Tag: week 1

Post-Week 1 Power Rankings

A thrilling opening week of the NFL season has led to an interesting set of debut rankings. Here’s how I stack things up after Week 1.

Cover photo taken from WTOP.

1 – Bills (1-0)

Buffalo deserves to be at No. 1 sheerly based on the fact that they won on Sunday night. Did it look like they could hang with the Ravens for most of the game? No. But, Josh Allen did Josh Allen things, putting on the superhero cape and leading one of the more furious comebacks we’ve seen in recent memory to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. That’s worth being on top to start off the 2025 season. But man, they need to get right on defense, particularly in the back end. Ed Oliver is a monster up front, but the lack of a pass rush combined with the injuries they have in the secondary make for a sticky situation. The good news for Buffalo, though? They don’t play another contender until November.

2 – Ravens (0-1)

I want to make something clear: I still think the Ravens are the best team in the NFL. They had no business losing a game in which they looked like world-beaters for three-and-a-half quarters. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are both still insane, and I left Sunday night feeling better about Zay Flowers than I ever have. I think this secondary could be a huge weakness seeing as though the Jaire Alexander acquisition isn’t exactly as impactful as many might’ve assumed, but I still believe this is the most talented roster in football from top to bottom. They’ll likely be at No. 1 very soon.

3 – Packers (1-0)

The most eye-opening performance of Week 1 probably goes to Green Bay after absolutely thrashing Detroit in a game that almost signifies a passing of the torch at the top of the NFC North. What’s kind of nuts is that the Packers didn’t do anything that blew you away statistically; the box score is one of lies and deception considering the Lions’ end-of-game numbers. It was simply a good old fashioned butt-whooping. Jordan Love was on fire and the defense was suffocating. They looked like the contenders I expect them to be, even with Micah Parsons on a snap count. Considering his impact when he was on the field, imagine what it’ll look like when he’s a full-time starter.

4 – Eagles (1-0)

You alright, guys? Do the receivers want to get open against a bad secondary? Does the offensive line want to get a push against a defensive line that no longer has Micah Parsons (though is admittedly improved in the interior)? Does the defense want to show up in the first half? Does Jalen Hurts want to throw a ball past the sticks? Oh well, I guess it doesn’t matter. Hurts was a killer with his legs, and that was the difference. The Eagles are elite for a reason — they don’t need to play their best game every week to win games. They’ll stick to grinding you down over the course of four quarters. But I’m team process over results, and I don’t really like the process I saw. The run defense was abysmal — though Jalen Carter being tossed before the first play from scrimmage plays a big role there — the secondary looked like a glaring weakness and the receiving corps was quiet. But, this is Philly. Those problems won’t last long, I imagine.

5 – Chargers (1-0)

Good for the Chargers to finally get a signature win under Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert. For my money, Friday night’s performance in Brazil was the best of Herbert’s career, and one that vindicates me for all the support I’ve given him over the years. Against a Chiefs defense that we know is good, LA got everything and anything they wanted, utilizing an effective run game to create a deadly play action attack. And with plenty of time to throw, Herbert was surgical. Combine that with an inspiring defensive performance, and the Chargers looked truly elite. Now, it’s a matter of sustaining it.

6 – Chiefs (0-1)

Stop hurting your own players, guys. This ain’t a sustainable formula for winning. For that matter, please figure out what the hell is going on when it comes to downfield passing. How and why Patrick Mahomes has turned into one of the league’s worst deep passers is beyond me, but it has gotten to a point where I’m concerned. Can KC continue to be a dink and dunk, death-by-a-thousand-papercuts offense? Sure. But I don’t think that’s what Patrick wants. In any case, even without Xavier Worthy, this offense isn’t my problem. It’s what I saw out of the defense. No pass rush, no discipline in the secondary, and no real resistance. If that repeats itself against the Eagles in Week 2, it will not end well.

7 – Commanders (1-0)

Everyone who hated on the acquisitions of Javon Kinlaw and Deebo Samuel, please meet me outside. I just want to talk. Led by Kinlaw and Da’Ron Payne — who might hoop in his second contract year — the defensive line was the single best unit on the field on Sunday. And on offense, Samuel was the sparkplug, making an instant impact and looking like the player we saw out west for so many years. Combine that with a ho-hum game from Jayden Daniels, a dazzling debut from Bill Croskey-Merritt and a lockdown showing from the secondary, and you get Sunday’s result. Things can be described pretty succinctly — you know it’s a new day in DC when the team plays a game that neither they nor us are super impressed by, and they still win by 15 without allowing a touchdown. Feels good, doesn’t it?

8 – Buccaneers (1-0)

Man, this team is fun. I knew Emeka Egbuka would be an instant impact player, but I didn’t realize it’d be like this. You won’t hear any complaints from me, though. Baker Mayfield was unreal on Sunday, and this offense looked like the exciting unit we expected. I still have concerns about this defense, particularly on the backend, and Tampa got away with a couple of Falcons blunders, but I won’t hold that against them for now. I feel like the Bucs won that game more than the Falcons lost it.

9 – Rams (1-0)

That looked nothing like I expected it to. You’re telling me that the Rams defense out-performed their offense and were the chief reason why they won against a good team? Maybe the end of last year really is sustainable. I also know that LA won’t face a pass rush as ferocious as Houston’s again this season, which is good news for Matt Stafford, who still made the plays he had to in order to win the game. I give a ton of credit to the Rams across the board for pulling that one out. It was very impressive.

10 – Lions (0-1)

Yikes. Just yikes. I was expecting to be proven right at some point this season, but I didn’t know it’d look like that, and I didn’t think it’d be so quick. But our worst fears might be on the verge of coming true, and the Lions might be in serious trouble. The offense looked completely discombobulated and disjointed, completely unable to look remotely competent or on-time like they were under Ben Johnson. What’s the point of all that talent on offense if they can’t mesh to make it work like they did previously? John Morton has a lot to figure out. Oh, and the defense still ain’t exactly ready to step up, either. I still think Detroit will be fine against lesser teams, but they’re clearly not the contender they were in the past two seasons.

11 – Bengals (1-0)

So, I guess playing your starters in the preseason means… nothing? By all means, the Bengals should have lost on Sunday. They had seven — count them, seven — yards of offense in the second half on Sunday and got away with the Browns missing two kicks of less than 40 yards. Putting them at No. 11 honestly feels gross. Joe Burrow was awful, Ja’Marr Chase was a nonfactor, the offense was stuck in mud. The defense wasn’t good either, just opportunistic. Credit where credit is due for snagging a couple of picks when it mattered, but I’ve never seen a win feel more like a loss. Cincy needs to tighten up ASAP considering what their next few games look like. We’ll see what they’re really made of very soon.

12 – Broncos (1-0)

Speaking of wins that felt like losses, here’s your Denver Broncos! Now, for what its worth, they were largely dominant on Sunday, having the largest delta in net success rate against their opponent of any team in the league this week. But it just didn’t feel that way. The Titans beat themselves more than the Broncos did with drops galore and horrendous coaching. And Denver should be thankful for that, because Bo Nix was arguably the worst quarterback in football in Week 1. Three awful turnovers, terrible decision-making and just horrifically inefficient play leaves such a sour taste in the mouth. But, Denver’s defense is still elite, and that was enough… for now. Let’s see what happens when you’re not playing the Titans.

13 – Vikings (1-0)

What a coaching job that was by Kevin O’Connell. To settle your quarterback down in his first start on the road on Monday Night Football after three dreadful quarters of play was unreal to watch in real time. And I’ve got to give a ton of credit to JJ McCarthy, who had as many touchdowns thrown to the defense as first downs going into the fourth quarter, but still dusted off his shoulders and locked in for an incredible comeback. He showed poise, determination and a will to win on top of really great playmaking ability. The remade offensive line looked dominant and the defense was flying around. If the Vikings can extrapolate their fourth quarter into consistency across full games, this team will be right in the playoff mix.

14 – Falcons (0-1)

All of a sudden, I feel really good about the Falcons. Michael Penix Jr.? Stud. Bijan Robinson? Most dynamic player in football this season, probably. James Pearce Jr.? Instant impact off the edge, silencing so many doubters, albeit against a patchwork offensive line. Xavier Watts? Probably the most impressive rookie defensive back this week. Kyle Pitts? Actually good! If it wasn’t for Younghoe Koo’s right leg, we’d be talking about the Falcons as having one of the more impressive performances of Week 1. But, alas. We’ll have to settle for a dynamite SNF matchup in Minnesota to see if they can keep it up.

15 – Texans (0-1)

So, when is the Texans offense going to look competent? Ever again? Please? I don’t want CJ Stroud to come out and say this team was “lollygagging” ever again. The defense is obviously still insane, but it won’t matter until this offense wakes the hell up. The protection is still a glaring issue, which is just going to hold these guys back. Although, I was pleasantly surprised with the run game. Nick Chubb still has some gas left in the tank. In any case, things aren’t getting easier for Houston with the Bucs on tap, so the offense better figure itself out if they want to avoid an 0-2 start.

16 – Cowboys (0-1)

Hey, that wasn’t as bad as we thought it’d be! Good for you! Dak Prescott was genuinely awesome in the opener, though the stats won’t reflect it. The run game was cooking for most of the game, and the defense was a pleasant surprise when it came to anything but stopping quarterback scrambles. If CeeDee Lamb could catch — just a strange problem dating back to last year that’s bogging down one of the league’s best receivers — we’d be talking about the Cowboys as pulling the upset of the opening slate. Alas, we’ll have to settle for giving them a moral victory instead.

17 – Steelers (1-0)

Unc still got it. Aaron Rodgers was straight up awesome on Sunday — a statement I didn’t think I’d ever make again. The Jets defense is no slouch, and he still threw it all over the place. Now, the Steelers got just about every break to win it, from a fumble on a kickoff to two super long field goals from Chris Boswell. And I wasn’t very impressed with this defense, though they made the plays when it was time to make them. More than anything, I’m just a lot more interested in this Steelers team. Because that game looked nothing like what I expected it to. So, what comes next?

18 – Raiders (1-0)

It’s too early to take my Geno Smith victory lap, especially considering the secondary that he was facing on Sunday. But that game gives me confidence that QB play will not be a weakness in Vegas this fall. The run game, on the other hand, was concerning. Yes, the Patriots have a much stronger front seven, but Ashton Jeanty was not drafted to have 38 yards on 19 carries. I hope they can open things up more for him as the season rolls along. And we’ll see how the defense plays when they line up against some more put-together offenses, like the Chargers on Monday night.

19 – 49ers (1-0)

Is this harsh? Probably. But it’s more of a reflection of the current state of the 49ers, who are staring at a game against the Saints without Brock Purdy, George Kittle, Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk. They were absolutely blessed by the football gods to pull that win out in Seattle. There wasn’t really any area where I was impressed, other than with Trent Williams, Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, which is par for the course. Obviously all those Jake Moody misses play a role, but I just need to see the Niners consistently win with all these issues they’re dealing with before putting them above some teams that I thought were more impressive this week.

20 – Colts (1-0)

Well, well, well. Indiana Jones had a smashing opening weekend at the box office. Good for him, and good for the Colts. I’ll take it with a grain of salt because the Dolphins are an absolute joke, and I’m fascinated to see what the sequel looks like against one of the best defenses in football this week.

21 – Cardinals (1-0)

Most nothing win of Week 1? Most nothing win ever? People are asking. But, a win is a win. The Cardinals helped people remain alive in their survivor pools with a remarkably unimpressive win in New Orleans, but I’m leaving with two major positives. To start, Marvin Harrison Jr. was involved! Keep that up. And second, Will Johnson looked every bit like the stud we thought he’d be coming out of college. Looks like Arizona got a real steal there.

22 – Jets (0-1)

I said it earlier with Pittsburgh: that didn’t look anything like what I expected it to, but I still loved it. Justin Fields blew us all away, Breece Hall looked explosive and Garrett Wilson was a dog. I’m disappointed in what I saw out of this defense, but I’m not sure how long that’ll continue for. Maybe, just maybe, this Jets team is better than we thought they’d be. Or, this might just be another Fields flash in the pan. I’m sincerely hoping for the former.

23 – Seahawks (0-1)

Like their counterparts in Week 1, I feel like I’m being a little harsh to Seattle here. Sam Darnold wasn’t awful by any means, Jaxon Smith-Njigba was a monster and the defense held their own… until they didn’t. And that’s what bothers me. Riq Woolen has turned into an absolute liability at corner and now Nick Emmanwori could be headed to the injured reserve. I don’t know if either side of the ball in Seattle is good enough to lift up the other, which means these first few weeks could go awry, especially with some solid teams looming on the schedule.

24 – Patriots (0-1)

Boring? Underwhelming? All of the above. I do like what I saw out of Drake Maye, but that was about it. I was expecting a lot more out of the run game, which was way too quiet for my liking. The defense held up as best as they could with Christian Gonzalez being out, but it wasn’t enough. But this was never going to be an overnight thing, as I said. We’ll see how this group continues to gel in the weeks to come.

25 – Jaguars (1-0)

Was that a good-looking win for the Jags? Yeah, I guess so. But let’s see it again. And against a better team, please. I think Trevor Lawrence looked good, but certainly not great, so I think this offense still has some work to do. And they’re not going to play many defenses as bad as Carolina’s for the rest of the year. So, show it to me again before I put the respect on you that a lot of folks in the media are.

26 – Bears (0-1)

Thank you for one of the best hatewatches I’ve had in years. Game one under Ben Johnson with Caleb Williams looked like so much of what I expected: some scripted success to start followed by abysmal offense, horrendous inaccuracy, bad body language and general feelings of giving up en route to blowing a double-digit fourth quarter lead at home to a division rival. It might be too early to take my victory lap and gloat, but this one is a feather in my cap. Now, Chicago is on the verge of facing some uncomfortable questions if this keeps up. But we’ll cross those bridges when we get there.

27 – Panthers (0-1)

After a summer’s worth of hype following the way Bryce Young ended 2024, he goes out there and does that? Not great. This defense is still awful and Bryce looked overwhelmed against a Jags defense that’s nothing amazing. At least Tetairoa McMillan looked awesome!

28 – Browns (0-1)

The Browns managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in ways that truly only they can. They moved the ball effectively against Cincinnati while their own defense absolutely suffocated what’s supposed to be one of the best offenses in the league. And it didn’t matter because their kicker can’t kick. Only Cleveland. But, at least we can see that this defense will still hold its weight while the offense flails around for a few weeks until Quinshon Judkins provides a boost in the run game.

29 – Titans (0-1)

Just an abject disaster. Brian Callahan was the worst head coach of Week 1 for a CVS receipt’s worth of reasons and nobody lining up to catch passes could do that. Cam Ward’s tape vastly outshines his numbers, which is about what I expected this season. But man, I didn’t know it’d be this bad. So, I simultaneously have hope because of Ward, but no hope because of coaching and the rest of the offense. It’s going to be a weird year in Tennessee.

30 – Giants (0-1)

Just bleh. Russell Wilson doesn’t have much time left in this league, the run game was absolutely smothered, and while the defensive front looked good at times, this Giants team was simply outmatched and buried on Sunday. Never a good sign when you don’t score a touchdown and are the lowest-scoring team of the slate. This team really just isn’t worth talking about until Jaxson Dart starts playing.

31 – Saints (0-1)

If Spencer Rattler is truly better than Tyler Shough, then I fear the Saints completely wasted that draft selection. I do think New Orleans looked better than the dumpster fire we expected, but I told you guys the game would be close. This offense is just an unwatchable product — much like those disgraceful alternate uniforms — although Kelvin Banks had a nice debut at the tackle spot. And the defense isn’t good enough to make up for any of it.

32 – Dolphins (0-1)

Our expectations for you were low, but holy cow. I wasn’t expecting this level of a dumpster fire. Everyone in Miami should be ashamed. But, none of them will be there in a few months’ time, so maybe they just don’t care. It certainly looks like they don’t. Nobody respects Tua, nobody respects Mike McDaniel and nobody wants to be there. What a mess. This might get blown up sooner than I anticipated.

Week 1 Picks

The 2025 NFL season is finally upon us with a Week 1 slate that promises to be equal parts exciting and dramatic. Here’s how I see the opening slate playing out.

Cover photo taken from CNN.

Eagles 30-17 Cowboys

Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC

The Eagles were never going to lose on the night that they drop a second banner at the Linc. They certainly aren’t going to lose now that Dallas’ already awful defense just lost its best player. Could Kenny Clark’s presence in the middle slow down Saquon Barkley? Probably not. Regardless, no one in the Cowboys secondary is going to be stopping AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith anytime soon. Philadelphia could run away with this one — hence this spread ballooning by nearly two points in recent days.

Chiefs 20-17 Chargers

Friday, 8 p.m. ET, YouTube

Oh, São Paulo. Why we keep sending games there is kind of beyond me. But, at least the NFL has had the decency to give the Brazilians good matchups. Philly-Green Bay last year was a blast, and I think this one will be too. It’ll be a lot more defensive than that game was, but it’ll be a good one. Both times these two faced off last year, it was a defensive slugfest with neither team eclipsing the 20-point mark. So I’m expecting more of the same here, particularly with Rashee Rice being out for the Chiefs. But, they’ll still come out on top — probably on another last-second field goal — because they’re the Chiefs and the Chargers always lose like this. We’ve seen this film before.

Falcons 26-23 Buccaneers

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX

In Week 1 divisional games, anything goes. I know the Bucs are a slight favorite here, but I think you can throw so much stuff out the window. If Tristan Wirfs can’t go, it’d be a major loss for Tampa, even with Atlanta’s pass rush being as unproven as it is. But, in any case, I see this as a spot where Michael Penix Jr. goes out there and slings it for four quarters, putting up big numbers against a so-so secondary and leading the Falcons to a win. Just a vibes play.

Bengals 26-17 Browns

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX

The Bengals can’t possibly start slow and lose to the Browns again… right? They certainly hope so. Cincy played their starters in the preseason for a reason. I don’t know if that strategy will bear fruit, but in any case, they have no business losing this game. Just like they had no business losing to the Patriots the year prior, and so on and so forth. Don’t let me down again, please!

Dolphins 27-24 Colts

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

For what it’s worth, the Dolphins love to start hot in September. The weather is pleasant — hell, this game is indoors — the expectations are low, and Tua is free. Combine that with the Colts being in a sticky QB situation and this feels like a winnable game for Miami on the road.

Raiders 27-20 Patriots

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

I feel like this game is flying under the radar as one of the better matchups of Week 1. The return of both Mike Vrabel and Pete Carroll, the Vegas debuts of Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty, Drake Maye’s first game in the new-look Patriots offense and so much more. I’m going to miss it due to being at the Commanders game, but I gladly would’ve put this one on the second monitor in the early window. I lean Raiders simply because of their superior offensive talent, but with both defenses being unknowns, this one could really go either way. It’s also a tough road trip out east for Vegas, but I think they can handle it. They won’t be the undisciplined, sloppy bunch of the past.

Cardinals 22-13 Saints

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

Yeah, I want nothing to do with this one. The Saints might win this game sheerly because of how much we’re completely disregarding them, but I wouldn’t bet on that to happen. I can’t trust that franchise with anything right now. If Arizona loses after I was so kind to them, I’ll be upset.

Jets 16-13 Steelers

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

Ah, yes. The Parent Trap game, but for quarterbacks. Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields each face their old friends from a year ago and are out for revenge. You’d think the opposing team knows their former quarterbacks well, but I don’t know if the new-look Jets are ready for Rodgers the way Tomlin will be for Fields. Regardless, neither quarterback is going to play well. This has defensive slugfest written all over it as both offenses are still a work in progress while the defenses have known talent. I’m taking the Jets to win it sheerly based on vibes — I think Aaron Glenn is going to have them seriously juiced up to win, and all they need is a couple of more trips inside the 30 than Pittsburgh to kick some field goals and come out on top.

Commanders 23-20 Giants

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX

Ah shoot, here we go again. Our arch nemeses are back in town looking to spoil the fun of a season opener that kicks off a year where our expectations have never been higher. Surely this goes well, right? Listen, Russell Wilson has always given us trouble and Brian Daboll just has our number for some reason. Both of our matchups last year were close, though we were in control for most of the second game. And Russ is certainly an upgrade over Daniel Jones. So, it won’t be easy, which is why I’d gladly take the Giants to cover. But, we should be able to handle business in the end. I think our superior talent on offense will get it done, putting up just enough points to eke by.

Jaguars 30-27 Panthers

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX

Another underrated matchup here. Both of these teams are sneaky playoff candidates in the eyes of many, and both of them have some shiny new toys to display. I expect Travis Hunter and Tetairoa McMillan to each make some plays in this game, particularly with neither defense being much to look at. Really, the difference for me comes down to Jacksonville just having a little bit more juice on offense. I think Brian Thomas Jr. is in for a big game, even with Jaycee Horn lining up across from him. In any case, this one should actually be fun, and I’ll be interested to watch it back early next week.

Broncos 28-13 Titans

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, FOX

This is my survivor pool pick of the week, which is something I’ve had set in my mind for months now. I like what Tennessee has going on, and I’m a fan of Cam Ward, but to go on the road to play the best defense in the NFL in your first start is a tall task. This just doesn’t feel like a spot where Denver is going to get upset. They’re one of the biggest favorites of Week 1 for a reason. This one should be fairly simple against a Titans team that’s still figuring itself out. But if Ward goes out there and lights it up, it’d be pretty cool to see.

Seahawks 27-24 49ers

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, FOX

Only the higher powers know what the 49ers are going to look like in this game. Jauan Jennings should play thanks to his contract being restructured, but there are still so many questions at WR. And that defense will take a minute to figure itself out. Seattle is simply the team with less unknowns, so I’ll trust them to take this one at home. I think JSN and the rest of the Seahawks offense could be in for a big game against a San Francisco defense with a lot of moving parts.

Packers 26-20 Lions

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS

Best game of the week? Some people are saying so. It’s hard to disagree — rivalry game in a national window with the best team from the 2024 regular season and a trendy Super Bowl pick that just made the move of the offseason. It’ll be a fun one. I’m really interested to see how both of these teams look, because there’s a chance that they each shut up the naysayers or prove them right. The Lions could come out sluggish on both sides of the ball due to all they lost in the offseason, or they could look like the same team from a year ago and put those doubts to bed. The Packers could come out and dominate and look like the contender we think they can be, or they can fall flat like they did last year in this matchup at home. I can see it going any which way. But, for Week 1, I think the Packers are in a better spot, and I won’t pick against them at home.

Rams 23-20 Texans

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS

I really wanted to pick the Texans here because of their superior defense. I think these offenses match up well with one another, although I have doubts about Houston’s ability to run the ball. I think CJ Stroud and company will be able to throw it on the Rams’ young secondary while a potentially limited Matt Stafford might struggle against the Texans elite D. But something’s just pulling me towards the Rams pulling this one out late. It’s just a feeling. My mind’s telling me Houston, but my body says LA.

Bills 23-20 Ravens

Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC

As exciting as this matchup is, I haven’t given much thought to the Ravens winning it. It’s obviously a very possible outcome — this game is practically a toss-up, and I’ve said that I like Baltimore’s roster more. It’s more about Buffalo for me; it’s the first game of their final season at the Ralph, and it feels like they’re going to come out with their hair on fire. If their defense can do just enough to make Lamar Jackson a little uncomfortable, I think Josh Allen and the Bills offense will be able to do the rest and pull this one out late. But, there’s also a world where Lamar and Derrick Henry go nuclear and they pull off the mini-upset. I think I’ll stick with my gut.

Vikings 24-17 Bears

Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

This is unironically the biggest game in Chicago since the 2018 Wild Card game against Philadelphia. The Bears and their fans have been waiting for the Ben Johnson era to begin, hoping that it’s as exciting and fruitful as they think it’s going to be. I think Kevin O’Connell and more particularly Brian Flores have other ideas. I trust Minnesota’s defense even if I’m not big on their talent on the backend. I think their new offensive line will hold up against a stout Bears front. I worry about JJ McCarthy making his first career start, but I have to believe that he’ll be up for the moment. And while I don’t expect Caleb Williams to look bad by any means, I need to see this offense legitimately cook against a worthy defense to buy in. You can bet your bottom dollar that I will be watching Johnson and Caleb with great interest on Monday night.

Post-Week 1 Power Rankings

Here’s how I stack up the league after a wild, wacky start to the 2024 season.

Cover photo taken from KXAN.

1 – Chiefs (1-0)

Imagine winning back-to-back Super Bowls with the best quarterback of all time and an elite young defense… and then clearly improving in the offseason to the point where everyone is questioning how you’re possibly going to be stopped.

Must be nice.

2 – 49ers (1-0)

It’s not surprising to see the Niners pick up where they left off. The important thing is seeing it continue in the weeks and months to come.

3 – Cowboys (1-0)

Dak Prescott deserved the money. CeeDee Lamb obviously did, too. And the defense is obviously incredible, making more plays than any other in the league. Now you’re seeing it all come to fruition.

This team will be dangerous, no matter how many jokes we all want to get off.

4 – Lions (1-0)

My main concern with Detroit entering the year was their secondary, considering the defensive front and entire offense was nothing short of elite. While they definitely had ups and downs, I was impressed by what I saw out of that unit.

This remains one of the more well-rounded rosters in the league, and what Sunday night showed is that, if they choose to, they can beat you any way they please.

5 – Ravens (0-1)

Baltimore will be fine, but I have some early concerns. The defense has clearly taken the step back that I expected them to, and the offense can’t lean on Lamar Jackson like this for an entire season. He’s not Josh Allen.

6 – Bills (1-0)

Speaking of Josh Allen, it’s nice to see that he’s still doing Superman stuff in the month of September.

That’s all fine and dandy, but let’s see if he can do it in January.

7 – Eagles (1-0)

This defense still has numerous question marks, but the signs of life are there across the board.

And it might not matter if Saquon Barkley keeps doing that.

8 – Texans (1-0)

Houston is a team that’s going to keep getting better and better as they continue to gel this season. It helps when you’re led by the most surgical quarterback in the league (yes, I mean it).

9 – Dolphins (1-0)

I really don’t have much to say about Miami that we don’t already know about them. They put up their yards, and their defense bent quite a bit, but didn’t break down the stretch. This will be the case until the first cold breeze of autumn blows through.

10 – Rams (0-1)

The injury bug ripped a chunk out of the Rams in Week 1, and that is quite concerning. But, this is a team that has made quite a lot of of nothing in recent years, and as long as Sean McVay is the coach and Matt Stafford is the quarterback, I will keep the faith in them.

And if Cooper Kupp keeps playing like his 2021 self? Watch out.

11 – Packers (0-1)

The worst sight of Week 1 was seeing Jordan Love needlessly sprain his MCL on a broken play at the end of a lost game. It was a cruel twist of fate.

The Packers are still talented across the board and can win games, but I have little to no faith in Malik Willis as an NFL QB. We’ll see how it goes.

12 – Seahawks (1-0)

Fair play, Seattle. You looked a lot better than I expected you to. Let’s see if you can do it against football teams with real rosters.

13 – Saints (1-0)

I feel like this is a little high for the Saints, but if you win any game in this league by 37 points, you deserve some flowers. I doubt any of this can continue, especially Derek Carr’s level of play, but if it does, then I might have to eat some crow.

14 – Buccaneers (1-0)

Again, I don’t want to take much stock in Baker Mayfield decimating the worst secondary in the NFL (by a good margin, it seems). But the Bucs looked really good across the board on Sunday. This is probably the best team in the NFC South, but it remains to be seen if anyone wants to claim that title with conviction.

15 – Bears (1-0)

Most annoying win of Week 1. Caleb Williams throws for 93 yards on 14 completions and his offense doesn’t score, but the defense and special teams is gifted touchdown after touchdown, so I have to hear about how Caleb “led his team to victory” and nothing about how this offense might’ve been the worst in the league this week.

Give me a break.

16 – Steelers (1-0)

A win is a win, even if you don’t put the ball in the endzone. Just ask the Bears.

On the bright side for Pittsburgh, the defense still looks legit, and TJ Watt still looks like the most impactful defensive player in the sport. The same winning formula remains.

17 – Jaguars (0-1)

You were on the verge of greatness, you were this close!

Ironically enough, I feel better about the Jags after watching that game. They clearly have the talent and coaching to keep up with the big dogs. We’ll see how long they can keep it up.

18 – Colts (0-1)

Anthony Richardson is a demigod, but that isn’t going to be enough to win games in Indianapolis. They need to find a groove on offense, and that starts with Richardson’s ability to complete all of his passes, not just the 60-yard bombs.

19 – Jets (0-1)

I told you so.

20 – Vikings (1-0)

Please, please don’t be fooled by this Sam Darnold performance! The 2021 Panthers are warning you.

21 – Bengals (0-1)

Week 1 Bengals gonna Week 1 Bengals. I can’t explain it, but this is just how it’s going to be, I guess.

22 – Chargers (1-0)

I think if you asked Jim Harbaugh exactly how he wanted to win that game, he’d give you exactly how it happened. That’s going to be who the Chargers are. And it might just work.

(But we all wanna see Justin Herbert let it fly. Please.)

23 – Cardinals (0-1)

Pro tip: throw the ball to Marvin Harrison Jr. Or just start by looking his way.

Thanks for listening!

24 – Patriots (1-0)

Not sure how much stock to take in New England beating perhaps the worst Week 1 team in the league, but it was good for Jerod Mayo and Co. to go out there and win that game. Not sure how many more Ws are coming their way in 2024.

25 – Falcons (0-1)

Alexa, play New Person, Same Old Mistakes.

26 – Browns (0-1)

Can we officially say the Deshaun Watson trade and contract are the worst in NFL history? And can Cleveland please start Jameis Winston? This roster and these uniforms do not deserve to be wasted like this.

27 – Raiders (0-1)

Week 1 showed me what I already knew: the Raiders are simply anxiously awaiting their top 5 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, where they will land their new franchise QB.

28 – Broncos (0-1)

And to think I had that much faith in you. There’s a lesson learned.

29 – Commanders (0-1)

See: Atlanta. Only this was much, much worse than I expected.

Jayden was great, but he shouldn’t have had to run for his life every play. The rest of the offense was lifeless, and the defense might as well have not taken the field.

It was a performance that was all too frequent under the previous regime: a clear lack of preparation and simply no signs of life or effort, especially on defense.

So, we’re off to a great start in this new era!

30 – Titans (0-1)

*insert Will Levis surrender cobra on his knees while his game-losing pick six goes back the other way*

31 – Giants (0-1)

On the bright side: Malik Nabers looks good. He’ll see a monster number of targets and make the most of his opportunities.

On the not-so-bright side: literally everything else.

32 – Panthers (0-1)

Just when you think things can’t get worse, they go and get worse.

Just fast forward to next year. Or next decade.

Week 1 Picks

The NFL is back, and so am I. My fifth season of previews and power rankings begins with my game picks for Week 1. Excited to get the ball back rolling with a fun opening slate of games this weekend.

Cover photo taken from NY Post.

Last Season: 176-99

Chiefs 24-17 Ravens

Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC

There will be two important things to consider leading up to Thursday night’s opener.

First off is that the Chiefs are still the Chiefs. Their threepeat journey has to start somewhere. Sure, Rashee Rice has dealt with a world of trouble this offseason and Hollywood Brown won’t play. But that just means a lot of people are going to continue to learn the name Xavier Worthy. Not to mention there’s a certain Travis Kelce lining up out there as well. And let’s be honest, it doesn’t matter who’s catching the football as long as Patrick Mahomes is the one throwing it.

The second thing is that this is not the same Ravens team from a year ago. Several key defensive departures and the smokescreen of a signing of Derrick Henry lead me to believe that Baltimore is going to see a bit of a dropoff. Sure, Henry still has some gas in the tank, but he didn’t run for 100 or more yards against any playoff team on Tennessee’s schedule last year. And we’re about to see firsthand the impact of losing Patrick Queen, Geno Stone and several others.

Lamar Jackson will keep any game close to be sure, but I think Kansas City should feel comfortable from start to finish, dictating the game on both sides of the ball.

Packers 27-20 Eagles

Friday, 8:15 p.m. ET, Peacock

Samba de Janeiro starts playing

The NFL’s first game in Brazil should be a fun one. The media darling Packers — who enter the season with Super Bowl-level expectations — taking on the butt of last year’s jokes in the Eagles, who should be improved this season.

Both of these teams are good with seemingly less holes than they had a year ago. The Eagles shored up their secondary — at least on paper — as did the Packers, who also look elite offensively. So, it seems that not much separates these teams at a glance.

But I’m not picking a team led by Nick Sirianni to win a game like this. Philadelphia is a team I have less and less faith in by the week, and while they match up well here, I’m not going to pick them until they show me that I should.

Falcons 20-17 Steelers

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX

I officially dub this the “Quarterbacks Drafted Later Than They Would’ve Liked In 2012 To Be Backups But Ended Up Being Great For That Team Then Had Rather Uneventful Stints On Their Second Team Before Finding Themselves On A Third Team Being One Bad Game Away From Being A Celtics Shaq-Type Meme” Bowl.

I feel like I know what to expect from Kirk Cousins — despite this being his first game in almost a full year after recovering from an Achilles tear — while I have no idea what to expect from Russell Wilson. Moreover, I know that Atlanta will be improved on both sides of the ball with their plethora of offseason acquisitions, while Pittsburgh just strikes me as the same old mid team they’ve been for years now.

It’ll be close, and it’ll probably be ugly. But give me the home team with the better offense to pull it out when it matters late.

Bills 30-17 Cardinals

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

Sure, the Cardinals could be frisky this year. But not in this game.

The Bills are far too sound on both sides of the ball and should be one of the most fun teams to watch this season. Arizona will have their time to shine, but this long road trip against a formidable opponent will be a tough one.

That being said, I will be there no matter what for Marvin Harrison Jr.’s professional debut. His Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign has to start somewhere, right?

Bears 24-13 Titans

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX

Welcome to the Caleb Williams show. Let’s have some fun, shall we?

Tennessee is a team that could contend for the top pick in the draft next April. Chicago is a team with arguably the single most-improved roster in football and the next great talent under center. This game should not be close.

Bengals 28-10 Patriots

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

See: above.

New England is a mess right now. Nothing about that roster or coaching staff really gives me hope. And while Cincinnati has dealt with some drama this offseason with the Ja’Marr Chase holdout in addition to some uncertainty about Joe Burrow in his first game back, this realistically shouldn’t be too big of a challenge for them.

Colts 23-20 Texans

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

The Texans are unquestionably the biggest media darling in the AFC, and for good reason. They have a bonafide top 5 star QB in C.J. Stroud to lead a supremely talented offense to complement an elite, young defense. And, they’re led by one of the most promising young head coaches in football in DeMeco Ryans.

But the Colts have a good young team too. And this Colts team beat Houston last year when Anthony Richardson was healthy — and nearly did when he wasn’t. Who’s to say it won’t happen again?

Divisional teams know each other extremely well. Shane Steichen knows what Ryans and Bobby Slowik want to do. At home, with Richardson back and a whole host of offensive talent, I like Indy’s chances to pull a mini-upset of sorts. At the very least, I think they’re being overlooked. If nobody else wants to give them some love, I’ll be the one to do it.

Dolphins 28-20 Jaguars

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

You like offense? Come on down to South Florida. The sun is beaming, the weather is warm, the ghastly cold isn’t anywhere close yet, so the ball will be flying around and the points will be added to the scoreboard with swiftness.

Until our clocks fall back an hour in two months, I feel good about Miami’s chances to win most football games. Anyone should; it’s a remarkably talented team with arguably the league’s best offense.

But I won’t fall for the same fugazi as everyone did last year. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there; I just wanted to get it out of the way early.

Saints 20-13 Panthers

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX

You like offense? Don’t come anywhere near New Orleans on Sunday.

I have zero faith in either of these teams to accomplish anything this year, or even anywhere in the near future. Both franchises are doomed in my estimation, largely due to stubborn and/or incompetent management that has failed to build a good roster.

Sure, the Saints are fine on paper from top to bottom, but they’re still trotting Derek Carr out there. (Side note: what’s the over/under on weeks until Spencer Rattler is starting? 4.5? Lower?) And the Panthers… the Panthers are just sad.

To make a not-so-long story short, the better of two bad teams will win a bad football game that nobody wants to watch.

Giants 21-20 Vikings

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX

See: above.

The Vikings, at least, have some reasons to watch them. The biggest one wears No. 18.

The Giants on the other hand, don’t.

But! Something compels me to switch things up a bit here. Nobody expects the Giants to win. Nobody wants to even look at their 100th anniversary throwbacks (which aren’t nearly as bad as everyone thinks). Nobody wants to watch Daniel Jones play quarterback (okay, fair).

I just think Minnesota is going to be worse than people realize. This isn’t the year Sam Darnold is going to magically figure things out. It’s a talented offense, but that’s about it. I can see New York’s defense making some plays here and there to help pull out a bit of a surprise win to open the season. And Giants fans should enjoy it, because there won’t be many more afterwards.

Chargers 17-14 Raiders

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS

Everyone seems to be under the impression that the Chargers will magically turn into a playoff team under Jim Harbaugh. I’m here to tell you that will not be the case. The roster simply has too many holes right now, though I believe Harbaugh will turn them into a contender within the next few years.

That being said, Los Angeles is a better team with far better coaching than Las Vegas. I can respect this game being close with it being in the division — and it being low-scoring with both offenses being subpar — but I feel confident in the Chargers pulling this one out.

Broncos 24-23 Seahawks

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS

Another upset! Why not? I’m feeling generous.

Moreover, I know what the Broncos are going to look like. Spoiler alert: it’s a lot like Oregon last year (and apparently this year, for that matter). It’ll be a lot of dink and dunk — death by a thousand papercuts, if you will. And while that didn’t work for Russell Wilson, it’ll work perfectly for Bo Nix.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think the Broncos will be very good this year. But I don’t have very high hopes for Seattle, either. Neither team stands out to me much, so I’m just going to roll the dice with another overlooked underdog led by a rookie QB who has experienced a multitude of environments like the one he’s walking into on Sunday.

Cowboys 23-17 Browns

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX

I’m very compelled to pick the Browns in most games, considering their elite roster and game-changing defense.

But, when your quarterback is Deshaun Watson, it becomes difficult to pick you to win games.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, have a great roster of their own with a quarterback I trust a lot more (in this spot, at least). Even in a tough road environment against a challenging defense, I’m far more compelled to take Dallas in this game. It wouldn’t shock me to see it go the other way, but I just don’t feel comfortable putting my eggs in that basket.

Commanders 23-20 Buccaneers

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX

To heck with it.

This game gives me the same vibes as the 2012 opener. On the road against a solid NFC South team for the first start for the Heisman-winning No. 2 pick in the draft — a game that looks like a loss on paper, but could wind up being quite the win.

My trend of the week is clearly overlooked underdogs, and I don’t feel crazy saying that we’re one of them. I don’t think Tampa Bay is all that; sure they were fine last year and retained much of the roster, but I don’t have the highest hopes for any team led by Baker Mayfield, although Washington’s defense doesn’t pose much of a threat.

At the end of the day, I don’t see any reason why Jayden Daniels shouldn’t go out there and have a good game en route to a win. The book isn’t necessarily out on him yet just from LSU tape, and I think his effectiveness as a runner could help put Washington over the top for an opening-week win.

Lions 27-24 Rams

Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC

The schedule-makers cooked this one. This playoff game was amazing last year, and the storylines continue to be juicy. Now, both teams are back and better and should deliver us another great one.

On paper, I feel like there’s not much that separates these squads. Neither roster really has any holes, and as we saw in January, they match up quite well with one another. I default to the Lions because of that game, and the homefield advantage, but I wrestled with this one. It could clearly go either way, but I’m not stressing about it too much. It’s just Week 1, after all.

More than anything, I’m looking forward to a banger to kick off Sunday Night Football in 2024.

49ers 27-14 Jets

Monday, 8:20 p.m. ET, ESPN

This is kind of the antithesis of SNF. Both teams that appear good on paper, but only one of them is. Spoiler alert: it’s the one that was one play away from winning the Super Bowl last season.

The Jets weren’t gonna be good last year even if Aaron Rodgers was healthy. And even if he plays this whole year, they still won’t be very good. It’s a roster with no shortage of question marks led by a coach I have concerns about and a 40-year old quarterback who has made infinitely more headlines for off-the-field shenanigans than on-the-field success in the last several years.

The 49ers, on the other hand, are still the class of the NFC and will find themselves back in the Super Bowl in a few months’ time. They’re significantly better than the Jets with a vastly better coaching staff, and it will show on Monday night in the Bay.

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.

Post-Week 1 Power Rankings

The 2022 NFL season kicked off with a wild, wacky weekend filled with drama and plenty of questions. Let’s stack up the league 1-32 after a thrilling Week 1.

Cover photo taken from ESPN.

1 – Bills (1-0)

My Super Bowl pick took the stage in the opening game of the season and seized it with full force, living up to the hype and proving to everyone how elite they truly are. Despite some errant turnovers, the Bills absolutely thrashed the defending champions in their own backyard on the backs of Josh Allen and their incredible defense. The MVP favorite wowed from start to finish with both his arm and his legs, making play after play and creating endless highlights. Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis were giving the opposing secondary fits all game long. Newcomer Von Miller led the charge defensively with two sacks against his former team. The secondary took the ball away when they weren’t keeping things on lock. The Rams had no answers on either side of the ball for this freight train of a football team. It’s hard to imagine any team will this season.

2 – Chiefs (1-0)

Any and all questions about how the Chiefs would look, especially offensively, after an offseason which saw them lose Tyreek Hill were quickly put to bed on Sunday. Patrick Mahomes was absolutely surgical, as I said he would be, to the tune of five touchdown passes. The offense didn’t miss a beat without the NFL’s most explosive player. They looked just as meticulous as they did in the preseason, going on long drives and putting touchdowns on the board. They might not have the same lightning strike threat on that side of the ball, but I promise you they do not need it. It was just a luxury. The defense also came to play against a solid Cardinals team. The defensive line gave Kyler Murray fits all game long as Chris Jones remains one of the premier defensive tackles in the sport. But Sunday evening was all about the offense. A lot changed in the last few months in Kansas City, but one thing remains the same. Defenses will still lose sleep over Mahomes and company.

3 – Buccaneers (1-0)

Some of you may think this is a bit high, but I was thoroughly impressed with the Bucs on Sunday night. Their defense looked like the incredible, dominant unit from 2020. They were the only team to not allow a touchdown in Week 1. Yes, Dallas’ offense was as incompetent as it could have been, but we have to recognize how elite Tampa is when they’re healthy. The offense looked pretty solid too, despite settling for four field goals. Tom Brady looked like a man who never retired, Mike Evans made huge catches, Leonard Fournette ran hard, and even Julio Jones got in on the action. Chris Godwin getting hurt again isn’t a shock, but is still unfortunate. But, if Sunday night was any indication, the Buccaneers will be just fine without him.

4 – Vikings (1-0)

There might not have been a team with more hype in the NFC than the Vikings coming into Week 1, and they delivered in a huge way. They had their way with the defending 1 seed Packers all game long, starting with an offensive blitz and closing it out with suffocating defense. Justin Jefferson, my OPOY pick, was predictably the star of the show with a whopping 184 yards and 2 touchdowns on 9 catches. Kirk Cousins played a clean game, and Dalvin Cook contributed in huge ways out of the backfield. The defense feasted on a stagnant Green Bay offense from start to finish, dominating up front and locking things down in the secondary. Sunday’s performance was exactly what we knew Minnesota was capable of coming into this season. If they can keep up this level of play, then they are a true contender.

5 – Chargers (1-0)

Like the Vikings, the Chargers have been hyped up to no end. While they weren’t as dominant as the team above them, they still put together a remarkably impressive, complete performance to warrant a top 5 spot. They controlled their game on Sunday evening from start to finish and clutched up defensively when the game was on the line. Their shiny new defense came to play, highlighted by the frightening edge duo of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack as well as their lockdown secondary. But, I have to most of the love to Justin Herbert for this week. My MVP pick looked absolutely incredible, making otherworldly throws with insane velocity and accuracy and looking like the truly generational QB that he is. The injury to Keenan Allen is a bit of a concern, but the Chargers were able to get by despite that and a lackluster performance from Austin Ekeler. They can finally say that even if their offense falters, their defense can win them football games. That’s what makes them one of football’s scariest teams.

6 – Ravens (1-0)

It may have been against the Jets, but the Ravens put together one of the more impressive performances of Week 1. The most important thing is that their offense looked great through the air despite the lack of weapons on paper. Lamar Jackson aired it out all game long and had a huge game thanks to Rashod Bateman finally bursting onto the scene and Devin Duvernay having a shockingly great performance. The run game wasn’t anything flashy, but it doesn’t need to be anything special if Baltimore can continue getting that type of production out of their wide receivers. Their defense also put together a promising performance, but again, it was the Jets. I’d love to see how they play against real football teams before making any bold proclamations.

7 – Saints (1-0)

Go ahead and call me crazy. The Saints may have needed some fourth quarter heroics to pull victory from the jaws of defeat in Atlanta, but that means a lot to me. After being stifled for 50 minutes, the entire team flipped a switch and turned into the Saints team that we all expected them to be. Jameis Winston was slinging the ball with confidence and accuracy, Chris Olave made an impact in his debut, and Michael Thomas silenced all of the doubters with a monster return to action. Their stellar defense went ahead and did the rest. I don’t love how badly they were being beaten, but I absolutely love their response and how they were able to pull away with a victory. Everyone needs that grace period in Week 1 to get their bearings set. New Orleans now has that, and I’m thrilled to see what the future holds for them.

8 – Dolphins (1-0)

The Dolphins were arguably the most dominant team of Week 1, even if their opponent was as bad as the Patriots are. Like so many other teams, we were eager to see how they’d look after such a huge offseason. The offense was pretty predictable, using short passes to chop up the defense. Tyreek Hill put up great numbers in his Miami debut, and Jaylen Waddle finally showcased how explosive he can be. All Tua needs to do is get the ball to his playmakers and let them do the rest. The defense was as stout as advertised, especially in the secondary, which had a massive day. Like Baltimore, I’d like to see what the Dolphins do against a better team, but I can’t say I wasn’t thoroughly impressed with them.

9 – Eagles (1-0)

If this feels low, it’s because it is. The Eagles should be much higher. But, I very much disliked how they closed things out on Sunday in Detroit. The first three quarters were absolutely dominant on both sides of the ball as Philly looked like the team we billed them to be. The run game was unstoppable, Jalen Hurts made some impressive throws, and AJ Brown made a gargantuan impact in his Eagles debut. The defense was off and on, but when they were on, they were awesome, even snagging a pick six thanks to the efforts of newcomer James Bradberry. But, they gave up two touchdown in the fourth quarter to make it a nail-biter. They were able to close it out, but I always hate when a game has to come to that after a team has been dominating for three quarters. I loved what I saw from Sunday on Philly, but it needs to be sharpened a bit before they move up.

10 – Packers (0-1)

The Packers are a very easy team to assess. They needed Davante Adams infinitely more than Davante Adams needed them. Their first offensive play was all you needed to see for that to reign true, as rookie Christian Watson dropped an easy touchdown, and the offense was never able to recover. Aaron Rodgers did what he could with a weak supporting cast, but it wasn’t enough to overcome an aggressive Vikings defense that had their way all game long. The offensive line struggled mightily, the run game couldn’t do enough, and the pass-catchers simply weren’t reliable. The defense got absolutely gashed early, and while they cleaned things up in the second half, it wasn’t enough to make up for their earlier shortcomings. I have no doubt that the Packers will iron out these issues as the season progresses, but they might not have the room to take their time in doing so with the division no longer being a cakewalk.

11 – Rams (0-1)

Told you so. I tried to warn you that the Rams got worse and weren’t as good as their Super Bowl-winning team from yesteryear. However, even I couldn’t have predicted them looking as dreadful as they did on opening night. Outside of a few nice plays by Cooper Kupp, which is a guarantee at this point, LA did nothing right against Buffalo. The defensive front could not contain Josh Allen, the secondary got carved up, and the offense was one-dimensional and stagnant. Their noticeably worse offensive line was porous, allowing seven sacks and making the run game a non-factor. Matthew Stafford had a very subpar game thanks to no WRs other than Kupp even showing up to the game. It was just a sham from start to finish in what should have been a night where the Rams showed us that they have what it takes to run it back. It’s going to take a while to get anyone to believe that now.

12 – Bengals (0-1)

Another year, another ridiculous OT game lost by the Bengals amidst hilarity and kicking disasters. I’m excited to see who it happens against next year! In all seriousness, Cincinnati lost to themselves on Sunday. The fact that they should have won despite Joe Burrow committing a whopping five turnovers shows you that this team is just fine. Burrow was able to bounce back from his horrible start with his patented poised play which eventually culminated in what should have been to the game-winning touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase, who had a monster game himself. But, a blocked extra point thanks to a long snapper injury sent us to overtime, where nobody wanted to make a kick until the Steelers did on the game’s final play. So, yes, the Bengals lost, but there was still plenty to like. I thought their defense was very solid, especially after going down 17-3 early. The offense figured themselves out eventually, and they deserved to win the game. If anything, this loss for the Bengals is proof that starters need to get action in the preseason. Just do it guys.

13 – 49ers (0-1)

Yes, the 49ers looked pretty abhorrent on Sunday in Chicago. But you know what else looked awful? Everything else on Sunday in Chicago. An utter monsoon is not an easy environment to win in for a west coast team, especially at the dumpster known as Soldier Field. I’m not here to make a bunch of excuses for this team, though. Weather aside, I was thoroughly disappointed with their performance. More specifically, I’m disappointed with Trey Lance. He just didn’t do anything of note in his first start as the guy for this team. Yes, it was very tough to do so in that situation, but you have to show me something. Justin Fields did! There’s simply no excuse; you cannot be the inferior QB in that game. Their defense held up for the first three quarters, but they forgot how to play football once the rain started coming down hard. Overall, the Niners showed me nothing to work with going into Week 2. I’m hoping next Sunday goes better, otherwise I’m going to look really, really stupid sooner than I’d like to.

14 – Steelers (1-0)

It has been two days and the Steelers are still wondering how they’re sitting at 1-0. They should have lost on the last play of regulation and instead found themselves victorious on the last play of overtime. Football is wonky like that sometimes. Despite the wackiness, Pittsburgh found a way to win, and I have to give them credit for that. They blitzed the Bengals early with a defense that refused to let them keep the ball and an offense that moved the ball surprisingly well. Mitch Trubisky was solid in his Steelers debut, and Diontae Johnson had himself a very nice game on the outside. Minkah Fitzpatrick was undeniably the player of the game with a pick six and the blocked extra point to send the game to OT. Without him, this team would be sitting at 0-1 and much lower in the rankings. Perhaps the Steelers can run with this and shock me this year. I doubt it, but their win on Sunday is proof that truly anything can happen in this league.

15 – Commanders (1-0)

Trust me, I’m just as shocked as you are. Not just at the fact that this team emerged victorious on Sunday, but at the manner in which they did so. The difference in this game was the first two and last two offensive possessions for Washington: the four touchdown drives. The team got off to a blistering start thanks to some pretty fantastic QB play by Carson Wentz and the incredible playmaking ability of Curtis Samuel and Antonio Gibson that we’ve been longing to see. The middle of the game was filled with nothing but weirdness, as the Jaguars seemingly had their way offensively but couldn’t put points on the board. The Commanders also struggled to do so, but stayed in the lead until they eventually gave the ball to Jacksonville on back to back interceptions by Wentz to seemingly bury the team. But, he was able to bounce back in a huge way, throwing two consecutive sensational TD passes to win the game, with the first coming on a beautiful deep ball to Terry McLaurin (who has been waiting for passes like that for the last three years) and the second coming on a perfect pitch and catch to the first rounder Jahan Dotson to win the game. Dotson was a massive contributor with two touchdowns including the game-winner, showcasing his great hands and impeccable route-running all game long. And Wentz’s final statline was more eye-popping than I ever could have foreseen with over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns. The defense also stepped up when necessary, and despite letting the Jags move the ball, I was pleased with their performance. The defensive line ate all game long, getting consistent pressure thanks to huge games from Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen, and Daron Payne. Who knew that sending blitzes was so fruitful? The secondary made plays when necessary, highlighted by a breakout game from second year man Darrick Forrest, who nabbed the game-sealing INT. I don’t know how much of this performance can be replicated against teams better than Jacksonville, but I didn’t think we were capable of everything I saw this team do on Sunday. That gives me hope that maybe we won’t be as horrible as I may have presumed.

16 – Browns (1-0)

The Browns proved me wrong by winning on Sunday, but that’s about the only area that they did so. I wasn’t too moved by them squeaking out a win with a 58-yard field goal against one of the worst teams in the league. Jacoby Brissett held things down on offense, but it was nothing eye-opening. I did like what I saw out of their elite RB tandem of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, but it’s pretty much a guarantee that they’re going to do their thing in every game they play. The defense looked okay, but only Myles Garrett put up a noteworthy performance. The secondary nearly lost them the game, which is pretty embarrassing considering they were playing Baker Mayfield. So yes, the Browns found a way to win, and it was cool. But I’m still not moved. And I don’t think I will be anytime soon.

17 – Titans (0-1)

For all intents and purposes, the Titans should have won on Sunday. They did everything they had to do, including setting up a very manageable game-winning field goal that was simply shanked. However, that doesn’t mean they get a pass. They were just an uninspired team who wasn’t doing anything great on either side of the ball. It’s kind of embarrassing to get pieced up by the Giants of all teams. Offensively, Derrick Henry was stifled so bad that the offense flowed through Dontrell Hilliard of all people. I thought Ryan Tannehill did his thing, but this team was about as boring as you’d imagine. That was a game they should have won and have to win. Let’s hope they clean it up as the season progresses.

18 – Raiders (0-1)

Outside of the stellar debut of Davante Adams, the Raiders were extremely underwhelming in LA on Sunday. They were completely shut down on offense outside of #17’s 141 yards, and while I thought they played better than expected on defense, they had no answer for the heroics of Justin Herbert. Their glaring holes showed in huge ways, especially with the woes of their offensive line. Derek Carr was in hell from start to finish, being pressured, sacked, or hit on nearly half of all dropbacks. That OL will be the death of them this season, just as I said it would be. Their secondary was gashed by the Chargers even with their offense struggling at times. It just wasn’t a promising day at all for the Raiders. At least Davante Adams fantasy owners are smiling.

19 – Broncos (0-1)

The Denver Broncos laid the biggest dud of Week 1, plain and simple. Their utter incompetence was on display all game long on national television and they deserve all the scrutiny that they’ll be receiving this week. Still, it’s one thing to lose a game on the boneheadedness of Nathaniel Hackett’s late game clock management gaffe. It’s another to be in that position against the Seahawks in the first place. Russell Wilson had a boring, mediocre debut highlighted by a long touchdown pass on a wildly underthrown ball. The rest of the offense showed nothing to like other than Jerry Jeudy making a lot of play out of nothing. And the defense, the supposed strong suit of the team, was rather shocking, letting Geno Smith carve them up all game long. Between the impotence of the offense, the defense’s effort, and the mind-numbing coaching, the hype has completely died with the Broncos. They have plenty of time to make amends, but they have a lot to prove to us.

20 – Cardinals (0-1)

The Cardinals unfortunately had to start their season by running into the buzzsaw that is Patrick Mahomes in the month of September. I don’t want to fault them too much for that. I do, however, want to fault them for not even showing up on Sunday. The dysfunction in this franchise is palpable, and there is a clear disconnect between Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray, despite the huge contract extension for the young QB. The offense did nothing of note outside of garbage time, and the defense… well they stayed home. I didn’t like this team much to begin with, and I like them even less now. The schedule isn’t getting any easier either. We might be burying the Cardinals very, very soon.

21 – Bears (1-0)

You can’t imagine how happy I am for Justin Fields and the Bears after Sunday’s awesome win in the monsoon. Not only did they have a tremendous fourth quarter on both sides of the ball, but they looked like a competent team and had so much fun winning that game. Everyone was eating offensively despite the conditions thanks to Fields’ tremendous playmaking ability. And the defense finally made some plays, none more important than Eddie Jackson’s INT of Trey Lance which essentially sealed the game. Chicago has to feel good about themselves after pulling off the biggest upset of Week 1. I know I do. It’s just a matter of whether or not they can keep the momentum going. Heading to Lambeau for a primetime clash with the Packers doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence, but we’ll see what the Bears can muster up as huge underdogs once again.

22 – Seahawks (1-0)

It took one game for the Seahawks to hit half of the wins I projected them to get this season. Good for them! Seriously though, good for them. Seattle was absolutely rocking on Monday night for the Russell Wilson return, and the 12th man was the real MVP of the game. I haven’t seen the crowd impact a game like that in nearly a decade. The team played a very good game, especially offensively, as Geno Smith had a shockingly efficient and effective performance. Even the defense, which I ripped to shreds less than a week ago, came to play. It’s hard to believe the team will put together that complete of a performance again this year considering the stage and the emotion of the game, but maybe the Seahawks won’t be as bad as I thought.

23 – Colts (0-0-1)

This feels a little harsh for the Colts, but I think it’s warranted. There really isn’t any excuse to tie with the Texans. There is even less of an excuse to find yourself down 20-3 like they did. I respect the ability to come back and force OT, and I recognize the monster games from Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr., but this team is too good to be in that position in the first place. I wasn’t inspired by their defense performance, and I need to see a lot more from the offense in the first three quarters to feel better about this team. At least they didn’t lose!

24 – Giants (1-0)

I don’t even think the Giants knew how they won on Sunday. But you have to feel good about it. They showed their stuff and had a pretty inspiring comeback to win, even if they should have lost. The story of the game was undoubtedly Saquon Barkley looking like his former self, showing incredible explosiveness and running harder than he has in years. I was shocked to see his level of play on Sunday, and if he can keep it up, it makes this team actually hard to stop. Even Daniel Jones looked solid, especially on a deep ball touchdown to Sterling Shepard. The defense had a solid showing, containing Derrick Henry and not allowing Tennessee’s offense to do much. I still don’t think this season will amount to much for the Giants, but they showed more promise in one game than they have in several seasons. That has to mean something.

25 – Cowboys (0-1)

I used to pray for times like this. The Cowboys are dead and buried after just one game. And it’s not because of the injury to Dak Prescott, although that certainly makes them much worse. It’s because, even with Dak at QB, this team looked absolutely atrocious on Sunday night. While the defense may have done their thing in spurts, highlighted by the brilliance of Micah Parsons, the offense was absolutely dreadful, unable to do a damn thing with the ball in their hands. CeeDee Lamb was invisible, Ezekiel Elliott is what you’d expect him to be in his seventh season, and the offensive line was predictably poor. The Cowboys were the only team in football to not score a touchdown this week, and who no one knows when they might even come close to reaching the endzone. Now, Cooper Rush takes the reins for the next month or so. Have fun at the bottom of the standings, Dallas!

26 – Lions (0-1)

The 2022 Lions opened the season the exact same way the 2021 Lions did: getting blown out for three quarters before putting together a furious comeback attempt in the fourth that falls just short. The only difference is that Detroit didn’t look completely incompetent for the most part in this game. They got consistent production offensively, especially from D’Andre Swift, who had a huge performance. Their defense was predictably Swiss cheese, but they still almost made enough stops to win the game. So, while the Lions once again got gashed en route to a loss, there’s plenty to like about what this team has. to offer. As I’ve said so many times, it won’t translate to a lot of wins, but this team has some grit to them and will be a tough out all year long.

27 – Jaguars (0-1)

The Jaguars are still just not there yet. They showed plenty to like on Sunday, but they also showed plenty to laugh at. The new acquisitions poured in big contributions, with Christian Kirk and Zay Jones getting involved in the passing game and the #1 overall pick Travon Walker having a monster debut. Travis Etienne’s NFL debut in his second season also proved to be a solid one, despite not getting nearly as much playing time as he should. Trevor Lawrence was on and off, but for the most part, he too had a decent showing. At the end of the day, this team really beat themselves. Ineffectiveness in the red zone, drops, and porous late-game defense proved to be their downfall. But for the most part, I liked what this team showed me, much like the Lions above them. They won’t be nearly as bad this year.

28 – Falcons (0-1)

New year, same Falcons. After dominating the Saints for 50 minutes thanks to a great game from new QB Marcus Mariota to the tune of a 16 point lead, Atlanta put on their choking caps, laid down, and died. Who could have seen it coming? Despite yet another disastrous collapse, the Falcons weren’t awful by any means on Sunday. As I said, Mariota had a productive debut and their defense was able to stifle New Orleans for most of the game. But, when it fell apart, it absolutely crumbled down. I have a feeling more games than not will feel that way for this team.

29 – Patriots (0-1)

After Sunday’s drubbing in Miami, I have a very interesting and important question to pose: can you name a single thing the Patriots do well? Because I cannot. The offense is stuck in both mud and the 1970s. The defense is lacking in playmaking with JC Jackson gone and also moves at the speed of an old minivan. Mac Jones can’t produce if there’s any adversity, and considering how bad New England’s offensive line was on Sunday, there will be plenty of adversity to be faced this season. The weapons are either invisible or lackluster, so it doesn’t help that the scheme is as poor as it is. I know this placement seems harsh for a team that has been so good for so long, but I think New England was arguably the worst team I watched this week. This could be a very long season for them.

30 – Panthers (0-1)

The Panthers got screwed pretty hard on Sunday, and there is definitely an argument to be made that they should have won. Their comeback in the fourth quarter was admirable, and I’ll give them credit for that. But, they lost, and I still don’t like anything about this team. Baker Mayfield wasn’t completely awful in his Panthers debut, but he still made those Baker-type plays to keep them out of the game. The rest of the offense was average despite some nice contributions from Christian McCaffrey and Robbie Anderson. Their defense was got ran through by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt which eventually proved to be their downfall. I’m being a bit mean to the this team but I just don’t have a lot of faith in them in general, so this is more of a reflection of that than their performance on Sunday.

31 – Texans (0-0-1)

The Texans did not lose on Sunday. That is progress! In fact, they should have won comfortably, but a blown 20-3 fourth quarter lead let them settle for a tie after a stalemate in OT. I have no idea how they even found themselves up by 17 to begin with, considering they didn’t do anything special in the course of the game. Their defense just showed up and kept things under wraps for three quarters. The offense played a solid game, highlighted by two touchdown catches by OJ Howard in his Houston debut. So, maybe the Texans won’t be as bad as I may have thought. Still, they’re one of the worst teams in the league as it currently stands, and they’ll likely be in the cellar for 17 more weeks. However, they’re saved from the #32 spot for now.

32 – Jets (0-1)

Did you expect anything else? Led by Joe Flacco, the Jets were absolutely putrid in Week 1, doing absolutely nothing of note en route to a huge loss. That will likely be the theme of most of their games as this season progresses. They put up some numbers in garbage time, but nobody cares. Their defense was ripped apart by a subpar Ravens passing attack, and their offense was nonexistent while the game was still in question. I don’t think it would have been any different with Zach Wilson at QB, but with Flacco under center, this is by far the worst team in the league. I don’t see that changing any time soon.

All stats taken from ESPN.

Week 1 Picks

The 2022 NFL season finally kicks off tonight, followed by a fascinating slate of games this weekend. Here are my picks for Week 1.

Cover photo taken from Yahoo Sports.

Welcome to kickoff. Our waiting has finally come to an end as the 2022 NFL season gets underway tonight. Week 1 is always a blast, and the opening slate of games this year promise to be no different. It’s time for teams to put all the questions to bed and finally go out and play. And we, the fans, are oh so lucky to watch it all unfold. Let’s get into my picks for the opening week of the season.

Bills 31-23 Rams

Thursday, 8:20 PM EST, NBC

The 2022 season kicks off with a potential Super Bowl preview between the defending champion Rams and the title favorite Bills in Los Angeles. I can think of no better way to start the season than with a game like this. We’re getting all the starpower in the world on full display as the first regular action of the season. These teams match up quite well with one another on paper, but as I said yesterday, I don’t like the moves the Rams made in free agency coming off of their Super Bowl win. I think they’re worse defensively, especially up front. It’s quite poetic that they lost Von Miller to Buffalo and now he’s lining up against them in the first game of their title defense. It’s just going to be too hard for LA to stop Josh Allen and company in their very first game with this downgraded unit. Their offense is good enough to keep them in this game, but I think the superior defense of the Bills will prove to be the difference in the clutch. Buffalo opens their potential season of dreams with a win.

Saints 24-10 Falcons

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

The Saints are destined to bounce back from last season’s misery in a huge way. Luckily, the schedule-makers gifted them a free win to start their season. The Falcons are arguably football’s worst team. With New Orleans having one of the best overall rosters in football, this one shouldn’t be close. I’m personally very excited to see their offense back at full strength with Jameis Winston, Alvin Kamara, and especially Michael Thomas and Chris Olave. Look for the rookie to make a huge impact in his NFL debut. Defensively, the Saints should shut down whoever the Falcons throw out on offense all game long en route to one of their easier victories of the year.

49ers 27-13 Bears

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

Like the game directly above, this one is a total mismatch. The 49ers boast perhaps the best roster in the NFL, while the Bears might have the saddest one. The biggest question in this game will be Trey Lance, and everyone’s eyes will be fixated on him as he makes his first start as the guy for San Francisco. I think he should thrive in their offense all year long, and it doesn’t get much easier than this for him to settle in. Meanwhile, the Niners defense should feast on a horrible Chicago offensive line and make life hell for Justin Fields, although he had a pretty nice game against them last year. While I’d love for the Bears to make some noise in this game, logic is pulling me in the exact opposite direction.

Bengals 24-19 Steelers

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

Everyone is wondering whether or not the Bengals can run back their improbable success from 2021 and build a new powerhouse in the AFC. It all starts with this game against their bitter rival with plenty of questions of their own. The Steelers have made the decision to rock with Mitch Trubisky as their starting QB, and while I think that’s the wrong decision, I don’t think it makes them that much worse. However, Cincinnati might prove to be too tall of a task to open the season. The Bengals have too much firepower offensively, and if the last few weeks of last season was any indication, their defense is pretty stout as well. These AFC North games typically prove to be slugfests, and while I like Pittsburgh’s defense, I’m taking the unit that shows me more to like. And if this one comes down to the wire, it’s no question that I’d rather have Joe Burrow.

Eagles 30-14 Lions

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

I really like the direction both of these teams are heading in, but it’s no secret that the Eagles are a far better squad as of right now. The Lions have a good thing going, but it’ll still be a while before it all comes to fruition. Meanwhile, Philly is ready to seize the moment and show the league what they’re made of this year. I think they’re going to come out with their new-look offense and revamped defense and absolutely thwart Detroit from start to finish in a dominant win. I can’t wait to see what Jalen Hurts, Devonta Smith, and A.J. Brown do in their first game together. The the other side of the ball should be a delight to watch as well. I wouldn’t doubt the Lions’ ability to move the ball with their offense, but I think points will be too hard to come by for them to keep up for four quarters.

Dolphins 21-16 Patriots

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

Even with their flashy new offense, it’s hard to believe this game won’t be a grind for the Dolphins. New England always plays them close and hard, and this game should be no different despite the overwhelmingly new circumstances in Miami. However, I have no doubt that their superior offensive talent will put them over the top in this game. The Patriots are just a weird team on both sides of the ball, and I have no idea what their identity is coming into this game. At least I know what I’m going to get with the Dolphins, and they might shock me offensively. I’m very intrigued to see what their offense looks like with Tyreek Hill, who always seems to pop off against the Patriots. Even if he’s stifled, Miami should be able to make enough plays to win this one.

Ravens 31-17 Jets

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

Joe Flacco facing his former team for the first time has to be the most underrated storyline of Week 1, right? Why is nobody talking about this? Well, perhaps because the Jets are awful and this is a pretty terrible game on paper. The Ravens are the much better team and should handle this game with ease. I am excited to see how their offense looks, and especially interested to see how their defense performs with so many exciting new pieces. But other than that, there’s nothing really to see here. Just a good team beating up on a bad one.

Jaguars 23-20 Commanders

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

Oh brother. Can you think of any better way for the Commanders era of Washington football to start than a home loss to the worst team in football from the year before? Because I can’t! As much as I’d love to be optimistic about this game and this season, I just know what lies ahead: more embarrassment and sadness. This is how it begins. But, it’s not just the depression that comes with the Commanders. As I outlined the other day, I think the Jaguars had a very good offseason and will bring a level of energy to this game that Washington simply lacks. Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne will likely have their way with a porous defense from a year ago. I can’t put any faith in Carson Wentz to do the same thing considering that the last game he played was the embarrassing loss to Jacksonville. If he led his team to victory in that game, he wouldn’t be my QB today. So, what better way to start his tenure in DC than by kicking it off with the same result as the reason he’s here?

Panthers 20-17 Browns

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

If I’m being completely honest, there’s really no reason for the Browns to lose this game. But, I have agendas to push, and I’d really like to see Baker Mayfield exact his revenge on the team in his first game outside of Cleveland. Carolina does not match up well in this game at all, but it’s a bit hard to put any faith in a Browns team led by Jacoby Brissett. I do think their defense can carry them to victory, but I just don’t want to pick them. If the Browns can ignore logic and sense when making moves for a rapist QB, then I can also ignore logic and sense when it comes to picking their games!

Colts 28-13 Texans

Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

The Colts are one of the most puzzling teams in the league heading into this season, but this should not be a challenge at all for them. Houston is arguably the worst team in the league with absolutely nothing to play for. Indy is in the midst of a new era with Matt Ryan at QB, but he is more than serviceable, and this team will see a good deal of success in 2022. There’s no easier way to start than being spoon-fed a win against your division rival. Look for Jonathan Taylor to kick off another potential MVP campaign with a massive game while the Colts defense flexes their colors against a putrid Texans offense.

Titans 22-10 Giants

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, FOX

Why do we have so many lopsided matchups in Week 1? This might be the worst one of them all. It’s not necessarily because the Titans are that good, despite being last year’s 1 seed in the AFC. It has more to do with how dreadful the Giants are. New York is a team already looking ahead to who they’ll draft with a top 3 selection next April. Tennessee should crush them, especially with their dominant defensive front. The offense won’t need to do too much, which is good news for Derrick Henry, who should have an even heavier load to carry this season.

Vikings 29-27 Packers

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, FOX

What a great game this is going to be. I have such high hopes for the Vikings in 2022, and there’s no better way for them to show everyone else their potential than by opening with a victory over their division rival and defending 1 seed. If this game was at Lambeau, I’d easily pick Green Bay, but I just have a feeling about Sunday evening in Minneapolis. I think their star-studded offense is built to overcome great defenses like the Packers have, and their improved defense can certainly shut down an offense with Allen Lazard as its WR1. You can never count out Aaron Rodgers no matter who he’s throwing the ball to, but something tells me this first game without Davante Adams will be a learning curve. The Packers won’t lose many games in 2022, but I can see this being one of them.

Chiefs 33-27 Cardinals

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, CBS

If you like offense, tune into CBS on Sunday evening. It may be the first game without Tyreek Hill in Kansas City, but I have the utmost faith in Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to still be an elite offensive threat. The Cardinals should also be exciting on that side of the ball, even without DeAndre Hopkins. While you can make the argument that both of these teams are good enough on defense to prevent this from being a shootout, this game just has a back-and-forth feel to it. So, take the over. It’s virtually to bet against Mahomes and KC in the month of September, so I’ll rock with them. In any case, I think this could end up being one of the most entertaining games of the week.

Chargers 31-21 Raiders

Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, CBS

There likely isn’t a Week 1 game featuring two teams that people want to see more than this one. The Chargers are the sneaky Super Bowl pick in the AFC after a terrific offseason, and the Raiders made a huge splash in getting WR Davante Adams to help them out in their division push. Every time these teams get together, it’s an absolute blast, and I don’t see this one going any different. However, I do think LA should have a comfortable grip on this game from start to finish. Their defense is much better than Vegas’, and they should feast on an absolutely porous offensive line. I do think the Raiders offense will put up their numbers, but points will be a commodity for them. Meanwhile, I can’t wait to see what Justin Herbert, my personal pick for MVP, does in his season debut. I have extremely high hopes for him and his team, and I’d hate for them to let me down in Week 1. All things considered, that would actually be the most Chargers outcome here.

Buccaneers 27-24 Cowboys

Sunday, 8:20 PM EST, NBC

It doesn’t get much bigger than a Sunday Night Football clash between Tom Brady and the Cowboys in Week 1. Even with an injury-riddled offense to start the year, I find it far too difficult to bet against Tom Brady. In his first game since his non-retirement, he should be able to feast against a terrible Cowboys secondary as long as his now-subpar offensive line gives him enough time to get throws off. Meanwhile, the Dallas offense, which is worse just about everywhere compared to 2021, won’t have much room to work against a fantastic Bucs defense. However, this is primetime, and you have to imagine that this game will remain close for its entirety. Just think back to last year’s season opener in Tampa. Regardless, I see the exact same result here, with the Buccaneers walking it off with a FG and leaving more Cowboys fans in misery.

Broncos 28-10 Seahawks

Monday, 8:15 PM EST, ESPN

Russell Wilson’s return to Seattle in his Broncos debut makes for one of the most fascinating storylines of the entire season. However, that’s the only interesting thing going on in this game. This should be an absolute wash for Denver. They’re infinitely better than the Seahawks at just about everything. I don’t even know if Seattle has it in them to score a single touchdown in this game. 10 points might be the most generous total I give them all year long. Meanwhile, I’m very excited to see how Russ and the Broncos offense performs in their first game of the year. My biggest question is, who will emerge as the true WR1 in this offense? And will they be effective enough to compete with the other great offenses of the AFC? Monday night’s game won’t give us all the answers, but it will definitely be a good indicator of how the Broncos are riding into this season.

All stats taken from ESPN.

Post-Week 1 Power Rankings

After a wild Week 1, we learned a great deal about so many teams. It’s hard to place teams after just one game, but based on how everyone performed, let’s stack up the league as we head into Week 2.

The defending champion Buccaneers didn’t play their sharpest game in Week 1, but still proved that they are the cream of the crop in the NFL. (h/t Julio Aguilar, Getty Images)

After only one week of football, we’ve learned quite a lot about so many teams in the league. It’s hard to gauge how a team will do or how good or bad they truly are after just one game, but the show must go on. Ranking the league after Week 1 is a volatile task, so don’t expect many of these teams to remain where they are at on this week’s list, and don’t get too mad at me if you vehemently disagree with something. It’s only Week 1. It’s bound to change eventually. With that being said, let’s stack up the teams 1-32 for the first time this season:

1 – Buccaneers (1-0)

Just get used to this. While the Buccaneers didn’t play their best game on opening night against Dallas, they were pretty damn close. A few drops, sloppy turnovers, and mistakes kept the Cowboys in the game much longer than necessary, but Brady and co. did exactly what they needed to do to emerge victorious. It was honestly one of the best performances I’ve seen from Brady in a long time, and if he can play like that all year, he could put together an MVP campaign. All of Tampa’s issues from last Thursday will work themselves out over the course of the season, and they will be fine. This is still very much the best team in football, and they either have to fall apart or someone has to knock them off the pedestal for them to have a different spot on this list.

2 – Chiefs (1-0)

It took a patented Patrick Mahomes comeback to get the W on Sunday, but the Chiefs still looked pretty good. I’ll give them a pass for struggling, as they were playing one of the NFL’s best teams that matches up better than almost anybody else against them. And still, they did what they had to do late to get to 1-0. This remains the most unstoppable offense in football, and while I think their defense could use some help, they will win most of their games as long as they have Mahomes under center. It also helped having the electric Arrowhead crowd behind them once again.

3 – Rams (1-0)

As I said before, the Matthew Stafford era in LA could not have gotten off to a better start. The shiny new QB threw for a career-best 156.1 passer rating on Sunday night, and this team looked like it had a new energy that I’ve never seen them have before. The offense was clicking on all cylinders, and their defense looks just as sharp as ever. I always thought this was the team in the NFC best suited to knock off the Buccaneers, and Week 1 definitely reinforced that. Playing in the NFC West is extremely tough, but I really do think this will be a top 2 team in the conference for this entire season.

4 – Browns (0-1)

Despite the loss on Sunday, Cleveland impressed me more than almost any other team this week. They ran circles around Kansas City all game long, Baker Mayfield looked very sharp throwing the football (with the exception of an errant INT to lose the game), and if it wasn’t for a dropped snap on a punt, they probably would have won. It’s impossible to stop those inevitable Mahomes-Hill linkups, but other than that, I thought this defense looked very sharp. This was the most difficult opening test they could have had, and they won’t face an offense that good for the rest of the season, so I have no doubts about that side of the ball in Cleveland. I still really, really like this roster, and in an apparently weak division, the Browns’ dreams may not be too far out of reach.

5 – Seahawks (1-0)

September Russell Wilson is back in a huge way, and it was quite a treat to watch. The 10th-year QB was diming all game long in Indy against a very good defense, making every throw look easy. The rest of his offense showed up in a huge way too, especially WR Tyler Lockett, who made 2 great touchdown catches. The defense, which was a rather big question mark, shut down a solid Colts offense, which is a very good sign in an extremely talented division. I don’t want to be fooled once again by how dominant this team is early in the season, but I have to give credit where credit is due at the moment. I’ll just try not to drink too much of the Kool-Aid.

6 – Cardinals (1-0)

Simply put, the Cardinals had one of the most impressive wins of Week 1. Going all the way out east to take on a Titans team who was favored in the game and has plenty of playoff hopes and expectations of their own, Arizona absolutely steamrolled their way to a 38-13 victory. QB Kyler Murray put on one of the performances of the week with 5 total touchdowns (4 passing and 1 rushing), including some incredible throws all over the field. The revamped defense shut down one of last year’s most potent offenses, including the reigning OPOY, RB Derrick Henry. You need to be elite on both sides of the ball to contend not only in this division, but in this conference. If the Cards’ opener was any indication, they might have what it takes to do just that.

7 – Chargers (1-0)

I spent all of last season waiting for this team to realize their potential. After a fantastic offseason, I think they’re finally ready to do so. Not only was Justin Herbert sensational throwing the football, but his revamped offensive line did a perfect job protecting him from arguably the best defensive line in football. First-round pick LT Rashawn Slater didn’t allow Washington DE Chase Young, a DPOY hopeful, to do a single thing in Sunday’s game. And while it was hard for the offense to move the ball consistently on that great defense, they always stepped up and made the plays to secure a victory, to the tune of 14/18 3rd down conversions. That’s the mark of any good team. This is a playoff team as long as they stay out of their own way. Sadly, I don’t put anything past the Chargers in that regard.

8 – 49ers (1-0)

The 49ers would probably be higher on this list if they actually closed things out on Sunday in Detroit, but even still, this team looked very good in Week 1. Yes, they were playing one of the worst teams in the NFL, but they didn’t pull any punches and bulldozed the Lions all game long in every facet. The passing game was on fire, in large part thanks to a great game from WR Deebo Samuel. Despite a season-ending injury for RB Raheem Mostert, the running game was moving along seamlessly thanks to an impressive debut from RB Elijah Mitchell. And of course this outstanding defensive unit was back on full display after last year’s injury fiasco. It’s no secret that this is one of the NFL’s best rosters. If they can stay healthy, and not blow massive leads late in games, they will be one of the biggest contenders in the NFC.

9 – Raiders (1-0)

I was thoroughly impressed with the Raiders on Monday night. It took them a while to get going, but once they did, they seemingly couldn’t be stopped. QB Derek Carr had himself quite the night against a Ravens defense that is no joke, throwing for 435 yards and 2 touchdowns, including the winner in OT. He was succinct and clutch, and I loved seeing that out of him. He was forcing the ball to TE Darren Waller quite a lot, but it ended up working out in the long run, so who am I to judge? The question with this team is seemingly always the defense, but they stepped up when it mattered most, forcing a fumble in OT to set up their offense to win it. I seriously doubt that Vegas can keep this up long-term, but if they can, then this is a serious playoff contender. They have to prove it to me first.

10 – Bills (0-1)

Buffalo got a boatload of bad breaks on Sunday. They were better than the Steelers in every single statistical category, but a single punt block touchdown ruined their afternoon. That’s not saying that they didn’t struggle, though. Last year’s offense made everything look so easy, but against a stout Pittsburgh defense, they had a rough time. However, I know that they won’t be facing many front 7s that good this season as the schedule is very easy, and I know that this team will be just fine. It was a very difficult first game, but the Bills will rebound. At least, they better hope so, because they invested quite a lot of money in Josh Allen. They cannot afford to let that go to waste.

11 – Saints (1-0)

New Orleans likely had the statement win of Week 1, and it still makes no sense to me. After being displaced and the game being relocated, not to mention all of the offseason questions and concerns, this team showed up and showed out against one of last year’s premier teams. Jameis Winston looked like a new man in his first start at QB for the Saints, and this defense looked just as sharp as ever. It helped that the Packers looked like they didn’t even want to be there, and that Aaron Rodgers played one of the worst games I have ever seen from him. But I don’t want to take anything away from the Saints. They played a hell of a football game, and vastly exceeded my expectations. Perhaps I underestimated them a bit too much.

12 – Broncos (1-0)

Before you say anything, I will acknowledge that I have this team a bit high. But I am never without my reasons. I always said that the Broncos have one of the best rosters in the NFL, but were severely lacking at QB. They reminded me a lot of my own team. But, starting Teddy Bridgewater under center is already proving to be a great move. Teddy looked great on Sunday simply by being who he is: a solid QB who doesn’t make mistakes and always puts his team in position to win. The rest of the offense did their job, and the defense made light work of the admittedly lethargic Giants offense. The injury to WR Jerry Juedy, an ankle sprain that will sideline him for 4-6 weeks, does concern me a bit, but this team has plenty of other talented pass catchers that will help lighten the load for Teddy. This is definitely a dark horse in the AFC Wild Card race. And yes, that pun was intended.

13 – Ravens (0-1)

I’d like to think I’m being a bit harsh to the Ravens, but everything is going wrong for this team right now. All of the injuries in the last few weeks seemed to really affect this team. Yes, RB Ty’Son Williams looked pretty good, and Latavius Murray even scored a touchdown, but much of this running game still relies on Lamar Jackson adlibbing and making plays by himself. The weight is still entirely on his shoulders, and if he has to carry both the passing and running attack, he will fall apart fast. It seemingly already got to him, as his fumble in OT lost Baltimore the game. Not to mention, their defense, which is supposed to be perhaps their strongest suit, did not look very sharp. This team just has some problems I can’t get over, and they’re going to have to show me a lot more to work their way back up.

14 – Dolphins (1-0)

The only thing separating the Dolphins and the Patriots is the single point that separated them on Sunday afternoon. I liked what I saw from the Dolphins, but I honestly don’t know if they were the better team in that game. A late fumble handed them the win, but I won’t discount the rest of the game entirely. The defense looked very solid, as always, and the offense looked nice as well. It was always going to be rough sledding against a great Pats defense, but the offense did their thing. QB Tua Tagovailoa didn’t look bad at all, and you can already feel the presence of rookie WR Jaylen Waddle. This is definitely a winning formula in Miami: let your defense do its job and simply score more points than the other team. I’m just not sure how sustainable it is in such a good division and conference.

15 – Patriots (0-1)

Like I said above, I do think the Patriots were the better team in Foxboro on Sunday. The main reason for that was the play of QB Mac Jones in his NFL debut. He did everything he had to do, made no mistakes, and looked very comfortable for a kid making his first professional start against a very good defense. New England would have won this game if Damien Harris didn’t fumble the ball deep in Dolphins territory, and despite the end result being an L, I really liked what I saw from this team. They’re essentially just the cold weather Dolphins, but I certainly like Mac more than Tua right now. The Patriots will be very interesting to monitor in the playoff race, and I think they’ll be right in the thick of things all year long.

16 – Steelers (1-0)

I really don’t care that this team won on Sunday. Outside of their great defense, they barely showed me anything of note for me to care about. Offensively, this looked like the exact same boring, uninspired unit from 2020. They could not move the ball because they could not run the ball. Najee Harris looked like a nonfactor in his debut at RB, even against a fairly average Bills front. When they did move the ball, they were able to cash in and score, which is all that mattered because their defense is that good. I will admit, that touchdown catch by Diontae Johnson was quite nice. A lucky break on a punt block won this team the game, and that’s all there is to it. That will probably be the luckiest break they get all season. Yes, their defense is good enough to win them a lot of games, but the offense cannot be this lethargic. At least Miami and New England have competent offenses. Competent is the last word I would use to describe this Steelers offense.

17 – Packers (0-1)

This will likely be the lowest the Packers are all season, and it hurts me to put them this low, but they deserve it after that absolutely shamelessly bad performance on Sunday. I really just have no words to describe what I saw. The defense, which isn’t bad by any means, got absolutely carved up by a team starting only one WR who was drafted with a QB known for being a turnover machine. 5 touchdowns and 0 turnovers was the story of the game in that regard. Most importantly, it was the most pathetic showing I have ever seen from Aaron Rodgers, who looked like he literally did not want to be there. We know he doesn’t really want to be there, but I thought at the very least that things had settled down in that regard, and he was going to give Green Bay his all in 2021. I suppose that might not be the case. He made horrible throw after horrible throw, and finished with the worst passer rating of any QB in Week 1, even with all of the talent on that offense. I fully expect this team to be ok, and it helps that they’re playing the Lions this week, but I can see this whole thing falling off a cliff very, very soon. I, for one, love the conspiracy theory that Rodgers only came back to sabotage this team. That would genuinely be the funniest thing in sports history.

18 – Cowboys (0-1)

I will admit, I was very impressed with the Cowboys on opening night, despite losing the game. But, I’m also aware that they were handed so many chances thanks to several key mistakes by the Buccaneers. Those mistakes are what kept them in the game, and if Tampa had played even a little bit tighter, it would have been a double digit victory. I still think this defense is very suspect, as they got absolutely worked by Tom Brady all night long, although they made some nice plays here and there. But my biggest problem lies in the lack of balance on offense. Coming off several leg surgeries and a nagging shoulder problem, this team cannot ask Dak Prescott to throw the ball 60 times a game while giving Ezekiel Elliott 11 carries. It simply won’t work. Granted, they won’t face many, if any, defenses as good as Tampa Bay’s this season, but they need to figure that side of the ball out. The aerial attack is great, but it cannot be the only great thing about this team if they want to go very far.

19 – Colts (0-1)

2021 has started with a bit of a whimper for the Colts, but I want to give them a bit of a pass. For one, QB Carson Wentz came back from his foot injury extremely quickly, and still might not be 100%. His offensive line is still dealing with a plethora of issues, which is also affecting the run game. And this team just happened to be going up against a stellar early-season Seahawks team. I think Indy will be alright, but their brightest spots were rather dim, and that might be a cause for concern. As I said before, the run game never got going, and their defense got sliced up all game long. Those two things are their bread and butter, and if they stumble as much as they did in Week 1, this team won’t go far.

20 – Washington (0-1)

Do I have to talk about this team? Ok, fine. I’ll start with the elephant in the room: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is now out for 6-8 weeks with a hip subluxation. Now, the keys are being handed to Taylor Heinicke, who is certainly a solid backup and played well in relief of Fitz on Sunday. But we all know he isn’t exactly the guy to lead a team to success. And success is all this team had in mind for this season. That seems to have already fizzled out, because I have no more hope for this team in 2021, even after just one game. Heinicke better prove me wrong, and I’m really hoping he does. On the topic of the defense, I think that one average to below average game doesn’t define this unit. Many of the 3rd down struggles were less on them and more due to the excellence of Justin Herbert, and the lack of a pass rush was a testament to the Chargers’ great offensive line. This Thursday’s game against the Giants better prove that, as that offense is dreadful, and their offensive line is a complete joke. If this defense doesn’t bounce back in a big way, then I will officially have no idea what to make of them. Why, why, why do I ever put faith in this team?

21 – Eagles (1-0)

Philly was one of the pleasant surprises of Week 1. Their offensive performance really blew me away, but I will also recognize that they were playing one of the worst teams and defenses in football. In any case, QB Jalen Hurts was delivering some dimes left and right, and that really impressed me. A lot of people, myself included, have doubted his ability to be an effective passer in this league. If he continues to play like he did on Sunday, those doubts will be put to sleep with swiftness. The Eagles defense also looked very sharp, holding the Falcons to just 6 points. But again, the Falcons are just a dreadful team. I think the next few weeks will tell us a lot more about this team, but if they keep this up, they can certainly make things interesting in the NFC East.

22 – Titans (0-1)

Congratulations to the Tennessee Titans for putting on one of the most pathetic performances of Week 1. A team of this caliber with this amount of talent and all the expectations of the world simply cannot lay such a dud. There were 0 positives to take away from this team’s 25-point loss. Their offense, which is supposed to be one of the league’s best, did absolutely nothing. Even Derrick Henry, last year’s OPOY, couldn’t get anything going. And the Titans defense, which I have always acknowledged as a joke of a unit, got absolutely embarrassed by an elite Cardinals offense. I can already see what Tennessee is going to be this season: an average to above average team who will beat down lesser teams and get destroyed by better ones. It’s not just their defense’s fault. If their offense shows any sign of struggling, it’s all over. And that is not a winning formula.

23 – Panthers (1-0)

I feel like the Panthers should have disposed of the Jets much easier than they actually did on Sunday, but they still put together a generally solid performance. QB Sam Darnold looked sharp in his debut, and the return of RB Christian McCaffrey gave this offense the instant spark that it was missing for so much of last season. I think that the Panthers defense was also very solid, and I think it’s a very underrated unit. There isn’t a lot to talk about with this team, but they won’t be playing the Jets every week. Their next few games will tell us a lot about who they really are, so I’ll wait for those before jumping to any conclusions.

24 – Bengals (1-0)

The Bengals got the biggest “feel-good” win of Week 1, and it isn’t really close. Everyone was ecstatic to see QB Joe Burrow back on the field, and against all odds, he looked great. Despite the gruesome nature of last year’s injury and this team’s unwillingness to give him any protection, Burrow still showed out on Sunday, lighting up the scoreboard. The debut of WR Jamarr Chase, the team’s first-round pick, was a very exciting one, and that connection will be just as fun as it was at LSU just 2 years ago. Cincinnati’s defense also did a nice job of containing a rather potent Vikings offense, especially on the ground. It was a very solid win for a team that needed it, and while the Bengals won’t be all that this season, I’m happy to see them with a lot of promise.

25 – Vikings (0-1)

I never got the hype around this team, and I was proven right in a big way on Sunday. There were virtually no bright spots for the Vikings in Cincy. I’d say the only good thing was Kirk Cousins (that’s how you know it’s bad). Kirk looked solid throwing the football, especially to Adam Thielen, and led a nice 2 minute drill drive to tie the game and send it to overtime. Other than that… I got nothing. Dalvin Cook was stuffed all game long, and their defense let the Bengals have their way all game long. The window could not be closing faster on this team. It might be time to make some phone calls.

26 – Bears (0-1)

There are only three words that come to mind with the Bears: start Justin Fields. It is the only option. I talked about it yesterday, so I won’t get too into it, but it’s just the right move. Andy Dalton is not the guy for this team. They desperately need the spark that Fields provides. We saw a glimmer of it on Sunday night and it was honestly great. Why Matt Nagy refuses to have that spark for all 60 minutes is just beyond me. And until they make the right decision, I refuse to care about this team whatsoever.

27 – Giants (0-1)

I knew the Giants were bad, but I held out hope that their talented roster would at least make this team slightly below average. But… no. This team is still rather depressing to watch. Usually the fault lies with QB Daniel Jones, but it wasn’t entirely his fault at all. This defense was shockingly bad, allowing the Broncos to have whatever they wanted all game long. On the other side, the offense was lethargic, and outside of a single big pass play, they did nothing of note. Saquon Barkley was a complete non-factor in his first game back, and it’s honestly just sad to see. If Week 1 is an accurate reflection of how teams will perform this season, the Giants might actually be the worst team in the NFC East.

28 – Lions (0-1)

This team is definitely nothing short of atrocious, but I did love the fight they showed late on Sunday. Why it took them 58 minutes and a 24-point deficit to find that fight is a question best left unanswered, but it’s enough to keep them relatively high this week. But, don’t get it twisted. The Lions are a very, very bad team who got a couple of lucky breaks and made things somewhat interesting in a blowout. I’m expecting them to just get blown out normally from here on out.

29 – Texans (1-0)

By all accounts, this team has no business being in any spot other than 32nd. But, they absolutely embarrassed the Jaguars on Sunday. So, although this is likely the worst team in football, I’m bumping them up a few spots for this week. QB Tyrod Taylor looked pretty good in his Texans debut, and their defense was making life hell for Trevor Lawrence, forcing 3 INTs. I think a large part of all this is the incompetence of the Jaguars, but I’ll be nice. Congrats on the win, Houston. You won’t see many more this year.

30 – Jets (0-1)

I guess there are two semi-positive takeaways from Week 1 with the Jets: Zach Wilson and the defense weren’t terrible. It took a while for the rookie QB to get going, but late in the game, he made some nice plays to make the score look respectable. Defensively, it wasn’t a great game, but only giving up 19 points to an offense as talented as Carolina’s has to mean something right? Maybe. Who knows. All I do know is that this team is still extremely bad, but at least they’ll be competitive.

31 – Falcons (0-1)

What a joke. The Falcons deserve everything bad that is going to happen to them this season. This was a painfully bad team last year and they somehow got worse. It showed in a very, very big way on Sunday. All I can do is sit back and laugh. Poor Matt Ryan.

32 – Jaguars (0-1)

I have no words. I’m trying so hard to find them and I just can’t. I understand this is a very volatile experiment with even more volatile variables, but that was the worst possible start they could have asked for. I don’t even think we overestimated this team’s abilities. I think they were just yet to show us how pathetic they truly can be. I don’t even know if Urban Meyer will make it to the end of the season at this point. Perhaps he’s already looking at homes in southern California. At least Trevor Lawrence is accumulating his stats. What a nightmare.

All stats taken from ESPN.

Week 1 in Review

The NFL returned last week with fireworks, late thrills, and some incredible games. Let’s review what we saw in Week 1.

QB Matt Stafford lit it up in his Rams debut on Sunday night in one of the better performances of Week 1. (h/t Ronald Martinez, Getty Images)

The NFL returned in incredible fashion this past week. Between some incredible games, amazing atmospheres with fans back in the stadium, standout performances from established stars and newcomers alike, Week 1 was an absolute blast. If all 18 (yes, remember it’s 18 now) weeks of the regular season are like this, I cannot wait to see what else is in store for us. Let’s recap what happened in all 16 games:

Buccaneers 31-29 Cowboys

The kickoff game was unlike anything I expected, but that was perfectly fine. This was still an incredible game, and the Cowboys still lost. Win-win! This should have been an easy one for the Bucs, but no team can be flawless, especially in Week 1. It started out nearly flawless, though, as Tampa took an early 7-0 lead on a picture perfect drive from QB Tom Brady. Dallas would bounce back on an impressive play by WR CeeDee Lamb, who took a nice pass from QB Dak Prescott 22 yards to the endzone to tie it early. Dak looked pretty good in his first game back, but you could tell his shoulder issues were giving him a lot of trouble. In the first half, the teams would trade touchdowns again, and thanks to some fortunate turnovers on mistakes by the Bucs RBs, Dallas led 16-14 late in the first half. But, Brady delivered a beautiful deep ball to WR Antonio Brown for a 47-yard score to take a 21-16 lead into the break. The second half was more of the same back and forth action, with both Dallas WR Amari Cooper and Tampa TE Rob Gronkowski catching their second touchdowns of the game, and the score heading into the 4th was 28-26 in favor of the Buccaneers. The Bucs would go on a long, time-consuming drive that reached the Cowboys’ 10 yard line which was going to all but ice things, but WR Chris Godwin fumbled the ball, and the game was right back on. Prescott led his team right down the field to set up the go-ahead FG with 1:24 left in the game, which Greg Zuerlein nailed from 48 yards out, seemingly redeeming himself for his earlier struggles (2 missed FGs and a missed XP). But, any time on the clock is too much time for Tom Brady, who marched the Bucs down the field with ease to the Cowboys’ 20 yard line, where Ryan Succop hit the game-winner. It was an incredible, back-and-forth affair full of offense and just enough sloppiness to keep things interesting. Both QBs were stellar, as Brady threw for 379 yards and 4 TDs (he also had 2 INTs, but neither of them really count as one was on a dropped screen and the other was on a Hail Mary), and Prescott threw for 403 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT. But neither team was without their problems. Tampa was extremely sloppy, with the aforementioned fumbles and drop making this game significantly closer than it ever needed to be. Meanwhile, Dallas could not run the football whatsoever, as RB Ezekiel Elliott only carried the ball 11 times for 33 yards. You simply cannot ask Dak to throw the ball 58 times a game 17 times in a season and expect good results. I’m sure this won’t happen much with either team for the rest of the season, as the Cowboys won’t have to face many defenses this strong, and no team stays as careless with the football as the Buccaneers were on Thursday night. This was a great game between two good football teams, and the better team won in the end. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season.

Eagles 32-6 Falcons

Well, this one was a bit shocking. To me, there are two major things that stuck out in this game: the play of Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, and the ineptitude of the Atlanta Falcons. Hurts had a lot of questions coming into this season, between his playing ability to whether or not he could be an effective leader of this team. He looked incredible in both facets on Sunday. Granted, this Falcons defense is one of the worst in football, but I will give credit where credit is due, because Hurts passed the eye test as well by all accounts. In the first quarter, he threw an absolute dime down the sideline to his old college teammate and Eagles first-round selection WR Devonta Smith for an 18-yard touchdown to go up 7-3 on what was Smith’s first NFL catch. In the second, with just 2 seconds left in the half, he escaped very tight pressure and threw an absolute laser to TE Dallas Goedert in the endzone to go up 15-6, and Philly never looked back. Hurts would add another score in the second half, and finished with a statline of 264 yards, 3 TDs, and no turnovers on 77% completion. So many Eagles, Smith, WR Jalen Reagor, RBs Miles Sanders and Kenneth Gainwell just to name a few, really showed up and showed out in Atlanta on Sunday for one of the more impressive wins I saw in Week 1. But, again, this is in large part due to the fact that the Falcons are an absolutely pathetic excuse for a team and a franchise. As I’ve stated time and time again, this team did nothing to address any of their seemingly infinite number of issues, and it showed in a big way on Sunday. The Falcons never reached the endzone, only scoring 2 FGs, both of which coming in the first 15:08 of the game. Their defense was porous as always, and the offense, which is supposed to be the bright spot, was absolutely stymied with only 260 total yards. I always thought this was one of the worst teams in the NFC, but this bad? Good lord.

Steelers 23-16 Bills

The Pittsburgh Steelers pulled out the UNO reverse card on me this week. This game pretty much went the exact opposite of how I predicted it. Well, at least in a way. It was the Bills who got that late score to make this a one-possession final, but I never could have accounted for how we got there. Buffalo took a 10-0 lead into the break, thanks to a 3-yard laser from QB Josh Allen to WR Gabriel Davis in the back of the endzone with 22 seconds left in the first half. The second half, however, was all Steelers, especially on the defensive side of the football. A pair of 3rd quarter FGs made it 10-6, and an early, impressive 4th quarter touchdown catch by WR Diontae Johnson gave Pittsburgh a 13-10 lead. On the ensuing possession, the defense forced a 3-and-out, and the special teams blocked the punt for a touchdown to suddenly go up 20-10. This was one of the definitive turning points of Week 1, and it all but locked up the game for the Steelers. That’s because their defense was absolutely suffocating the potent Bills offense. Even when Buffalo would drive it into Steelers territory, they had to settle for FGs late in the game, and it allowed the Steelers to hold on to win it. Their offense was virtually nonexistent, as they were outgained by Buffalo by 119 yards, but it didn’t matter. It goes to show how valuable a good defense is in this league. And it once again proves my point about how one-dimensional the Bills are. It will be their downfall.

Bengals 27-24 Vikings

This one was a lot of fun. The return of Joe Burrow was awesome to see, and it’s safe to say that the Bengals signal-caller is just fine. It helped that his former college WR1 and Bengals first-round pick Jamarr Chase was able to burst onto the scene in a major way. Chase caught Burrow’s second touchdown of the second quarter: a beautiful 50-yard pass down the near sideline to take a 14-7 lead with 35 seconds left in the half. Burrow would finish the game with 261 yards passing and those two touchdown tosses on 74% completion. He also got a big boost from his running game, as RB Joe Mixon had 127 yards and a TD on 29 carries. Minnesota’s offense did their thing as well, as the story of their day was QB Kirk Cousins and WR Adam Thielen. The two hooked up on two scores of their own, and a late touchdown run by star RB Dalvin Cook made it a 3 point game. Cousins led an impeccable late drive to set up a game-tying field goal, which K Greg Joseph nailed from 53 yards out to send the game to OT. Both teams went back and forth for a while, but a late fumble by Dalvin Cook set the Bengals up perfectly, and as time expired, rookie K Evan McPherson knocked one through the goalposts for a 27-24 victory. It was a very fun game, and I’m honestly really happy that the Bengals won the way they did. This game was everything they could have asked for, and while they won’t be a very good team this year, at least they have some things to look forward to. I hope it stays that way.

49ers 41-33 Lions

It has only been one week, but the 49ers might have already won the title for “Worst Blown Cover” of 2021. This was a blowout, as I expected, right from the jump. The 49ers surpassed my predicted score in the first half alone. They scored 17 points in the last 2:25 of the half to go up 31-10 heading into the break. Coming out of the locker room, WR Deebo Samuel made a remarkable play to adjust to an underthrown football and turn it all the way upfield for a 79 yard score to punctuate a great game (9 catches, 189 yards, and that score). It was just going to be your run-of-the-mill NFL blowout, as with 2 minutes left in the game, San Francisco led 41-17. But, for some reason, only then did the Lions realize how to play football. They needed 3 touchdowns with 3 2-point conversions in 120 seconds to tie the game, and they had no business even coming close to that. They got the first of the three with 1:53 left on a 1-yard scamper by RB Jamaal Williams and a 2-point catch by TE T.J. Hockenson. Then they needed to convert an onside kick, which only happened FOUR (4) times in the entire 2020 season. So, naturally, they did it. Then they marched all the way downfield in the blink of an eye, and WR Quintez Cephus caught a TD and 2-point conversion. Detroit was 2/3 of the way there. They weren’t able to get the next onside kick, but they still had a chance. All the 49ers needed was a first down to end the game. They were able to get one thanks to a first down catch and run by Deebo Samuel, but he fumbled the ball, and of course the Lions recovered. Now, with a minute left and 70 yards to go, they just needed to do it one more time. Detroit would get all the way to the SF 24-yard line, but they ended up turning the ball over on downs with 17 seconds left to finally end the game. It could have been one of the most insane comebacks in NFL history, but instead, it was your average 8-point win (not like the spread was 8.5 or anything). Despite the blown lead, I really loved what I saw from the 49ers, but they were playing one of the worst teams in football, so I’ll wait a little bit to jump to any conclusions on them. And while I loved the fight that the Lions showed late, I don’t like that it took them 58 minutes to find that fight. They better hope they figure it out sooner in the rest of their games.

Cardinals 38-13 Titans

Whew. I think we might have just witnessed the birth of something special on Sunday. This was all Cardinals all day, but moreover, it was the Kyler Murray show. The 3rd year Arizona QB put together one of the most electric, impressive performances I’ve seen in a very long time. Every time I saw the next thing he did, it just shocked me even more. Whether it was his first quarter dime (and I mean DIME) on the run to DeAndre Hopkins in the back of the endzone, his second quarter touchdown sprint, or his two incredible third quarter touchdown throws to Christian Kirk, one of which was a jump throw leaning back, Kyler was a complete highlight factory. Everyone on this offense was getting involved, and it all started with #1. We all know his unique skillset makes him one of the most dynamic players in football, but I don’t remember the last time it was on full display like this. I know it’s only Week 1, but in the early MVP conversations, I’d put Kyler right up there. If he can keep this up for a whole season, this team might be borderline unstoppable. It helped that his defense put together a masterclass, especially up front. DE Chandler Jones had a whopping FIVE sacks, and star Titans RB Derrick Henry, who ran for over 2000 yards in 2020, had only 58 on 17 carries. The Cardinals did what they had to do to improve from last year, and I think they are in prime position to do damage in the NFL’s toughest division. I am so excited to see what this team has in store. Meanwhile, the Titans better hope they sure up their offensive line, because their defense is still an absolute joke. If they can’t get Derrick Henry going, they can’t get anything going. If this is to be the story of their year, it will be a tragedy.

Seahawks 28-16 Colts

There are only a few players in sports that you should never bet against at a certain period of time. One of those is Russell Wilson at the beginning of a football season. Last year was impressive enough, but this early encore was an incredible sight. Russ threw 3 touchdowns in the first half, including a 69-yard BOMB to WR Tyler Lockett, his second of the game, with 41 seconds left in the first half for one of the nicest touchdowns of the week. It was genuinely one of the most impressive deep balls I’ve ever seen, but I suppose I should always expect that with Russ. He’d add a fourth touchdown throw in the fourth quarter, and thanks to a very impressive performance by Seattle’s defense, this one was never in doubt. QB Carson Wentz didn’t look terrible in his Colts debut, but there was nothing he could have done to overcome Russell Wilson’s masterclass on the other side of the ball. The fact that the Seahawks were able to do what they did to a very solid Colts defense should strike fear into the hearts of teams around the league. But I can’t forget what I saw from this team last year. Russ started the season scorching, but the team eventually fell off when his back got tired of carrying them every week. If they can play this balanced for an entire season, not many teams will be able to stop them. If not, we already know how the story plays out.

Chargers 20-16 Washington

Sigh. I still don’t know if I’ve calmed down from this game. I’m still just as infuriated as I was on Sunday afternoon, if not more so. Was this game extremely wacky? Yes. Did each team have every opportunity to win it? Absolutely. But that doesn’t change the fact that what transpired in Landover wasn’t ridiculous. I don’t even know where to start. How about the defense? This Washington D has been hyped up all season to be perhaps the best in the entire NFL. So they naturally gave up a touchdown on the opening drive of the season: a 10 play, 75 yard march from LA that took less than 6 minutes. Like a hot knife through butter. In all fairness, from that point on, the defense was not nearly as porous. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t struggle. It doesn’t help that the WFT offense was not doing their defense any favors whatsoever. 3 first half field goals are never going to cut it against a team as talented as the Chargers are. Moreover, it doesn’t help that QB Ryan Fitzpatrick went down in the second quarter, after taking a really tough hit on a throw that resulted in a hip subluxation. Enter playoff “hero” Taylor Heinicke, who definitely did his job. Heinicke drove the team right down the field on the opening possession of the second half, including a rainbow ball to WR Terry McLaurin, who made the catch of the week and maybe the best catch of his career, to set up an 11-yard touchdown toss to TE Logan Thomas to take a 16-13 lead. The rest of the game was nothing short of an absolute mess. On the ensuing possession, the Chargers marched all the way down the field once again, and on the 12th play of the drive, an incomplete pass by QB Justin Herbert was ruled a fumble that rolled out of the back of the endzone for a touchback. It was a very lucky break for Washington, who proceeded to do nothing with it. They did go on a long drive, but it resulted in a missed FG. The defense was able to step up again, as new CB William Jackson III stepped in front of an overthrown ball by Herbert for the game’s first real turnover. Unfortunately, Washington handed the ball right back to LA on an unlucky fumble by RB Antonio Gibson on the very next play, setting the Chargers up at the 3-yard line. Herbert delivered a gorgeous backshoulder touchdown throw to WR Mike Williams, who made a great catch to take a 20-16 lead. Washington wasn’t able to do much on their next possession, punting the ball away with just under 7 minutes to play. Surely this vaunted defense could get a stop in that time to give their offense a shot to win the game, right? Wrong. Very wrong. When facing a 3rd and 16 from their own 12, the Chargers somehow converted on a Keenan Allen catch and run. 3 plays later, they converted yet another 3rd down. Then, after another 3 plays, they moved the chains once again. And then, stop me if you’ve heard this before, they converted another 3rd down once again 3 plays later, this time to ice the game. It ended up being a 15 play drive that ate up the final 6:43 of the game, which included 4 separate 3rd down conversions. Herbert was making throw after throw after throw, finishing with 337 yards and a touchdown, and the Chargers receivers were making literally every single catch. The only way I can describe what I saw was that it was simply absurd. The Chargers converted 14 of their 18 3rd downs in this game. I don’t even want to think about that stat. They absolutely dominated time of possession, and while they deserved to win, I just can’t get over how pathetic of a performance this was by the WFT. Now, the team has to turn to Heinicke long-term, as Fitzpatrick is out for 6-8 weeks. See what happens when this team has expectations? Their season ends before it even gets to start. Such is life.

Panthers 19-14 Jets

The Sam Darnold Bowl™ didn’t exactly live up to the hype, but it was still interesting to watch. There isn’t a whole lot to talk about here, but the two things I wanted to touch on have to be the two QBs. Sam Darnold looked very sharp in his first game in Carolina, throwing for 279 yards and a touchdown, a beautiful deep ball to his former Jets teammate Robby Anderson. It helped that RB Christian McCaffrey is back in full force, as he was unstoppable. CMC ran for 98 yards on 21 carries to go along with a team-high 89 receiving yards on 9 catches. This will be a fun Panthers offense, but they will only be as good as Darnold is. I think this was a good start. On the other hand, you had Zach Wilson making his NFL debut with the Jets. And, to be honest, he didn’t play too poorly. He got off to a rough start, but thanks to an early 16-0 deficit, he was able to just air it out and get his stats in the second half. He threw a couple very nice TD throws to new WR Corey Davis to go along with 258 yards, but only had a 54% completion rate. I still really don’t know what to make of Wilson yet, but I have to admit, this wasn’t the worst start ever. We’ll see where it goes from here.

Texans 37-21 Jaguars

…What the heck? I really don’t know what to say here. I do know one thing for sure: the Jaguars should be absolutely embarrassed. There is no conceivable way this should have ever happened. Going up against the worst team in the NFL by a longshot, they got absolutely demolished. This game was 27-7 at halftime and 34-7 at one point. How, how, HOW is that possible? Did the Texans play a good game? Yes, they very much did. But how is that possible? This team is dreadful. Are the Jags still just as bad as they were a year ago? Is the Urban Meyer experiment already a colossal failure? It might be too early to tell, but this was the worst sign possible, especially in Week 1. The #1 pick, QB Trevor Lawrence, didn’t look horrible, but he wasn’t without his shortcomings. While he did throw for 332 yards and 3 touchdowns, much of that was just statpadding. What stands out to me is the 3 picks and 55% completion. He wasn’t going up against a very good defense, but still struggled. I know for a fact that he’ll be just fine, but this wasn’t the start I imagined for him. If this is how the season is going to go for Jacksonville, it is going to be one of the ugliest displays we’ve ever seen. I can already sense a lot of impending doom with this team. Do you know how bad you have to be to let the Texans blow you out? The Jaguars are simply the proverbial slow-motion car crash of the NFL.

Chiefs 33-29 Browns

This game was everything I hoped for and then some. It was a game that felt like the stakes were super high, and all of the brightest stars showed out to make the biggest plays. It was all Cleveland to start, thanks to their exceptional running game. The Browns got out to a 22-10 first half lead thanks to a pair of TD runs from RB Nick Chubb and some very solid play from QB Baker Mayfield. Not to mention their defense doing a good job of containing one of the most explosive offenses in NFL history. But, the second half was vintage Kansas City. A Travis Kelce TD and a Harrison Butker FG made it a 2 point game heading into the fourth, but the Browns bounced right back with another rushing TD, this one from former Chief Kareem Hunt, to make it a 2-score game again with 10 minutes to play. Then, the Mahomes Magic was activated. The Chiefs QB launched a “screw it” ball 50 yards downfield while rolling out of the pocket in the direction of WR Tyreek Hill, who somehow lost his defender, adjusted to the football, hauled it in, turned it upfield, and naturally outraced everyone in the state of Missouri for a 1 play, 75-yard lightning strike to cut the lead right back down to 2. It was a vintage Chiefs play, and it gave KC the spark they needed. After getting a defensive stop on the next possession, the Arrowhead crowd was so jazzed up that the Browns punter fumbled the snap and was taken down at his own 17 yard line, setting up the Chiefs perfectly. They naturally took advantage right away, as Mahomes found Kelce once again to take the 33-29 lead. The Browns had the opportunity to win it, but with the game on the line, Baker Mayfield made an errant throw that was picked off to seal the deal. Baker was simply trying to do too much, and paid the price for it. This was a spectacular game that felt like a playoff game, and I truly believe we’ll see these teams play again in January. This was my AFCCG prediction, and I’m not backing down on it at all. What I saw from Kansas City was exactly what I always expect out of them. And, even in defeat, I really loved what I saw out of the Browns. They proved to me just what I wanted them to: they can go toe to toe with anyone. This team will only get better and better, and I think they’re destined for huge things in 2021.

Dolphins 17-16 Patriots

This was the closest thing to a mirror match I think I have ever seen in an NFL game before. I mean, seriously, these teams are virtually exactly the same. They both have great rosters from top to bottom and are led by two young Alabama QBs who are still trying to figure it out in this league. The only difference is, this was the debut for Patriots QB Mac Jones, whereas this was the start of year 2 for Tua Tagovailoa in Miami. Both young signal callers held their own in this game, but it was dominated by the defenses. While the QBs made plays with some help from their playmakers, this game was always going to come down to whoever could get the crucial stops. Up by 1 in the 4th, it had to be Miami’s D to get the job done. With under 8 minutes to play, Jones led New England on an impressive drive down the field to put his team in position to, at the very least, kick a go-ahead FG. They got all the way inside the Miami 10 yard line, but it was not to be. RB Damien Harris had the ball knocked out by LB Jerome Baker on a simple run up the middle, which was recovered by the Dolphins. It didn’t ice the game, but it was pretty damn close. To Tua and the offense’s credit, they were able to keep moving the chains in the final 3:31 of the game to put the game on ice and pull off the upset in Foxboro. It was a classic, defensive battle that we should get used to seeing between these two rivals. Again, the offenses held their own, but for two teams that pride themselves on defense, it had to be that side of the ball to win the game. I have no doubt that both of these teams should have their fair share of success this season, and I’m looking forward to their next matchup.

Saints 38-3 Packers

I have no idea what to say about this one. I am simply too perplexed. I have been watching football for a very, very long time, and I have never seen something like this. Did the Packers have a turbulent offseason? Absolutely. Nobody is disputing that. But they worked out all their kinks. Aaron Rodgers is back, as is the rest of the team. There shouldn’t be any major issues here. But there are glaring issues, and that glare is blinding me. This game was never close. Not even for a second. The Saints had their way with the Packers on both sides of the ball from start to finish. It did not even matter that they were without their legendary starting QB and star WR of yesteryear. This was one of the best performances from New Orleans I have seen in a while. And I still can’t wrap my head around it. QB Jameis Winston was sensational in his first Saints start, putting up one of the funniest statlines I’ve seen. On just 14 completions, Winston threw for 148 yards and 5, yes, FIVE touchdowns against the defending 1 seed in the NFC. Everyone on the Saints offense was doing their thing, and it was honestly awesome to watch. It’s not even like the Packers defense is bad, as it was a top 10 statistical unit in football last season. But the Saints defense was much, much better. On that note, the Packers offense with the defending MVP at QB, the best statistical WR in football, and a RB who they just gave $48 million to, did approximately nothing. Green Bay accumulated a grand total of 229 total yards. Their leading rusher, A.J. Dillon, ran for 29. The aforementioned statsheet-stuffing Davante Adams only caught 5 passes for 56. And Rodgers, after all the offseason drama, only completed 15 passes for 133 yards and 2 very ugly INTs. I genuinely do not understand what I was watching. Is this what the Packers are now? Has all the hoopla and drama ruined this team? Is Aaron Rodgers a cooked product? Are the Saints really just this good? It is way too early to tell what the truth is, but it’s safe to say this is the most confusing game I’ve seen in a long time. Who knows what the future holds for either of these teams.

Broncos 27-13 Giants

As a whole, the Broncos looked like one of the better teams I saw in Week 1. From the jump, this was all Denver in East Rutherford. It was not remotely close. The decision to start Teddy Bridgewater at QB over Drew Lock is already looking like a galaxy brain move by HC Vic Fangio, as he looked extremely solid in his first start for Denver. Teddy Two Gloves threw for 264 yards and 2 touchdowns on a whopping 77% completion. The rest of the team looked just as good, on both sides of the football. RB Melvin Gordon III did his thing, running for 101 yards on 11 carries, punctuated by a 70 yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter. The defense, which is back healthy and ready to suffocate teams, did just that against an albeit weak Giants offense. They held New York to just 7 points, which came 6 minutes into the first quarter, until the game’s final play. They limited star RB Saquon Barkley to just 26 yards on 10 carries in his first game back from last year’s ACL injury. And outside of a first quarter touchdown catch and run by Giants WR Sterling Shepard, the secondary was limiting options for QB Daniel Jones all game long. The only problem for the Broncos in this game was the injury to star WR Jerry Jeudy, who got rolled up on late in the game and sprained his ankle. It looked like a break, so a sprain that will sideline him for 4-6 weeks is definitely dodging a massive bullet, especially since it seems like this team can definitely contend for a playoff spot in the AFC. I’m surprised I doubted them so much, but hindsight is always 20/20. This will be one of the more fun teams in football, and I’m excited to keep watching them. The Giants however, are still an absolute mess, and I have no idea when it’s going to get fixed. I don’t even think Daniel Jones is the main problem anymore. This team just isn’t as good as we thought they were. At least they have 17 more weeks to prove me wrong.

Rams 34-14 Bears

As if the expectations in the City of Angels couldn’t get any higher. The Matt Stafford debut in LA on Sunday night was what every single Rams fan has been waiting for and then some. Right from the get-go, Stafford made his stamp on this team, as his second pass of the game was a gorgeous deep ball to WR Van Jefferson, who stumbled, but got up and ran in for a 67-yard touchdown that immediately set the tone for not just this game, but perhaps this season in LA. Stafford would deliver another gorgeous deep ball right at the start of the second half, this time to WR Cooper Kupp, who was seemingly in his own zip code, for a 56-yard score. The Bears hung around for a while, thanks to an earlier touchdown run by RB David Montgomery and a short, goal-line TD run by rookie QB Justin Fields, who only played a few snaps in this game, but it wasn’t enough to contain the Rams. They were simply too much on both sides of the ball. Even without Cam Akers, the running game thrived thanks to Darrell Henderson, who ran for 70 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Stafford would deliver one last dame, this time in the back of the endzone to WR Robert Woods, who tapped his toes for the cherry-on-top touchdown. Stafford finished with 321 yards and 3 TDs on 20-26 passing. He delivered on all of the hype that was built all throughout this offseason against a defense that is certainly no joke. As I said, the already high expectations are even higher now. Between his ability to elevate this offense to the next level and this defense’s ability to suffocate opposing teams, the Rams could be one of the forces in football this year. Meanwhile, the Bears have one simple thing to do: start Justin Fields. It’s just the right thing to do. Andy Dalton is a great guy and a solid QB, but he’s not the future, and he’s not right for this team right now. Stick with the guy you traded up for who is going to be your future, who literally showed promise in this game. You have a very good RB, solid WRs, and a great defense. You can win games. You just have to do the right thing.

Raiders 33-27 Ravens

Did we just get the Game of the Year in Week 1? We definitely got a contender. Our first Monday Night Football game of 2021 was a thriller from start to finish, but this one really amped up late. Even with the plethora of RB injuries, the Ravens’ ground game got off to a hot start, with rookie RB Ty’Son Williams opening the scoring on a 35-yard scamper. The Ravens would double the lead thanks to an incredible play extension by QB Lamar Jackson, who then found WR Hollywood Brown for a 10-yard touchdown strike. The Raiders scored 10 quick points to end the half, and after a 3rd quarter FG by Baltimore, it was 17-10 going into the final 15. Vegas leveled for the first time all night on an impressive, weaving touchdown run by RB Josh Jacobs, but the Ravens bounced right back for another TD run of their own, this one coming from Latavius Murray, who was only signed this past Friday. On the ensuing possession, QB Derek Carr led his team right down the field, and after hitting his star TE Darren Waller on his millionth target of the game, he was able to spin and dive his way into the endzone to tie the game once again. With 3:44 left, the Ravens were in prime position to win it. That’s just what Lamar had in mind, driving Baltimore down to the 30 of Vegas, and with just 37 seconds left, K Justin Tucker booted the go-ahead FG right through the uprights to give the Ravens the lead. That was seemingly it, but Derek Carr had other plans. In just 3 throws, he put the Raiders on fringe FG range, and K Daniel Carlson hit his career longest FG from 55 yards out to tie the game and send it to OT. That’s where the craziness hit a new level. Vegas got the ball first, and they were moving down the field with ease. On a crucial 3rd down, Carr lobbed one up to WR Bryan Edwards, who high-pointed the ball, broke away from the DB, and stretched over the goal line for the game-winning touchdown. Or did he? Despite the teams coming out to congratulate each other on a game well-played, the officials determined that Edwards was short by about half a yard. All the Raiders had to do was punch it in from about a foot away. Simple enough, right? Apparently not. A Carr QB sneak on first down wasn’t enough, and after a false start on second down, Carr was forced to throw the ball. His throw to a wide open receiver went off his hands, then off a Ravens DB’s helmet, bouncing sky high, and eventually into the hands of another DB for an interception in the endzone. All of a sudden, a walkoff win became a situation where the Ravens only needed 3 to win it. It wasn’t meant to be for the crows, however, as Lamar Jackson fumbled the ball on a strip sack by Carl Nassib. 2 plays later, HC Jon Gruden sent out the field goal unit to try and kick a game-winning FG, but for some reason, took an intentional delay of game to back them up 5 yards. It ended up being a galaxy brain move beyond our comprehension, as he sent the offense right back out, and Carr found a wide open Zay Jones streaking across the field for the game-winning touchdown (for real this time). It was a great game for Carr, who threw for a league-high 435 yards to go along with 2 touchdown throws. It was a wild, wacky game full of drama and excitement that not only symbolized this week in football, but the NFL as a whole. It’s just a microcosm of what we missed so much in this league. I’m just so happy we’re back.

All stats taken from ESPN.