Category: Kansas City Chiefs

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5 things to look out for in Week 11

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Week 11 sees the NFL return to Mexico, a key AFC East battle, and a few crucial players potentially return from injury

1. Can Jeff Saturday go 2-0 as the Colts welcome the 8-1 Eagles to Indianapolis?

The Philadelphia Eagles’ hopes for an unbeaten season were ended on Monday night after a 32-21 loss at home to the Washington Commanders.

Colts Interim HC Jeff Saturday won his first-ever game as an NFL coach on Sunday, against the Raiders in a game that featured a rare Matt Ryan 40-yard run, only days after being an analyst for ESPN.

What makes Saturday’s achievement even more spectacular than your average new interim coach bounce is the fact that he has no play-calling experience whatsoever and has only previously operated at high school level.

2. Will the New England Patriots catapult themselves into contention for the AFC East with a win vs the New York Jets?

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Every team in the AFC East not only has a winning record but also would be in the playoffs if they started today.

After upsetting the Bills 20-17 two weeks ago, the Jets are back from a bye, refreshed and travel to New England for a must-win game to help their playoff push.

New England were victorious 22-17 as the away team in their Week 8 meeting, a win for Bill Belichick’s team puts them within a chance of being unexpectedly right in the mix late in the year.

3. Who’s better, the 6-3 Cowboys or 8-1 Vikings?

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The Dallas Cowboys are 6-3, they have however had one of the easiest schedules in the league this season, that changes on Sunday as they face the 8-1 Minnesota Vikings.

Minnesota, like Dallas, had many questioning their legitimacy but came away from Buffalo with a win in dramatic fashion, silencing their doubters.

Kevin O’Connell’s team are able to grind out wins, every victory in their current seven-game streak is by one score, they’ll be a real challenge for the Cowboys.

4. Will SNF see the Los Angeles Chargers get their playoff push back on track with a win at home to the Kansas City Chiefs?

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Justin Herbert may get the added boost of having Mike Williams and Keenan Allen back to help him go toe to toe with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.

Allen’s hamstring injury initially occurred in Week 1, before suffering a setback on his return in week 7, the same game that Williams went down with a high ankle sprain.

Kansas City have only scored less than 20 points once all year, but are without Mecole Hardman and Juju Smith-Schuster going into this one.

5. Will Kyler Murray be back for the fifth and final international game of 2022?

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Mexico City hosts two NFC West teams as the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers go head-to-head at Estadio Azteca on MNF.

Kyler Murray could be back for Arizona, but if he’s not, their backup QB Colt McCoy is coming off a big game in Los Angeles, where the Cards came away 27-17 winners over the Rams.

A win for San Francisco will see them overtake Seattle for the lead of the division, and in the driving seat for a home playoff game. 

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5 things to look out for in Week 9

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Week 9 sees three huge matchups in the AFC playoff race and two NFC teams looking for a lifeline

1. Newly-boosted Miami Dolphins travel to Chicago to face the Bears

The Dolphins went all in on Tuesday, trading a first-round pick for edge-rusher Bradley Chubb, putting them right up there with the best in the AFC.

Chicago were active too, first losing Roquan Smith to the Ravens for a 2nd, but then flipping another 2nd to Pittsburgh for Chase Claypool, giving Justin Fields another weapon.

Luke Getsy’s Bears offense run the ball over 50% of the time, will they be successful against the league’s sixth-best run defense?

2. Buffalo Bills and New York Jets face off in key AFC East matchup

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PFF’s #1 ranked offense (Bills), faces off against the #1 defense that the New York Jets possess, expect them to cause Josh Allen problems.

New York’s offensive line is really banged-up, look for Von Miller, Ed Oliver and co to feast.

A win for the Jets will see them hold the tiebreaker over not only the Buffalo Bills but also the Miami Dolphins, setting up a spicy end to the AFC East.

3. Arizona Cardinals are in need of a win vs Seattle Seahawks

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Arizona scored over 25 points once whilst DeAndre Hopkins was suspended, in the two games since he came back, they’ve done it twice.

Seattle were 19-9 winners when these two sides met in Week 6, Pete Caroll’s team have won the past two against Kliff Kingsbury’s Cardinals. 

With two of the worst defenses in the NFL statistically, this one, as most Seahawks games have been this year, could be a shootout.

4. Two pre-season NFC favourites looking for mid-season lifeline

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Who would’ve thought before the season started that both the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers would have losing records in their Week 9 meeting?

Both teams, who have plenty of talent offensively, have only scored more than 25 points once all season.

This one could be a sack fest as two of the NFL’s best defensive lines are up against two poor pass-protection units.

5. Arrowhead hosts the 2020 AFC Championship Game rematch on SNF

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Two of the league’s most in-form teams in the Kansas City Chiefs, and Tennessee Titans, battle it out to end the ninth NFL Sunday of the season.

This one sees an interesting battle between the Tennessee offense that runs the ball 52.1% of the time, and the Chiefs’ third-ranked rushing defense.

A win for either side will be very important when it comes to playoff seeding, because right now they both sit 5-2 and lead their respective divisions.

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5 things to look out for in Week 7

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Tua Tagovailoa’s return to action on SNF against his former Head Coach Brian Flores is the highlight of Week 7

1. Will the Baltimore Ravens throw away another game in the fourth quarter?

Baltimore has now lost three close games in the fourth quarter, with last week’s collapse against the Giants with the ball in Lamar Jackson’s hands perhaps being the worst.

They’ve got a big chance to get right when they welcome the 2-5 Cleveland Browns on Sunday, a team who are fighting to stay alive in the race for the AFC North

One thing we do know is it’ll be tight, all of the Ravens home games have been decided by three points or less this year, with them only being victorious once.

2. In form Colts in need of a win as they face off with the Tennessee Titans in key AFC South duel.

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The Indianapolis Colts are welcomed by the Titans for the second of their two annual matchups, this one may well decide the AFC South.

Tennessee got out to an early lead in their Week 4 fixture, managing to hold on for a 24-17 victory after a late Indy comeback, meaning the Colts need to respond to prevent Mike Vrabel’s team from having a tiebreaker.

Matt Ryan had one hell of a game against Jacksonville last week, his Colts offense are now starting to find a groove but a loss here would put them at a real disadvantage of winning the division.

3. Russell Wilson out with a hamstring injury, Brett Rypien will start against the New York Jets

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Nathaniel Hackett’s Denver Broncos’ start to the season is getting worse by the day, as Russell Wilson is now set to miss Sunday’s game at home to the Jets with the hamstring injury he sustained on MNF.

The two top defenses are the stars of the show, as both the Broncos and the Jets defenses are within the top 10 of the league according to PFF (Denver 5th, New York 8th.)

Robert Saleh’s Jets are one of the hottest teams in football right now after back to back wins over the Dolphins and Packers.

4. CMC returns to Southern California as a San Fransisco 49er

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Christian McCaffrey should suit up for his first game in gold and red after he was acquired via a trade from the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night, he’ll be a big boost for a 49ers team that looked off the pace in Atlanta last week.

A second, third, and a fourth round pick is a steep price for the ex-Stanford running back who can’t stay on the field, but if he can stay healthy he’s a real asset and may be the piece San Francisco need to win a championship.

Their opponents, the Kansas City Chiefs, are on the back of a tight loss to Buffalo at Arrowhead where their defense did well to limit Josh Allen and co to only 24 points.

5. Flores and Tua meet again as the Miami Dolphins host the Pittsburgh Steelers on SNF

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Tua Tagovailoa makes his return to the football field for the first time since he left the game in Cincinnati with a horrific concussion, since then his Dolphins have moved from 3-0 to 3-3.

The third year quarterback has his former head coach Brian Flores on the opposite sideline, it’s not secret that they didn’t get on so he’ll be out for revenge.

Mike Tomlin and Flores’ defense stepped up in their win over Tampa Bay on Sunday, the Pittsburgh defensive line against the Miami offensive line should be a great battle, especially with Terron Armstead looking good to go. 

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5 things to look out for in Week 6

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Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs rematch and NFC East nail-biter standout in stacked Week 6 slate

1. Ravens travel to the big apple to play in-form Giants

The 4-1 New York Giants pulled off an impressive comeback win over the Packers in London last week, after Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley came in clutch and Wink Martindale’s defense stepped up to shut down Rodgers and co when needed. 

Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens are in town and are hitting form at the right time, having just taken the lead of the AFC North after beating their divisional rival Bengals.

Contrary to their first two home games, the defense was able to eliminate big plays, more of that on Sunday will go a long way towards finding the consistency needed to contend in January.

2. Minnesota Vikings in Miami to play banged up Dolphins

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It’s perhaps the perfect time for Minnesota to play Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins, who could be missing multiple starters.

7th round rookie QB Skylar Thompson will make his first start for the Fins, after Teddy Bridgewater joined Tua Tagovailoa in concussion protocol this week, whilst Terron Armstead and Raheem Mostert are questionable and Austin Jackson and Byron Jones remain on IR.

The Vikings are looking hot right now, having won three close games in a row, righting last years wrongs as the team that lost the most games by one score in 2021.

3. Two LSU legends return to the state to face the New Orleans Saints

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LSU Tigers legends Joe Burrow and Jamarr Chase return to Louisiana on Sunday as their Cincinnati Bengals play the Saints at the Caesars Superdome, the very stadium where the Tigers became national champions.

New Orleans’ defensive line will be a tough test for a Bengals pass protection unit that has looked better in recent games, a great time to see where they’re at.

It’ll be intriguing to see what Dennis Allen does with Marshon Lattimore, will he shadow Chase, like he did Jefferson in London, or cover one of Higgins and Boyd, with the superstar WR being double covered. 

4. Chiefs and Bills back to play in rematch of the greatest playoff game. 

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The Kansas City Chiefs welcome the Buffalo Bills to Arrowhead in the rematch of the 2021 Divisional Round game, potentially the greatest contest we’ve ever seen.

Buffalo beefed up their pass-rush with Von Miller to get to Patrick Mahomes this year, whilst the home team used the cap space left after trading Tyreek to upgrade their own defense, one that needs to contain Josh Allen.

This one could be the game of the year, certainly the game of the week, why wouldn’t it be when it features the two most complete teams in the league, it’s a shame they can’t meet in the Super Bowl.

5. Cooper Rush’s Dallas Cowboys out to give rival Philadelphia Eagles their first loss

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In what could be Dallas’ final game without Dak Prescott they have a chance to go 5-1 and end their bitter rivals unbeaten start.

NBC has what may turn out to be one of the better primetime games we’ve seen this year, who would’ve thought that when the Cowboys were forced to turn to their backup QB.

With Micah Parsons good to go, Dallas has certainly got the defense to hamper Jalen Hurts and co, he’s turning into one of the best players in the whole league. 

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5 things to look out for in Week 4

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Tom Brady vs Patrick Mahomes, and the start of the 2022 NFL International Series are highlights in a packed NFL Sunday

Vikings, Saints meet in first London game of 2022

Plenty of offensive talent is on show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon as the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints touch down in London.

New Orleans, who act as the home team, look set to start Andy Dalton at quarterback, as Jameis Winston is sidelined with a back injury, as is star WR Michael Thomas with a leg issue.

Minnesota possess one of the best offenses we’ve seen brace the UK recently, both Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook are among the best at their position, this should be an exciting London game.

Two MVP Candidates face off in Baltimore

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Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens and Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills grace the same field in Sunday’s early window, this matchup being the game of Week 4.

The Ravens are struggling on defense right now, will Josh Allen, who many perceive to be the best quarterback in football, feast?

Buffalo have lost star safety Micah Hyde for the season, and the team may again be without his partner back there, Jordan Poyer, which Lamar Jackson will try and take advantage of.

Huge game in race for the AFC South

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Tennessee travels to Indianapolis on Sunday for a crucial matchup in the race for the AFC South, which Jacksonville have taken an early lead of.

Both teams are fresh off their first wins of the season, having come out of the first two games without a win.

Neither Derrick Henry, nor Jonathan Taylor have set the world alight through three weeks, whoever has the best day on the ground will likely determine this matchup.

Raiders looking to turn season around with visit of rival Broncos

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A doubt many people expected Las Vegas to go 0-3 to start the year, they’ve looked bad, really bad, which is a huge surprise with what we saw last year.

If they’re unable to beat Denver on Sunday this could be it for a team with the likes of Davantae Adams, and Darren Waller.

As for Denver, they’ve not been what we’ve expected either but have managed to grind out two wins, going 3-1 whilst they’re growing as a team will be massive. 

Brady and Mahomes duel in Tampa despite Hurricane Ian

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Two teams with elite quarterbacks, who look set to be playing playoff football deep into January face off on SNF in Tampa Bay, despite the recent hurricane in the area.

Initially the venue of the game was due to be moved to Minneapolis, but luckily for local Buccaneers fans, the stadium is safe to host the game, giving those who have gone through so much this week a place to take their minds somewhere else for a few hours.

Tom Brady will be pleased to have Mike Evans back from suspension this week, the Bucs offense struggled without him, Julio Jones, and Chris Godwin in Green Bay last time out, the latter two are questionable. 

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Week 3 – Five Things We’ve Learned

That Week One mulligan I asked for just about got me over the line this week as things we learned actually remained to be true, kinda, sorta. The Lions were unlucky against the Vikings who themselves showed a lot of grit to grind out a win after their abject display against Philadelphia.

As this intrepid writer sets their sights on watching a broken Jameis Winston face off against the aforementioned Vikings this Sunday (pre-game commiserations encouraged and accepted), let’s take a final look at the week that was in the NFL…

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The AFC South is the Jags for the taking

Why wouldn’t it be? They just beat up on an admittedly beat up Chargers team but for all of the injuries that have plagued Los Angeles, the masterful all-round performance from Jacksonville was a joy to behold. Trevor Lawrence didn’t need to be magical or put the team on his back, he, along with James Robinson and the defense contributed to a wonderful all-round performance that leaves the Jags leading the AFC South and looking to an October that features eminently winnable games against Houston, the Giants, the Broncos and a fascinating divisional re-match against Indianapolis.

Speaking of which…

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The Colts had no business beating the Chiefs

As much as I’d love to hand out the celebratory beers for Indy for their hard-fought win against Kansas City, if the Chiefs had a healthy Harrison Butker then they win that game. They left four points on the field and also tried a fake punt from the Colts 24-yard line because their confidence in Matt Ammendola had vanished like a fart in the wind after a missed XP and a missed FG earlier in the game.

It was a ‘gotta have it’ for an 0-1-1 Colts team and whilst they did get it, the offensive line is still not getting enough done for Jonathan Taylor to be his true self whilst also leaving Matt Ryan under regular duress from the pass rush. Given that the Colts face fearsome pass-rushers in the form of Denver and Jacksonville in the coming weeks, they need to get this right and quickly.

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Florida in September is not the place to be if you’re a football player

The Bills-Dolphins game had everything but my two favourite things from there were a) the butt-punt which reminded me of headers’n’volleys punishments from my youth (if you know you know), and b) a striking re-enactment of the opening to the landing on Omaha Beach in June 1942 during the two-minute warning.

The heat in Miami was hideous and the clock hit double zeroes on that futile final drive of the Bills you just saw bodies everywhere cramping up as over three hours of intense competition between two teams that looked primed to meet twice more this season. If this were a Jim-Ross-announced-WWF(/E)-PPV-main-event we’d have heard the term ‘slobberknocker’ repeated to death but that’s exactly what it was. A slobberknocker.

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The Falcons and Seahawks aren’t good…but they’re fun

Call me an idiot (again) but I think if these two teams just played each other for the rest of the season it’d be a fun watch. Like two friends slapping each other in the face with a tortilla for three and a half straight hours, I wasn’t sure what I was watching was particularly worth my time but I still enjoyed it.

Cordarrelle Patterson continues to impress, Kyle Pitts was finally involved in a game, Geno Smith threw for over 300 yards and the Metcalf-Lockett duo looked kinda fun. These two teams will not be relevant come Thanksgiving but they’ll definitely be worth watching should they come up against a Good Team ™. Seattle has already played spoiler to Denver, Atlanta nearly did it against the Rams. Go be a nuisance.

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The Saints are a sad question mark

To quote Donald Rumsfeld:

“We also know there are known unknowns — that is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don’t know we don’t know.”

This is how I feel about New Orleans. A team that could easily be 0-3 but also – on paper – could have reasonably expected to be 3-0 given the players Tampa Bay were missing in Week 2. Instead, they are 1-2 and heading to London with a quarterback with back fractures, an offense that cannot stop fumbling, a pass rush that cannot rush, an offensive line that cannot stop a pass rush and a kicker that gave Saints fans some horrid 2021 flashbacks against the Panthers.

They cannot get out of their own way and unless they figure this out quickly, you can see a hormonally imbalanced Vikings team putting up some serious points this Sunday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. This team should – at the bare minimum – be decent. For 80% of the first three weeks, they’ve been mediocre at best. At least the Saints’ problems are known knowns…

See you all at the Beavertown Bar this Sunday!

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Week 2: Rookie Standouts

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Week 2 is now in the books and what a week it was. With last second heroics, head scratching coaching decisions and comebacks galore, it’s time once again to look at three rookies that made big contributions to their teams’ results this week. Let’s get into it. 

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Aidan Hutchinson, Edge – Detroit Lions  

Hutchinson was held to a solitary tackle in his NFL debut against the Philadelphia Eagles but commented afterwards that he had learnt a lot. He’s obviously a quick learner because he exploded against the Washington Commanders. In the first half, he became the first Lion rookie ever to record three sacks in a game and the fourth youngest ever to do so. 

The 2nd overall pick has now shown the rest of the NFL that he’s the real deal, and though he may not get three every week, the sacks will likely continue to come as he gains more experience. 

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Jaylen Watson, Cornerback – Kansas City Chiefs 

It’s not often a seventh-round pick gets a spotlight as a rookie, but when you now own the record for the longest go-ahead fourth-quarter touchdown by a rookie, I think it is well deserved. 

Jaylen Watson was thrust into Thursday night’s game after an injury to first-rounder Trent McDuffie and knew he was likely going to have a busy evening as the Los Angeles Chargers would more than likely target his side of the field. That much was true, but Watson would only allow 5 completions from 12 targets before his game-sealing pick 6, and as the dust settled on the Chiefs’ 27-24 win, Watson deservedly won AFC Defensive Player of the Week. 

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Garrett Wilson, Wide Receiver – New York Jets  

As the Browns scored to extend their lead to 30-17 with 1:55 left in the game, Garrett Wilson felt responsible as he had dropped a pass from Joe Flacco that would have been enough for a first down and extended the drive. Had the game petered out after the Browns touchdown, it would have been a bittersweet day for Wilson with his touchdown and 75 yards, but there was more drama to come. 

The last two minutes of this game turned into insanity, and after the onside kick was recovered, Wilson had a chance to make amends. He gladly took the opportunity, catching a 15-yard pass to score his second touchdown of the game and complete the unlikely comeback. 

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Week 1: Five things we’ve learned

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Each week, I’ll be highlighting five things we learned off the back of the weekend’s games, and what that could mean going forward!

With Week One in the books, it’s difficult to have a true handle on what a team is really like. Was that blowout win/loss an aberration or a sign of things to come? I suppose you can spin it whichever way you like and finding definitive outcomes can be akin to trying to reach the ground floor of the Penrose Stairs…

But here’s my five cents for your reading pleasure:

1. The Cowboys are in deep trouble

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This was evident before Dak Prescott left the game with a fractured thumb that will sideline him for several weeks. The decision to trade Amari Cooper for a pittance without tangibly replacing him meant Noah Brown and Dalton Schultz saw the bulk of the targets (a combined 18 of 41) and CeeDee Lamb was a non-factor going 2 for 29 yards off 11 targets.

With no trade for Jimmy G/A.N.Other in the offing it’s Cooper Rush SZN for games against Bengals, Giants, Commanders and the Rams at an absolute minimum. A sub-standard QB with a receiving corps as thin as NFC West Week 1 Highlight Reel spells trouble for Dallas. They could be staring 1-4 in the face come mid-October.

2. New York Giants are better than we thought

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Is this the dreaded Week One aberration? I debated giving this a ‘Titans-are-bad’ slant but opted for some optimism by throwing some praise to the G-Men.

Whilst Derrick Henry looked off the pace, Saquon Barkley was fully switched on and back to the 2018/2019 standard that the New York fan base fell in love with. With playcalling so gutsy it has coined the term ‘Dabolls’, the Giants first year Head Coach has laid down a marker for how his team can and should play. 

Whilst it may be the Eagles division to lose, there’s no reason why New York can’t be feisty and play spoiler this year in an otherwise weak NFC East.

3. The Bills are who we thought they were

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Less something learned as something confirmed. This team is legit and I was a guy who fancied the Rams at home against a Bills secondary that could be considered their weakest spot. As it happens, they tormented Matthew Stafford, intercepting him three times and giving receivers not-named-Cooper-Kupp a long, long Thursday night.

Praise must also be offered up to the burgeoning deity that is Josh Allen who has developed such a connection with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis that it begs the question – how the hell do you stop these guys scoring?!

4. The Chiefs are fine, relax

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Unless you’re in the AFC West. I know the Cardinals looked totally lost but Patrick Mahomes and co. looked ready to pick up where they left off at the end of the 2021 regular season. By the time the game reached the 4th quarter it was 37-7 and left me wailing at the box score “stop, stop they’re already dead” much like that poor child screams when Homer Simpson pummels the Krusty Burglar into unconsciousness.

One downside for Kansas City? Five fumbles doesn’t look great, even if one was from Chad Henne. Luckily only one failed to be recovered.

5. The Vikings are coming for Green Bay

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Various power rankings had the Vikings languishing in the lower half going into Week One. How foolish we all look now, eh? I know the Packers took a pummelling from New Orleans this time last year but this one felt different. There wasn’t the weird passing line from Kirk Cousins as Jameis Winston had. He threw for 277 yards and a pair of Tuddys. Justin Jefferson? How’s your 9/184/2 to start the season? 

On the other side of the ball, Green Bay were throttled. Hamstrung by the loss of Davante Adams, Aaron Rodgers is now relying on rookie receivers and journeymen to make up the difference but no matter how you try to Moneyball your way out of this, Green Bay without a WR1 are in serious danger of losing the NFC North crown to Minnesota. The Packers have officially been put on notice.