We made it through week 1 of the NFL season. But what did we actually learn? That answer is simple. Nothing.
As we know, defenses are always ahead of the offenses, and we saw that league-wide in Week 1. Under bets dominated the space in all but two games. Remember, as you prep for your week two plays, “recency bias” is always a thing.
Who impressed me the most? Honestly, the Indianapolis Colts. It could be recency bias. Maybe it’s that the Dolphins are trash. It could be both. If the Colts get a season of competent Quarterback play with their defense, they could push for a division title. But again, the entire Dolphins organization might get blown up before week eight. This week, hosting Denver, will likely tell us more about the Danny Dimes Colts than anything. For what it’s worth, I already jumped on the Colts +2.5.
Sunday Night was a thriller. But yet again, Baltimore couldn’t close the deal in a big game. I don’t dislike Lamar Jackson. But last night was a prime example of why he doesn’t deserve the flowers he gets all the time. When Buffalo forced the Ravens, specifically Jackson and Henry, to stay between the tackles, the game changed. Am I blaming Jackson for the loss? Absolutely not. But the reality of the situation is this. Josh Allen massively outplayed him. Outside of Zay Flowers, Baltimore doesn’t have targets that scare you. Recency bias aside, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this from Baltimore. Now, Buffalo, in week 1, has the hammer already on the Ravens. Is the last game at The Ralph an AFC Championship Game that sends the Bills to the Super Bowl? They might burn down the old and new stadiums at the same time.
Speaking of recency bias. The Steelers were impressive in week one, and not at the same time. We all knew Aaron Rodgers was going to play with a chip the size of Met Life Stadium on his shoulder this weekend. He did just that. But the Steelers’ Defense didn’t make the trip. Or maybe the Jets are better than we think. Only week two will begin to answer that question.
The New Orleans Saints impressed me, actually. They played a closer game than I expected. Their uniforms looked like they were playing in Ross-Ade Stadium, not the Superdome. Shout out to the New Orleans Boilermakers? But what do we really know about the Cardinals either at this point?
The NFC West should be interesting. The health of this entire division might be the most formidable opponent any of them has faced. So should the NFC North. But I preach patience as always. I still love and believe in my prediction of a San Francisco/Buffalo final game in Santa Clara. But I might also be recently biased.
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