make brown and orange look good, but Cleveland has managed to do it. Turns out all it takes is not making horrendous unis like the ones they wore for the back half of the 2010s.

7 – Vikings

Best Uniform: Purple on White

h/t Daily Norseman

The Vikings and the Chargers are the gold standard of modern uniform tweaks. Minnesota was able to take an already classic uniform and change it ever so slightly to usher in a new era while remaining true to the franchise’s roots. I’ve preferred these unis over the old ones ever since they were unveiled ten years ago, and I hope they stay for a while. I love the throwbacks that the Vikings will debut in Week 1, but for its unique and clean style, the base home set still reigns supreme for me.

8 – Chiefs

Best Uniform: Red on White

h/t Pro Football Network

Like many teams above them on this list, the Chiefs boast some of the most classic unis in football. They have looked fantastic forever and are now essentially synonymous with success and championships. The only reason they’re lower than some other teams is because I feel like these uniforms are a little more basic. Red and white might be the most common colors in all of sports, and while the yellow helps the unis pop a bit, it’s not enough to lift the wardrobe as a whole.

9 – Bengals

Best Uniform: All White (NOT the alternates)

h/t OutKick

It definitely took me a minute, but I have fully come around on the new Bengals uniforms. I wasn’t really sure what to make of them when they were released in 2021, but seeing them in games that season made me realize how awesome they are. Some sets are much better than others, but as a whole, it’s a very good collection. I wish they’d wear the all-black set more, but regardless, the all-whites are by far my favorite. I even prefer it over the “White Bengal” look, mostly because the numbers are much cooler. In my opinion, if the Bengals opted to wear their white helmets with this uniform set, it might be the best uniform in the league.

10 – Bills

Best Uniform: Blue on White

h/t Bleacher Report

The Bills are essentially the same as the Chiefs in my mind when it comes to uniforms. I actually think their home unis are better than Kansas City’s. But I’m not as fond as the rest of the wardrobe. I’m not a fan of the all-blue that the Bills insist on wearing all the damn time instead of the much better blue/white set, and I don’t care for the all-red alternates either. If the Bills really want to impress me, they should bust out the red throwback helmets. Those would look gorgeous.

11 – Colts

Best Uniform: Blue on White

h/t Blue Stampede

See: Minnesota. The only difference here is that the Colts dropped one of the most puzzling alternates this summer that is both horrendous and meaningless. I hate pretty much everything about that set, which is a shame because Indy’s regular home and away sets are almost perfect.

12 – Buccaneers

Best Uniform: White on Pewter

h/t BroBible

See: Cleveland. I debated putting the Buccaneers higher on this list considering how much I love how clean and unique almost all of their sets are. It also helps that they’re bringing back the Creamsicles this year. I’m just ever so slightly more partial to some of the teams directly above them.

13 – Cowboys

Best Uniform: Navy on White

h/t Cooper Neill/Getty Images

The Cowboys are puzzling. They seemingly have perhaps the most iconic uniforms in the league with their white on blue sets, but those same uniforms might be the worst in their entire wardrobe. Both their home and away throwbacks are nicer, but the seldom-worn navy tops are by far my favorites. Whether they’re paired with the white or silver pants, these unis look fantastic and have a lot more personality than the boring “classic” uniform. I wish they brought these out much more often.

14 – Steelers

Best Uniform: ’70s throwbacks with WHITE numbers

h/t VSiN

The Steelers could skyrocket to the top of this list if they made an extremely easy change: add those block numbers to the primary uniforms, reverting to their old, classic look. We got a taste of how great it looks when they brought out the throwbacks late last year. If they wore them full-time, it would be perfection. It’s that simple.

15 – Broncos

Best Uniform: Navy on White

h/t Keeping It Heel

I’m convinced that I like the Broncos uniforms way more than most people do. I recognize that they’re a bit outdated, but I’ve always been fond of all their looks. In fact, I miss the pre-Nike says when the navy was their primary home jersey rather than the orange. I just think it’s a gorgeous combination of two colors that I personally love. But the Broncos could use a modern overhaul a la Minnesota and Indianapolis. I would love to see these iconic colors and logos with a new, modern flair.

16 – Eagles

Best Uniform: Kelly Green throwbacks

h/t Eagles/X

Until recently, the Eagles were the epitome of mid when it came to uniforms. I like the midnight green, I like the unique numbering and lettering, and the all-black alternate is obviously iconic. But it wasn’t until last week’s highly-anticipated reveal of the Kelly Green throwbacks that the Eagles catapulted to the top half of this list. Fans have waited for these for over a decade, and it was worth the wait. These might just be the best throwbacks in the league with how clean and perfect they look. I cannot wait to see them on the field again.

17 – Dolphins

Best Uniform: Throwbacks

h/t Miami Herald

The Dolphins are like the Steelers in the sense that they could boast the NFL’s best wardrobe if they wore their throwbacks full-time. Both the home and road ones are drop dead gorgeous from top to bottom. Miami has some solid primary unis too, especially since they slightly changed the coloring a few years ago. But you can’t top a look as incredible as those throwbacks are.

18 – Lions

Best Uniform: Blue on Silver

h/t Detroit Jock City

The Lions’ modern uniform overhaul is pretty solid, but I just find their sets to be so boring. None of them do anything for me. I think it would help if they tried out having white numbers on the home unis. They’d be a bit higher on this list if they didn’t unveil the very strange blue alternate helmets that they’re wearing for a select couple of games this season. They definitely could have made better use of the alternate helmet rule.

19 – Panthers

Best Uniform: All Black w/ black helmet

h/t WSOC TV

Despite their semi-low placement on this list, I really like Carolina’s uniforms. They’re pretty clean, and the alternate black helmets are fantastic. I just have a couple of gripes with these sets. For starters, I truly despise how uncomfortably small the numbers on the shoulders are. At this point, they could just be removed altogether. I also feel like they could move away from all the gray in the color scheme and move towards a modern, primarily black and blue look. I think it’d be clean and fitting.

20 – Saints

Best Uniform: Color Rush w/ base helmet

h/t Yahoo! Sports

For what it’s worth, the Saints are towards the top of the league in two categories: helmets and alternate uniforms. The fleur de lis is iconic, and the white and gold color rush unis have been beloved by fans for years. Unfortunately, I’m not very fond of everything else with the Saints. I just can’t find myself gravitating towards any of their looks. I don’t like the black pants, but I also don’t like the gold ones, and I certainly don’t like the white ones with the black tops. The all-white look is clean, but I simply prefer the color rush. The throwbacks are great, but the shade of gold on the numbers and pants clashes with that of the helmet. Worst of all is the simply dumb black alternate helmet that they sullied the color rush uniforms with last year in London. A couple of tweaks could bump the Saints up a bit, but I don’t think I’ll ever like their entire wardrobe.

21 – Rams

Best Uniform: White on Gold

h/t Bleacher Report

I definitely feel like I’m underrating the Rams uniforms, but something about them always throws me off. For starters, they’ve shown off some truly puzzling looks like bone on gold/blue or blue on bone. The strangest thing about that is how they didn’t even wear the all-bone look — which was their primary road uniform for several years — in 2022. At least the other sets look pretty good. I love the all blues as well as the blue on gold, but nothing tops when they wear the white jerseys. They look great with the blue pants and best with the gold ones. I’m forever thankful that they wore those in the Super Bowl two seasons ago.

22 – Ravens

Best Uniform: Purple on White

h/t Pro Football Network

The Ravens fit into the same category as the Broncos for me, but I prefer everything about Denver’s uniforms. Baltimore could definitely use some new digs, or at least stick to what works. In recent years, they’ve insisted on wearing strange looks like all-purple or black on purple which just look strange. The purple on black works for me considering how much of it I saw while growing up, and the all-black is one of the best in the league. I’ll always be partial to the cleanliness of the basic purple on white look, but the truth is that I’ve been over these unis for a while now. I don’t see the Ravens switching things up any time soon, but I would like to see it.

23 – Texans

Best Uniform: Navy on White

h/t Chron

Apropos of the Ravens. The Texans have had the same uniforms for their entire existence. They’re nice, but I think it’s time for a change.

24 – Giants

Best Uniform: ’80s throwbacks

h/t Sportsnaut

The nicest thing I can say about the Giants uniforms is that they’re classic. Despite that, they’re extremely boring. The Giants are very much like the Dolphins in the sense that their home and away throwbacks look infinitely better than their primary sets, and a return to these looks could catapult them to the top 10 of this list. Make it happen.

25 – Seahawks

Best Uniform: Throwbacks

h/t KOMO News

See: Philadelphia. The difference between these bird teams is that I have never liked the Seahawks unis that Nike broke out when they took over NFL uniforms in 2012. They’re weird and ugly and jarring and I just can’t get behind them. These throwbacks, however, are perfect in every sense of the word, and I can’t wait to see them in action this season.

26 – Jaguars

Best Uniform: All Black

h/t NJ.com

The Jaguars confused cleanliness and minimalism with being extremely boring. These unis are certainly modern and “clean” while featuring some gorgeous colors. They’re infinitely better than the previous Jags sets, but that bar is extremely low. These are just very dull uniforms that could use some more flair. I think a blend of these uniforms with the old ones with the Jaguar on the shoulders could make Jacksonville one of the best-dressed teams in football. I liked the Jags’ decision to make teal their primary home uni, but I still think the all-black is their best look. It just feels very “Jaguars” to me.

27 – Cardinals

Best Uniform: All White

h/t AZCentral

It’s hard to judge these new Cardinals uniforms without seeing them in-game, but at this point, they’re the same as the Jaguars to me. Yes they are modern, yes they are clean, but above all else, they are boring as hell. I feel like there was a lot more potential with this uniform overhaul. I’m very disappointed, but maybe my opinion will change once I see what these look like on the field.

28 – Patriots

Best Uniform: Navy on Silver

h/t BVM Sports

The Patriots did a very rare thing by having a uniform overhaul be a complete downgrade when they unveiled these new sets in 2020. I think the weirdest part of this is how everyone was upset that they ditched the silver pants, then they brought them back for a single game — instantly making it their best look — only to never wear them again. Just make these the primary home pants! It’s not that difficult!

29 – Titans

Best Uniform: Oilers Throwbacks

h/t NFL.com

The Titans uniforms in the last several years have felt like one giant swing and miss. I’ve always thought they were fine, but in recent seasons, I can’t stand the sight of them. I give them credit for being unique, but I would not mind seeing another change. Thankfully, the Titans are finally bringing back the beloved Oilers throwbacks (which is weird considering the history, but that’s a different story), which are already some of the best in football along with the Eagles and Seahawks. I think a return to this color scheme and style would do wonders for the Titans. I’m ready to move away from the bland navy looks.

30 – Commanders

Best Uniform: Burgundy on White

h/t Washington Times

I have talked about our uniforms ad nauseam over the last 18 months or so, so I’ll keep this brief and simply repeat my sentiments about them. They are fine, but infinitely worse than the old, classic look of the Redskins/WFT. A return to those uniforms would make everyone happy. Until then, these uniforms will remain weird and tacky and I don’t think anyone will ever come around on them. At this rate, considering all of the changes and sentiments around the franchise, a change wouldn’t shock me at all.

31 – Falcons

Best Uniform: Throwbacks

h/t Atlanta Falcons

See: New England. The difference with the Falcons is that their new uniforms are really, really bad. I hate the numbering, I hate the style, I hate the dumb “ATL” across the chest. Just wear the throwbacks full-time and call it a day.

32 – Jets

Best Uniform: N/A

Ever since their uniform change several years ago, I have held the belief that the Jets have the absolute worst unis in football. I feel like I hate them now more than I did then. I truly believe that every single uniform is a disaster. I don’t even like the new throwbacks. If I had to choose a best set, that would be it, but I’m not giving the Jets the satisfaction. If they want me to respect them, they need to return to their roots and make me forget that this era of uniforms ever happened a la Cleveland. The sooner, the better.

Ranking All 32 Starting Quarterbacks in the NFL

Inspired by Netflix’s new series ‘Quarterback’, I decided to rank every starting QB in the NFL and divide them into tiers based on what I think of them heading into the upcoming 2023 season.

Cover photo taken from Sharp Football.

This week, Netflix released their highly-anticipated series Quarterback: an eight-part look into the lives and seasons of Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins, and Atlanta’s Marcus Mariota during the 2022 season. I have been watching the show and thoroughly enjoying it, and it got me thinking about quarterbacks as a whole. More specifically, how would I rank every QB in the league right now? So that’s what I’ve done here: all 32 starting signal callers ranked in order and divided into specific tiers that accurately reflect what I think about them and their peers as we inch closer towards the 2023 season.

Tier 1: The Best Ever

1 – Patrick Mahomes

2022 stats: 5,250 yards, 41 TD, 12 INT, 358 yards rushing, 4 rushing TD (won MVP and Super Bowl MVP)

I have been singing Patrick Mahomes’ praises since his final year at Texas Tech. While I thought he would be the best QB in the 2017 draft class, I never could have envisioned him becoming what he is today: the best quarterback to ever play this game. Now, there’s a difference between being the best ever and the greatest ever. Mahomes has a long way to go in terms of accolades and accomplishments before he can dethrone Tom Brady as the GOAT. But his talent speaks for itself, and it’s plain to see that his skillset and unique abilities on the field make him the best ever. Even if you disagree with that sentiment, you can’t disagree that he’s currently the best quarterback in football. Last year’s MVP campaign and subsequent title run put any doubt about that swiftly to bed. Even without the most explosive player in football in Tyreek Hill, Mahomes was surgical all season long and put the team on his back in the playoffs to secure his second MVP, Super Bowl and Super Bowl MVP. He continues to redefine the game on a weekly basis, and we should all be so lucky to see it happening in real time.

Tier 2: The Best of the Rest

2 – Joe Burrow

2022 stats: 4,475 yards, 35 TD, 12 INT, 257 rushing yards, 5 rushing TD

I have held the belief that Joe Burrow is second to only Patrick Mahomes since the 2021 AFC Championship Game. I feel like most people would put Josh Allen in this spot, but I refuse to do that. I think Burrow is much more careful with the ball and has already had infinitely more playoff success, including a dominant win over Allen and the Bills in January. If a few more things went Cincinnati’s way, he might have wound up as a two-time Super Bowl champion. Regardless, Burrow has been mightily impressive since tearing his ACL in his rookie season three years ago, continuing to put up amazing numbers and wowing us with his playmaking ability. His blend of talent, determination, leadership, and swagger make it clear that he is destined for long-term success in this league.

3 – Josh Allen

2022 stats: 4,283 yards, 35 TD, 14 INT, 762 rushing yards, 7 rushing TD

Josh Allen is one of the most unique QB talents I have ever seen, which speaks for itself on a weekly basis. He has incredible athleticism and strength for his giant 6-foot-5 frame. Whether he’s launching the ball 60 yards through the air or hurdling defenders like a running back, he truly is must-see TV. I would definitely like to see him be a lot more careful with the ball, as he has been one of the most turnover-prone QBs in football in his career due to his style of play. I think an increased emphasis on his ball safety could have be very fruitful long-term for the Bills.

4 – Justin Herbert

2022 stats: 4,739 yards, 25 TD, 10 INT

The eighth wonder of the world is why Justin Herbert gets so much hate. I’ll never understand it. All he has done since entering the league in 2020 is ball out. He is off to the most prolific start to a career in NFL history in terms of his passing stats while playing for the league’s equivalent of a traveling circus. Everyone loves to blame him for the Chargers’ implosion in January’s Wild Card game where they blew a 27-0 lead to the Jaguars, but that’s hardly fair. I might be crazy, but I don’t think a defense allowing 31 points in just over a half of football is the quarterback’s fault. Regardless of whether you love or hate him, Herbert’s arm talent cannot be denied. He makes ridiculous throws every game with perhaps the best deep ball in the league. I can’t say I’m confident in how successful he can be while he plays for such a snake-bitten franchise, but Herbert will certainly be getting his game off as one of the league’s best QBs for years to come.

5 – Trevor Lawrence

2022 stats: 4,113 yards, 25 TD, 8 INT, 291 rushing yards, 5 rushing TD

A lot of people might think I’m nuts for putting Lawrence this high, but I’m fully sold on him. I have been for a very long time. I wasn’t going to let a bizarro rookie season littered with off-the-field drama change my mind. In his first real season, Lawrence was absolutely outstanding en route to a division title and a playoff win. He was finally able to showcase his arm talent with a proper skill group around him, and it was very impressive. Things are only going to get better next year as Calvin Ridley enters the fold. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for the former #1 pick.

6 – Lamar Jackson

2022 stats: 2,242 yards, 17 TD, 7 INT, 764 rushing yards, 3 rushing TD (missed five games due to injury)

I hope that a couple of injury-riddled seasons haven’t made you forget about how good Lamar Jackson is. He was on a tear to start the 2022 season before a nagging leg problem derailed him and the Ravens. When he’s fully healthy, Lamar is one of the most dynamic players in the sport with his lightning-quick abilities as a ball carrier and incredible arm talent (yes, he is a great passer, don’t kid yourselves). I don’t think anyone doubts that he has what it takes to return to his unanimous MVP form from 2019. With a revamped offense and a new, improved scheme, this is the year to do it.

7 – Jalen Hurts

2022 stats: 3,701 yards, 22 TD, 6 INT, 760 rushing yards, 13 rushing TD (missed two games due to injury)

Jalen Hurts was 2022’s breakout star with his jaw-dropping play and video game numbers, leading the Eagles to the Super Bowl and being a few plays away from winning it. He was a sprinkle of Patrick Mahomes greatness away from being an MVP and a Super Bowl MVP. Alas, he’s still a consensus top QB in the NFL and got a very, very large bag from the Birds, and for good reason. Hurts is like a less explosive but more refined and stronger version of Lamar Jackson. He has the arm to make any throw, the speed to burn any defense, the strength to run over defenders, the IQ to outsmart any defense, and the determination and leadership ability to win rings. For all of those reasons, he is one of my favorite players in the league, and despite the fact that he plays for the Eagles, I’m always going to root for him to succeed. He has everything it takes to be one of the most successful QBs of this generation.

Tier 3: Show Me Again

8 – Aaron Rodgers

2022 stats: 3,695 yards, 26 TD, 12 INT

2022 was a massive step backwards for Aaron Rodgers. After winning back-to-back MVPs, he had the worst passer rating of his career (!!!) while throwing for the fewest yards since 2015 and second most interceptions in his career. Oh, and the Packers finished below .500 and missed the playoffs thanks to losing the season finale. Now, he gets a fresh start with the Jets and their fantastic young core. I think we’ll see Aaron return to form this year, but I have serious doubts about whether or not he can fully look like the Aaron of 2019, 2020, and 2021. It’s a serious problem when your off-the-field antics get more attention than your on-the-field performance.

9 – Matthew Stafford

2022 stats: 2,087 yards, 10 TD, 8 INT (missed eight games due to injury)

I’m giving Matt Stafford the benefit of the doubt here. He’s coming off a potentially career-derailing injury after playing half a season of garbage football. 2021 showed us how great he can be, but 2022 might have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. I don’t know what to expect from Stafford this year on an anemic offense with only one real playmaker, but I have a feeling I won’t see anything special. He has been one of the most fun, talented QBs to watch over the last decade or so, but I think we’re seeing the last of Matt Stafford in the NFL.

10 – Deshaun Watson

2022 stats: 1,102 yards, 7 TD, 5 INT (missed 11 games due to suspension)

I am also giving the benefit of the doubt to Deshaun Watson, who I don’t even feel like talking about. After serving a suspension that was far too short, he didn’t look anything like the star QB we saw in Houston. But perhaps that’s the result of entering a new system in November after months of not practicing with a new team. I’m expecting a much better season from Watson in 2023, but I’m not sure if we’ll ever see the Texans version of him again.

11 – Kyler Murray

2022 stats: 2,368 yards, 14 TD, 7 INT, 418 rushing yards, 3 rushing TD (missed six games due to injury)

Kyler is likely to miss most, if not all of the 2023 season after suffering a torn ACL last November. For a QB with his play style, you’ve got to wonder how that is going to affect him when he returns. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. The Kyler Murray we know is a lightning-quick runner with a hell of an arm who just hasn’t been able to fully live up to his potential. His talent is undeniable, but his play on the field just hasn’t been what it can be, and his off-the-field antics aren’t great either. Despite all his talent, the Cardinals might have dug themselves a $250 million hole.

Tier 4: “Would You Rather Be Underpaid or Overrated?” – Jay-Z

12 – Jared Goff

2022 stats: 4,438 yards, 29 TD, 7 INT

Jared Goff is starting to be so underrated that he might be overrated at this point. I don’t think that’s true, and I have always liked Goff, but I think social media can chill with flaunting his stats and calling him “underrated”. Guys like Kirk Cousins and Dak Prescott also have great stats and tend to shrink in big moments just like Goff does, but they don’t play for lovable teams like the Lions, so instead social media hates them. It’s no secret that Goff essentially had a career-reviving season in Detroit last year, which is more proof that he can be a truly great QB when surrounded by good talent in a good scheme. I expect to see similar numbers out of Goff this year, and hopefully the Lions see the success that has eluded them for the last… checks watch… well, forever.

13 – Geno Smith

2022 stats: 4,282 yards, 30 TD, 11 INT (won Comeback Player of the Year)

The 2022 Comeback Player of the Year was one of the best stories in football last season. After waiting years to get another shot as a starting QB, Geno Smith shocked the world en route to being one of the most prolific passers of the year and leading the Seahawks to the playoffs in their first year of a supposed rebuild. He flashed amazing arm talent and pinpoint accuracy all season long and was rewarded with a massive, well-deserved contract extension. With the offense getting a huge boost this offseason through free agency and the draft, I expect Geno to continue putting up big numbers. I think he’ll be in people’s top 10 lists by January.

14 – Kirk Cousins

2022 stats: 4,547 yards, 29 TD, 14 INT

The narratives surrounding Kirk Cousins have been beaten into the ground at this point, so I’ll keep this brief. Kirk is a much better QB than most people realize. I know a lot of his stats are empty. I know he sucks after the sun goes down (most of the time). I know he has limited playoff success. But he’s as good as you can ask for in this league. I have defended him for years and years, and I hope the Quarterback series gave people the appreciation for him that I have. I’d welcome him back to DC in a heartbeat.

15 – Tua Tagovailoa

2022 stats: 3,548 yards, 25 TD, 8 INT (missed four games due to injury)

Last season was the first time we saw what Tua was capable of when he’s surrounded by the talent and scheme that lets him cook. He might have gotten a lot of help via YAC from Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but he led the league in TD% and passer rating (105.5) all while being one of the most accurate QBs in football. The concussion problems are a very scary concern, but if Tua stays upright with the talent he has around him, he’ll be perfectly fine to put up big numbers. I just question whether or not he has what it takes to take the Dolphins to where they want to be.

16 – Dak Prescott

2022 stats: 2,860 yards, 23 TD, 15 INT (missed five games due to injury)

Dak has been perfectly average, if not above average for his entire career. But last season was not a good look for him. He led the league in interceptions while having the second worst passer rating of his career. He had a fantastic 2021, so perhaps we can place some blame on his injury last year, but I need to see it to believe it this season with Dak. It feels like the window is closing rapidly in Dallas, and it’ll close even quicker if he doesn’t return to form.

Tier 5: Make or Break Year

17 – Russell Wilson

2022 stats: 3,524 yards, 16 TD, 11 INT, 277 rushing yards, 3 rushing TD (missed two games due to injury)

Last year was the worst season of Russell Wilson’s career by any and every metric. It was an unmitigated disaster from start to finish that was widely publicized and criticized. But I think a lot of that has to do with how generally awful the Broncos were on offense under Nathaniel Hackett. Russ has a real chance to get back on track under Sean Payton. I don’t know how much he has left in the tank, but I know for a fact that his 2023 can’t go any worse than 2022 can.

18 – Derek Carr

2022 stats: 3,522 yards, 24 TD, 14 INT (missed two games due to being shut down by LVR)

It’s hard to make heads or tails of Derek Carr these days. Yes, he puts up good numbers, but it hasn’t translated to wins much lately. Yes, he can make any throw in the world, but he forgets how to do so inside the 10-yard line. Yes, he gets a fresh start in New Orleans, but it’s under an abysmal coaching staff. I know he still has plenty of talent left in the tank, but I believe things can get ugly for Derek Carr very soon.

Tier 6: So Much Potential

19 – Justin Fields

2022 stats: 2,242 yards, 17 TD, 11 INT, 1,143 rushing yards, 8 rushing TD (missed two games due to injury)

Justin Fields is perhaps the most polarizing QB in football right now. Everyone either thinks he’s the next Lamar Jackson or Jalen Hurts or thinks he’s the worst QB in the league. There’s no in between. My love for Justin obviously goes back to his college days, so it’s clear where I stand. It took everything I had to not place him higher on this list. But he clearly needs to show more development as a passer. I do think a lot of his faults in that regard lie with the scheme and complete lack of talent around him. Both of those will improve this year, so hopefully he makes a huge leap with his arm. His rushing talents need no explanation, as he led all QBs in rushing yards and finished seventh in the league among all rushers, becoming just the third QB to ever rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He might just be the fastest player in football with extremely underrated strength. If he can get his act together as a passer, Justin will take the league by storm. I’m hoping and praying that it happens.

20 – Brock Purdy

2022 stats: 1,374 yards, 13 TD, 4 INT (five games as starter)

I wasn’t really sure who to put as the 49ers QB in this list, but I assume that the QB1 job currently belongs to Brock Purdy after his efforts last season. He might not start in Week 1, and I personally feel like Trey Lance is the better option, but he gets my nod here. Purdy was one of the best stories in football last year, going from being Mr. Irrelevant to leading the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game before an unfortunate elbow injury ended his season. Regardless of whether or not he’ll be ready to play or start for the Niners in September, he deserves our respect. He was a perfect fit in their offense with fantastic accuracy and playmaking ability, all while keeping the ball safe. If he does end up being the QB of the future in San Francisco, I think he has what it takes to lead them to greatness.

21 – Daniel Jones

2022 stats: 3,205 yards, 15 TD, 5 INT, 708 rushing yards, 7 rushing TD (missed one game due to rest)

I think I’m putting Danny Dimes a tad low on this list considering the great year he had in 2022. But I’m just not as moved as everyone else is. I think he will be a solid starting QB for the Giants for the next few years. But there isn’t a lot about 15 passing touchdowns in 16 games that makes me fawn. He’s a solid passer with a decent arm and fantastic athletic ability that honestly almost makes up for his shortcomings as a passer. The potential is there, but he’ll never be anything special in my eyes.

Tier 7: Panera Bread

22 – Jimmy Garoppolo

2022 stats: 2,437 yards, 16 TD, 4 INT (missed six games due to injury/being backup)

I’ve been a supporter of Jimmy G for a very long time. I think he’s a perfectly fine QB that will always produce and be successful when put in the right spot. San Francisco was that right spot for a while. I don’t know if Las Vegas will be. But he has everything he needs to be successful, including one of the best WRs and RBs in football and his old buddy as his head coach. He still won’t blow anyone away, but all the ingredients are there. We’ll see what this new era of Jimmy looks like.

23 – Ryan Tannehill

2022 stats: 2,536 yards, 13 TD, 6 INT (missed five games due to injury)

For what it’s worth, Ryan Tannehill was having a decent year in 2022 for about 10 weeks before the wheels completely fell off. Now, he’s a 35-year old coming off a tough injury on a team with not a lot of offensive talent. With the Titans spending a second round pick on a QB in Will Levis, it’s easy to see that Tannehill is nearing the end of the road.

24 – Mac Jones

2022 stats: 2,997 yards, 14 TD, 11 INT (missed three games due to injury)

This is a huge year for Macaroni. The Patriots are more than ready to move on from him if he doesn’t produce. Last season was a bit of a disaster that included a nagging ankle problem and a benching in favor of Bailey Zappe, who New England fans often chanted for when Jones struggled. While I had high hopes for Macaroni when he entered the league, it’s clear that he’s not exactly being put in a position to succeed. He hasn’t shown many flashes of talent either. If it doesn’t happen this season, we won’t be hearing his name much anymore.

25 – Baker Mayfield

2022 stats: 2,163 yards, 10 TD, 8 INT (12 games as starter for CAR/LAR)

I wanted to put Baker much, much lower on this list. It’s a real possibility that he is the worst starting QB in football. It just didn’t feel right putting him below guys who are either very inexperienced or have never played a snap in the NFL. Still, my opinions on Mayfield have been clear for years now. I don’t like him as a person, I don’t like him as a player, and I think his time in the NFL is running out. I would not be remotely shocked if he loses the starting job before Thanksgiving.

Tier 8: New Kids on the Block

26 – Kenny Pickett

2022 stats: 2,404 yards, 7 TD, 9 INT, 237 rushing yards, 3 rushing TD (13 games as starter)

Look, I like Kenneth Pickett. I think he’s a great story and I find it very easy to root for him. But I just don’t know if he can be a franchise guy. It doesn’t help that the Steelers offense isn’t exactly budding with talent, but they are improving. I think Pickett can make a leap in his sophomore campaign, but to me, his ceiling is Tier 4 or 5.

27 – Jordan Love

2022 stats: 195 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT (appeared in four games)

There might not be a QB in this tier that I have higher hopes for than Jordan Love. He has had three years to sit and learn under Aaron Rodgers and now finally gets his shot to lead the Packers. I think he has all the talent in the world to lead them to success. With great arm talent and mobility, he has the perfect skillset to succeed in today’s NFL. He has shown flashes of it in his few appearances over the last two years. Green Bay still has the talent around him that can allow him to thrive, and I think he’ll do just that. I expect big things out of him in 2023.

28 – Bryce Young

2022 stats: N/A

The 2023 #1 pick out of Alabama is one of the most unique QB prospects in recent memory. The concerns about his size are valid, but he has some of the best playmaking ability that we’ve seen in a long time. He has immense talent that I think can translate well to the NFL, and the Panthers are putting themselves in a position such that he can succeed early and often. I’m looking forward to watching his development this season.

29 – CJ Stroud

2022 stats: N/A

CJ was probably the best all-around passing prospect in April’s draft, and the Texans were very happy to snag him at #2 overall. He’s a prototypical pocket passer with the arm and accuracy to make any throw and an extremely underrated pocket presence. His mobility is also an under-looked part of his skillset and will only get better in the NFL. I can’t wait to see what he can do in Houston as they continue their rebuild.

30 – Anthony Richardson

2022 stats: N/A

Richardson was the most polarizing QB prospect in this year’s draft. He has jaw-dropping raw talent as both a passer and a runner, but it remains to be seen if those skills can be refined and translated into success in the NFL. I believe in the Colts organization and their coaching staff as well as the talent on that offense, so I think Richardson can see some early success in the pros. But it’s clear to everyone that this is a project, and one with an extremely high upside.

31 – Sam Howell

2022 stats: 169 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT (one game as starter)

Our fanbase is absolutely head over heels for Sam Howell because he was once heralded as the best QB prospect in college football (over two years ago) and beat the Cowboys in his lone NFL start with one or two highlight plays. Perhaps we should temper our expectations a bit. I think Sam is immensely talented and is in a great position to do good things in our offense. Everything is right in front of him to seize this opportunity and be a solid NFL starting QB. But we really need to pump the brakes with this “franchise QB” stuff. I have to see it to believe it. Maybe I’m just a pessimist. But when it comes to this franchise, can you blame me?

32 – Desmond Ridder

2022 stats: 708 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT (four games as starter)

To put it nicely, I have no faith in Desmond Ridder as an NFL starter. He was an average passer and runner at Cincinnati, and it’s safe to say that he’s below average in both categories at the professional level. He’s still very inexperienced, but I just don’t see a world where he is Atlanta’s quarterback of the future. He simply lacks the talent to be a successful QB in this league.

All stats taken from Pro Football Reference.

My 2023 Mock Draft

The 2023 NFL Draft is upon us with a plethora of remarkably talented players ready to hear their names called. Here’s my one and only Mock Draft.

Cover photo taken from NBC Sports.

The NFL offseason’s Christmas is finally upon us. Tonight, 31 young men will have their dreams come true as their names are called and they become professional football players. The first round of the NFL Draft is truly a magical night that everyone in football lives for. One of the best parts of the Draft is how unpredictable it is, yet we spend all offseason debating mock drafts and prospect rankings. So, for the second consecutive year, I am throwing out my own mock. This will be wildly wrong (which is part of the fun), but this is how I think each and every team picking tonight will go about their selections.

1 – Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

The Panthers have been fixated on Bryce Young since they traded up to the #1 spot back on March 10th. This is clearly the guy they made the move for, and I don’t blame them whatsoever. I think Young is the best player in this class, and it might not be particularly close. While I understand the concerns about his size, his play speaks for itself. He had an unbelievable two year run at Alabama, and anything he lacks in his physical appearance is made up for by his immense poise and playmaking ability. Some of the things he did in Tuscaloosa made my eyeballs fall out of my head. While C.J. Stroud might be the better all around QB prospect on paper, Bryce Young is certainly the better talent, and I have been buying into his hype for a very long time. Clearly Carolina has as well. They may have lost their WR1, but they get the star QB that they’ve desired for years and continue their rebuild with one of the most exciting prospects in recent memory.

2 – Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech

It is becoming increasingly obvious that the Texans are going to pass on a QB (likely C.J. Stroud) with this pick and opt to go with an edge rusher. While I understand the principle of that with DeMeco Ryans looking for a star pass rusher to build around, I think it’s a pretty ludicrous move. Houston has a golden opportunity to pair Stroud with a top WR prospect with the 12th overall selection, including but not limited to his college teammate Jaxon Smith-Njigba. I would go that route 100 times out of 100. But the Texans are not going to. Still, they’re getting a fantastic prospect in Tyree Wilson, who has risen up draft boards all offseason long, and for good reason. He’s a physical freak of nature coming off the edge with all of the tools to be a premier pass rusher in this league. His athleticism and physical tools speak for themselves, and I think he can flourish under the tutelage of someone like DeMeco Ryans in this system. Again, it’s not the pick I’d make, but it appears that this is all but written in stone.

3 – Will Anderson Jr., EDGE, Alabama

Will Anderson is this year’s Kayvon Thibodeaux. Both of them were the consensus top overall player in their class for a while, then got reduced to being the top edge rusher in their class before being supplanted by an “athletic freak” who gets taken before them. Tyree Wilson is getting all the hype in the world, and for good reason, but please don’t forget about this guy. Anderson was the top edge rusher in college football for two years in a row and had people seriously considering giving him the Heisman. In fact, I think he should have won the award back in 2021. That’s how dominant he is off the edge. He just might be the best player in this class, so the Cardinals should consider this as highway robbery at 3. They have a lot of holes to fill, and with Kyler Murray’s injury likely sidelining him for the season, I think they will be picking first overall next year. Locking up a franchise pass rusher is a great way to start a rebuild, and it doesn’t get much better than this.

4 – C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State

The Colts should be thanking their lucky stars that the Texans are seemingly passing on a quarterback. To have C.J. Stroud fall to them without having to make any trades or lose any additional assets is by far the best-case scenario. This is a team that has been trying to find its franchise QB since Andrew Luck retired, and they get to snag arguably the best overall QB prospect in the draft. Stroud has everything he needs to be a great signal caller in the NFL; his size, arm, poise, pocket awareness, and playmaking ability took a massive leap last year, and I think that he’ll only get better as he continues to develop as a pro. The Colts also have some solid weapons to surround him, which is more than Houston can say. This is probably the best fit for C.J., and I hope for his sake that this is where he ends up going.

5 – Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois

The Seahawks could go a lot of different ways with this pick, including trading down, which I would not be opposed to. But, it makes perfect sense to stay put and grab a top prospect, especially to help bolster a defense that had some very bad moments last year. I think snagging perhaps the top corner in the draft is a great move to pair him alongside Tariq Woolen and help build a potential Legion of Boom 2.0. Witherspoon is a physical ballhawk that has shot up the drat boards, and for good reason. He is very physical and versatile in the defensive backfield, and I think he can be a great fit in Seattle with the style of defense that they play.

6 – Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia

For a solid portion of this draft process, many people held the belief that Jalen Carter was the best player in this class. Some extraneous factors have seemingly hurt his stock, but there is no denying that he is one of the best prospects on the board that any team should feel delighted to add to their roster. In this case, the Lions, who desperately need help across the board on defense, but especially on the interior, scoop him up courtesy of their pick from the Rams in the Matthew Stafford trade to instantly create one of the best young defensive fronts in the NFL. The unit will still need some more help, but this is the best-case scenario at 6 for Detroit.

7 – Will Levis, QB, Kentucky

There are two facts to keep in mind here. The first is that the Raiders need a QB after letting go of Derek Carr. The second is that the Raiders are arguably the single worst drafting organization in the entire league. So it feels almost inevitable that they take a massive gamble on a QB prospect with a ton of questions that half of evaluators see as a total bust. I personally have zero faith in Will Levis. I would love to be proven wrong, but I have seen him play way too poorly at Kentucky to fall for any “physical traits” or “intangibles”. I believe what my eyes tell me, and my eyes do not like him at all. Placing Levis in an offense with Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams could bring out the best in him, but it’s just not the right move for the Raiders. Which is why I can 100% see them making it.

8 – Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida

I really, REALLY do not think the Falcons should take a QB at 8. This team has so many holes that they could trigger someone’s trypophobia, and taking a QB won’t fix any of them. If they’re smart, they’ll take a tackle or an edge rusher to be the anchor of their rebuild and wait for 2024, where they could be picking first overall, to take their QB of the future. But the Falcons are the antithesis of smart, especially when it comes to drafting, so I say they are going to pick a QB, and it’s the biggest boom-or-bust prospect in the entire draft. Anthony Richardson has been one of the more polarizing prospects in recent memory with several people being enthralled by his raw talent and several others seeing him as a total bust. I’ve been toeing the line for a while, and I can’t say that I love him as a prospect. I think it’s a massive gamble for any team to pick him, especially if that team has absolutely nothing going for them like the Falcons. But if he pans out, then they can say that they proved everyone wrong while snagging their franchise QB.

9 – Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern

I loved the Bears moving down to 9. They got plenty of extra draft capital and finally have their WR1 in D.J. Moore from Carolina. At 9, they sit in a golden position to grab a franchise left tackle to protect Justin Fields, who got absolutely hammered all year by pass rushers in 2022. I think Skoronski and Paris Johnson Jr. are pretty much tied atop the board at their position, but I can see Chicago opting to pick the hometown kid who is used to playing in their conditions. Skoronski is an absolute unit at 6’4″ 315 and will protect Fields for years to come.

10 – Nolan Smith, EDGE, Georgia

It’s not often that a team makes the Super Bowl and picks in the top 10, but the Eagles are doing just that courtesy of a trade with the Saints last year. This roster is one of the best in the league with the only real “holes” being at running back and linebacker, but I don’t think the Birds are going to fill those holes with this pick. There are virtually no prospects at those positions that will go this high. It makes more sense to pick someone to bolster an already solid group in Philly, such as a receiver or a corner, considering how deep those positions are in this draft. But I think the Eagles are going to continue plucking players out of Athens and add an athletic freak to their developing front seven. Last year, they took Jordan Davis to fill the middle and Nakobe Dean to develop into a field general behind him. Adding their old teammate Nolan Smith to haunt QBs off the edge just feels right. Smith is one of the more dynamic defenders in the draft with crazy speed and athleticism for an edge rusher. If he and his old Georgia teammates develop into stars, Philadelphia could boast one of the best defensive cores that this league has seen in a long time.

11 – Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State

Simply put, the Titans are a mess. No one knows what is going on in Tennessee. We have no idea who will be lining up under center in the fall and it feels like Derrick Henry won’t be behind whoever that may be. Maybe they use Henry in a trade to move up or down in the first round and continue to build draft capital or find their next star QB. I’m not entirely opposed to that idea, but I think it makes logical sense to stay put and grab a franchise left tackle to help rebuild an offensive line that was simply embarrassing last year. As I said before, Paris Johnson Jr. is right at the top of his position group in this draft, and will be an immediate impact guy for a team that desperately needs their Taylor Lewan replacement to protect Malik Willis/Ryan Tannehill and help out Derrick Henry… maybe.

12 – Jordan Addison, WR, USC

Houston is sitting pretty with two top 12 picks courtesy of the Browns being the incompetent organization they are. After securing their franchise edge rusher instead of grabbing a top QB, it makes sense for them to take a top offensive weapon to help out whichever signal caller they take in 2024. While I don’t think Jordan Addison is the top WR in this class, I can certainly see him being the first one off the board. A lot of folks have him as WR1 due to his lightning quick play and route-running. Moreover, Addison has a repertoire with USC QB Caleb Williams, who the Texans will surely be vying for in next year’s draft, so this feels like a forward-thinking move that prepares them for the future. Again, this isn’t the direction I’d go in, but I don’t hate it for Houston.

13 – Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State

I could talk about Jaxon Smith-Njigba for hours. Days even. Not only do I believe that he’s by far the best WR in this class, I think he might be the best player in the class. A hamstring injury suffered on just his second catch of the 2022 season (with me in attendance, of course) derailed what could have been a legendary campaign after an otherworldly year in 2021. Considering that we haven’t really seen JSN play since the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2022, a lot of people have forgotten about how truly special this kid is. Just to put this in perspective, every single player who shared the WR room with him at Ohio State said that he is the best receiver they’ve ever seen. That’s a room that includes guys like Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams, and Marvin Harrison Jr. And they’re probably right in terms of WRs at the college level. JSN is an incredibly polished route runner with surefire hands and a catch radius that exceeds his build accompanied by a surprising burst after the catch. He will be any QB’s best friend, especially if that QB is entering a starting role and needs all the help he can get. And that makes the Packers the single best fit for him. Aaron Rodgers is finally gone and the Jordan Love era has officially begun. I have extremely high hopes for him, and this is a pick that not only helps him out, but bolsters the entire offense. All of a sudden, Green Bay will have one of the best young WR groups in the league with JSN alongside Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this pick could be the difference between the Packers making or missing the playoffs. Regardless of that, this is the only pick they can make, and if they pass on JSN, they should consider it to be a catastrophic failure.

14 – Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson

The Patriots can go a lot of different ways here. The roster badly needs help in a lot of different spots, especially on the offensive side. I don’t see Bill Belichick opting for a receiver with the top options off the board, and this feels too high for them to reach for a running back. So the most logical play is to snag a great edge rusher to help a front seven that needs a boost. Myles Murphy is an experienced player with the athleticism that is severely lacking in New England’s defensive line. I see this is a very good value pick for the Patriots to immediately fill a position of need.

15 – Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee

The Jets finally acquired Aaron Rodgers and now sit in a position where they can go one of two ways. They can grab a pass-catcher to replace Elijah Moore and go alongside Garrett Wilson to help boost the offense. Or, they can add a key piece to a wonky offensive line that has had a lot of injury woes at the tackle position. With a 39 year old QB entering the fray and the top two WR prospects off the board, the latter makes a lot more sense. They need to protect Rodgers at all costs, and taking the pro-ready Wright is a great way to do that. His 6’5″ 330 frame makes him an absolute rock on the edge, and if Mekhi Becton figures it out, the Jets could have one of the best young tackle duos in the league protecting a veteran QB that desperately needs to stay upright.

16 – Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon

We are in a weird spot. When are we not in a weird spot? There has been speculation about trading back and acquiring some draft capital to prepare for the 2024 draft and potentially bringing Caleb Williams home to DC. While I don’t hate that idea, I think I would rather stay put and lock up a top prospect at one of two major positions of need: tackle or corner. At this spot with the board shaping up the way it is, I think corner is the right move, and I think Christian Gonzalez is a steal at 16. Many people have him as CB1, and it’s easy to see why. He’s incredibly long with fantastic playmaking ability and blazing speed. He will instantly fill a massive gap as an outside corner to help Kendall Fuller as he operates in the slot and help improve the secondary in a major way.

17 – Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State

The Steelers like taking hometown kids. The Steelers like defense. The Steelers don’t have a much better option at 17 than Joey Porter Jr. Not only did his father play for Pittsburgh, but Porter Jr. is a Penn State prospect who will instantly fit in with the Steelers’ defensive philosophy of beating offenses up. He’s very long and has a ton of range and versatility with the playmaking ability that this secondary has lacked for years now. I wouldn’t hate seeing the Steelers invest in the offensive line, but this feels like the best value pick and by far the best fit.

18 – Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland

As I said with their first pick, the Lions need all the help hey can get on defense. After shoring up the interior with Jalen Carter, they sit at 18 in a great spot to help the defensive backfield and replace the recently-traded Jeff Okudah. Deonte Banks is a great prospect that has very quickly risen up draft boards due to his size and speed. Adding him to a secondary that has been rebuilt with newcomers like Cam Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley, and C.J. Gardner Johnson instantly helps Detroit’s defense become a much stronger unit than they were a year ago, greatly improving their playoff chances.

19 – Brian Branch, S, Alabama

The Buccaneers have seemingly fallen off a cliff. After the departure of Tom Brady, the roster suddenly has tons of holes to address. They have a myriad of options in this spot, and I had a hard time deciding which direction to go in. I decided to have them just pick the best player available, since it addresses a position of need. Brian Branch is a fantastic player in the defensive backfield with the athleticism and smarts to make plays all over the field. He would be a tremendous complement to Antoine Winfield Jr. and help out a Tampa secondary that got gashed all season last year.

20 – O’Cyrus Torrence, OG, Florida

After filling their first position of need at 5 with a corner, it makes sense for the Seahawks to help out their offensive interior and snag perhaps the best guard in the draft. Torrence is a huge, physical blocker at 6’5″ 330 with a ton of raw power that Seattle could use in a big way. Adding him to a ragtag offensive line will instantly help both the passing and running games.

21 – Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah

This may feel like a very strange pick, but I think it’s a great one for the Chargers. A lot of people would like to see them take a WR, and I think that’s a very logical way to go with some solid options on the board. But adding the best pass-catching tight end in the draft instantly adds another foil to this very interesting offense. Kincaid catches everything that comes his way and has very good burst and route running for someone at his position. This is just as good as picking a WR and gives a potentially lethal weapon to Justin Herbert to go alongside Austin Ekeler, Mike Williams, and Keenan Allen.

22 – Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa

Baltimore still has a lot of questions to answer this offseason, particularly regarding some guy named Lamar Jackson. They won’t have those questions answered by draft night, but they sit in an interesting spot to fill one of several needs. I can see them taking any number of players at several positions such as receiver, corner, or safety. With the recent acquisition of Odell Beckham Jr., I think their best route is actually to opt for a pass rusher. For all intents and purposes, this is a steal for the Ravens. Van Ness is one of the more intriguing edge rushers in the draft with his incredible technique and motor. In Baltimore, he can develop into a premiere pass-rusher and create a vaunted rushing group that features Odafe Oweh and Roquan Smith.

23 – Calijah Kancey, DT, Pitt

Like their fellow purple and gold team picking before them, the Vikings have a lot of options at 23. I’ve heard plenty of rumors about a potential move up involving Dalvin Cook with their sights on a corner, receiver, or even a QB. I wouldn’t be opposed to that whatsoever, but it’s difficult to project a trade of that magnitude. So, I’ll keep Minnesota at 23 and give them a fantastic talent to help their defensive interior and pass rush as a whole. Kancey is a remarkably athletic player with a relentless pass-rushing motor who will immediately boost a defensive line that severely lacks in that department. The Vikes will still have plenty of work to do to help out the rest of the defense, but this is a great place to start.

24 – Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi State

The Jaguars seem to be leaning towards a defensive back in this spot. With most of the top offensive line prospects off the board by this point, I think that makes a ton of sense. But, with most of the best corners also off the board, it’s anyone’s guess as to who the Jags will scoop up. I think Emmanuel Forbes is a good fit for them with his long frame and innate playmaking ability. His size is definitely a concern at a mere 180 pounds, but he makes up for it with his ballhawking nature. I think he’d provide a nice presence to Jacksonville’s developing secondary.

25 – Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU

The Giants need a receiver worse than any other team in the league. With some of the top prospects off the board, they still have some interesting options at 25. I really like the fit of Quentin Johnston in their offense with his size and speed. There are plenty of concerns with his tape, which has led to his stock completely tanking since the end of the college football season, but his talent is undeniable. In New York, he won’t have to be a WR1 and can instead be a high-level threat on the outside as a foil to Darius Slayton. I can see him thriving in that role.

26 – Cam Smith, CB, South Carolina

The way I see it, the Cowboys can go three ways here. The first is making the flashy “Cowboys” pick, which is Bijan Robinson. The second is making the more solid “Cowboys” pick that we’ve come to expect in recent years, which would be an offensive or defensive lineman. The third is the seemingly logical pick, which would be a defensive back. I’m rocking with the third option, but that puts Dallas in a similar position as the Jaguars at 24. They have some options, but none of them are as good as they’d like. However, I think Cam Smith is a very good fit for this defense. He’s a tremendous playmaker with a great feel for anticipating throws coming his way, and pairing him with Trevon Diggs could make for perhaps the best ballhawking corner duo in the league.

27 – Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas

We all know that Bijan Robinson is a top ten talent in this class. He’s one of the best running back prospects in recent years with his otherworldly athleticism and speed. He’s like a stronger Saquon Barkley when he came out of Penn State. His athletic ability and physical gifts make him one of the most coveted prospects on the board. The problem is that he doesn’t seem to fit anywhere until we get to the late first round. Maybe a team like Atlanta, Philadelphia, or New England can scoop him up, but it just wouldn’t make sense to me. It certainly makes sense at 27 for the Bills. They would love to add a star RB to the fold to help out Josh Allen and prevent him from running around as much as he does. Creating a three-headed monster of Allen, Robinson, and Stefon Diggs could provide this offense with the boost they need to get over the hump that has held them back in the postseason for so many years now. It almost feels to good to be true with the 27th overall selection.

28 – Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame

This has felt telegraphed for a while now. It really feels like the only option here for Cincinnati. There aren’t any better offensive line or defensive back prospects on the board, and they get a huge lift at a position that really needs one. Mayer is a huge target that will eat up the middle of the field with his great hands while also clearing up outside lines as a fantastic run blocker on the edge. He is the best all-around tight end in this draft and seemingly a perfect fit in the Bengals offense, giving Joe Burrow another pass-catching threat while helping out the run game.

29 – Steve Avila, OG, TCU

The Saints entered this offseason with some of the worst draft capital in the league, but were able to snag a first from Denver (by way of Miami and San Francisco) when Sean Payton agreed to coach the Broncos. That works out great for them as they desperately need some help on the offensive interior to rebuild the line and protect their new QB Derek Carr. There are a lot of interesting guards in this draft, but I think Steve Avila is the best fit for New Orleans, as he can come in and be an impact starter on day one.

30 – Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama

As I said above, the Eagles would like to leave this draft with a running back, but taking Bijan Robinson at 10 doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Instead, sitting back and waiting on Jahmyr Gibbs to fall to them at 30 is one of the best things they can ask for. Gibbs might not be the talent that Robinson is, but he is still incredibly dynamic with his lightning-quick speed and fantastic pass-catching ability. Pairing him up with Miles Sanders would make for a very intriguing RB duo in this already multi-faceted offense. He can act as a psuedo Alvin Kamara for the Birds on passing downs while providing a spark in the run game, which I think can make the offense even scarier. As if they need to be scarier than they already are.

31 – Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College

The Super Bowl champs are in a pretty good spot with their roster, but there are two positions that I think need some help: receiver and edge rusher. While it might make more sense to opt for the latter here, I think the Chiefs are going to put their faith in George Karlaftis, who they spent a first rounder on just last year. So, they opt to take the best WR on the board who far too many people are sleeping on. Zay Flowers is a slick and twitchy slot receiver who will instantly fill the void left behind by Juju Smith-Schuster’s departure. In fact, he’ll improve that position from last year. He’s undersized, but we’ve seen Kansas City make monsters out of smaller receivers before by utilizing their strengths, especially when it comes to speed. Flowers is certainly not lacking in that department.

Post-Week 18 Power Rankings

With the regular season in the books, the final Power Rankings of the year provide an insight into how the playoff contestants stack up as well as some reflection on the seasons of those who didn’t make the dance.

Cover photo taken from NFL.com.

1 – Bengals (12-4)

The Cincinnati Bengals are my top team at the end of the 2022 season, but I don’t know if they have ever felt more vulnerable. Their offensive line, which has previously been so solid all year long, has lost two of its most key pieces in Alex Cappa and La’el Collins in the last three weeks. So, there’s a better chance than not that we see Joe Burrow under duress just as much as he was during last year’s playoff run. That being said, I still trust Burrow and the Bengals offense under any and all circumstances, and I still trust this defense. They have plenty of experience from last year and feel determined to make amends. Their injuries could come back to bite them, but as it stands, they are my Super Bowl favorites.

2 – Chiefs (14-3)

Kansas City ended their season far more emphatically than I pictured they would. They destroyed the Raiders on the road in one of their more convincing performances on the season. They barely had to do anything offensively to separate themselves. They didn’t have the flashiest game in the world, but it didn’t matter. This team simply kills you with a thousand paper cuts. Patrick Mahomes continues to be masterful, and the defense is carrying some nice momentum into the first round bye with back to back great performances, especially in the secondary. While there’s no guarantee of the Chiefs getting multiple home playoff games, they are extremely worthy of being the betting favorites to win it all. They are the team to beat in the NFL.

3 – 49ers (13-4)

The 49ers are the best team in the NFC. They might just be the best team in the league. With every passing week, they look better and better on both sides of the ball. I already have no idea how anyone is supposed to move the ball on their defense, but now I don’t know who can stop their offense. Brock Purdy continues to play better and better, and they just have too many weapons to account for. And now, Deebo Samuel is finally back. So is Elijah Mitchell, who provides an entirely different element to the already deadly backfield. This team is absolutely horrifying, even if they’re not the 1 seed. With the way the other NFC contenders have performed in the last month or so, I would genuinely be shocked if the Niners didn’t make it to Glendale in a month’s time.

4 – Bills (13-3)

I said last week that the Bills had the chance to give us one of the greatest sights in sports history. And they did just that. Buffalo was absolutely electric from start to finish in an inspiring win for Damar Hamlin to lock up the 2 seed and ensure that the AFC Championship be played at a neutral site if this team plays Kansas City. It also ensured a much easier first round matchup. While I think Buffalo could have played a better game defensively, Josh Allen was awesome from start to finish, launching the ball all over the place and making highlight throw after highlight throw. We saw the Bills get hot at the end of last year and carry that momentum into two great playoff games on offense. I wouldn’t be shocked if we see the exact same thing happen again in the coming weeks.

5 – Eagles (14-3)

Despite getting Jalen Hurts back, the Eagles looked quite sluggish once again on Sunday. They did not play a great game by any means, but still won convincingly over the Giants backups. They did clinch the 1 seed, and I think they will really benefit from having a first round bye. We could see the Birds in two weeks come out scorching hot offensively. At the same time, we could see a repeat of Sunday’s performance lead to an early exit. Both seem entirely possible, but I have a bit more faith in the former actually happening. This team is too talented across the board to get complacent, especially after clinching the top seed. Their second round matchup will be the most important factor. If it’s the Giants or Cowboys, then they should be fine. But if it’s Tom Brady and the Bucs, they might be in trouble.

6 – Chargers (10-7) 1

The Chargers weren’t as cautious with their starters as I thought they would be on Sunday, but Brandon Staley did eventually pull Justin Herbert and company out of the game in the fourth quarter. However, it wasn’t before Mike Williams sustained an injury that could potentially keep him out of the Wild Card game in Jacksonville. That mistake could prove to be extremely costly for LA; we saw how their offense looked when they weren’t at full strength, and that’s not something this team can afford to revisit. However, the Chargers are getting some good injury news as Rashawn Slater could return to the team if they were to beat the Jaguars on Saturday night. The offensive line has played very well in his absence, but getting one of the best LTs in football back obviously provides a massive boost to the offense. In any case, it will be tough for the Chargers to go on the road and win in Herbert’s playoff debut. But we all know he’s capable of getting the job done.

7 – Jaguars (9-8) 1

We all know the Jags didn’t play their best game on Saturday night in a de facto playoff game. But I think that was expected. I told you all that it would be close despite the Titans’ QB situation. It was a combination of their coaching and the jitters of Jacksonville. I’m not shocked at all that they struggled for so long and needed a big break in the game’s waning moments to clinch their playoff spot. But I think that getting those jitters out of the way will be extremely helpful for this team as they head into a very tough playoff matchup with the Chargers. They will likely play a lot more relaxed and look like the Jags of December again.

8 – Cowboys (12-5) 2

Yeesh. For a team that could have wound up as the 1 seed by Sunday night, the Cowboys put up one of the most pathetic performances you will ever see. I don’t think I’ve truly realized how sad it was. To play a team playing a 3rd string QB with absolutely nothing to play for and virtually not show up is just embarrassing. Dak Prescott played perhaps the worst game of his professional career and the rest of the offense never got off the plane. The defense couldn’t stop a Commanders offense starting a plethora of backups. It was just an abomination from start to finish. It’s hard to tell if this is who the Cowboys are going into the playoffs, but it inspires little to no confidence ahead of a road matchup against Tom Brady, who has never lost to Dallas in his life.

9 – Vikings (13-4)

As I said last week, the Vikings didn’t have to do much to beat a Bears team that was essentially playing to lose to be handed the #1 pick in the draft. I still have my reservations about this team, but it was nice to see them close out a great regular season with a rare convincing victory. Minnesota was able to get their starters some rest ahead of a pretty tough matchup next week with a Giants team that also rested their starters on Sunday. Their game a few weeks ago was pretty close, and anything can happen in the rematch, but I’ll get more into that later this week.

10 – Lions (9-8)

The Lions may have missed out on the playoffs, but they won all of our hearts this season. They finished the season on a 7-2 tear after a poor 2-6 start, beating playoff teams and crushing playoff dreams left and right. Sunday night’s win in Lambeau was simply awesome to see, and it’s so cool that NFL fans can rally around this team like we have in recent weeks. I can’t wait to see what they have in store moving forward. I can only hope that they don’t mess it up in typical Detroit fashion, because this is one of my absolute favorite teams in the league right now, and I don’t want them to go away.

11 – Giants (9-7-1)

The Giants knew they were locked into the 6 seed and rested their starters accordingly. It would be vastly unfair to move them up or down after that. I actually like their chances going to Minnesota to play a team they nearly just beat in the very same building. It’s one of the more interesting matchups of the weekend, but like I said, I’ll get into it more later this week.

12 – Buccaneers (8-9) 3

Since they were locked into the 4 seed, the Buccaneers only played their starters for a few drives on Sunday in Atlanta before letting their backups get some reps in a meaningless loss. Thus, Tampa is the only playoff team with a losing record. You might as well throw that out the window, because having Tom Brady in the playoffs is enough to make the Bucs absolutely horrify me. I don’t know what this team has in store for the postseason considering how up and down they’ve been all year long, but if #12 plays like he did to close out the year and the defense steps up like they seemingly always do, then we could be in for some more playoff magic.

13 – Steelers (9-8) 1

Kudos to the Steelers for finishing the season so strong. Like the Lions, they closed out the year 7-2 after starting 2-6 to ensure that Mike Tomlin has still never finished a season with a losing record. By all means, Pittsburgh deserves to be the 7 seed in the AFC. However, the chips just didn’t fall their way. I’m still impressed with this team. They made something out of nothing time and time again, and while I have no idea what to make of their future, perhaps the pieces are there to return to their typical status. Kenny Pickett will continue to develop into a fine young QB, and the defense will keep balling out. If they can get some offensive weapons, then I’ll have high hopes for the Steelers in 2023.

14 – Dolphins (9-8) 1

The Dolphins have snuck into the playoffs as the 7 seed to every NFL fan’s dismay. If they had Tua Tagovailoa suiting up to play QB, we’d all be enticed by their matchup with the Bills on Sunday. Alas, it will be Skylar Thompson once again, and since they’re not playing the Joe Flacco-led Jets, they will get curbstomped. It’s not going to be pretty. I wish we could have seen this team at full strength in the postseason, but they only have themselves to blame for their shortcomings. Perhaps in 2023 they won’t fall apart as drastically as they did this year.

15 – Seahawks (9-8) 2

It wasn’t pretty by any means, but the Seahawks did their job on Sunday by beating the Rams and getting some help from the Lions in order to sneak into the playoffs as the NFC’s 7 seed. This may be a postseason team, but I still don’t feel great about them. They looked very sloppy against LA and realistically should have lost if Baker Mayfield didn’t hand them the ball over and over again. Geno Smith is still very careless with the ball and isn’t playing nearly as precise as he was to start the year. The run game was chugging, which is a good sign, but we all know this offense isn’t going to do a damn thing against the 49ers defense. I expect their postseason to stay to be extremely brief.

16 – Ravens (10-7)

That’s right. I think the Ravens are the single worst team in the playoff field. It’s largely due to their QB situation, but I also just haven’t liked what this team has been doing all year long. While I believe their defense has been very good since Roquan Smith came over from Chicago, their offense has been a complete mess, and the defense can’t make up for that. If Anthony Brown is the starting QB once again on Sunday in Cincinnati, then the Ravens don’t stand a chance. If it’s Tyler Huntley under center, then perhaps they can hang around for a bit. If Lamar Jackson returns, then they could definitely win, but that’s just too unlikely at this point. That means their offense is going to continue looking like a JV team. The defense might be able to stifle the Bengals’ high flying offense, but will it be enough? I doubt it.

17 – Packers (8-9) 5

I have no desire to talk about the Packers. To have their season ended at home for the third straight time after laying the third straight dud is just embarrassing. Aaron Rodgers once again checked out of the game and looked absolutely pathetic down the stretch. He is definitely leaving Green Bay, but that’s another story. Sunday night was simply another indictment on the Matt LaFleur era for the Packers. They were unprepared, poorly coached, made stupid decisions on and off the field and paid the price for it. That’s all this team has done in the last ten years. Nobody should be remotely surprised anymore.

18 – Patriots (8-9)

The Patriots were about as competitive as I expected them to be on Sunday, but just as I predicted, it was all for naught. For every positive, there was a negative, especially when it came to Mac Jones. He had some nice throws and wound up with three touchdown passes, but also had some pretty bad ones and threw two picks. The run game looked pretty solid at times, but they simply couldn’t rely on the run game once they got down. Perhaps the most disappointing thing was the defensive performance by a team that has prided itself on making plays on that side of the ball. They were pretty awful from start to finish, as was the special teams, which allowed two kick return touchdowns. It was simply a Murphy’s Law type of game for the Patriots, which is a pretty fitting ending to a season where so much has gone wrong.

19 – Commanders (8-8-1) 4

I have no remote idea where any of that came from, but I love it. I absolutely love this team showing a ton of fight to close out a tough season. I love beating the brakes off the Cowboys. I love the team and the fanbase rallying around Sam Howell going into next year. I love the defense showing up and showing out. I love FedEx rocking in a psuedo-primetime setting. I would have loved to see this type of energy in recent weeks when the season still could have amounted to something, but I’m not complaining. This is going to be a very weird offseason, and I have no idea what 2023 holds for this team or this franchise. But I’m going to enjoy the way 2022 came to a close after so many weeks of sadness.

20 – Panthers (7-10) 4

The Panthers had one of the strangest seasons of any team in the league. They were perhaps the worst team in the league through two months, then turned it around and were a few plays away from making the playoffs. Now, they enter an offseason where they need to find a QB and may need to find a new head coach as well. I think Steve Wilks has done enough to retain the job, just as I felt about Rich Bisaccia last year in Vegas. We all saw how replacing him worked out for the Raiders. If the Panthers can find a QB in the draft or free agency, they can definitely be a fun young team under Wilks next year. I just hope for their sake that they make the right decisions.

21 – Saints (7-10) 2

Like their NFC South counterparts above them, the Saints had a very strange 2022 season. They were bad, then good, then bad, then good, then bad again. Now, they enter a nightmare free agency period where they are almost sure to lose a ton of talent while not having much draft capital to work with. 2023 could be a year where the Saints are one of the worst teams in the league, regardless of who their head coach is. Dennis Allen should be fired by all means, but I don’t think any coach can salvage the absolute mess that New Orleans will be in a few months time.

22 – Raiders (6-11) 2

In a microcosm of their entire season, the Raiders looked much worse on Saturday than I thought they would. Like so many other teams in this range, Las Vegas enters a very strange offseason with a ton of questions. Derek Carr is almost certainly on his way out, but the team sits in a position where they can make a play for a top QB in the draft. Perhaps they try to fill the position through free agency; a certain GOAT has been linked to the franchise due to his preexisting relationship with the head coach. Regardless, there are a lot more problems here than just the QB position. The defense is still going to be an absolute mess, and Josh Jacobs is likely going to leave. It’s going to be a long year ahead for a team that only endures long years.

23 – Jets (7-10) 2

The second half of the season couldn’t have gone any worse for the Jets. Going from 6-3 to 7-10 and losing the final six games of the year is simply inexcusable, even by Jets standards. Their QB play was abysmal down the stretch, and injuries unfortunately got the better of them. I don’t think this season is a failure by any means, in fact, this team overachieved more than anything else. They should feel great about their fantastic rookie class and phenomenal young pieces moving forward. The most important thing is finding a QB this offseason, and with a solid young roster, I think the Jets will have plenty of suitors.

24 – Browns (7-10) 2

It’s safe to say that the Browns vastly underperformed this season. It’s rather shocking that they were clearly better with Jacoby Brissett at QB than Deshaun Watson. That will likely change next year, but I’m not sure if that’s a guarantee. We’ll see what happens. This is a solid roster from top to bottom that can’t afford to underachieve again. I would love to see that though.

25 – Titans (7-10)

The Titans did exactly what I thought they were going to do on Saturday night. They were competitive from start to finish and their poor QB play cost them the game and the division. It was extremely obvious. Now, Tennessee is faced with a ton of questions going into what is sure to be a weird offseason. The QB position isn’t entirely settled and the WR group is rather pitiful. They better hope to revamp the offense to be vastly better than the unit that let them down in such a big way in 2022. I trust Mike Vrabel to get the job done, but they better hope that whichever GM they hire can do it as well.

26 – Rams (5-12)

Simply put, the 2022 Rams were the worst defending champions I have ever seen. You can blame it on their awful injury luck, but they were pretty bad even before that. This team has no future at all, and now Sean McVay might be stepping down. They are all sorts of screwed if that ends up happening. They have no picks and are in cap hell, so good luck to whoever inherits this absolute mess of a franchise after he’s gone. Like the Saints, this doesn’t seem like a salvageable situation.

27 – Broncos (5-12) 1

Good for the Broncos to close out such a tough season with a nice win at home against a division rival. I could tell how much it meant to Russell Wilson, the team, and the fans. Perhaps Denver can carry this momentum into next year. It will certainly be tough with limited draft capital and a limited offensive roster. This team will simply go as far as Russ and whichever HC they hire can take them. That doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence, but perhaps the Broncos have what it takes to do a 180 in 2023.

28 – Falcons (7-10) 1

All things considered, a 7-win season should be considered as a massive success for the Falcons. This team is absolute garbage and got hammered with injuries and bad luck all year long and still managed to finish the year a game out of first place. That’s remarkable. I like what Arthur Smith is cooking in Atlanta, and I think that this team can produce a fruitful future if they play their cards right this offseason. They have to nail free agency and the draft, and they better hope that they can find a QB. I hate to say it, but Desmond Ridder is simply not going to be the guy moving forward.

29 – Texans (3-13-1) 2

Congratulations, Texans! You just fumbled one of the most un-fumble-able bags in the history of the sport! You now have to watch as someone (perhaps a division rival) jumps you for the QB you so desperately craved to save your franchise! And for what? I understand that this is a professional football team and they’re not just going to go out there and throw a game, but come on. The #2 pick is still a good place to be in with two great QBs atop this draft class, but not having the top selection is definitely going to sting. I don’t see Houston making a play for #1, so they’ll have to roll with whatever their plan B is. And they only have themselves to blame.

30 – Cardinals (4-13) 1

When I got the notification that Kliff Kingsbury had been fired, I audibly cheered. I had been waiting for that for far too long. He had no business being an NFL head coach, and this franchise deserved better. Perhaps his replacement can forge an actual relationship with the franchise QB that they paid $250 million. Regardless of whether that happens, I have a bad feeling that the Cards will continue to be in a tough spot moving forward. This is not a very good roster, and their best players on either side of the ball are going to leave as JJ Watt retires and DeAndre Hopkins wants a trade. Not to mention Kyler Murray likely won’t be ready to start at the beginning of next season. I’m penciling in Arizona as one of the frontrunners for the top pick in 2024.

31 – Colts (4-12-1) 1

By losing to the Texans, the Colts cemented themselves as the worst team in the AFC. That’s a pretty hilarious statement considering this team is now in prime position to jump the Texans to take the #1 pick in the draft and steal whichever QB their division rivals wanted to pick. If/when the Colts get their franchise QB, they should be in a solid spot moving forward. This is a solid roster that was drastically held back by QB play, injuries, and coaching in 2022. With a young star QB that inherits Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr., and a great defense, as well as a coach not named Jeff Saturday, they can definitely turn things around next year as long as they keep their key players on the roster.

32 – Bears (3-14)

Congrats to the Bears for somehow falling ass backwards into the #1 pick in the Draft. I’m actually really happy for them, seeing as they can now flip that pick into infinitely more draft capital in a trade with some other team in the top 5-10 that desperately needs a franchise QB. Chicago already has their guy in Justin Fields, all they need to do is trade back, take a defensive lineman/edge rusher, and use their extra picks as well as their league-leading $100 million of cap space to continue building around their young star QB. This is going to be one of the most important offseasons in the history of the franchise, and I don’t say that lightly. If Chicago makes all the right moves, they will be right back in the thick of things in the years to come. If they don’t, they might never return to the glory days.

All stats taken from ESPN.

Week 18 Picks

The final week of the 2022 regular season is upon us with a plethora of different playoff scenarios and postseason-deciding matchups that could allow this great season to end on a high note.

Cover photo taken from NFL.com.

Last Week: 10-5

Season Total: 161-91-2

Chiefs 27-20 Raiders

Saturday, 4:30 PM EST, ESPN/ABC

The only reason that I feel like this game will be remotely close is because of how much the Chiefs have struggled as big favorites this year and throughout Patrick Mahomes’ tenure in KC. As 9.5-point road favorites, a close game feels imminent. The Raiders certainly have the offensive talent to keep up with Kansas City, even if Jarrett Stidham is still the starting QB. Expect another huge game out of Davante Adams, who lit up the Chiefs secondary in primetime early in the season. But I have no doubt that the Chiefs will come away with the win. For starters, Mahomes has still never lost a road divisional game, which is one of the most staggering statistics in league history. He’s probably going to light up the statsheet in another massive performance. Moreover, the Chiefs know that the 1 seed is on the line, and they have to win to ensure homefield advantage for at least one of their playoff games. They will do what they have to do on Saturday evening in Paradise.

Jaguars 20-19 Titans

Saturday, 8:15 PM EST, ESPN/ABC

I feel like everybody thinks the Titans are going to get whacked in this game. Honestly, I feel that sentiment. But I know more than anything that Mike Vrabel always coaches the Titans to play their best ball in these moments. Even on the road with their 3rd string QB, I know I can expect Tennessee to fight their tail off with the division on the line. But it feels impossible to pick against the Jaguars in this spot. They have a golden opportunity to usher in a new era of football in Jacksonville and finally crown Trevor Lawrence as the savior, taking them to their first division title in his first real year of play. I think it’s going to be a slugfest throughout, and I actually think that Lawrence and the Jaguars offense will largely struggle against the stout Titans front. I feel like it’ll be the Jags’ young defense that steps up and makes a play against Josh Dobbs and the Titans offense to seal it in the end.

Buccaneers 20-10 Falcons

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

This game is one of the most irrelevant and meaningless of the week. The Buccaneers are locked into the NFC’s 4 seed no matter what happens here. The Falcons should honestly just throw the game in hopes for a better draft pick. They’re so bad that, even though I’m sure they’re going to try their best, it’s going to look like they’re doing just that.

Bills 31-20 Patriots

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

I find it impossible to talk about this game. It’s so difficult to talk about the Bills in any capacity right now. But as the days pass, we receive more and more great news about Damar Hamlin. On Friday, we received word that he can speak and called his teammates to cheer them on for this game. That is extremely powerful stuff. I think this whole situation has brought the Bills together, and this good news will give them the strength to go out and dominate for their brother. I think they will be uplifted in a way we rarely see in sports. The Patriots are a worthy opponent and could put up a fight as they play for their season, but it’ll be no match for a Buffalo team that is doing more than just playing football. It could truly be one of the greatest sights in sports history.

Vikings 26-16 Bears

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

This game is also pretty irrelevant other than the fact that the Vikings could be the 2 seed by the end of the day. But we all know that’s not going to happen. I don’t think they’ll rest any starters, but even if they do, they’re not going to lose to a Bears team without Justin Fields that looks like they’re ready to have the #1 pick in the draft fall into their lap.

Bengals 26-13 Ravens

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

This is a bit of a strange circumstance. This game could have been the AFC North-decider. Regardless, I think this would have been a wash for the Bengals in any situation. The Ravens are still starting Tyler Huntley at QB, which means they are guaranteed to do absolutely nothing for sixty minutes on offense. Cincinnati is at home coming off an extremely emotional, difficult situation on Monday night. I think they’ll come out and be prepared to dominate just like I think the Bills will be. It won’t take much on either side of the ball to beat this boring, overrated Ravens team, but I’m very excited to see what they have in store. I hope Joe Burrow and the offense puts on a show as they head into the playoffs, where I will certainly be rooting for them.

Texans 20-10 Colts

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

If the Texans are smart, they’ll essentially throw this game. But I don’t see them doing that. Not because I don’t think they’re smart, but the Colts might just be smarter. If you’re Indianapolis, you have nothing to play for. You want to improve your own draft stock while hurting your division rival’s chances at bagging a generational franchise QB in April. I can totally see the Colts being the ones to throw the game and improve their own standing. I also feel like the Texans are just generally the better team, but we’re comparing trash to garbage here. I’m just excited to see this generational tank-off.

Dolphins 20-17 Jets

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

Ah, yes. Skylar Thompson vs. Joe Flacco. Just how we want to be spending our Sunday afternoon. Neither of these teams deserve to make the playoffs. However, it feels like the chips are going to fall the Dolphins’ way. I’d have to believe that they can beat the Flacco-led Jets, who haven’t put together a performance worth a damn in months. I don’t trust them with any backup QB, but there is simply no excuse to lose a game in this spot at home. With this win and the Patriots loss, Miami will be in. They better hope Tua can come back in a week’s time.

Saints 17-13 Panthers

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

With both of these teams being eliminated last week, this game means absolutely nothing. I feel like the Saints are playing slightly better football right now, especially defensively, and they don’t have to worry about winning tanking their draft pick, since the Eagles own it. Their momentum will carry them to a nice home win to close out the season, while the Panthers’ year ends on a whimper rather than a roar.

Steelers 13-10 Browns

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

The only thing I can guarantee in this game is that it will be a low-scoring, defensive slugfest. I typically like the underdogs in games like this, and should have learned my lesson with the AFC North after both Steelers-Ravens games. But I just feel like the Steelers are the better-coached team. They’re honestly the better team overall. It’s hard to see them losing at home with their season on the line. But I really wanted to flip this pick. The Browns would absolutely love to play spoiler against their bitter rival, and it wouldn’t shock me at all if they’re the ones to come away with the close win. I’m just trusting logic on this one. Because that always gets me so far, right?

Broncos 21-17 Chargers

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, CBS

The Chargers largely have nothing to play for in this game. By the time it kicks off, they will see that the Ravens will have lost and that they will be locked into the 5 seed for a matchup with the AFC South winner next week. I can see them taking it a bit easy and likely resting their starters for the second half, if not the entire game. That feels like a very Chargers thing to do. The Broncos, meanwhile, have shown a lot of fight since firing Nathaniel Hackett, and I can see them closing out this tumultuous year on a high note going into what will be a very strange offseason.

Eagles 28-16 Giants

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, CBS

Regardless of any and all other outcomes on Sunday, the Giants are locked into the 6 seed in the NFC, and will likely be going to Minnesota next week. They have absolutely nothing to play for and will likely be resting their starters. Meanwhile, the Eagles are getting Jalen Hurts back as they try to lock up the NFC East and the 1 seed. So, being a 14-point road favorite makes a lot of sense. I don’t know if they cover that, but they should be able to win convincingly against the Giants’ B team as they head into their well-earned bye.

49ers 27-10 Cardinals

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, FOX

The 49ers are still in play for the 1 seed, and while they likely won’t get it, the 2 seed is a plenty good consolation prize. Regardless of any of that, they are playing one of the worst teams in football in the comfort of their own home. They will end their fantastic regular season on a high note by dismantling a Cardinals team that is starting their 4th string QB yet again. Their defense might put up Wilt numbers as they lock in the 2 seed in the NFC.

Seahawks 23-20 Rams

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, FOX

The Seahawks will be fighting for their lives on Sunday evening. With a win and some help from the Lions, they’ll hold the 7 seed in the NFC and fall backwards into the playoffs. While the second part of that equation is a little less likely, I think Seattle will do what they have to do and get the necessary victory at home against a competitive Rams team. I don’t have much faith in the Seahawks as of late, but I think their coaching and generally superior talent should allow them to prevail in this spot. Whether or not they get the requisite assistance from Detroit in order to make the postseason is a different story.

Cowboys 27-14 Commanders

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, FOX

You know, at least the coaching staff has the decency to start Sam Howell at QB in this game. We might as well see what we have in the rookie before the eventual crapshoot of this offseason. It won’t help that he’s playing a great team that has something to fight for in this game. It’s going to be an embarrassing sight to say the least. FedEx will be packed with Cowboy fans and the team will get smacked in what we can only hope and pray is Dan Snyder’s final game as owner of the franchise. And this awful, painful season can finally come to a close… and I can finally rest.

Packers 23-20 Lions

Sunday, 8:20 PM EST, NBC

This was the game the NFL decided to flex into Sunday night to be the final game of the 2022 regular season. And I can’t wrap my head around it. Before this game even kicks off, the Lions will know whether or not they are eliminated depending on the results of the Seahawks game. If Seattle were to lose, then this is a winner-take-all game for the 7 seed. But if they don’t, then the Lions have nothing to play for. Unfortunately for Detroit, the latter seems far more likely. In any case, they can’t overcome the most powerful thing in the entire NFL: the script. The script has been out and about for the last month or so for the NFL’s beloved Buccaneers and Packers, and nothing is stopping both of those teams from making the playoffs. While I doubt either are capable of doing anything worth a damn once they get there, the league will do what they have to in order to ensure that their brands and ratings are thriving. The Lions are a better team than the Packers and should win this game by all means. It’s hard to go into Lambeau in a spot like this and win, but I think they can do it. Their offense can move the ball in the cold, and their defense might just show up against a Packers offense that is finding its stride. But we all know the NFL would much rather have Green Bay in the playoffs than Detroit. So the outcome has already been decided. What a sorry way for this incredible season to come to a close.

All stats taken from ESPN.