Week 1

Welcome back everyone for another year of football and my wild, although correct, opinions on the NFL season. To start, I was hesitant to jump back into writing these opinion pieces again but I had a few individuals ask about them so I thought, “Why not?”. For the first article of the season I want to touch base on a few topics and end the article with a way too early AFC and NFC Championship matchup predictions.

Patience is the key this season

The first week of every NFL season has fans and media outlets screaming the end of days for certain teams because of a week one loss or poor performance. I have never been one of these individuals and if you have heard otherwise, clearly that source cannot be trusted.

Bengals fall to the Patriots – Joe “The Chief Slayer” Burrow washed? Pump the brakes. To start with some glaring issues with the Bengals. Their offensive line is still struggling to protect Burrow. This needs to be the first item the Bengals address because in a division with the Ravens, Steelers, and Browns; Joe’s livelihood could be at stake. Secondly that D-Line need to figure out a gameplan. Stevenson was gashing the defensive line all day. Rhamondre rushed for 120 yards on 25 carries. Of those 120 yards, 120 yards were before contact. That is averaging nearly 5 yards per carry without being touched. Wild.

Now for the part not to panic about, Joe Burrow will return to top 10 QB form shortly. People under estimate the necessity for the preseason. Chase did not partake in much of the preseason as he awaits a new contract. That is a big deal. Also, Higgins not playing does not leave Burrow with much to deal with if Chase is covered. This will sort out and when you look at the game, the Bengals were on the brink of scoring twice if it wasn’t for unusual turnovers. My opinion, Bengals will get back on track by week 3-4. However, the Chiefs game is going to get blown out of proportion if the Bengals can’t hang with that high powered offense.

Rookies Being Rookies – This year’s QB draft class has been considered one of the best in recent years. With Williams, Daniels, Penix, Maye, and Nix it is hard to doubt that there’s not at least one winner if not a couple. I am not saying superstars, but a competent starter at least. I mean Daniel Jones and Bryce Young are both current starters, that sets the bar pretty low. Now, this past weekend we watched all three current rookie starters struggle. Out of all three, Caleb Williams looked the most unprepared and considerably has the most pressure to succeed. There is some obvious arm talent with Caleb but he seems to struggle putting the ball on target. This can be fixed with the right coaches, however, that has yet to be seen in Chicago so only time will tell. Daniels showed off some some crazy athleticism which we all knew he was capable of. Although, I think we would all like to see him actually read a defense and go through his progressions. From his first game it was evident that he does not have a great feel for the pocket which limits his progression when he drops back to pass. The Commanders have come out and said this will change but unsure how they plan to attack this as of yet. Now for Nix. We all know I have a bias here, however, I will do my best to actually see it for what it is. Bo put the ball on target multiple times and showed good progression, but you can sense his frustration with the slow offense. This is what I believed led him throw two poor interceptions. Sean Payton should fix this and it will take time. As long as Bo doesn’t lose his confidence he should be ok throughout the season.

Overall takeaway, be patient with the rookies.

Now for my way to early predictions for the AFC and NFC Championships:

NFC

This year’s NFC feels a lot stronger than we have seen in the past. The 49ers look to be in mid season form during week 1, the Eagle’s offense looks even better with Saquon, Cowboys always seem to have a chance, Falcons have been making moves, you can never count out Stafford, and Baker is looking better than ever.

Bold Prediction – Cowboys vs Lions

AFC

AFC feels like it is still dominated by the Chiefs and they somehow look even better than last year’s Super Bowl run. The Ravens are clearly able to keep up with the Chiefs if they could learn to run the ball without using Lamar. I don’t know if the Bills have any weapons besides Allen and who knows how long he can carry the load. The Chargers have the new coach and what looks to be an improved running game but an AFC Championship run in the first season, there’s no way, right? The Texans are by far the most interesting with Stroud at the helm.

Bold Prediction – Chiefs vs Texans