NFL Week 1 Mailbag
Revenge Games Trump All…
If you’re looking for perhaps one of the most entertaining opening weekends in a LONG TIME, this is it. Grab your popcorn and stay glued to your couch starting as early as 1:00 pm ET on Sunday stretching into the final game of the week that takes us to Seattle on Monday night.
The early window opens up with Baker Mayfield and the Panthers playing host to his former Cleveland Browns squad that decided to move on from their once No. 1 pick in favor of Deshaun Watson. In case you missed it (you probably didn’t), Watson has been suspended for the opening 11 games without pay after he was accused by more than 24 women of sexual misconduct during massage sessions while he was a member of the Houston Texans. Journeyman Jacoby Brissett will start in Watson’s place for the foreseeable future which basically indicates that the Browns are heavily going to depend on their two-headed backfield with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to carry them to victory. Best bet? Carolina takes this game as Mayfield gets his revenge.
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The late window features the Packers paying a visit to Minnesota at 4:25 p.m. ET or Za’Darius Smith’s revenge game. A two-time Pro Bowler with the Packers, Smith recently criticized the organization for the way they handled his back injury last season, hence an extra reason as to why the star pass-rusher chose the Vikings, so he could play Green Bay twice a year. Something to be afraid of? Perhaps that’s an issue for Aaron Rodgers as he will see plenty of Smith and Danielle Hunter which won’t be pretty, to say the least. As for the Packers’ defense, they have their own test against the likes of Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and Dalvin Cook. A battle Green Bay’s defense has a fighting chance at winning, however, offensively it’s looking ugly with Davante Adams no longer donning the green and yellow and top WR Allen Lazard likely sidelined for this Week 1 outing. The Vikings should be able to take down the division champs in a close one…
Finally, the one we all have been waiting for. Russell Wilson is in Seattle for a primetime game. It really doesn’t get better than that for Seahawk fans… except when Wilson is no longer on their team. In a blockbuster move that changed the landscape of the NFL, Denver has their first franchise signal-caller since Hall of Famer Peyton Manning called it a career following the 2015 season, similarly, the last time Denver was in the postseason en route to winning it all. That journey begins on Monday night and in order to move forward, Wilson will have to take a trip to the past, literally, playing on the turf he called home for the first decade of his career.
Same Faces. New Places.
The shift in the wide receiver market this offseason was one for the ages and we may never see many moves of this caliber happen in the span of one offseason again. The list of the talent on the move is long and rightfully so…
(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Davante Adams (Raiders) indubitably tops the list as not only is he perhaps the most complete wideout in the league right now, but he’s going to a Raiders squad that is in win-now mode. Adding Adams to a receiver room that already has Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller makes opposing secondaries pick their poison. The only thing that can stand in the way of Adams’ success with the silver and black will be Derek Carr’s play. We have seen the damage Adams has done with 4x MVP Aaron Rodgers, so it all depends on how Josh McDaniels and Carr draw up plays for No. 17. That all starts with a favorable matchup this week against a Chargers’ defense that will be without their top corner in J.C. Jackson…
Tyreek Hill feels like a 1B to Adams on this list and going from the Chiefs, a team that has made the AFC championship game in four consecutive seasons, to the Dolphins, a team that has struggled to reach the postseason in recent history, is quite the tall task in finding his role. What Hill is going to be evaluated on is the identity he brings to the team and if he truly makes Miami a threat to make a deep playoff run. It starts on Sunday with a tall task against Bill Belichick’s defense, fortunately, a secondary Tua Tagovailoa has had a fair amount of success.
A.J. Brown comes in at No. 3 on this list and to be honest with you, he seems the readiest to pick up where he left off with the Titans. Philadelphia has looked like the most WR-needy team in the league for a while and now Brown offers Jalen Hurts a true No. 1 that’s capable of running any route and doing anything it takes to win. He looks primed to take over right out the gate
Amari Cooper is a name that hasn’t been talked about much this offseason as his trade to the Browns preluded all the blockbuster WR trades that followed. Nonetheless, his move to Cleveland was not any less significant. The issue with Cooper though is that he arguably has the worst QB situation of any wideout on this list due to Deshaun Watson’s suspension lasting 11 weeks, he will be stuck with Jacoby Brissett. Cooper looks like a wideout that will just break the 1,000 receiving yards mark, but I may temper expectations when it comes to scoring touchdowns this season.
Marquise Brown is the last notable name on this list as he teams up with his former college QB Kyler Murray in Arizona. Brown looks primed for a big season as the offense may be tailored around him more, especially with DeAndre Hopkins suspended for the opening six games of the season. Expect Brown to run a lot more vertical routes and continue being one of the top deep threats in the NFL. It’s just a matter of time before he breaks out, especially once Hopkins returns, secondaries will have to then pick their poison.
Young Signal-Callers…
The Joe Burrow’s, the Josh Allen’s, and the Patrick Mahomes’ of the league have proved themselves as franchise quarterbacks. But the next generation of quarterbacks awaits a tall task which is their sophomore season. This includes Mac Jones, Trevor Lawrence, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, and Zach Wilson.
Expectations seem to be the highest for Jones and Lance, but rightfully so. It comes as no surprise that those two signal-callers play for the two best teams (Patriots and 49ers respectively) among the list of quarterbacks named. Fortunately, Lance faces a favorable Bears defense on the road to open the season as Fields faces a tenacious 49ers defense on the same field. San Francisco should walk out as victors, however, all eyes will be on how Lance performs win or lose.
Tony Avelar | Credit: AP
Meanwhile, Lawrence is expected to perform at a level that made him worthy of being the No. 1 overall pick last year. Newly hired head coach Doug Pederson may bring that confidence and breakout year out of Lawrence but similar to Fields (Bears) and Wilson (Jets) as well, the Jaguars roster is simply not built to win now in a division where they look like a bottom two team. Once again, doubling down on Jones and Lance not only having the most pressure on them but having the most to prove as well…
Week 1 Game Picks:
1:00 p.m. ET Games
Eagles over Lions, 31-2049ers over Bears, 26-17Bengals over Steelers, 24-17Saints over Falcons, 30-17Panthers over Browns, 28-17Colts over Texans, 27-17Dolphins over Patriots, 31-20Ravens over Jets, 36-17Commanders over Jaguars, 23-144:25 p.m. ET Games
Raiders over Chargers, 31-26Titans over Giants, 28-20Chiefs over Cardinals, 34-30Vikings over Packers, 26-20Sunday Night Football, 8:20 p.m. ET
Bucs over Cowboys, 30-26Monday Night Football, 8:15 p.m. ET
Broncos over Seahawks, 27-17