Games I watched (some of):
Commanders 12-7 Bears
Ugh! All I caught was the 4th quarter (that was plenty!) and there was a moment late in the game where the Commanders got a turnover in field goal range and all they needed was a field goal....will they get it done? The tension was palpable. In fact, they got a TD, which they really needed because the final Bears drive was a furious race to the end zone. But the clock ran out right as the Bears got inside the 1-yard line...of course. These are two bad teams, the kind of bad teams that don't even make a dent when they play hard. I'd be kinda shocked if the Bears won again this year and the Commanders don't have much to look forward to either.
Jets 27-10 Packers
I watched all of this game and the Jets were the better team from beginning to end. The Packers were lackadaisical throughout and their WR's just aren't up to snuff. As for the Jets, man, they've got for-real playmakers all over that defense and I like this QB (I know he's limited but I think they'd be better off unshackling him). They're not as good as the Bills but they should be better than the so-so Pats and the QB-less Dolphins, I expect them to hang around playoff territory all year long. The Packers still have Aaron Rodgers so they're never really out of it but the defense is not impressive and the weapons around Rodgers are not top tier; feels like the Packers are gonna struggle all year.
Bengals 30-26 Saints
Fun game! Neither team took control, just two wild swinging freaks wailing on each other. The Saints offense was tasty, man, Andy Dalton keeps them orderly (but Jameis Winston has the higher upside...?), and they moved the ball well. Once the Bengals got JaMarr Chase into the offense, that was the difference (man, Chase was doing whatever he wanted). The Bengals are the better team but they haven't a game yet where the defense and the offense both show up, but they've got time to put it together (and I like their chances). The Saints are a fun team, kinda okay on both sides of the ball, and in a sloppy NFC they're still a playoff contender.
Bills 24-20 Chiefs
Not a high scoring game because both teams started off with long drives that conclude in untimely turnover and that ended up eating a lot of clock. But it isn't how you start, it how you finish. Bills were able to get the go-ahead TD late and bait Mahomes into an INT and that was the W for the Bills. I think the Bills are the best team in the league, I think the Chiefs are in the discussion for the 2nd best team in the league (all apologies to the Eagles who are good on both sides of the ball, I've been watching the Bills and the Chiefs for years now, whereas the Eagles need to show they belong a little more than feasting on a weak schedule) and this is what it looks like when two really good teams go head to head. Great W for the Bills, puts them in the driver's seat in the AFC; tough L for the Chiefs (but I think their division stinks, so they'll be just fine).
Cowboys 17-26 Eagles
Eagles kinda dominated the 1st half but the Cowboys recovered and were on their way to stealing the W when the Eagles extended the lead with a late TD on a good, methodical drive. I still think these are the two best teams in the NFC but I'm not sure the Cowboys don't win next time around. Feels like the Eagles are playing their best ball right now, while the Cowboys can still get better.
Broncos 16-19 (OT) Chargers
Well, Russell Wilson at least had something of a game here (so is he not injured? Have we moved on from that lame excuse?) and while they pushed the Chargers into OT at home, they still couldn't come out with a W. I initially thought the Broncos/Wilson would come around and be decent by the second half of the season, then I figured that was out because Wilson was a shell of himself and the Broncos were gonna be a shit show all year, but now I'm not sure again (though I'm still leaning toward shit show). As for the Chargers, they just don't give Herbert anything to work with. You'd think that a big kid with a rocket arm is exactly what the NFL is looking for, but whenever they find one, they never know what to do with him! Receivers with no separation, o-line that seems to be blocking for some other QB and the endless pointless gambles--last night in OT in FG range on 4th down, I was half-expecting a fake! I'm not joking! This Chargers coach is that fucking reckless! And why was it that in OT both teams just kept bombing the ball down field? Neither team had any kind of plan for moving the ball, for getting 1st downs, for getting in FG range--no, they both kept trying hit the long ball when neither of these teams showed any skill at getting that done! And to cap it off: the muffed punt that led to the (merciful) game winning FG was clearly a penalty on the Chargers, not sure why they didn't call it. I've got no faith in either of these teams, though they both have good defenses and I want to like both QB's. Okay, well, it's finally over, at least.
The rest of the slate:
Niners 14-28 Falcons. The Falcons are wacky, Mariotta is their kind of QB, seems like they finally got TE Pitts going, and in a weak division, the Falcons are still in the mix. The Niners are pretty good but don't seem capable of making the most of their chances, I like the D and Jimmy G as game manager; but when he tries to do too much, well, he usually does too much.
Patriots 38-15 Browns. Browns are a good team that doesn't play hard. The Pats are a so-so team that plays hard. And the score shows how much playing hard matters in the NFL. The Pats will continue to get W's they probably don't deserve because they're going to go to the necessary lengths to get the W; the Browns will continue to get L's they probably don't deserve because they aren't as good as they think they are. Feels like the Browns season is already kinda done, while the Pats might be a playoff team.
Jaguars 27-34 Colts. Don't matter: I still think the Colts are terrible. The Jags are okay but still too young to get it done.
Vikings 24-16 Dolphins. The Dolphins are gonna be cursed at QB all season long, you can already tell. The Dolphins might be good but I don't think we're gonna see it, I think they'll be aiming for a #1 pick soon enough. The Vikings are a just-good-enough kinda team, which might be the class of the NFC this year.
Ravens 20-24 Giants. The G-Men just keep getting W's and the Ravens just keep managing to blow big leads. I think the Giants play hard, they play with humility and they do the little things to secure victories; I think the Ravens are good but don't do enough to actually get W's. These two teams could flip places by the end of the season or maybe they won't.
Bucs 18-20 Steelers. Don't matter: I still think the Steelers are terrible. I thought the Bucs were ready to get their offense going but I guess not (seriously Tom Brady threw away his marriage for this?).
Cards 9-19 Seahawks. The Cards just don't wanna win games. The Seahawks have a strangely spicy offense and while I don't think they'll be a playoff team this year, they've got the right buzz about them and are shaping up to be a serious spoiler.
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