I think the Eagles get it going this week, ten teams missed on Tyler Warren, and Carson Wentz is back!
Last Week: 8 – 8 – 0
Season: 19 – 13 – 0
Thursday (8:20PM ET)
Dolphins 21 at Bills 31
Tua Tagovailoa had the Dolphins right there and then he snatched it away. My brother texted during the game that Mike McDaniel looks like a coach that wants to be freed not fired. That feels accurate.
Early Games (1:00PM ET)
Packers at Browns
I don’t fully understand why Cleveland isn’t better. Don’t laugh. Hear me out… I think Kevin Stefanski is a good coach. There is some high level talent on that roster as well; Myles Garret, Jack Conklin, David Njoku, Grant Delpit, Denzel Ward and so on. I expect them to get some wins as they work rookie running back Quinshon Judkins more into the offense. A run game will do wonders for Joe Flacco and really open up the middle for both Njoku and the impressive rookie, Harold Fannin Jr. PACKERS -7.5
Colts at Titans
Penn State homer here so take this with a grain of salt, but why Tyler Warren wasn’t a top five pick didn’t make sense. Why he was the second tight end off the board made even less sense. Everyone and anyone who watched him the last two seasons knew he would be a stud in the NFL. I will only excuse the Titans, Giants and Raiders for passing on Warren. TITANS +4.5
Bengals at Vikings
Backup Bowl! I know I’ve said this many times before, but Carson Wentz is much see TV for me because 2017 was the greatest quarterback season I’ve seen from an Eagles quarterback. I’ll always believe that quarterback is in there somewhere, even if it’s been almost a decade since that glorious season. VIKINGS -3
Steelers at Patriots
Count me among the many dummies that thought Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh offense was good after Week 1. At this point I don’t think Rodgers can quarterback an effective offense without a running game. He’s 41 years old so it makes sense he can’t escape pressure like he did a decade ago, but the offense has to help him, too. And don’t expect that kind of help anytime soon. Dating back to last season, the Steelers have averaged over 3.5 yards per rush only twice in their last seven games. Finally, can someone get Rodgers another helmet? Ohio rizz is real and his helmet is it. STEELERS -2
Rams at Eagles
This is life of a Super Bowl champion. Opening night you have your division rival in front of a national audience in the biggest game they’ve played in over a year. It’s just another regular season game for you. The next week you go play your Super Bowl opponent set on revenge. I don’t care what anyone says, that game can’t mean the same to you because you already won the bigger game. Now you get the team you eliminated by the skin of your teeth. It’s going to mean more to them than to you. This will be the Eagles fate week in and week out; all the vitriol, all the focus, all season. The Eagles offense finally comes to life here. Hopefully. EAGLES -3.5
Jets at Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield is a more athletic Brett Favre and if you offer me any quarterback outside the top four guys (Allen, Jackson, Mahomes, Burrow), I’m taking Mayfield. There was never a doubt he was scoring late against Atlanta and I even told my son Tampa was winning after Houston gave them the ball back with just over two minutes to play. Did I love not using a timeout once they got inside the ten? No. It didn’t end up mattering but I thought the Buccaneers allowed too much time tick off to the point where they may have only had three shots into the end zone instead of four. Again, they scored on their second shot so it didn’t end up mattering but I didn’t love it. BUCCANEERS -6.5
Raiders at Commanders
Remember when the Eagles ran through the NFL over the last three quarters of the season and playoffs a year ago? Philadelphia and Baltimore rushed for over 25 yards more per game than the third rushing offense in the NFL. The Eagles won the Super Bowl. The Ravens finished with 12 wins. Of course there are factors to consider but running the football effectively seemed like a decent recipe for success going into the 2025 season. Guess how many 100 yard rushers there were in Week 1… three. Furthermore, eight teams averaged 3.5 yards per rush or less. A whopping seven teams couldn’t even reach the 3.0 yards per rush plateau. So almost half the league was incompetent in the run game. Washington can’t win if their run game isn’t functioning. They were potent in Week 1 and a disaster last week in Green Bay. The Raiders run game has been non-existent. Win on the ground and win the game. RAIDERS +3
Falcons at Panthers
It took nearly seven full quarters before Bryce Young finally showed some signs resembling the flashes we saw in 2024. Arizona penalties played a significant part in Carolina’s rally, but Young looked comfortable and Tetairoa McMillan looks to have the makings of a true number one receiver. Kicking the running game into gear is a must for Carolina. Through two weeks Panther running backs have 36 carries for only 120 yards. One-dimensional offense is not the answer for a young QB. PANTHERS +4.5
Texans at Jaguars
With apologies to the Dolphins and Panthers, this is the Not feeling great about our top pick franchise quarterback title game. CJ Stroud’s stellar rookie season feels like a lifetime ago after a season plus of meh performances. Trevor Lawrence didn’t get a lot of help from his star receiver last week, but that doesn’t excuse the horrific red zone turnover or the countless errant passes that Cincinnati graciously dropped. JAGUARS -1.5
Afternoon Games (4:05PM ET)
Broncos at Chargers
The Chargers look like the 3rd best team in the AFC right now. Their defense is the fastest I’ve seen this season and Justin Herbert would be right there with Josh Allen for MVP after two weeks. However, those final series from Herbert Monday night had some shades of 2024 struggles. On consecutive drives Herbert missed a wide open Keenan Allen for a 1st down, and the Raiders dropped an easy interception after Herbert didn’t see the underneath linebacker. A few mistakes shouldn’t overshadow a stellar game, but it will be interesting to see if any of that bad mojo carries over. BRONCOS +2.5
Saints at Seahawks
Sam Darnold had his moments last week in Pittsburgh and I may need to apologize for claiming his success was mostly a product of Kevin O’Connell. I’m not ready yet but the window is open. SEAHAWKS -7
Cowboys at Bears
I have contrasting feelings about the Bears. On the one hand, they’re two games into a season with a brand new head coach, so of course it’s going to take time for everything to come together and look smooth. On the other hand, Caleb Williams is a mess and doesn’t seem to know what’s going on half the time. You can be an excellent college quarterback based on athleticism alone. In the NFL, you have to pair processing power with the athleticism. The processing power is even more important. Williams’ brain is still buffering and he’s relying on athleticism that betrays you in the NFL. Every person on that field is an athletic specimen. If ever there were a week for Williams and the Bears offense to find some footing, this is it. Dallas surrendered 450 passing yards to Russell Wilson and the Giants last week. BEARS +1
Cardinals at 49ers
Kyle Murray apologizing for posing with his dog in a Mike Vick jersey is beyond dumb. Apologizing for falling asleep at the wheel in the 2nd half last week? Now THAT would be a warranted apology. No other quarterback has excelled in one half and done nothing in the other more than Murray over the last half decade. Any fantasy owner will attest to this. CARDINALS +3
Sunday Night (8:20PM ET)
Chiefs at Giants
I never posted this, but this is what I wrote about the Giants after Week 1. Go figure…
Imagine watching Russell Wilson over the last two seasons and thinking, Man, I would love to have him at QB. The Giants and Brian Daboll did just that, and if you actually thought Jaxon Dart was an option in Week 2 you’re playing checkers not chess. Dart is Daboll’s ace up his sleeve. After Wilson scuttles the season, the fans will be clamoring for Daboll’s pink slip. The front office will certainly be leaning that direction after three consecutive lackluster seasons. But Daboll has Dart. Give me a year with Dart, he’ll say. After all, Dart is Daboll’s first hand-picked quarterback. That probably buys Daboll one more season, but he can’t play that card too early. It has to be late enough in the season where the Dart just didn’t have enough time to settle in excuse works. Start Dart too early and he and the team struggle and Daboll is gone. Start him in December and see even a little improvement and Daboll is employed in 2026. Chess. Not checkers. CHIEFS -6
Monday Night (8:15PM ET)
Lions at Ravens
Detroit looked real good last week and I don’t believe they’re actually that good. I’m ready to be proven wrong but I can’t help but wonder if the Lions used all their knowledge of Ben Johnson against him, because Detroit did not look nearly that good in Week 1 against a very good Packers team. RAVENS -5