Games I saw (some of):
Vikings 28-34 Eagles
The Eagles strike me so far as a team that starts slow and finishes weak, but will likely dominate the shit out of the middles of games. They have to warm up into shape, then they pile up a lead and slack off. It makes everyone think they're not as good as they are, like they're letting lesser teams play them close. And while I suspect they won't cover as many spreads as they should, I suspect they ARE better than everyone else and will choke out most of their opponents. The Vikings are the same as they were last year, except it doesn't look like they're going to pile up the crazy amount of W's they did then.
Packers 24-25 Falcons
I like that Packers offense but that defense couldn't make stops in the 4th quarter when they needed to and I wonder if that's what they'll look like this year: decent offense but the defense can't hold leads. We'll see. As for the Falcons, man, that offense is loaded and though I found Desmond Ritter to be as uninspiring a QB as I've seen in a while, even he might be good enough to get W's with this firepower. (Everyone's talking about the Jets going and getting a QB, why not the Falcons? If they had....I dunno....Derek Carr.....they'd be piling up points like nobody's business....Just sayin') So not sure what the takeaway is from this game: are the Packers good and let this get away? Or are the Falcons rounding into a high-powered offense and ready to win? Not sure on either side.
Ravens 27-24 Bengals
I felt like the Bengals were the superior team on both sides of the ball all the way through, not sure how they lost. The Ravens are surprisingly reliant on big plays: the offense sputters, then they pull out something crazy and suddenly they've got points when they were going nowhere. Not sure if they can keep that up all season (I suspect they cannot). The Bengals have everything they need on both sides, just need to tune it up and get it going....so when is that going to happen? They start slow every year, so I'm not ready to write them off, but I am ready for them to get going. Not worried about the Bengals (yet), not impressed with the Ravens (yet).
Jets 10-30 Cowboys
Okay, I had the Jets starting 0-5 and I was planning on them having Aaron Rodgers....do you see where I'm going this? They got a nice unexpected W over Buffalo last week and good for them, but let us remember that the Bills always suck at NYJ and that last week's finished (with or without Rodgers) isn't that meaningful. What I'm telling you is: I thought the Jets offense was going to suck even when they had the QB of their dreams and without him, there's no way that they don't suck. The defense is good--annoyingly good if you consider that they're in full-on draft mode now! Point is: the Jets suck and were always going to suck and now with Zack Wilson back, it is painfully clear they are going to suck. Oh yeah: and the Cowboys are good. Micah Parsons reminds me of (*gulp*) Lawrence Taylor....yes, I know we're not supposed to say it or even think it, but I have to go that far back to find a defender that flat-out wrecked offensive backfields like this guy (he's already better than Kevin Greene, Cornelius Bennett, Derrick Thomas--those are Hall of Famers and I'd still take Parsons). The Cowboys offense is good not great, the D is definitely above average and the roster in general just looks solid and deep, I think they're a really good team--can we go ahead and pencil in their Eagles match-ups as the two best games remaining on the regular season schedule (....hmmmm.....too much? Nah, I'm sticking with it)?
Dolphins 24-17 Patriots
Listen, man: when I saw Tua at Alabama, I thought he was the best college QB I'd ever seen in my life. But he had a weird rugged injury there and then another weird injury in the NFL, then last year became a concussion guy and as much as I always liked his talent, he is on a razor's edge and his career could end quickly. I'm rooting for him but I'm also kinda glad he's not on my team. So, with that preamble out of the way, Tua is really good and he's kinda perfect for this offense and the Dolphins are gonna be fun to watch all year long. Not sure about the D, but this team can win shoot outs, so the D is probably just a bonus anyway. As for the Pats, well, it was interesting to see how lackluster their running game is when it seems like that's what they're built to be. As for the defense, well, it's fine but doesn't seem world class or anything. This could be a long season for the Pats: they're not bad but they're in a tough division and they may play well and still lose a lot this year.
Browns 22-26 Steelers
Okay, wait a second: the Steelers opened the game with a pick-6, closed the game with a scoop-and-score, and their one good offensive play was a 70-yard TD....take out those 3 plays and the Browns kinda dominated the shit out of the Steelers, no? So how did the Browns lose? Losing RB Chubb (probably for the season) ain't good, but they still should've won--still should've had a more dynamic offense!--and even though the D was pretty stout, they still come out with a loss. Not sure what I watched here. QB Watson has amazing moments (switching hands to throw off a defender, then switching back and drilling a receiver with a perfect pass is not something I've ever seen a QB do--and he did it TWICE in this game!) and yet somehow he still seems like the problem. Hey, man, Watson is the ultimate high risk/reward QB this year and I still believe in him (I think). As for the Steelers, I'm just not nearly as impressed with them as I'm supposed to be.
The rest of the slate:
Raiders 10-38 Bills
Wondering if the Bills still had it in them and, well, for one more Sunday, it looks like they do. The Raiders started well, then went nowhere, could be a preview of their entire season.
Seahawks 37-31 (OT) Lions
So the Lions win at KC but lose at home to the Seahawks? The Seahawks lose at home to the Rams and then win a shootout in Detroit? All right, I have no idea what's going on with either of these squads.
Chargers 24-27 (OT) Titans
Titans are built on ground game and defense and they were able to hold on against a Chargers team that moves the ball well but manages to blow it in the 4th quarter. I imagine this was a good game but the result seems about right.
Bears 17-27 Bucs
Yeah, the Bears are gonna struggle all year long. Not sure if the 2-0 Bucs are any good or just getting by, I guess we'll see.
Chiefs 17-9 Jags
Feels like the Jags should've pulled this out, so did they blow it or are the Chiefs ready to roll? Not sure.
Colts 31-20 Texans
Colts QB Richardson continues to impress, even though he got knocked out with a concussion in this game--fortunately, he and Minchew form the best 2-QB tandem in the league (which it seems like the Colts are going to need!). The Texans aren't probably gonna be any good but their rookie QB Stroud looks like he might be kinda good. For two crappy teams, I'm curious to see how they do it. (In the NBA I love youth-oriented rebuilding teams, but not so much in the NFL, so this is weird for me)
Niners 30-23 Rams
The Niners pulled it out in the 4th but can't help feeling like the Rams actually might be kinda good.
Giants 31-28 Cards
Wow, what a comeback! Cards were up 21-3 early on, but the Giants just kept plugging away and the Cards couldn't hold up. Good W for the Giants.
Commanders 35-33 Broncos
Another big comeback! The Broncos might run up points early and then fold late all year long, that might be what this team is. The Commanders are.....I dunno, they're 2-0, that's nice.
Saints 20-17 Panthers
The Saints are gonna be okay, middle of the pack. The Panthers don't look good at all--and I'm not even into their rookie QB.
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