2018-19 NFL (Week 2)

Games I watched (some of):
Chiefs 42-37 Steelers

1) Yeah, dude, Pat Mahomes is the shit! and 2) Ooooh, that Steelers D is not good (nor is the Chiefs'). Back and forth and yet it never felt like the Steelers were gonna pull it out.  The Steelers can score--even without LaVeon Bell and probably even without Antonio Brown--but unless that defense comes together, hard to see them going deep in the post-season. The Chiefs, on the other hand, look capable of outscoring just about everyone they play even with their rickety D. Fun game.

Vikings 29-29 Packers
Wow, another fun game. Gotta say: I was really impressed with Kirk Cousins, he got it done in Lambeau, should've gotten the W. Even with Aaron Rodger on the other side, I kinda felt like the Vikings were always gonna pull it out and they should have--two missed FG's in OT is the only reason they didn't. The Packers are as good as Rodgers but the Vikings look as good as I thought they would be.

Jags 31-20 Pats
(Hmmm...did they both score some late points? I don't remember that much scoring) Bortles looked great! The Pats couldn't solve the Jags pass rush and the Pats D did not look so strong. The Pats are still the Pats--it's early--but, I dunno, man, not many playmakers on the offensive side and the defense looks a step behind out there. I had my doubts about the Jags, thought they got hot at the right time last year and while I was suitably impressed with that defense, the offense still looked shaky to me. They looked good in New England, though, and that's a good sign.

Giants 13-20 Cowboys
Saquon Barkley looked good...too bad it doesn't feel like the rest of that NYG offense is going to help him much. That O line does not look sturdy enough to make Eli workable (and I believe he can still be 'workable'). The Cowboys were fine, a strong opening drive, good enough defense. My thought was that Cowboys would struggle, then get hot late (likely hot enough to doom them to another year of Coach Garrett. Don't think anyone will run away with this division.


Surprising results:
Ravens 23-34 Bengals
Thought the Ravens had a good opportunity to steal a division W on the road, thought they were simply better than the Bengals, but I was probably wrong. I think the Bengals might actually be kinda good, think the Ravens will be their typical up/down all year.

Colts 21-9 Redskins
Surprised at how strong that Colts D looked in this game, they could actually be pretty good. The Redskins had a chance to get a W here and they let it get away from them, I thought the Redskins would take a step forward this season but this is exactly the kind of loss I thought they'd avoid.

Eagles 21-27 Bucs
The Bucs are still getting it done (so far), the Eagles are still looking soft out there. Two teams, two brewing QB controversies. Who gets traded first: Nick Foles or Jameis Winston?


Other results (not so surprising):
Panthers 24-31 Falcons
I thought the game would be closer, but not surprised by the result.

Texans 17-20 Titans
I'm still expecting the Texans to step up, guessing that once DeShaun Watson gets his feet under him, they could take off. The Titans are fine, looking 8-8-ish to me (Colts look better than I would've thought, that could be a problem for the Titans).

Dolphins 20-12 Jets
Thought the Jets would get the W at home but division games can always go either way. The Dolphins might be kinda good this year (if the Pats stay soft...could this be the year?).

Chargers 31-20 Bills
Seems like the Chargers took the foot off the gas in the 2nd half, I'm still not terribly impressed by them, though that offense will have good days. The Bills...well...I guess I can see that defense getting stronger but not seeing any offense to speak of yet.

Browns 18-21 Saints
Ehhh, the Saints have the (bad) habit of waiting til the last second to secure their W's so this shouldn't be that shocking--though, man, they were cutting it close in this one. The Browns are getting there, not likely to get too many W's but they've got talent.

Lions 27-30 Niners
Not sure what to think of the Lions piling up 27 points on the road but otherwise the result seems about right.

Cards 0-34 Rams
Yup: Rams are good, Cards are not.

Raiders 19-20 Broncos
The Raiders almost had this but the Broncos made a good comeback. Tough L for the Raiders, a good W for the Broncos.

Seahawks 17-24 Bears
Sounds about right. Little surprised the Seahawks had as much success as they did on that Bears D, but the result seems about right.


Every other week I'll remove two teams from playoff contention. Never done this before, just wanna see how it goes.
Week 2 -- Bills, Cards (these are both easy calls, they're both rebuilding)