Games I saw (some of):
Lions 34-20 Packers
The Lions came ready to play and the Packers did not. The Lions dominated the 1st half and it felt for a moment that the Packers might dominate the 2nd half and that perhaps a real barnburner could emerge. But the Lions had a nicely elongated scoring drive early in the 4th and that zapped the Packers right there. The Packers just waited too long to get going; the Lions wanted the W and they got it, good win for the Lions.
Falcons 7-23 Jags
I don't like the London games. I don't like games that occur outside of NFL home stadiums. If English people want to go to an NFL game, let them get on a plane to an NFL city and buy a ticket. Taking the game abroad is crude and silly and embarrassing for both America and Britain (and misvalues the product of football, where the value should rise based on scarcity rather than availability--the argument against the 17 game season, too, for that matter). That was just the preamble (oh, I could keep going!) but let me also suggest that the London games are inherently dull. The crowds don't know what they're looking at (usually they're looking at the NFL's crappiest teams!) and the teams themselves always look out of their element. I don't like games in non-NFL stadiums and I don't like the London games specifically. And I didn't like this one. The Falcons could muster no offense (isn't about time they rook a run at Justin Fields? Is there a better QB option for the Falcons out there?) and the Jags did just enough to keep the game boring. (Okay, here's a bombshell question to ask yourself: are we sure Trevor Lawrence isn't just Daniel Jones? Are we sure?) Snooze of a game.
Dolphins 20-48 Bills
Wow, the first 20 mins of this was high octane insanity. But the Dolphins kinda wound down and the Bills were able to keep it going. But don't be fooled: even with the Bills (my fave team, btw) up by 4 TD's in the 4th quarter, I was still nervously watching my TV, waiting for the Dolphins to make a run. It didn't happen because even the Dolphins knew the game was over by that point. Not sure if this was a fluke or something to keep an eye on: the Dolphins fumbled a lot in this game, not all of them were damaging, but there were stretches when you just knew the ball was gonna be up for grabs. Is that a Miami thing to keep an eye on? Not sure. As for the Bills, they looked good, they were ready to play, and though I'm still a little skeptical of the D (especially since White looks to be gone for the year), the offense is rolling nicely right now. Ditto the Dolphins: so-so D, amazing offense. Will these two meet in the playoffs? Will it be in Buffalo or Miami (home field in January has never been so important!).
Chiefs 23-20 Jets
Early on the Chiefs Chief-ed all over NYJ and it felt like this was just going to be an extended Taylor Swift commercial (I have no doubt that apologies were flying all over the NFL corporate office Monday morning). I turned the game off and watched a movie, paused the movie to check on the game and it was tied in the 4th quarter--I was shocked! That last drive of the Chiefs to finish off the game was masterful stuff, both sides throwing haymakers--I can't remember a scoreless drive that was so fascinating to watch (or frustrating as I had the Chiefs +9.5 and all they needed was one more touchdown!). The Jets defense is real--are you convinced now? And the Jets running game is pretty damn good, if they had a real QB, they'd be--oh, wait, we already went through all this last summer, didn't we? And the Chiefs, well, Mahomes and Kelce and Chris Jones are for-real all-time badasses but, ehh, I'm not sure I'm in on any of the rest of the team--this could be Mahomes' best season, the further the Chiefs go, the more likely he wins MVP.
Seahawks 24-3 Giants
Weird game. The Giants moved the ball okay but then their offense would stall or make some crippling mistake. Meanwhile, the Seahawks offense was not particularly effective (they only had one really good drive in the whole game), but a big play here and a Giant mistake there and they still manage to roll up the hapless Giants. Man, everything about the Giants has regressed from last year and I'm already not looking forward to their next off-season. And the Seahawks are up and down, unreliable but with the occasional big play. I think both of these teams are not very good.
The rest of the slate:
Broncos 31-28 Bears
The Bears were up big in this game and managed to give it away, not sure how that was even possible. But it highlights that the Bears need to get rid of Justin Fields pronto, the last thing they need is him turning good and ruining their draft position (hey, Falcons, surely Fields is better than your QB, right?). The Broncos are just not good at anything, I don't see how they get better or why they would even bother this season, like the Bears they are better off playing for the Caleb William sweepstakes.
Ravens 28-3 Browns
The Browns scratched Deshaun Watson right before game time and that was pretty much it for them, the defense can only carry so much. The Ravens have been spotty so far but they already have 2 division road W's (headed to Pittsburgh this week) and that's a pretty good indicator that they're gonna win that division.
Bengals 3-27 Titans
The Bengals start slow every year but this is getting ridiculous--and with the way the Ravens are piling up W's, the Bengals need to get going now or their season will soon be over. The Titans are as up-and-down as any team in the league.
Rams 29-23 (OT) Colts
The Rams built a huge lead, the Colts came back and tied it up and then the Rams won anyway. Both of these sides are better than I thought they'd be--but I thought they'd be both terrible, so that doesn't mean they're actually any good.
Bucs 26-9 Saints
What happened here? Still puzzled by the Bucs success on the road, not sure what to make of the Saints.
Commanders 31-34 (OT) Eagles
The Eagles really tried to give this away but the Commanders just wouldn't take it.
Vikings 21-13 Panthers
The Vikings overachieved last year, seem likely to underachieve this year. But they're still way better than the Panthers.
Steelers 6-30 Texans
The Steelers do not look good at all. Texans, on the other hand, seem to have found their QB of the future. Keeps an eye on the Texans, they are officially the wtf team of the AFC.
Raiders 17-24 Chargers
The Chargers tried to give this away but the Raiders just wouldn't take it.
Pats 3-38 Cowboys
Ugh! The Pats' QB problems are at the end point, I'd say. Wait, though, the Pats have lost to the Eagles, Dolphins and Cowboys--arguably the three best teams in the league, not sure it is panic time just yet. The Cowboys are rolling.
Cards 16-35 Niners
The Niners are rolling. The Cards are not even trying to be good.
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