Week 1 is in the books and arguably the biggest story line is the season-ending injury to Aaron Rodgers after just four snaps. Not only is the Jets’ season now up in the air, one has to wonder if Rodgers has perhaps played his last snap, as he would be 40 years old at the start of next season.
Week 1 certainly didn’t go the way most folks likely thought it would go. The Cowboys put a 40-point drubbing on the division rival Giants while the Lions went on the road and took down the defending champs. Jordan Love looked like he could be the next Green Bay superstar while the Browns absolutely pummeled Joe Burrow and the Bengals. The Bucs and Rams both went on the road and got a pair of big upset wins.
Week 1 of the NFL is generally unpredictable, so for those of you out there that gamble, I hope you avoided betting this week. And it is because Week 1 is so unpredictable, that we must remember we cannot overreact to just one game, whether it be positively or negatively. There is a lot of football left to be played.
In the rankings this week, the Bucs made the biggest jump, moving up eight spots, while the Broncos took the biggest dive, falling seven spots.
In the Prime Time Pick’em, we started 1-2. I really wanted to pick the Lions, which would have made me look like a genius, and on the flip side I did pick the Giants, which made me look like a fool. Hopefully we get back on track this week. In the Thursday night game, I like the Eagles to move to 2-0 with a win against the Vikings. On Sunday night, I’ll take Miami over New England, though I absolutely hate betting against Bill Belichick. And on Monday Night, we are blessed with two games; I’ll take the Saints to get a road win over the Panthers and the Steelers to bounce back and get their first win as they face the Browns.
Here are the rankings as we head to Week 2. Each team’s ranking from the prior week is in ( ).
1. San Francisco 49ers (3): San Francisco came out and proved they are exactly who we thought they were – the odds-on favorite to win the NFC.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (2): The defending NFC Champions nearly blew a 16-0 first quarter lead, but held on for a tough road win. Look for them to put more focus on the ground game next week.
3. Dallas Cowboys (6): In the first rankings of the season we asked if this was the season that Dallas puts it all together. One game does not make a season but early indication sure seem to indicate that Dallas is ready to make a deep run (finally).
4. Miami Dolphins (7): I’d say all questions about Tua’s health have been answered (whether he remains healthy is still TBD). This offense is one of the best in all of football when he’s behind center.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (1): We knew the Chiefs would have their hands full, especially without the services of Travis Kelce and Chris Jones. There’s no reason to panic here – the Chiefs will still be one of the biggest favorites in the AFC at the end of the season.
6. New York Jets (11): There are no words to describe what Jets fans must be feeling right now with the loss of Aaron Rodgers. With that said, if Zach Wilson can just play average, the Jets can easily be a playoff team. And if Wilson plays above average, this team could really make a run.
7. Detroit Lions (10): We wanted to put Detroit in the Top 5 to start the season, but we settled on #10. Their Week 1 performance was impressive and should prove to all the doubters out there that this team has finally arrived.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars (9): Calvin Ridley is such a weapon for this team that most people forgot about. Bringing him in via a trade last season may end up being the best “off-season” acquisition of 2023.
9. Cincinnati Bengals (4): The Bengals have been notoriously slow starters the past few years, but this may have been a new low. Nonetheless, I expect them to right the ship and still consider them the favorite to win the AFC North.
10. Buffalo Bills (5): Josh Allen has a tendency to turn the ball over and boy did it cost the Bills in the season opener.
11. Los Angeles Chargers (8): When you score 34 points at home, you really shouldn’t lose that game. The defense will definitely need to straighten a few things out. If they don’t, Brandon Staley will be on the hot seat sooner than any other coach in the league.
12. Green Bay Packers (12): It’s only one game, and it was against the Bears, but cheeseheads everywhere have to be excited about the potential this team has. If they can avoid critical injuries, this team could wind up as one of the best teams in the NFC.
13. Baltimore Ravens (13): It’s Deja vu for the Ravens, as J.K. Dobbins suffered yet another season-ending injury. Nonetheless, this team has the weapons to able to overcome it.
14. Cleveland Browns (17): I certainly thought the Browns would be improved this season and compete for a wild card spot, but I must admit I did not foresee a 21-point victory against the Bengals. All of a sudden, Cleveland looks like they may just be the favorite in the division.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (14): I said in last week’s article that I really like this team. And I still do. But boy-oh-boy was that a stinker to start the season. There’s nowhere to go but up from here. I have no doubt Mike Tomlin will get things straightened out.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (24): Great start to the season for Baker Mayfield and company. If Mayfield can avoid costly turnovers, I see no reason Tampa shouldn’t be the heavy favorite in the NFC South.
17. New Orleans Saints (20): The Saints held on for a 16-15 victory in Derek Carr’s New Orleans debut. They didn’t get much at all on the ground, but in a few weeks they will get Alvin Kamara back which could be a huge boost to this offense.
18. New York Giants (15): Yikes. It’s only Week 1 and too early to overreact but… Yikes.
19. Minnesota Vikings (16): I said it all off-season; this team will regress. Not because they aren’t talented, but because they won 11 games by one possession last year and the law of averages says they can’t do that again. And what do you know, they lose by three in their first game.
20. New England Patriots (19): Despite the loss, Patriots fans must have taken a collective sigh of relief, as it appears this team may be much better than originally thought. Though it may not matter as they play in one of the toughest divisions in football.
21. Washington Commanders (21): It wasn’t pretty but Washington got the job done in their first game under new ownership. If this team is going to make any noise, they’re going to have to find another weapon on the offensive side of the ball.
22. Los Angeles Rams (29): I have to admit, I did not see the Rams scoring 30 points in their first two games, let alone in Week 1. Matt Stafford proved he is still one of the better QBs in the league, and perhaps has an argument as the best QB in the NFC.
23. Las Vegas Raiders (25): Jimmy Garoppolo just wins. Which is appropriate seeing as he now plays for the franchise whose long-time slogan has been “Just win, baby.”
24. Atlanta Falcons (26): The good news is Desmond Ridder only threw three incompletions all game. The bad news is, he only threw for 115 total yards. Atlanta will have to be more proficient through the air as they face tougher competition.
25. Denver Broncos (18): After one game, 2023 looks a lot like 2022 for the Broncos; not much offense. I don’t expect that to become a trend, though, as Sean Payton is too good of a coach not to get things figured out in his first year in the Mile High city.
26. Tennessee Titans (23): Ryan Tannehill threw three picks but the bigger concern is that Derrick Henry only got 15 carries in what finished as a one-point game. Mike Vrabel is too smart to let that happen again.
27. Seattle Seahawks (22): I thought Seattle was going to make my pre-season ranking of them look incredibly stupid, but after one week it looks quite accurate. But, the NFC is certainly wide open and there is plenty of season left for them to turn it around.
28. Carolina Panthers (27): Rough NFL debut for Bryce Young but to be fair, Carolina really doesn’t have any weapons around him. He’s a former Alabama QB, so I’m certainly not writing him off yet.
29. Indianapolis Colts (30): The Colts didn’t come away with the win but certainly gave their fans a reason for excitement. Anthony Richardson appears to be loaded with potential. If Jonathan Taylor comes back in Week 5 and plays the rest of the season, this team will certainly compete with anyone on their schedule.
30. Chicago Bears (28): Not the start to the season the Bears were looking for. Could be another long season in Chicago.
31. Houston Texans (31): They didn’t score a touchdown in CJ Stroud’s NFL debut but I still think there is reason for optimism in Houston, maybe not this season but certainly in the long-term.
32. Arizona Cardinals (32): They nearly messed around and came away with a win – but in fairly typical Cardinals’ fashion, they found a way to lose. I fully expect this team to remain at the bottom of the rankings for the vast majority of the season.
コメント