The NFL season commenced last Thursday, September 5th with the opening game being between two AFC powerhouses, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens. The Chiefs led for most of the game; however, the Ravens made a late push. The Ravens had the ball inside the Chief’s 10 yard line, down by 7, and were looking to strike. Unfortunately for them, Lamar Jackson missed a wide-open Zay Flowers in the endzone, then he proceeded to throw what looked like a touchdown, but it was overturned after replay review. So the Chiefs proceeded to win the season opener as they looked to defend their title.
The NFL also played a game in Brazil, Sao Paulo to be exact, on Friday. This game was also a highly anticipated bout between two very solid NFC teams: the Eagles and Packers. The Eagles won the game, and unfortunately for Packers fans, Jordan Love went down with an injury late in the game. However, the main talking point of this game was how bad the field was.
Looking to this past Sunday, 26 out of the other 28 teams played throughout the day. It was a very exciting weekend with upsets and great games all over the place. A few highlights: the Browns got demolished by the Cowboys which was shocking. The Rams almost completed a great comeback against the Lions but fell short. The 49ers thumped the Jets on Monday night football, and the Patriots upset the Bengals.
Most of the rookies in this stacked draft class were in action this weekend; however, it was a fairly disappointing weekend overall. Although the Bears beat the Titans on Sunday, #1 overall pick Caleb Williams struggled a bit, along with the other 2 starting first-round QBs. There is absolutely no need to panic though, as rookies always take time to develop. A concerning performance however was that of Joe Burrow. The Bengals, who are a very strong AFC team, lost to the Patriots who are in contention for the number 1 pick. Joe Burrow struggled against the Pats D which is very good; however, it shouldn’t be anything he couldn’t handle. This could be a sign of him not being fully recovered yet from his season-ending wrist injury, or could also prove that he really does need two WR-1 caliber players to be good.
Even though it is only the first week of the season there have been some contenders that are up at the top. Obviously the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes are still a powerhouse. The Ravens are also still going to be good, however, Mark Andrews looked a bit shaky in the opening game. From the NFC the 49ers are still the favorite, and although they struggled a bit in week 1 the Lions are still going to be very good.
A few sleeper teams out of the AFC are the Texans and Colts. The Texans have a stud at QB in C.J. Stroud along with a great WR core and a young star-studded D-fence. The Texan’s problem, however, is their O-line and potentially their running game depending on Joe Mixon’s performance throughout the season. The Colts have a budding star with an absolute cannon for an arm at QB, Anthony Richardson. They also have a very strong O-line and running game to complement the legs of AR-5. The weakness of the Colts is their defense, specifically their secondary. The D is mostly unproven, and they do not have star power in the secondary which could prove tough in a great WR division like the AFC South.
Some NFC sleepers I have are the Rams and Bears. The Rams are only 3 years removed from a Super Bowl and have a great WR core with a great QB. Again, though the secondary their weakness is their secondary. They also no longer have Aaron Donald which is a huge loss as he is one of the greatest defensive players of all time. The Bears are an extremely young exciting team; however, they are unproven and will have to be great this season to make the playoffs. I think the Super Bowl will be a repeat of last year between the 49ers and the Chiefs; however, I think the 49ers will take it this year. All in all, it is an extremely exciting season with tons of young talent.
