Whew what a wild way to start the season. We had everything, from big time stars putting up huge performances to insane endings and upsets everywhere. Let’s look at every game from Sunday and Monday night.
Eagles 38 Lions 35
The Eagles showed off their new-look offensive weapon in AJ Brown and he was excellent with a 10-155 line. The running game was still excellent as well as both Jalen Hurts and Miles Sanders went over 90 yards each. While the defence let the Lions back into it, they played well for most of the game. The Lions D is still poor, and in today’s NFL, when you need to bring pressure to get after the QB, you can get yourself into trouble. Hurts looked more comfortable than ever and fantasy owners will be over the moon with his production. Dan Campbell’s men will be competitive, but just do not have the talent to match up with the better teams in the league just yet.
Bears 19 49ers 10
What a messy game! The weather just got worse as the game went on, and Lance’s play went with it. The Niners D looked as expected in the first half, shutting down Fields and the run game. From the get go, it looked like Trey Lance was being eased into the game with Shanahan’s creative run schemes taking the pressure off. For the majority of the game, though, the offenses for both sides could be described as awful. And by the last 3 minutes of the game, the rain was not going to allow either team to do anything. The Bears are still my pick to be the worst team in the league, but I’m sure they will relish this win.
Steelers 23 Bengals 20
What a wild ending! Burrow’s first three quarters were awful with his five turnovers, but Joe Cool showed his short memory and was able lead his boys down the field in the waning moments to score the tying touchdown and have the Bengals escape with a victory. All they needed was their star kicker to pick the PAT…and it was blocked! What followed was a wild OT with missed kicks, back and forth action and the Steelers escaping Cincy with the victory. Trubisky was mediocre, and Pittburgh lost stars Watt and Najee to injuries, but Mike Tomlin showed his experience and the Steelers D was mostly dominant. The AFC North is going to be a battle this year!
Dolphins 20 Patriots 7
While this wasn’t a Tua coming out party, he played well enough to silence some doubters. The new additions to the Dolphins offence gave the Patriots some issues, especially with their ability to stretch the field. The real story of the game was the Pats lack of offence and their three turnovers. Mac Jones’ struggles in camp with the new offensive scheme continued, and the Pats looked lethargic. What is Bill going to do to quickly improve the run game and take some pressure off his sophomore QB?
Browns 26 Panthers 24
The Baker revenge game almost worked out exactly how he planned it. The Panthers struggled offensively for most of the first three quarters before roaring back in the fourth quarter leaving Jacoby Brissett and the Browns with 1:13 to march down and score. Credit to Brissett; he hadn’t been asked to do much in the game with Hunt and Chubb shouldering the load, but he toughed it out and got Cade York in position for a 58 yarder, which he smoked! Panthers fans will be absolutely gutted, but I reckon Mayfield did confirm that he belongs behind centre for Carolina.
Texans 20 Colts 20
If you told me that Matt Ryan would throw for 350 yards and Jonathan Taylor ran for 160+ yards, you would think the Colts would have blown the doors off the Texans. Indy dominated Houston in every category, but poor redzone efficiency, bad penalties and untimely turnovers allowed the Texans to stay in it. Not to mention some bad calls by the coaches of both teams. Neither team deserved to win, and neither team did.
Saints 27 Falcons 26
Insanity in New Orleans, as the Falcons offence looked really good at times, and the Saints needed some crazy Taysom Hill plays to sneak out with a win. Arthur Smith continues to show his offensive genius, putting Mariota is positions to be very successful. He has to overcome a porous defence that kept letting the Saints into the game. When Dennis Allen goes back through the tape, he is not going to like the play in the trenches as the Saints O and D lines were dominated for most of the game. Jameis will have a hard time leading the offence if he is on the floor.
Ravens 24 Jets 9
Not much to say here, except that the Ravens D did exactly what they needed to, Lamar can make some pretty throws on the move, and Joe Flacco’s shoulder may fall off if he keeps throwing 60 times a game. The Ravens will need to clean up their offensive efficiency, and get their running game going, but they did just enough to force the Jets into a gameplan that was unsustainable.
Commanders 28 Jaguars 22
Carson Wentz is a mystery. He can sometimes make throws that make your jaw drop with how accurate and well placed it is, and the next drive, gift an interception to the team for a pick six. Lucky for the Commanders, Wentz’s brilliance outshone his boneheaded-ness, and the Commanders put it together to get the win over a game Jags team. The questions going forward for both teams are how will the defences stand up against more talented offences, and will they be able to clean up their discipline? Fans of both teams had a lot to be happy about as their QBs both played well at times.
Vikings 23 Packers 7
A bit of Déjà vu here as the Packers drop a week one matchup in convincing fashion to team they were expected to beat (a la Saints 2021). The Vikings offence was projected to be very good, and they impressed against an on-paper very good Green Bay defence. Justin Jefferson is scary good, and probably could have gone over 200 yards if the Vikings weren’t so far ahead. The NFC if wide-open, and if the Vikes can carry over this success offensively, will challenge the Pack for the NFC North. Their new pass rush was also really good, and A-Rod had no answer for the consistent pressure, having to dump off to Jones and Dillon for short gainers. I think the Pack will bounce back, but will need to clean up their protection, and will be hoping for Jenkins and Bakhtiari sooner rather than later.
Giants 21 Titans 20
Saquon is back baby! He put the Giants on his back and led them to a comeback victory over the Titans, with Brian Daboll coming out victorious in his debut as new HC. I thought that Daniel Jones still looked nervous in the pocket, but Daboll did a great job using his athleticism to get him outside the pocket and into some designed runs that kept the Titans D off-balance. The Giants D, which last year was actually pretty decent, played the run well, keeping Henry under 4 yards per carry. If Barkley can stay healthy, and the disaster that the Cowboys are looking like already, we could see a game Giants team challenging for the NFC East. The Titans would be a lot more broken up about the loss if it wasn’t for the poor showings of the rest of their division.
Chargers 24 Raiders 19
Herbert looked excellent, but there were some worrying signs from the running game, which could not pick up short yardage when it was needed. Overall, both defenses played quite well considering the talent on both sides of the ball, but the Chargers looked especially dominant. Their matchups against the Chiefs will be must-watch television. On the Raiders side, there were some very good signs, such as the early chemisty between Carr and Adams, and the solid defensive performance overall against an excellent Chargers O. Raiders could still challenge in the AFC for a wildcard provided they win out in their out of division schedule.
Chiefs 44 Cardinals 21
If anyone thought the Chiefs offence would be a question mark without Tyreek, they were provided with their answers. Mahomes and Co dominated from start to finish, with great performances in both the running and passing game. The Cards had no answer for the Chiefs in any facet, and their game script had to move towards a pass heavy approach very early on which does not lend itself to success. When the running game isn’t effective, Kyler’s downfield passing game does not get going.
Buccaneers 19 Cowboys 3
What a disaster for the Boys. Dak goes down long-term, and the Bucs were able to overcome their question marks on the O Line to coast to a victory. Brady managed the game effectively and the run game was enough to get them the dub. Even before Dak went out with injury, it was obvious that the Cowboys lack of offensive weapons and poor line depth was a big problem. Micah Parsons is still a must watch player, and he will be on the field a lot if Cooper Rush is the QB for the next 6-8 weeks. Will the Boys pull the trigger on a trade or try and lean on Zeke Elliot and the defence hoping that the NFC East stays wide-open?
Seahawks 17 Broncos 16
Nathaniel Hackett came out today to say he messed up in kicking the 64 yard field goal instead of going for it. Worse than this was the full 40 seconds Russell Wilson took before deciding to call a timeout as the clock wound down. Wilson and the Broncos looked out of sorts often during the game, in part due to the crowd noise at Lumen field. I noticed Wilson checking down a lot more, and Javonte Williams showed his talents both running and catching the football. I love the way he runs angry. That said, the Seahawks will be over-the-moon with the win, and the reactions from many of Wilson’s former teammates showed it wasn’t just a relationship breakdown between Carroll and Russell that led to the trade.
Could not have asked for a better start to the season, with storylines already writing themselves. Before I go, let’s have a quick look at my record in predictions so far:
9 – 7 with the tie. Up $9.56 in season bets so far.
See you next time with my Week 2 Predictions!
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