We’re one week down for the 2025 NFL season and as always, there was a lot going. Before we even had one snap from scrimmage, we had a star defender ejected for spitting at an opponent in the kickoff game, then a great AFC West quarterback battle in Sao Paulo, a Sunday slate filled with revenge stories, an early game of the year contender on Sunday night and another big-time comeback to close things out on Monday.

Understandably, there’ll be a lot of overreactions from what happened in these opening games, and while we saw more established players participating in preseason, there was still some rust to shake off, and defenses setting the tone in several matchups. Nonetheless, there‘s a lot to take away for now, as we get our first look at new schemes, rookies, units, etc.

I‘m going to outline three takeaways for all 16 games based on watching the broadcasts and/or tape afterwards. Therefore, these will obviously be rather subjective in terms of on what stood out to me, but I’ll try to encapsulate what matters most for individual players and teams here.

Let’s break it all down!

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 Dallas Cowboys 20 : 24 Philadelphia Eagles 

 

1. The Cowboys may be better on both sides of the ball than I gave them credit for

In my full season predictions, I had the Cowboys with a 6-11 record following the trade of Micah Parsons. The way they’ve handled (very public) contract disputes and put themselves into bad spots with the media presence of Jerry Jones, they simply haven’t always prioritized winning above everything else. However, I was pretty encouraged by what they showed against the reigning champs on the night those guys were raising the banner at their house. Jalen Carter rightfully getting ejected, before ever putting his hand in the dirt, definitely helped, but the Cowboys finished tenth in offensive EPA against the league’s top-ranked defense from a year ago, Dak Prescott wasn’t sacked once, and they actually led the league in rushing success rate (61.9%). Ceedee Lamb’s late drops unfortunately really damaged an otherwise brilliant day. And while they would’ve certainly benefited from having that one premier pass-rusher to not allow Jalen Hurts to sit back in the pocket for 3+ seconds before taking off, their defense did hold the Eagles for just under five yards per play.

 

2. The CB2 spot for Philadelphia is very worrisome

The duo of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean as two top-40 overall draft picks last year proved to reap major benefits and help the Eagles end their season by heaping the Lombardi Trophy. A month later, when free agency started however, they were willing to allow 34-year-old Darius Slay to walk in free agency, before trading safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Texans soon after. With mind-round picks these last two drafts, they appear equipped to justify the latter move, but have yet to settle on anyone at that second spot outside. Veteran Adoree’ Jackson just earned a 32.4 overall PFF grade in his Philly debut, yet Kelee Ringo didn’t play a single defensive snap, after he got roasted in the preseason, and their only hope currently is that Jakorian Bennett, who they acquired for a late-round pick from the Raiders, can build on a handful of good moments. With clever offensive designs, you can isolate these corners in quarters coverage fairly regularly, and whether Ceedee or Pickens, Dallas was ready to go after that weak-link.

 

3. The Jalen Hurts discourse will continue

Now, for the casual observer and/or diehard Eagles fan, who insist Hurts is a borderline elite quarterback, they will tell you that he scored two touchdowns and did what was needed to lead his team to victory. And while that is true, and he certainly looked spry as a runner, picking up seven first downs on nine scrambles, I’d also say that this was the most “Jalen Hurts performance” and stat line ever. Routinely he got stuck on his primary read, despite the O-line keeping him clean basically all day long, with an insane time-to-throw of 3.67 seconds, he looked erratic on the few occasions Dallas brought an extra rusher, and he hit on his one deep shot to Jahan Dotson on a post, but didn’t even attempt a throw in the 10-19 yard range. We can talk about some of the stagnant offensive ideas by Kevin Patulo and how it’s somewhat reminiscent of when they elevated an OC in-house for 2023, but there’s no excuse for targeting A.J. Brown once all night.

 

 

 Kansas City Chiefs 21 : 27 Los Angeles Chargers  

 

 

1. Justin Herbert can absolutely shred defenses if you just give him time

Since we just mentioned the steady discourse around Jalen Hurts, I’ve never really understood some of the things said about Justin Herbert in the media. Obviously, being three games above .500 coming into last Friday as a starter and not having a playoff win in his first five seasons doesn’t match up with this caliber of quarterback, but a combination of play-calling, weaponry and protection has always held him back in the past. What he did against the Chiefs in Sao Paulo was a great reminder what he’s capable of, completing 25-of-34 passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns with no picks, plus another 32 yards on seven carries. Despite only 58 yards on the ground across 18 non-Herbert carries, they finished week one first in overall success rate offensively (56.5%), as Justin was only bested by Lamar Jackson and Jordan Love in EPA per play (0.438). I was impressed by the way they were able to deal with some of the pressures defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo on the other side threw at them, but Herbert put together a masterclass with subtle pocket movement to buy extra time, exhausting progressions and delivering darts all over the field.

 

2. Patrick Mahomes was spectacular, but this isn’t their type of game script anymore

I don’t think it’s crazy to say that this was in contention for a top-ten individual performance from a quarterback on the opposite side of Herbert, who has had as many high-end performances as anyone since taking over the starting job for Kansas City in 2018. Mahomes was awarded three big-time throws compared to only one turnover-worthy play, he only allowed two of 15 pressures to turn into sacks, and he picked up five first downs on six scrambles – along with running people over. He was dialed in with the quick game, broke the back of the defense when they left a rush lane open for him and then he had three incredible throws – a little flip to Juju Smith-Schuster as he was pretty much horizontal to the ground, a beautiful touch throw on a high cross to Tyquan Thornton, and the wild toss across his body to Hollywood Brown streaking down the deep middle. And yet, now with Xavier Worthy banging up his shoulder on friendly fire off a mesh concept to start the game and Rashee Rice already suspended, KC simply doesn’t have the weaponry to consistently win in these shootout affairs, where they have ten total runs by running backs (for 41 yards).

 

3. Kansas City’s two offensive tackles might be an issue again

Added to the lack of help around Pat, the main worry about how they want to operate is their guys on either end of the O-line. Jawaan Taylor has never lived up to his big free agency deal, but at least didn’t kill them like the lack of a solution at left tackle last season. Meanwhile, there was so much optimism around Josh Simmons, who they picked at the very end of the first round in this past draft and could’ve gone a lot earlier, if not for a torn patellar tendon. Yet, going through Pro Football Focus’ database from this game, they were the two lowest-graded offensive player – Simmons at 51.0 and Taylor at 49.5, allowing six combined QB pressures and collecting their six total flags on that side of the ball. You’d hope for continued growth from the rookie coming off the injury, but the vet getting flagged four more times after he was tied for a league-high 19 total last year isn’t a great sign. And with how important those spots are for how Mahomes wants to navigate the pocket, this could be huge.

 

 

 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23 : 20 Atlanta Falcons 

 

1. The NFC South will come down to these two teams and winning at Atlanta is the first big step for the Bucs

Although the Saints were more competitive than I might’ve anticipated against the Cardinals at the same time, I still don’t see any threat of them challenging for the division crown, and the Panthers in that rain-delayed matchup at Jacksonville felt like they were still far away themselves. The Falcons also had a chance to overtake the Bucs entering week 18 last year, when they were hoping for a slip-up in Tampa Bay, thanks to winning both of their two direct matchups. I generally liked what I saw from both of these quarterbacks. Baker Mayfield was regularly buying a little extra time and ripping throws over the middle of the field. Michael Penix Jr., on the flipside, was maybe pushed into a style of play that he wasn’t as used to in college against Todd Bowles’ fire-zone heavy defensive principles, but showed patience to check the ball down, showed off his arm strength when he needed to drive the ball and added a couple of key scrambles. Neither side allowed their blindside tackles missing, to turn out catastrophic. And both teams have some promising rookie defenders, whose impact should only increase. A kicker like Younghoe Koo, who has made a bunch of big kicks, but then can also hook a standard try that cost Atlanta overtime, after already being lucky to bang one in off the upright, can make the difference in this race.

 

2. This wasn’t the Falcons offense we were promised

When I imagined what this attack for Atlanta would look like with last year’s top-ten pick Michael Penix Jr. taking over as the full-time starter, I expected a heavily vertically-oriented aerial assault, paired with Bijan Robinson as an outlet underneath, thanks to all that space they’d create underneath, and leaning even more into the star running back on duo concepts. Yet, on Sunday against their NFC South rivals, 35.7% of their passes were short of the sticks (which would‘ve ranked dead-last in the NFL last year), and 23 targets split between Drake London and Kyle Pitts resulted in a very modest total of 114 yards through the air. At the same time, they were dead-last in rush EPA for the week (-0.517), routinely having the front-side of zone calls closed down, after they were first in success rate last season. Tampa Bay’s front will be tough to run against for most teams, but I wanted to see some more advantageous looks to attack downfield drawn up by OC Zac Taylor.

 

3. Emeka Egbuka will be a star in this league

There seemed to have been some boredom with Egbuka in this past draft cycle, probably because he was a candidate to declare last year already, and he was always the number two receiver for Ohio State, behind the likes of top-five overall picks Marvin Harrison Jr. and most likely also Jeremiah Smith in 2027. I viewed him as a rock-solid Robin to someone’s Batman in the pros as well, with inside-out flexibility, worthy of going anywhere over the second half of the first round. Still, I was rather surprised that the Bucs were the ones to pull the trigger at pick 19, considering they were bringing back Chris Godwin coming off ankle surgery, but with his return still questionable, the rookie was slated for a big role straight away. Egbuka was only targeted six times, but hauled in four of those for 67 yards and a pair of touchdowns – a quick screen for minimal yardage, a nice inside handoff, he was able to secure a laser right at his facemask from Baker on a drag route, scored on a high cross off play-action, which Baker beautifully layered over the sinking flat-defender the opposite way, and then also the game-winner on a route combo where the deep middle safety Jessie Bates tried to jump it earlier, with a dig inside but then the rookie one-on-one with leverage against the corner on the deep post. Jonathan Vilma on the broadcast also astutely noted on the Bucky Irving touchdown how Egbuka slightly hooked the linebacker in order to allow the back to score on a swing route.

 

 

 Cincinnati Bengals 17 : 16 Cleveland Browns 

 

1. We were one of three plays away from another week one Bengals stinker

I’m sure there were plenty of fans from other teams and RedZone watchers, who were wondering “Hey, Cleveland is keeping this close at home” when the score of this game flashed across the screen. What those people probably missed is that we were even closer to the next edition of Cincinnati having a dud to start the season than they might’ve thought, as a franchise having earned a reputation for not really showing up in the season-opener. First, Jerry Jeudy tried to scoop up a low pass on a deep in-cut, which instead he popped up straight into the arms of safety Jordan Battle behind him, which directly set up the lead-changing field goal for the final score of 17-16 with five minutes left in the third quarter. Then, with two minutes-and-a-half remaining in the fourth, new kicker Andre Szmyt missed a 36-yard field goal. And a minute later, Cedric Tillmann was late to get his eyes around on a curl and the bobbled pass ended up getting picked off by D.J. Turner. So they were on pace for a fourth straight season in which they lost their first two games.

 

2. The Browns aren’t good, but they’ll be annoying

Don’t get me wrong – Cleveland is on track to picking up high in next year’s draft and could very easily package their own with Jacksonville’s first-round pick for a quarterback in a very talented class. However, even if I don’t believe Joe Flacco – or either one of their rookies – can give them the play under required to be a real threat to most competent football teams, they aren’t going to be an easy out until they maybe prioritize that draft slot over winning late in the year. Flacco still has the arm to access all areas of the field, Kevin Stefanski has some crafty designs in his back-pocket, everyone in that backfield is competing for touches and their top two names in receptions (with 15 combined) were rookie Dylan Sampson and Harold Fannin Jr., with all these underneath opportunities, where they force defenses to come up and wrestle them to the ground. Meanwhile, the defense was flying around for most of the day, with Myles Garrett at one point racking up three sacks on consecutive plays, and their corners looked a lot better than they did in 2025. So at least they’ll test you in some different ways offensively and have a monster on the other side.

 

3. You’re getting Joe Burrow killed at this pace

The concern about this offensive line coming into the season was more so at the two guard spots, where they already couldn’t get a whole lot worse, but were starting a third-round rookie and a journeyman in Lucas Patrick, now on his fourth team in five seasons. The latter actually got hurt just 16 offensive snaps and will miss “a few weeks” with a calf injury and was replaced by another veteran nobody seemingly wants to commit to in Dalton Risner, but wasn’t the leaky spot necessarily on Sunday. As I already mentioned, Myles Garrett collected three sacks in consecutive fashion, first getting around the edge on Orlando Brown Jr. and then keeping the left tackle off balance a couple of times with a stutter off the line before sliding inside. Burrow overall was pressured on 41.4% of his dropbacks and took another wicked shot from number 95 looping into the A-gap on another occasion. They also didn’t help him with any type of run game, as Chase Brown carried the ball 21 times for 43, and overall put up just seven total yards as an offense in the second half.

 

 

 Miami Dolphins 8 : 33 Indianapolis Colts 

 

1. It’s going to take a miracle for Mike McDaniel to make it to Thanksgiving if things continue looking anything like this

The fourth-year Miami head coach was the betting favorite for being fired first for a reason. The vibes out of South Beach were off basically since Tyreek Hill said following last year’s season finale that he was “out [of there]”. I was really worried about their tackle situation and what the next adaptation of this offense might look like overall, but what Anthony Weaver did in his first year at defensive coordinator despite meaningful injuries, there was at least hope that they’d be able to build on their 25-and-16 record with Tua Tagovailoa as the starter for this regime. Their quarterback never looked comfortable unless he almost threw pre-determined RPOs and there were multiple unblocked pressures, but even more disappointing, the defense allowed Daniel Jones to have a career day in his Colts debut. Indy had seven drives for the game and they scored on all of them, with 39 versus 21 minutes time of possession. The only player that truly looked the part was Devon Achane, because down 30-nothing, McDaniel called up a swing screen to him on 4^th-and-goal, which was caught 18 yards short of the end zone, yet he was able to pull through three tackles and punch it in.

 

2. The Colts pass-rush might be a problem

As I already outlined, Indianapolis was able to create a couple of free rushers and at one point, put a monster hit on Tua off his blindside. According to PFF, he was officially only pressured six times, but half of those turned into sacks, and that was while getting the ball out in under 2.5 seconds on 16 of his 27 total dropbacks. On that first one, the Colts blitzed safety Nick Cross unblocked off the edge, where they brought that guy down into the quarterback’s cadence outside of the tight-end, which completely caught the right tackle off guard. They used a handful of mirrored T-E twists that made it feel like the walls were closing in on Tua from all angles. At one point, they lined up DeForest at D-end and he just absolutely blew through a tight-end and running back asked to protect against him. And they dropped Laiatu Latu into the hook zone for his first career interception. So I thought Lou Anarumo showcased that he can still mix up looks to make opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable, Latu flashed on a few occasions after I labelled him as a breakout candidate for this season, and free agent safety Cam Bynum made his presence felt on a picked overthrow, followed up by one of his weird, but notorious celebrations.

 

3. Daniel Jones had a good game, but this skill-position group isn’t getting enough attention

You will not catch me minimizing Jones’ Colts debut here, as he became the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to lead his offense to scoring on every one of their drives in a game. However, I thought Shane Steichen’s ability to design plays and their group of skill-position players were the stars of the show. A per-carry average of just 3.9 yards isn’t overly impressive, but Miami focusing on stopping the run in a lopsided affair certainly hurt those numbers, and they did have 15 runs of 5+ yards. In the passing game, their wideouts were gaining extensive separation along the sideline, snapping off deep curls and comebacks, they threw a bunch of RPOs on their end, or routes away from a safety capping over the slot when they blitzed from there. Their guys consistently caught the ball on the run, but also finished tough grabs at full extension. Michael Pittman had a big day, but rookie Tyler Warren secured multiple combat catches, Alec Pierce hauled in a pirouette grab along the sideline for an explosive play, they had Ashton Dulin taking fly sweeps, and even their massive TE2 Mo Alie-Cox turned a simple catch in the flats into a chunk gain as he broke a tackle at one point.

 

 

 Las Vegas Raiders 20 : 13 New England Patriots 

 

1. Geno Smith and Chip Kelly have immediately provided the Raiders O competence

For all the fans in the Silver and Black out there, they know this offense was a tough watch for pretty much all of last season. I believe they were dead-last in both rushing yards before AND after contact, while none of their three starting quarterbacks inspired any real confidence, with rookie tight-end Brock Bowers setting records was the lone bright spot. Ashton Jeanty rushing for 38 yards on 19 carries in his debut didn’t bring the success on the ground they intended when they drafted him sixth overall, but there were some fireworks through the air. Geno is such a pocket warrior, hanging in there and throwing lasers, with plenty of those driven to the sideline, as rushers were closing in on him. On average, his passes went a yard beyond the first-down marker on Sunday, and he delivered the dagger on a “sluggo” to fourth-round pick Dont’e Thornton, when the Patriots brought a cover-zero blitz on third-and-20. I also liked some things I saw from Chip schematically, with them isolating Brock Bowers on the backside of three-by-one sets, Jakobi Meyers being able to snap off routes against off-coverage to the field, and allowing Tre Tucker’s speed to shine on deep crossing routes.

 

2. Both of these defenses feel a lot more dynamic with how they bring pressure

Looking at where the Raiders and Patriots ranked defensively last season, they both finished in the bottom quartile when it comes to pressure rate (each under 30%). For Las Vegas, that was largely connected to missing Malcolm Koonce and Maxx Crosby being banged up for most of the year, as clearly their top two pass-rushers. As for New England, Christian Barmore was dealing with blood clots, and they were lacking real difference-makers on the edges, along with having become a little stale in terms of how they tried to manufacture pressure. The Raiders were more tactical about when they brought extra bodies (26.4% of dropbacks), because Mad Maxx was a menace, a couple of interior guys stepped up, DC Patrick Graham used safety Jamal Adams on a couple of simulated pressures while peeling off the opposite end, and then they threw in a pair of cover-zero blitzes. On the flipside, the Pats blitzed Geno on 40%(!) of his dropbacks. I just mentioned that cover-zero called that I viewed as mistimed, considering the situation, but I did otherwise like what they did a lot. They brought six for the most part with man-free behind it, they changed up the surface throughout the day, with a bunch of 5-0 fronts, out of which they ran these three-man games, and Harold Landry had as good a showing as he’s had since Mike Vrabel drafted him in 2018 – the year he took over in Tennessee.

 

3. There still isn‘t a whole lot of separation among Drake Maye‘s receiving corp

As someone who predicted the Patriots to win ten games and earn a playoff berth in 2025, I was rather disappointed by what the surrounding pieces for their second-year quarterback looked like, although Maye didn’t live up to some of the hype I and many others had put around his name. Gaining just 49 yards on 14 carries by other players was underwhelming, but their newly formed offensive line was responsible for basically a 40% pressure rate, with fourth overall pick Will Campbell getting beat for a strip-sack and flagged twice, and what stood out to me most was that there simply wasn’t anyone open with regularity. Other than Hunter Henry railing up the sideline off a switch concept and Stefon Diggs getting behind the shallow coverage off a fake bubble screen, Drake’s best throws came on tightly-covered seam routes to the TE, back-shoulder balls at the sideline to Kayshon Boutte, and these balls being driven on digs and deep hooks between the second and third level of zone coverage. Third-round pick Kyle Williams, with his separation skills at Washington State, and the vertical presence he offers, running just five routes all day feels insane to me.

 

 

 Arizona Cardinals 20 : 13 New Orleans Saints 

 

1. The Kyler-Marv chemistry looks completely different than last year

Generally, Arizona this past season was an above-average offense when they were on schedule, as both the run game and play-action were fully on the table, while they struggled to convert in defined dropback settings. A big reason for that was Kyler Murray and fourth overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr. seemingly never being on the same page, as the rookie was kind of stuck at the X spot. Early returns for his sophomore campaign are quite promising. Kyler put a deep bomb right into the bucket for 45 yards along the right sideline, where Harrison did a nice job of maintaining space to the sideline on a fade from a slightly reduced split. That was followed up by the one-yard touchdown off a mesh concept, where the wideout did a nice job slightly working back towards the line of scrimmage as he went under the rub, to where Kyler’s pass didn’t lead him into a contested catch. The only ball they didn’t connect on came early in the fourth quarter, and Kyler became a little antsy, as he saw Marv cross over the safety on like a streak route from the slot, and he didn’t put enough air under the throw. Yet, on the ensuing third-and-11 from their own end zone, Harrison made the corner (Isaac Yiadom) slip when he slightly slow-played his release and then easily moved the chains on a slant. Plus, they picked up another first on a pass interference call on third-and-long early on, where the young receiver was yanked by the corner on a well-run dig route.

 

2. Spencer Rattler has earned respect to be a starting quarterback in this league

I know it’s the low-hanging fruit to make fun of this Saints quarterback situation, and Spencer Rattler had a few ugly moments when he was thrown into the fire as a fifth-round rookie last year, but I believe he has proven that he belongs despite some challenging circumstances. On Sunday, I thought he did a great job of getting to the top of his drop, hitting off his back foot and driving the ball with conviction. He hit multiple deep hooks between converging defenders to move the chains and was able to slip through the reach of rushers off the edge by reducing his throwing shoulder and finding an alternative platform. On the second-to-last snap of the day, he fired a seam route to tight-end Juwan Johnson over the trailing defender and just in front of the safety, which should’ve been caught. Next, he had to kind of throw up a ball for Chris Olave on a last-gasp effort. If they either get the two-point conversion or eek this game out in overtime, that’s one of the bigger shockers from the opening weekend, and if Rattler continues to perform at this level, they won’t be an easy out this season, as most people already have them penciled in for a top-three pick in next year’s draft.

 

3. Arizona is still waiting for play-makers on defense to emerge

Personally, I would argue that the Cardinals are on the right track. They went 4-and-13 in the first year of this current regime, after cutting bait with a bunch of cap casualties, before doubling their win total last season, even though they fell off following their bye week. A big reason for them being an annoying opponent, I’d argue, is how unique they are on both sides of the ball, with this smashmouth gap scheme run game out of a bunch of 12 personnel groupings, and all the various hybrid ideas on defense. What they’ve been missing have been difference-makers on both sides of the ball, but especially around Budda Baker. In this matchup, Baron Browning had one sack and QB hit, but only one other time did someone knock down Rattler, and they had two other tackles for loss, across 69 plays. The Saints averaged 4.9 yards per carry, but were pushed into negative game script, to where the run game wasn’t as much of a factor. There were some nice pass break-ups across the secondary, but I don’t believe they ever forced an errant throw that had a real chance to be picked off. If they want to truly challenge the class of the NFC, they’ll need some of these highly-drafted names up front to materialize.

 

 

 Pittsburgh Steelers 34 : 32 New York Jets   

 

1. Both quarterbacks are winners coming out of this

Not only did this matchup present one of the more intriguing storylines of the week altogether, as these two QBs were trading places, as their former teams decided not to prioritize bringing them back, but it also turned out to be by far the most fun game of the early window. Justin Fields showed a little more creation off-schedule as a passer than typically, along with being a big-time dual-threat weapon. At the same time, Aaron Rodgers got to dissect the opposition from the pocket, along with some designed movement throws, tossing a week-high four touchdowns. Moreover, I thought we saw two well-designed offenses all around. New Jets OC Tanner Engstrand called up a lot of touchdown-to-checkdown style of concepts, and heavy play-action where they were trying to isolate one defender. That first touchdown to Garrett Wilson on a spear concept against a single-high look comes to mind, illustrating the touch I’ve always wanted to see from the former first-round pick since coming into the league. On the other side, I thought the Steelers were able to cohesively meld together more of your classic Arthur Smith offense with outside zone concepts and boots off it, but then also spreading the field when they went to shotgun and allowing Rodgers to make quick decisions. These two arguably had their best individual performances since 2022 each.

 

2. D.K. Metcalf and Jalen Ramsey introduced themselves as Steelers

When these bigger names around the league join one of the stalwart franchises, you want to see them make a statement and show that they can fit in. Swapping out George Pickens for Metcalf and handing him 33 million dollars annually, as well as trading multiple-time All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for Ramsey certainly qualify here. D.K. caught a quick out, a screen and a crosser, showing his combination of speed and power with the ball in his hands to create chunk plays. And we can‘t forget that wild catch off a ricochet on a slant that went off his and his teammate Jonnu Smith‘s hands, which set up the game-winning 60-yard field goal. Meanwhile, Jalen’s physicality in run support popped on multiple occasions, and he was jawing with New York’s receiver Garrett Wilson for most of the day. The veteran CB had the last laugh, as he closed the door on the Jets by separating their top receiver from the ball on the game‘s final fourth down with a jarring hit.

 

3. Arthur Smith still hates fantasy football players

For anyone who decided to invest high draft picks into Falcons players in the years between 2021 and ’23 – myself included – will know that their players’ involvement on a weekly basis can be highly volatile, and he’ll let you know in the press conference afterwards that he doesn’t care about you. Sunday was a great reminder that, outside of the recently mentioned D.K. Metcalf, there may not be another Steeler you should be banking on being a real contributor for 2025. Things started with blocking specialist Ben Skrowonek – who at one point was used as a de-facto fullback by Sean McVay – was kind of the designated target as the mid-layer off a flood concept on a bootleg for Pittsburgh’s first touchdown. Smith’s weird obsession with Jonnu Smith continued, as he touched the ball five times for 15 yards, but also the second TD on a fly sweep. And Kenneth Gainwell led the running back group in touches through the first half, while the top-drafted name among that group in third-round rookie Kaleb Johnson had one carry for -2 yards in his pro debut. No bueno.

 

 

 New York Giants 6 : 21 Washington Commanders 

 

1. With this new tackle tandem and Jayden Daniels’ ability to defeat the blitz, you’ll have a tough time getting home on him

I do have to point out that Jayden was sacked three times on Sunday, but the reason I thought the Giants had a chance to pull off the upset in the nation’s capital revolved around their D-line potentially taking over the game. You saw flashes from that uber-talented group up front, but I thought Laremy Tunsil and first-rounder Josh Conerly Jr. did enough to mitigate pressure off the edge. Meanwhile, Jayden was one of the elite quarterbacks against the blitz as a rookie already, because he can either replace the extra rusher against zone looks, deliver pin-point shots against man or if there’s a vacated rush lane, punish the opponent by taking off himself. If not for one drop, he would’ve converted half of such blitzed dropbacks again in this matchup. With everything they do in terms of RPOs and screens to get the ball out quickly, now having those book-ends to be more equipped for pure dropbacks with a QB of this caliber, could make them that much tougher to prepare for.

 

2. If we don’t get to see Jaxson Dart next week, what is this even all for?

Now, I’m not putting all of this on Russell Wilson, and his head coach Brian Daboll said the same at his ensuing press conference, as New York’s running backs combined for 30 rushing yards on 15 carries. However, I just don’t believe what he showcased on Sunday was sustainable quarterback play in today’s NFL. He regularly threw the ball short of the sticks on third downs despite being in catch-up mode, with an intended air yards average of just 5.7, and even on those classic moonballs he’s famous for, airing out go balls to the sideline, you saw those going off the helmets of defenders. Russ dropped his eyes whenever he saw any flash of color and ran himself into sacks. Malik Nabers and the refs/Bobby Wagner bailed him out, catching a duck as he got hit, and a roughing the passer penalty negated a pick. On the goal-to-go situation that followed, Wilson basically threw the ball out of the end zone twice, had one ball batted down at the line, and badly put it behind Wan’Dale Robinson on a would-be touchdown. There was also a moment where Russ tried to be “like the cool kids”, as he attempted a side-arm throw to Robinson on a little flat route behind a bunch, but badly missed and failed to convert a third-and-one early in the second quarter. This current regime needs to prove there’s hope with the guy they traded back up for into the first round.

 

3. Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt will be the primary runner for Washington

Everyone’s favorite (late-round) fantasy darling was officially listed as the RB3 on Washington’s initial depth chart. He only played 23 offensive snaps in his debut, but turned ten carries into 82 yards and a touchdown. That made him the highest-ranked Commanders player not named Jayden Daniels, according to PFF (79.3). I thought he had a couple of nice moments identifying weak spots in the defense based on pre-snap alignments, yet affecting the second level of the defense enough to open up the lane for himself. He showed nice burst and then the balance to pull through arm tackles, while recognizing when the Giants tried to box him in on a counter play, where he hit a beautiful jump-cut to bounce outside for his scamper into the end zone. And although he otherwise wasn’t involved as a receiver, they did try to set up a screen pass to him at one point, only that was actually Jayden’s worst throw of the day.

 

 

 Carolina Panthers 10 : 26 Jacksonville Jaguars 

 

1. Liam Coen’s early returns on protecting his new quarterback are promising

The disclaimer I have to put here before anything else – and I get to this in point three – is that they did this against a still highly vulnerable Panthers defense. However, I did like the new head coach’s general approach to taking pressure off Lawrence – literally and figuratively – even if he didn’t look sharp throughout himself. First and foremost, they pounded the rock, hitting 200 yards on the ground on 32 total carries, with Travis Etienne looking like the clear lead-back in Jacksonville’s overhauled, gap-heavy run game. Off that, they moved the pocket on several occasions and gave the quarterback easy, defined reads to one side of the field. And they threw seven screens. Yet, even when they did go to more traditional dropbacks, I thought they were intent on not making him hold onto the ball, as Lawrence wasn’t sacked once, and his pressure rate (12.1%) was nearly half of what it was for any other quarterback in the league.

 

2. Bryce Young’s most critical season is off to a very slow start, but it’s not as bad as the numbers would suggest

I posted a video about Bryce’s journey throughout his sophomore year in the NFL in the middle of July, where my tone was pretty optimistic. Scoring ten points against a Jags defense that ranked bottom-three across most categories and the quarterback being sandwiched between rookie Cam Ward and Russell Wilson for 31^st in EPA per play (-0.042) was discouraging however. Young did look small at times with pressure coming in and should’ve gotten rid of the ball a beat early on a couple of occasions when they brought an extra man, but I’d also say he didn’t get much help either. On his first of two interceptions, they were running a levels-based rollout play, where Xavier Legette had his medium crosser cut off by Eric Murray, and the deflected pass ended up in the hands of Foye Oluokun. And the second one went off the hands of Rico Dowdle on a hurried checkdown. Legette also approached a sideline grab as if he was still in college and only needed to tap one pass in bounds. Carolina dropped three passes collectively, and while their receivers did officially haul in half of their contested targets (four of eight), that doesn’t include that first pick, and there were a couple of throws over the middle of the field, where the receiver had a clear shot at it, but couldn’t hold on through the hit. He had a couple of awesome throws at the end of the first half on a seam and corner route, only to fumble the ball at the end of a scramble next. Bryce gained four yards on the five times he took off, while otherwise they didn’t have a run of 10+ yards. When they turned it over on fourth-and-goal after halftime, legitimately none of his five receivers in empty were open at any point, and he gave rookie Tetairoa McMillan a good chance at a touchdown on the next fourth down.

 

3. Carolina’s defense is still horrendous

The 2024 Panthers defense was historically bad, allowing the most points ever for a full season (534). You could look at numerous occasions, and they were dead-last in almost all of them, struggling to stop the run, put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and in turn, to hold up on the back-end. On Sunday, they constantly saw the line of scrimmage moved backwards on them, linebackers were hesitant to fill, and therefore either had D-tackles pushed into their lap or allowed linemen to climb up to them. Again, Trevor Lawrence’s pressure rate (12.1%) was basically half of any other quarterback in week one, while ESPN even gave them less credit, as they officially listed that group with one QB hit and tackle for loss each. The lone bright spot was cornerback Jaycee Horn, whose physicality was on display a few times and then he obviously had that incredible one-handed interception on a slightly underthrown deep ball for Travis Hunter.

 

 

 Tennessee Titans 12 : 20 Denver Broncos   

 

1. Denver’s defense flexed their muscles right away, although against an inferior opponent

If there was any doubt about whether the Broncos would be able to replicate their dominant 2024 season defensively, Sunday was a reminder that they’ll be able to terrorize a bunch of quarterbacks. They will have to prove that they can have similar success against the top signal-callers (and offenses for that matter), which was where they came short of last year, but with continued investments to all three levels of their unit, I feel good about there being even less areas to attack. In this week one matchup, the Titans gained just seven first downs, they went 2-of-15 combining third and fourth downs, averaged a minuscule 2.4 yards per play, and on the two occasions they did reach the red zone, Denver held them to field goals, which were both set up by turnovers by their own offense. They racked up 18 combined sacks and QB hits, and Tennessee helped the cause with 13 total penalties for 131 yards.

 

2. This Bo Nix looked very much like the version from early in his rookie year

I’ve gone on a pretty funny journey with Nix already, I feel like. I actually put him right there with eventual Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden as two late first-round prospects in my 2024 draft evaluations. I was getting very concerned when he accounted for one touchdown compared to four interceptions, and the Broncos were held to 26 total points through the first two weeks, but more importantly, how uncomfortable he looked against NFL pass-rushes and what defenses presented to him from a coverage perspective. Thankfully, he was able to change course and excelled in Sean Payton’s play-action heavy approach, which took post-snap responsibilities off the QB, as they cleared out windows for the primary read, along with throwing a bunch of screens. Unfortunately, we saw early-season Bo show up again to begin his encore season. As I tweeted out on Sunday – we saw erratic pocket movement, double-clutching and missing ancillary zone defenders. The strip-sack, where he turned the wrong way trying to fake the handoff, and then ran straight into Jeffery Simmons was a perfect illustration of that. Otherwise, he averaged just 4.4 yards per pass attempt and sprayed some throws because his base was off-kilter, although on his two interceptions, he actually missed the hang-corner as he was trying to hit his receivers working across the field.

 

3. Cam Ward needs more help, if they want to reach their potential

Looking through the numbers, Ward’s receiving corp was officially “only” credited with three drops. Having watched the game, I did my own tracking and this is what I came away with – in terms of passes his targets got both hands on the football but either straight-up went off those or couldn’t be held onto through contact, I counted 166(!) unrealized air yards and nine potential first downs. That included his head coach Brian Callahan admitting he wasn’t aware of an elbow counting as two feet on a grab that everyone on the replay was yelling for him to challenge. The first overall pick was also sacked six times for 50 yards (both highest in the league). Now, he did take two brutal ones after a sudden change of possession, when the Broncos muffed a punt, which knocked them out of field goal range, and I’d so generally Cam – for as poised as he looked – needs to speed up his internal clock. Still, he was easily pressured at the highest rate of his dropbacks in week one at 52.9%(!), with four of five starters along their O-line receiving pass-blocking grades of 41.3 or worse from PFF. Overall, they ended the day with -0.429 EPA per play and a 22.8% success rate offensively – one-and-a-half times as bad as the Dolphins, who didn’t get on the scoreboard until more than halfway through the fourth quarter themselves.

 

 

 San Francisco 49ers 17 : 13 Seattle Seahawks 

 

1. If Christian McCaffrey isn’t hurt now, Kyle Shanahan won’t shy away from riding him into the ground

As someone who plays to actually win his fantasy leagues rather than avoiding risk at all costs, I wasn’t particularly happy to read about McCaffrey sealing with “calf tightness” after dealing with bilateral Achilles tendinitis last year and destroying people who picked him first overall, coming off his Offensive Player of the Year season in 2023. Unlike that opening Monday Night matchup which he shockingly wasn’t available for, he was good to go on Sunday, carrying the ball 22 times for 69 yards and catching nine passes for another 73. He looked pretty fresh, flashing some burst through the line of scrimmage, sliding off glancing hits, and especially as a receiver on option and angles routes, he was a steady piece of the menu. I was somewhat surprised that Brian Robinson Jr., whom they recently acquired via trade from Washington, didn’t mix in a little more, but clearly Kyle is going to go down with the ship if he needs to, as McCaffrey’s health will be tested, while George Kittle is now already slated to miss a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury.

 

2. There’s major anxiety about Jake Moody in the kicking game

As I’ve outlined on different occasions, there were some question marks about the Niners on both sides of the ball, when it comes to the offense having continued to sway more towards the dropback pass game and trying to find more paths to challenging opponents, while the defense was looking for a bunch of rookies to step up after they get pushed around up front more so than I can ever remember in a long time last season. And yet, while Brock Purdy was late on a throw over the middle against the sinking MIKE backer and threw another ball up for grabs on his two interceptions, while the defense only logged one sack, that third phase of the game was the real boogieman. Through one week, San Francisco ranks dead-last in special teams DVOA, and after Jake Moody barely converted over 70% of his field goal attempts, he banged a chip-shot 27-yarder off the left upright and had another short kick blocked, along with making a 32-yarder. For a fairly conservative decision-maker and game-manager in Kyle Shanahan, this lack of certainty is even more meaningful.

Edit: Jake Moody has since been waived and replaced with Eddie Pineiro.

 

3. Jaxon Smith-Njigba will catch 150 passes this season

While it took San Francisco’s number three tight-end Jake Tonges coming up with a 50-50 ball in the end-zone on a play that was sort of reminiscent of “The Catch” in order to decide this matchup in their favor, Seattle’s offense didn’t pose much of a threat for most of the day. They gained just 14 first downs and 230 total yards on ten drives. The 49ers defense does deserve plenty of credit for making their division rivals look this pedestrian, as returning defensive coordinator Robert Saleh provided energy and some aggressive change-ups. Yet, the one guy who continued to make plays to just keep the Seahawks hanging around was third-year receiver JSN. Whether they had him on delayed releases faking stalk-blocks off play-action, running digs from the backside out of these condensed sets, gracefully turning through the opposite shoulder to adjust to lofted passes, or just how he consistently was friendly to the quarterbacks in the way he attacked back to the ball, it was textbook. The only blemish on Smith-Njigba came when a pursuing D-linemen punched the ball out of his hands off a screen pass. And still, if Sam Darnold doesn’t have his right tackle pushed into his throwing arm by Nick Bosa for the game-clinching strip-sack, he was about to give Smith-Njigba a chance to win it, running a slant as the X in a three-by-one set.

 

 

 Detroit Lions 13 : 27 Green Bay Packers 

 

1. This is the Jordan Love we all fell in love with

When Green Bay – in somewhat cryptic communication with Aaron Rodgers – decided to make a move at quarterback two years ago, to the former first-round pick, a lot of pressure was put on Love to even come close to the accolades of his predecessor. And yet, what he showed over the second half of that season, combined with their dominant showing at Dallas in the Wildcard Round, there suddenly was a ton of enthusiasm around Love. He then took a step back this past year, when some uber-aggressive decisions swung against his favor, although it’s fair to mention that he was dealing with a banged-up foot from the season-opener throughout. This past Sunday, the Packers stood up to a team that swept them last year, en route to a NFC-best 15-2 record. Their offensive line didn’t allow a single sack, Matt LaFleur called up a handful of beautiful designer plays through the air, and Jordan Love was just launching it down the field. He averaged 10.1 air yards per pass attempt and had an insane 17.4%(!) big-time-throw rate. His turnover-worthy play percentage being about half of that isn’t optimal, but this is the type of high-risk, high-reward, gunslinger style of play that made him so fun to watch and allowed them to exceed expectations in his first year as the starter.

 

2. Can we *now* admit that Detroit will really miss those three key pillars of the organization?

I made it very clear all offseason that I was legitimately worried about what the losses of both their offensive and defensive coordinator, along with their All-Pro center, would mean for the Lions. I remain a believer in Dan Campbell as a person and leader, but even though projecting them to drop to 9-8 this season was aggressive on my part, I felt like people were minimizing the impact of these three figures. They were going from a premier offensive play-designer in Ben Johnson to Denver’s passing game coordinator John Morton, who had only called plays in one of his 21 years in the NFL, and one of the best defensive coordinators in Aaron Glenn to promoting Kelvin Sheppard in-house, who had only been their linebacker coach for the last four years and has no play-calling experience whatsoever. Additionally, Frank Ragnow more so than any other player epitomized what the Lions wanted to be, and had a ton of responsibility for that offense. Detroit averaged just 2.7 yards per carry with that completely overhauled interior O-line, Jared Goff never looked comfortable and constantly checked the ball down to Jahmyr Gibbs, who caught 10 passes for just 31 yards, while LaFleur and company seemed to be a step ahead all day on their defense, which only hit Love twice.

 

3. As Micah Parsons ingrains himself into this defense, Jeff Hafley’s group is going to make a big jump

As I was going through my season predictions for 2025, the one thing that kept me from buying all the way in on the Packers was their lack of a true Batman among their pass-rush group. I did have some questions about the exact construction and allocation of opportunities among their receivers, and they weren’t going to be very experienced at *outside* corner, but I was willing to look past those things, yet ultimately might’ve been too cautious about adding a couple of wins to my final record for them (11-6). Green Bay’s defense already ranked seventh in schedule-adjusted DVOA last year despite none of their guys up front registering a pass-rush win rate of at least 13% (49th and worse among 231 defenders). The one player who actually cracked that mark last year was off-ball linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, who looked like a star to start off his encore campaign, flying all around the field. They may not have a bunch of standout talents in man-coverage on the back-end, but all those guys are incredibly smart to excel in Hafley’s zone-heavy structures, which rely on changing the picture on quarterbacks. And now you have a guy who can legitimately get the better of fellow All-Pro tackles like Penei Sewell for a day. Look out!

 

 

 Houston Texans 9 : 14 Los Angeles Rams 

 

1. There are a lot more positives to take away from both offense than 23 combined points would indicate

If you simply watched this game without a scoreboard, even knowing Houston obviously settled for three field goals, you wouldn’t believe that this was the final outcome. I thought C.J. Stroud having the controls to this offense, where he could get the ball out quickly, and even when he had pressure or even a free rusher, knowing where that guy was coming from allowed him to operate in rhythm rather than having to react as much. Where some of those targets went, as Nico Collins finished fifth on the team with 25 receiving yards, and what I see from the individual pieces on the O-line, is different. Meanwhile, Matt Stafford was hitting throws over the middle of the field to Puka Nacua, he had that one awesome moment late on a back-shoulder throw to Davante Adams, and they were able to grind out tough yardage on the ground in short-yardage situations. These two offenses were almost mirror images of each other on Sunday, as they combined for 561 yards, both gained exactly 18 first downs on nine drives and 57 plays each. Three combined turnovers, including the game-sealing punch-out from Nate Landman, made a big difference.

 

2. As long as they’re both healthy, the Matt Stafford-Puka Nacua connection is pretty much unstoppable

Speaking of the Stafford and Puka duo, that combination looked as automatic as ever against a Texans defense that rarely allowed opponents to be comfortable playing their style for most of last season. Those two hooked up on all but one of 11 targets, for 130 yards, of which seven moved the chains. Sean McVay let him work inside and out from the slot. They created leverage off motion for him to get to the middle of the field, they got him another time on a wrap route, and Stafford hit him at the numbers a couple of times when the Texans didn’t carry him up the seam tightly enough in cover-three. They also flipped the ball to him behind the line of scrimmage twice, and then I absolutely loved that play-design from McVay on the game-sealing snap, where they had him fake an insert block off motion before running away from Jalen Pitre as he broke out to the sideline. That back-shoulder connection with Davante and some of the things he can do on the perimeter will be a welcome addition, but when the newly-minted 60.000-yard passer needs a conversion, he’s looking at the guy who changed to number 12 for this season.

 

3. Will Anderson Jr. will make a run at Defensive Player of the Year

While the Rams’ passing tandem was able to shine against Houston’s defense, arguably the most dominant player for the day was on the field with them at the same time. Will Anderson Jr. became one of the all-time players at Alabama under Nick Saban and put up wild numbers throughout his three years there, before the Texans made a move up in the 2023 draft, to add these two pillars on either side of the ball with him and C.J. Stroud. He was the Defensive Rookie that season, had his two best showings in last year’s playoffs against the Chargers and Chiefs, and now it looks as if he’s taken another step. At Los Angeles, he recorded a sack, two QB hits and three tackles for loss overall. Will was routinely shortening the arc for himself as a pass-rusher, he set a physical edge, ran down a zone concept from the backside, and at one point wrestled down Puka Nacua for a three-yard loss on a quick screen to his side. Even against this formidable foe, Houston was able to limit the Rams to 14 points, and I could see this D-line feast on lesser units throughout this season.

 

 

 Baltimore Ravens 40 : 41 Buffalo Bills 

 

1. Derrick Henry is a mutant – and yet, he’s the second-most impressive guy in that backfield

Sunday Night was an absolute classic of a game, and even though they unfortunately gave away what looked like a clear win, up 40-25 with possession of the ball at under four minutes left, I have to start with the two guys in Baltimore’s backfield. King Henry touched the ball 19 times for 182(!) yards. When he was given a runway, his combination of power force to shrug off would-be tacklers and then the speed to legitimately burn angles from defensive backs, still at 31 years old, is something we’ve barely ever seen. Still, somehow Lamar might’ve had an even more spectacular showcase. He was only asked to drop back 22 times based on gamescript, but earned a 144.4 passer rating for Lamar, accounting for 14 first downs and three touchdowns. The only play that obviously stands out most came on a third-and-long, when he was dead to rights with two pass-rushers barreling in on Lamar deep in the pocket, yet he somehow found a way to escape and turn it into a 19-yard run, which was directly followed up by Henry’s second TD of the night. Overall, the Ravens beat out the Bills for number one in EPA per play (0.394), and a fumble by the running back is the lone reason we’re probably not talking about them as the team to beat in the AFC.

 

2. More names along this Buffalo receiving corp are stepping up

Having heaped all this praise on the Ravens’ main contributors – which we have to throw in Zay Flowers here, going off for 151 yards on nine touches – Josh once again played at an MVP level and never blinked when they got themselves in that hole. With that in mind, I thought it was highly encouraging to see this many of his receiving options have their moments in high-stakes matchups straight away. Dalton Kincaid finally became a factor in the red zone, holding onto a couple of touchdowns through contact as those windows were closing down, along with making the toe-tap sideline grab that set up the field goal just before halftime. Free agency addition Josh Palmer showed that he can win on those backside digs as the X and had the corner beat on a stutter-fade for a would-be touchdown. And maybe most noteworthy, last year’s early second-rounder Keon Coleman had a career day. He was working heavily along the sideline as more of a designated flanker now, and of course was able to secure that deflected pass for a touchdown after working to space in the end zone. My favorite snap of his however, came in the first quarter, when he demonstrated his development, pushing up and off the trailing defender on a crossing route, to present himself to Josh Allen off a scramble.

 

3. Buffalo’s interior D-line and safety play are still problematic

Listening to what general manager Brandon Beane and the Bills organization tried to tell us throughout the offseason, they needed to improve on defense. In 2024, they were dead-average in success rate allowed (44.4%), and while they were a formidable unit in some regards, they also had some clear weak spots. Their D-line continues to make plays in the opposing backfield, but also gets pushed backwards by the bigger fronts they’re facing which focus on man-/gap-heavy run schemes, especially on the interior. Even more worrisome, this safety group continues to be an issue. Their poor angles and tackling in run support led to several runs that could’ve been stopped for limited yardage turning into chunk gains. One play that best encapsulated that – on the second Henry touchdown, Taylor Rapp was probably supposed to rotate to the deep post as he opened his hips that way, but then took a bad angle as he flipped around and tried to cut off the runner breaking through the side he was originally lined up towards. The one guy who was able to create disruption up front on multiple occasions was Ed Oliver.

 

 

 Minnesota Vikings 27 : 24 Chicago Bears 

 

1. There are definitely things to get excited about but also remain cautious with these two quarterbacks

Through three quarters on Monday night, this would’ve definitely been worded differently, as Caleb Williams looked like the rightful first overall pick from a year ago, and my concerns about J.J. McCarthy appeared justified, as the Bears were getting the ball back already up 17-6. Caleb put together a beautiful first drive for a touchdown, and you could feel new head coach and play-caller Ben Johnson’s impact, inserting receivers as part of the run game and creating advantageous looks off play-action. Meanwhile, the Vikings O looked a lot more disjointed, as on all but one of their eight drives that made it to a third play (ignoring a field goal set up before the half with a couple of nice throws), ended either with McCarthy getting sacked, him throwing a pick-six where he was a little late and inside on a deep out route, and once Adam Thielen dropping a potential conversion. Caleb generally showed good fundamentals by keeping both hands on the ball and ripping some throws the rest of the way, but also sped up his mechanics, which led to a handful of misses, and tried to be Superman, at one point trying to flip a pass forward as he was getting tripped up. Getting stuffed on the ground throughout the second half and a missed field goal didn’t help. In that final period, McCarthy kept his eyes down the field and ripped throws in the face of pressure. He also kept the ball for that 14-yard touchdown, where he was unaccounted for on a zone-read, as Minnesota had matched the carry total through three quarters (13), but turned those into 82 instead of 32 yards.

 

2. This could look a lot more like the Bears defense we saw over the second half of 2023

Having said that about the Vikes’ first-year starter under center and their offense altogether turning it on in the fourth quarter, I was very impressed by how Chicago’s defense looked like up to that point. That, combined with my optimism around the marriage of Caleb and Ben Johnson, along with the overhauled interior O-line, was a big reason I bought so much into their 2025 version. I thought their new DC Dennis Allen took over the exact personnel he’s had so much success with in New Orleans, with these big-bodied defensive ends condensing the pocket, guys flying around on the second level, and playing a bunch of single-high coverage, because he could rely upon the back-end to hold up. That last piece is where things ended up falling apart. Chicago’s defensive backs were playing with leverage and conviction about what they see in front of them for most of the day, but being without arguably a top-five outside and nickel corner, while their most volatile starter Tyrique Stevenson was called for a back-breaking pass interference call on third down, which set up the lead-changing touchdown, was definitely. Noah Sewell jumping in at that second linebacker spot also got burned for six by Aaron Jones on a wheel route. If they can get that group out there fully, I’m still very optimistic.

 

3. I have too much stock in Chicago for them to give away games like this

I initially noted here that “we’re like three weeks away from A LOT of people owing me an apology about my Bears prediction” after the NFL Reddit community lost their minds collectively, after predicting Chicago to win the NFC North and Caleb Williams to be a dark horse MVP candidate. Without wanting to bore people about my investments in the franchise as a fantasy player and bettor, Monday Night certainly took a wrong turn for me. Although missing a few key defensive contributors had a palpable impact, Rome Odunze averaging four yards per target and D’Andre Swift averaging 3.1 yards per carry as the only running back to be handed the football, when you needed to put away your division rival, isn’t going to get it done.