NFL 2024 (Week 2)

My biggest takeaway from Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season: Tom Brady isn't as good at the broadcaster thing as he is at the quarterback thing.  Sure, he's got room to improve and there's really nowhere for him to go but up.  That was a rocky start, though.  Kinda like how some teams had rocky starts.  How will those 15 Week 1 losers bounce back in their second game of the season?

Thursday Night: Buffalo (Win)

Saints (1-0) at Cowboys (1-0): Dallas-Dallas going into Cleveland and beating the Browns wasn't the surprise.  It's how they did it.  The game was never close!  The Cowboys' defense was THAT good!  Which is shocking when you consider how the Packers just tore them up in the playoffs last season.  The Saints' offense, meanwhile, was in midseason form.  The Panthers' defense and the Cowboys' defense are entirely different things, though.  If they can do it again this week, then we can talk.

Buccaneers (1-0) at Lions (1-0): Detroit-After winning their Wild Card Game rematch against the Rams last week, now the Lions take on their Divisional Playoff opponent from last season.  So, the NFL certainly didn't make it easy for them out of the gate.  You know what, though?  They found a way to get it done against the Rams, and it wouldn't surprise anybody if they find a way to get it done against Tampa, too.  That's just what good teams do.

Colts (0-1) at Packers (0-1): Green Bay-Losing to the Eagles in Brazil was bad enough.  Losing Jordan Love was much bigger.  How will the Packers navigate life without their starting quarterback for the next few weeks?  We'll find out starting in their home opener against the Colts.  That's a good team for them to play since it's a winnable matchup even without Love under center.

Jets (0-1) at Titans (0-1): Tennessee-Robert Salah said after the loss on Monday night that he'd rather be 0-1 with Aaron Rodgers than 1-0 without him.  I get the sentiment and can't say I disagree with it.  Besides, who we kidding?  The Jets likely weren't going to win in San Francisco no matter what.  Now they head to Nashville for a matchup with a Titans team they can and probably should beat.  I'm not sure they will, though.  Not on a short week that included a cross country flight home, only to get right back on a plane five days later.

49ers (1-0) at Vikings (1-0): San Francisco-Both of these teams beat their New York opponents pretty handily in Week 1.  The Vikings were playing the Giants, so I take it with a grain of salt, but they still put four touchdowns on the board and Sam Darnold actually looked like a competent NFL quarterback.  Darnold's first home game as Minnesota's starter will be against the team he played for last year--San Francisco.  We'll see how well he does against an actual opponent.  You know, a team that isn't the Giants.

Seahawks (1-0) at Patriots (1-0): Seattle-No Week 1 result was more surprising than the Patriots going into Cincinnati and upsetting the Bengals.  The Jarrod Mayo Era obviously got off to a great start!  Now the challenge is avoiding a letdown in Week 2, as the Patriots open their home schedule against Seattle.  The Seahawks held off Denver in their opener.  Not super impressive, but not bad, either.  If they can make the cross country trip and head home with a win, that'll tell us something.

Giants (0-1) at Commanders (0-1): Washington-If the Giants wanted to be taken seriously as a playoff contender, they had to start 2-0, especially since they had two winnable games to start the season.  Instead, they wore those monstrosities that paid homage to the Montreal Canadiens and scored as many touchdowns as the Canadiens last week.  Zero.  They were the only team in the league kept out of the end zone and were getting booed before the end of the first quarter.  I have no confidence that they'll win in Washington.

Chargers (1-0) at Panthers (0-1): Chargers-Jim Harbaugh's debut went about as well as it could have.  The Chargers had a comprehensive victory over the Raiders in their opener.  Their first road game of the year takes them to Charlotte, where they'll meet a Panthers squad that was thoroughly crushed in New Orleans.  Their performance should be a little better this week, but probably not enough to beat the Chargers.

Browns (0-1) at Jaguars (0-1): Jacksonville-This is an interesting early season matchup between two teams that were expected to be playoff contenders.  The Browns losing to Dallas wasn't a total surprise.  The way they were thoroughly beaten sure was, though.  The Jaguars, meanwhile, lost on a last-second field goal in Miami, so they're still in a decent position.  A loss isn't catastrophic for either of them by any means, but Jacksonville heads to Buffalo next week, so they might need the win a little bit more.

Raiders (0-1) at Ravens (0-1): Baltimore-He was definitely out of bounds.  The video was clear.  But, to think, if he had been in bounds, the Ravens would've gone for two and the win.  They came thisclose to getting a statement win right off the bat.  They've had plenty of time to shake off the loss, though.  And this week they get a Raiders squad that only scored 10 points against the Chargers.  Baltimore's defense is certainly better than the Chargers' unit, so another one-touchdown performance isn't a crazy thought.

Rams (0-1) at Cardinals (0-1): Rams-The Rams really should be 1-0 entering their second straight road game to start the season.  All credit to the Lions for coming back and winning that game, though.  And the loss is far less devastating than the loss of Puca Nacua.  Expect even more Cooper Kupp in the coming weeks.  As for this week's matchup, I'm expecting a nice bounce back victory over the Cardinals.

Steelers (1-0) at Broncos (0-1): Pittsburgh-In one of the more surprising Week 1 results, the Steelers went into Atlanta, held the new-look Falcons offense to 10 points, and came away with a win.  And, since the rest of the AFC North lost, they're in first place.  Denver, meanwhile, lost by six in Seattle.  That was a representative result for the Broncos.  I can easily see this one going either way, but I'm taking the Steelers.

Bengals (0-1) at Chiefs (1-0): Kansas City-Ja'Marr Chase said earlier this week that he thinks Cincinnati is the best team in the AFC.  That might be a bit of a stretch, especially after the Bengals were upset at home by the Patriots last week.  Now they pay a visit to the defending champs looking to avoid an 0-2 start.  That seems like a tall order.  Kansas City has had 10 days off since holding on in the season opener.

Bears (1-0) at Texans (1-0): Houston-While I still don't entirely understand the obsession with putting the Chicago Bears on national TV, especially early in the season, this is at least a chance for America to see two dynamic young quarterbacks in Caleb Williams and C.J. Stroud.  The Bears are actually less bad this season, too, and the Texans were a playoff team last year.  So, I'll allow it.  As for the result, I see Houston taking this one at home.

Falcons (0-1) at Eagles (1-0): Philadelphia-On Monday night, we get an Eagles team that was more impressive than most people expected during their win in Brazil against a Falcons team that surprisingly disappointed in a home loss to Pittsburgh.  I'm curious to see how they both bounce back.  This should be a good test for both of them.  It's a chance for Atlanta to turn the page and knock off a good opponent on the road.  For the Eagles, meanwhile, it's a chance to show their performance against the Packers wasn't a fluke and that they're a team to take seriously this season. 

This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 12-4
Overall: 13-4