NFL - Random Opinions

Cardinals 17 - Ravens 23

It looks like rookie quarterback Kyler Murray is going to quickly acclimate to life in the NFL and for Cardinals fans, that means some winning football could be on the horizon. Murray went 25/40 for 349 yards against a tough Baltimore defense in their own home. There's still work to be done but there is a lot of talent on offense for Arizona to mold. Offensive line should be a priority in the off-season.

As for Baltimore, they beat a team on the schedule that they were supposed to, even if there might have been some concern at different points. The Ravens have an offense that is so polar opposite of what they fielded to start 2018 that it's a real compliment to the coaching staff how quickly they embraced the change, not only at quarterback but also in the entire philosophy. They travel to Kansas City in week 3 in a game that I won't touch no matter what the spread settles on.

 

49ers 41 - Bengals 17

Are the 49ers as good as their hot start would indicate or is it more of a symptom of playing a soft schedule to start the season? They get a Pittsburgh Steelers team in week 3 that won't be bringing Ben Roethlisberger to town and, historically, San Francisco has been really good at home against PIT. It's tough to know for sure what kind of measuring stick this match-up will be for San Francisco but it may provide a glimpse into where they are three weeks into the season.

The Bengals looked like a well coached team on the road in week one but in week two it was a different story. It's going to be an up and down season for Cincinnati with more lows than highs, but the focus needs to be on growth in Zac Taylor's first season.

 

Patriots 43 - Dolphins 0

The fish are dead in the water and it's likely going to be ugly all season. The accumulation of high draft picks is the only concern and I'll hold off on that discussion until later in the year.

Just another day in the office for the Patriots. The will probably walk through the division for at least 5 wins, which has home field advantage in the AFC Championship game tilting in their favor.

 

Chiefs 28 - Raiders 10

Kansas City simply doesn't concern itself with star players missing time on offense. Andy Reid just finds a way to put his franchise quarterback in the best position to succeed and the train keeps rolling. It will be interesting to see which player steps up next week during the continued absence of Tyreek Hill.

The Raiders are showing some signs of the ability to grow and become a competitive team by season's end, but ultimately this offense will be limited by franchise quarterback Derek Carr. So long as Derek runs drives the machinery it will remain the same story. There will be weeks where it looks like he can be the answer followed by weeks where he steers them right off of the cliff. Oakland will have to make a change at quarterback before they can be a factor in the AFC West.

 

Bears 16 - Broncos 14

Bears fans can find some relief after long frustration with inadequate kicker play as the game was one in the final second by kicker Eddy Pineiro. Having a quality kicker is a bigger deal for Chicago then what some may think as the Bears season may hinge off of many low scoring games won off of Eddy's leg. Mitchell Trubisky has been awful through two weeks and it doesn't look like their is any silver linings in his play.

The Broncos will not win many football games when Joe Flacco throws 50 passes. There's a chance for Denver to get things trending in the right direction but it has to be off of the heels of Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman.

 

Saints 9 - Rams 27

The big takeaway for the Saints is the loss of Drew Brees for 6 weeks and the potential of their playoff hopes ending before the middle of the season. New Orleans has already started to trend away from the type that can takeover a game by exploding on offense and the injury to Drew could signal the end of the era of dynamo football for the Saints.

Los Angeles is going to be tough on every team they play but they will be nearly impossible to beat when they play balanced on both sides of the ball. If Goff is taking 30 attempts while the ground game eats up 30 it is going to tilt the field and the clock in favor of a ferocious defense. The Rams have the look of a team that is nowhere close to peaking and they are already playing some really good football.

 

Eagles 20 - Falcons 24

This felt like a good game for Atlanta to get a win at home and get their season back on track, but it took a lot of Philadelphia injuries to make this one happen. All in all, the Falcons don't have the look of a team that is going to make a serious push for the playoffs. Right now, I think they have to make the decision to go with Ito Smith as their lead back and use Devonta in a role similar to how they utilized departed free agent running back Tevin Coleman.


Philadelphia has the talent to win in the East but it's just not clicking well enough early on. Some of that is a result of Carson Wentz's inconsistent play. Maybe more to the truth would be to say that Carson runs hot and cold. When he's on, he can sling it with the best of him. When he's off, his play takes the teeth out of the offense.

 

Browns 23 - Jets 3

The Jets are in for a long season until they get their young franchise passer back on the field. There are some positives to takeaway from this loss for New York, but none of them matter until the most important part of the offense returns.

Cleveland gets the win and shows some of what made them a favorite to compete for the AFC North crown this season but it's a work in progress on both sides of the ball. The defensive secondary is still showing cracks and Baker Mayfield through two weeks has continued to hold onto the football too long in the pocket. Neither issue is season threatening and both can likely be corrected through a change in play calling.

 

They don't - yet the South could be theirs by default: Bucs look bad (as usual), Carolina looks worse, and without Brees for the next 6 weeks, the Saints could stumble.

 

Everything right now in the NFL seems turned upside down or impossible to call. You could name 3 to maybe 6 football teams that look stable and consistent, but the rest of the League is just crazy and a crap shoot.

 

One way to look at also is, the Saints are still in good position even if the go 2-4 over those 6 weeks. I don't see any team running away with that Division, so when the Saints get back Brees, they should be right there still battling for the Division or at least in a position to contend. If your going to get injured... hope its early on and not a late season thing.

 

Definitely a strange start to the season.

The Patriots are the only team I'm sure about. Good enough on both sides of the ball that going 16-0 is possible.

Dolphins could realistically go 0-16.

Cowboys are the only team in the NFC East that looks legit at the moment.

NFC West is really strong.

Packers look scary if the defense continues to play well.

Every team in the NFC South has scored less than they've given up so far.

Chiefs will dominate the AFC West as expected.

Lamar Jackson looks amazing...Browns and Baker Mayfield have slightly underwhelmed.

Steelers are the big shock for me in the North though. It's early and they can recover but what an awful start.

I fully expect the Titans to take the AFC South over.

 

There's enough talent on the Saints to steal a couple of games even with Brigewater at the helm. If we can go 2-4 during that stretch, that would put the Saints at 3-5 when Brees gets back. Win 6 of the next 7 games ?? That's doable.

 

It is - I ran through their remaining schedule and it's not exceptionally daunting. Wouldn't shock me to see both finish at 9-7.

 

Even at 10-6, it still puts the Saints on the road at some point in the playoffs. And we all know how that ends. But I'll take it. Still in better shape than the Steelers.

 

Wait a couple of weeks before you judge the Steelers. Rudolph was Tim Campbell’s #1 QB from last years class

 

The penalty calling last night was ridiculous. I seen numerous flags on plays that didn't need to be called. The flow was destroyed and its just not last nights game, but all season so far. I understand the League wants to get a grip on things, but the refs are over-reacting and actually ruining the game. I agree with Tom Brady, its ridiculous. Moderation has went out the window.

 

Mariota was sacked 9 times if I'm not mistaken. More holding calls seems about right honestly if they played that bad in protection.

 

They didn't hold enough because he got sacked 9 times, lol.

 

That or they held the wrong guy