Both of these photos are from Week One postgame pressers. Is it just me, or does Rodgers look 10-15 years older than Brady?
Welcome to Week Two, traditionally the week where we see the first overreactions of the season. In this year's edition:
- Green Bay is terrible; Aaron Rodgers is washed-up
- Buffalo is in trouble
- Tennessee is no good
- Jameis Winston is an elite QB
- Trevor Lawrence is a bust
- Philadelphia is good
- Matthew Stafford and Los Angeles are championship-bound
Week One was very interesting, and very entertaining. I loved the upsets. I loved the close games. I loved the comebacks. I really loved the OTs. It's a lot more fun when the play is good, but things aren't too predictable.
In Week One, some things went as expected, and there were some surprises.
Just remember: it's only one week.
We know nothing.
Week Two Picks
Winners in Bold:
New England at New York J
I was really impressed with Mac Jones’s debut against Miami in Week 1. He showed poise, accuracy, and a willingness to stay in the pocket in order to make throws. In fact, except for some costly turnovers, New England looked pretty good. Zach Wilson also showed flashes of his massive potential for New York. The Pats are a much better team, and should win fairly comfortably.
Denver at Jacksonville
Trevor Lawrence showed some occasional brilliance in Week 1, but he mostly looked lost. Some of that is due to Jacksonville’s lack of talent, which can be improved over time, but mostly it’s about poor coaching. Urban Meyer will likely be the latest in a long line of big-time college coaches to flame out in the pros. Hopefully for Jacksonville, they won’t waste too much of Lawrence’s developing years languishing under a bad coach. Denver’s defense looked good in their opener, as expected, but it’s the play of Teddy Bridgewater that has Denver fans excited.
Buffalo at Miami
Hey, Buffalo: no one said it would be easy. Pittsburgh’s defense was ready for Buffalo, and as a result, Josh Allen never got into a groove. Miami’s defense is no slouch, either, so I expect a much better effort from Buffalo this week in order to avoid an 0-2 start. I have to say, though, that Buffalo’s lack of a running game is a bit concerning.
San Francisco at Philadelphia
San Fran looked pretty good throughout most of its opener against Detroit, before allowing a mad scoring binge that made the game interesting. Last season, the ‘niners were felled by a rash of injuries, so it is of great concern that the team lost CB Jason Verrett and RB Raheem Mostert to season-ending injuries n Week 1. Philadelphia surprised many with a thumping off Atlanta in Week 1. Jalen Hurts looks like he might be the long-term answer for the Iggles at QB. San Fran should put up a much better fight that did lowly Atlanta. I will be very interested to see how this one plays out.
Los Angeles R at Indianapolis
I expected Indy to struggle early in the season, but I thought it would be because of Carson Wentz. Wentz played fairly well against Seattle, while Indy’s defense got lit up. Unless Indy’s defense plays significantly better this week, this one could be ugly.
Las Vegas at Pittsburgh
That opener in Vegas sure was fun. (I especially liked the whole “Baltimore losing” part.) Josh Jacobs is Out for this one. Pittsburgh’s defense looks like it could be among the best this season. TJ Watt got PAID, and from his performance in Week 1, I’d say it was a good investment.
Cincinnati at Chicago
Great opener by Cincy. They were poised to win, gave the game away, and had it gifted back. Joe Burrow looked sharp, and made some gutsy plays. Defense played well also. This is a bad matchup for Chicago.
Houston at Cleveland
Cleveland looked impressive for the most part against KC, until they Clevelanded away the game late. They’re huge favourites in this one, and they should be.
New Orleans at Carolina
New Orleans looked surprisingly good in their opener, but it’s difficult to gauge how much of that was due to the wretched performance by Green Bay. Sam Darnold looked ok in his Carolina debut, and he should get better as he develops more of a rapport with Christian McCaffrey. This game should be a good test to see where these teams are really at.
Minnesota at Arizona
No one should be surprised by Chandler Jones’s five-sack performance in Week 1. JJ Watt may be a bit removed from the dominant player he was a few years ago, but he is still a force to be reckoned with. Having Jones, and elite pass-rusher, and Watt on the field at the same time is bound to create headaches for teams all season. Kyler Murray’s talents are immense, but I hope he doesn’t end up getting hurt by trying to do too much. I’ve seen it happen too many times before. Is it just me, or does Mike Zimmer look like the grind of coaching is wearing him down? I just know he’s unhappy with Kirk Cousins. Maybe the best thing for the team, and for Zimmer’s health, is for the team to absolutely tank this season.
Atlanta at Tampa
It seems that there is just no way to fix Atlanta. Every year, it seems like they make some change, and everyone thinks that this will be the year they bounce back. I think they should blow the team up. Matt Ryan can still play, but he’s still haunted by the ghost of 28-3. Speaking of, Tom Brady looked great in Week 1, even better than his numbers indicate, and Tampa beat Dallas despite four turnovers and over 100 yards in penalties. Imagine what Tampa will look like when they actually start playing well.
Tennessee at Seattle
Seattle’s offense looked formidable in Week 1, and they should give any team trouble. Tennessee got absolutely bushwhacked by Arizona in Week 1, and are going to need a much better effort on both sides of the ball if they are to have any hope against Seattle. Fortunately for Tennessee, playing in the AFC South means that an 0-2 start is hardly insurmountable. Hey Tennessee: no one said it would be easy.
Dallas at Los Angeles Bolts
Dallas’s defense forced four Tampa turnovers in Week 1, but also gave up a ton of yards. Justin Herbert looks like he’s ready to join the ranks of the elite passers in the league, and he has the supporting cast to do it. Both teams have potent offenses, but I give he Bolts the edge for having the superior defense.
Sunday Night
Kansas City at Baltimore
Baltimore, and Lamar Jackson, aren’t nearly good enough to overcome the team’s injuries and lack of depth. KC has three dominant players on offense, and that’s enough most weeks. It’s not really a recipe for sustainable success, though, is it?
Monday Night
Detroit at Green Bay
So, Aaron came back; fans were relieved, franchise was happy, coaches satisfied. Teammates? I think that depends. Sure, Davante Adams and some of the offensive players are good with everything. I have to wonder about some of the others, though, like the backups and special teams’ guys who make a fraction of what Rodgers makes, or the defensive players who Rodgers shits on by complaining about players that were let go. How do you think they feel about Rodgers “gracing” the team with perhaps one more season, with one eye on the exit? I think that crap like that becomes harder to take when the star QB shits the bed like he did in Week 1, then acts like it’s no big deal.
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