Ranking the 0-1 Teams
16.) Cleveland Browns = 0-1 (10-29)
Weirdly enough, most of the favorites won in Week 1, and teams played, to some degree, to form and expectations. Exhibit A is the Browns absolutely sucking the life out of their fans in a truly awful display. I got a lot wrong (and am already dreading what the 2016 New England Patriots are going to do to my sanity), but I can say that I got the Browns right. They are so phenomenally bad. I realize that is the point, and in a sense am happy they are embracing how bad they are. By the way, in a week full of close games, this was the largest margin of defeat - the only team to lose by double digits!
15.) St. Louis Rams = 0-1 (0-28)
Well, I'm already regretting my Rams as the #6 seed pick. I will caution myself that just last year Minnesota went to San Francisco for the late MNF game and looked about as bad as St. Louis looked yesterday. They ended up just fine. But at least they scored, at least they had a pulse. Maybe the Rams get one when/if Jared Goff comes in, but for now this team is an unholy mess on offense.
14.) Tennessee Titans = 0-1 (16-25)
Looks like Mularkey ball is a disaster. If they ran a normal offense, they win that game. Instead, they gimmicked it up, made Mariota run the fucking option, and gave up two defensive TDs and lost in embarrassing fashion. What is worse is that there actually seems to be some modicum of talent on that club. Instead, they are destined to ruin Marcus Mariota's career seemingly. On the bright side, the defense was really good, especially the run defense.
13.) Chicago Bears = 0-1 (14-23)
The Bears had their chances, but ultimately, just weren't as good as Houston. Also, it seems that they paid so much attention to JJ Watt they let the rest of the Texans front just wreak havoc, especially Whitney Mercilus. The offense looked ok at times, but far too little of the consistency in short to medium gains that they showed off last year in the Gase offense. It looks like it may be a long year in Chicago.
12.) Atlanta Falcons = 0-1 (24-31)
The Falcons have become just a more boring version of the Saints. They too will always end up with some staggering numbers on face value, but they have such a hard time transferring production into points. Matt Ryan, by the numbers, had a really nice day, but they only scored 24 points and were not really in this game in teh second half. When they were going 13-3 or 10-6, they absolutely win that game. Now, the Falcons are looking like a clear pick to finish last. The defense is the real issue, as they let the Buccaneers just stomp over them for 60 minutes.
11.) Jacksonville Jaguars = 0-1 (23-27)
The final score says it was a four point game, and the Jaguars were 15 yards away from potentially winning the game, but I still came away underwhelmed. Their defense definitely looks better, but unless one of the Allens is making a great catch, I really dislike the production from Blake Bortles. He seems to have no real touch or feel, and while these areas could get better, they rarely do after two-plus years in the league. Good to see that Gus Bradley defense put up a fight for once, though.
10.) Indianapolis Colts = 0-1 (35-39)
On the plus side, Andrew Luck looked like the player he was in 2014 when he threw 40 TDs and looked like the next great QB. On the down side, that defense is dreadful. Admittedly, they are worse than they should be due to injuries, but they have such a stunning lack of playmakers on that side of the ball. You would think they would luck into one by now. Scheme can only do so much, and while earlier versions of the Colts defense would have held the Lions at bay, this one was completely powerless.
9.) Miami Dolphins = 0-1 (10-12)
Really like that performance by the defense, but as usual there were key errors. Their secondary was a mess all game, and if the line didn't get to Russell Wilson (which did often happen), Doug Baldwin was running wild on them. Of course, the offense was not very good, including dropped TDs (Holy Lord, Kenny Stills!) and a seeming inability to recognize a blitz even one time.
8.) Washington Redskins = 0-1 (16-38)
I was shocked to see the Redskins actually put up 330 yards of passing, and Cousins was, on the whole, rather accurate. That said, to me he was scatter-brained, checked-down way too much, and threw as many interceptions in that game as he had the whole second half of last season. The defense also had no real answer for anything the Steelers threw at them. They still have an offense that could keep up with most teams, but the Steelers are not most teams.
7.) Dallas Cowboys = 0-1 (19-20)
The limitations of Dak Prescott cost them the game. Now, that is fine, as Dak is a 4th round rookie and we shouldn't expect so much, but his inability to read defenses in the red zone, and reliance on the checkdown option, kept the Giants in the game despite being thoroughly outplayed. In many ways, this game had a lot of similarities to last year's opener in Dallas, but the clock management worked this time for New York. Dallas's defense was surprisingly frisky, but they better get those suspended guys back quickly.
6.) Buffalo Bills = 0-1 (7-13)
Well, at the very least this version of the Bills looked more like what we all expected last year when Rex took over and started Tyrod Taylor. The offense was anemic, the defense was good but made some key mistakes including leaving Mike Wallace open in a middle-seam. This was such a classic Rex Ryan performance, and while I think the Ravens are pretty good, they are now staring an 0-1 start and divisional games ahead.
5.) San Diego Chargers = 0-1 (27-33)
What the heck happened in the 2nd half? This offense was in full-in 2013 Chargers mode for 45 minutes (that year they were #2 in Offensive DVOA and Philip Rivers was a monster) and then just suddenly could do nothing. I leave that game disliking both teams, but really hating the Chargers throwing away a key winnable division game. Also, I feel really bad for Keenan Allen, who is destined to never fulfill the promise he showed as a rookie in 2013.
4.) New Orleans Saints = 0-1 (34-35)
I guess the Saints aren't any better than a historically bad defense after all? Of course, the offense still has certain skills in the dome, but it has to be really worrying that they get an A game from Drew Brees, 500 total yards, and can't even beat the Raiders - and while I think the Raiders are good, the Saints absolutely cannot drop home games like that if they want any shot at the playoffs.
3.) New York Jets = 0-1 (22-23)
Honestly, I was really impressed with the Jets. Despite missing Sheldon Richardson, their D-Line was completely dominant, not seeming to miss Damon Harrison at all. They have to be concerned about Revis, but maybe it was more about how damn good AJ Green is than Revis slipping. Certainly, against a team without a dominant receiver, their defense will be even more effective. On offense, they have a lot of room to improve, and the talent to do so as well. Hard to see Marshall with as many drops again.
2.) Arizona Cardinals = 0-1 (21-23)
This ranking is partially a sign that the Patriots might be a juggernaut, and a sign that the teams that were supposed to lose did end up losing, so it is easy for a team that surprisingly lost to still seem better. The Cardinals did move the ball reasonably well, but it was stunning to see them so lackadaisical, showing none of the inventive blitzing and aggression that was their hallmark. I feel they were lulled into a very, very false sense of security playing New England down so many players. Suddenly, their Week 2 game hosting Tampa is much trickier than previously believed.
1.) Carolina Panthers = 0-1 (20-21)
I think if you play that game 10 times, the Panthers win 7 or 8. I'm still not quite sure how it went away so quickly, and they were one out of two teams (the other being Arizona) who were felled by inaccurate kickers. Kelvin Benjamin looks great. The offense looks good. If the refs call Roughing the Passer correctly they win anyway. I also have to believe the run defense will not be that bad again, as that performance was very out of character for what is generally such a good tackling team.
Ranking the 1-0 Teams
16.) San Francisco 49ers = 1-0 (28-0)
That win says way more about the Rams than it does the 49ers in my book. Also, we just saw this script last year. The 49ers throttled trendy favorite Minnesota 20-3 in the 2nd Monday Night Game. How did that work out? The offense still looked really slow, and while the defense looked great, I think most defenses will this year against the Rams. I'm holding off announcing them as sleepers.
15.) Philadelphia Eagles = 1-0 (29-10)
It shows how bad I think the Browns are that the team with the best point differential after Week 1 is the team I have second to worst out of all the winners. It is just a fact that I won't give any credit to teams beating the Browns, and anyone who even plays a competitive game against them should think of it as a moral loss. Still, it was a nice debut by Carson Wentz, and that defense has a lot of talent.
14.) Minnesota Vikings = 1-0 (25-16)
Much like Philly, this ranking is more of discounting who they beat. With Minnesota, it is also based on how they did it, as winning because of two defensive TDs and very specious defense is not a repeatable recipe. The defense is sitll very good, but if Peterson can't have better days than that facing stacked boxes, there is a real concern on their offense.
13.) New York Giants = 1-0 (20-19)
Odell Beckham is still very good, but I was happy to see Victor Cruz look healthy and contribute greatly. If they can get even the Victor Cruz from 2013 (73 catches, 998 yards), this is going to be a scary passing offense. The defense still has no pass rush, but they tackle really well, have a knack for turnovers, and for at least one game, their major Free Agent signings worked out. Snacks Harrison helped clog up the run game and really limit Zeke Elliott, Janoris was solid at corner, and Oliver Vernon got a handful of hurries. But against non rookie QBs, that was not a good enough effort.
12.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers = 1-0 (31-24)
Jameis looks really good. Now, maybe it is Atlanta's defense that is dreadful, and maybe it was just a good day. Certainly, Jameis had similarly good days in 2015, but also complemented those with some awful ones. Still, it is interesting to take a trip down memory lane one year ago, when the day after Week 1 Marcus Mariota had a perfect passer rating and Jameis looked awful. Things have changed slightly, huh?
11.) Houston Texans = 1-0 (23-14)
Brock Osweiler probably thought midway through that game that absolutely nothing had changed from his time in Denver. He got the support of a great defense, some excellent receiving targets, and managed to put up a really nice game while also showing some of the issues that ultimately convinced John Elway to not go forward with him. Still, the Texans right now are sitting really pretty in that division, and this is even without having a 100% JJ Watt.
10.) Detroit Lions = 1-0 (39-35)
The Lions have now won 7 of 9 games dating back to last season, and generally been very good on offense in all of them. It is hard to get too good a read on them given how bad the Colts defense is - especially after seeing top guys get injured - but the Lions varied approach to making up for the loss of Calvin Johnson is really intriguing. Stafford just looks really calm and confident in that Jim Bob Cooter offense. The defense was startlingly bad, and they will have to hope they just ran up against Andrew Luck at his best, because there were serious breakdowns in coverage.
9.) Baltimore Ravens = 1-0 (13-7)
Could that have been a more Ravens-esque win? It has to be a great sign that despite never leading by more than a score, the Ravens defense never relented and just slammed the door on the Bills the entire game. They never let them get anything going, and this is with a Terrell Suggs who is still trying to get into game shape. The offense was not great, but it was more mistakes than an inability to move the ball, so there is hope as well. The Ravens really late into the preseason predictions period became a trendy playoff pick, and for a week they showed why.
8.) Kansas City Chiefs = 1-0 (33-27)
Give them credit for the comeback, for sticking to their plan, for the defense finally getting stops despite numerous injuries. But still, we need to remember this team was trailing 24-3 at home. The Chiefs defense was so lethargic early on, and while I realize Philip Rivers at his best can do that to any team, this was another level of disinterest. Better teams would not give up 17-point leads. Still, the Chiefs picked up their 11th straight regular season win.
7.) Oakland Raiders = 1-0 (35-34)
Even had the Raiders lost that game, I would still think of them as one of the better 0-1 teams. Instead, they won in one of the craziest ways possible. Before we just write this off saying the Saints defense sucks, let's remember the Raiders went into the Superdome, went down 10-24, and won the game. This is a huge moment for a young team. You hope the defense comes together and does a better job getting after the passer, but there will be few games so challenging form them than the Saints in the Superdome on offense.
6.) Seattle Seahawks = 1-0 (12-10)
The good news is Russell Wilson's injury doesn't seem too serious, and they still won the game. The Seahawks defense spent most of the game playing in the dominant fashion they ended last year and displayed in 2013-14. But my word was that offense bad. How are they still so bad at pass protection? How does Jimmy Graham get 1 catch in a game where Wilson throws in 43 times? At this point, you have to seriously wonder if Wilson plays 16 games, and if he can even be allowed to reach the level he showed late last season.
5.) Pittsburgh Steelers = 1-0 (38-16)
The Steelers could not have drawn up a better performance. It was almost prime Manning-era Colts in its effectiveness. Roethlisberger was brilliant, Antonio Brown was even better, and DeAngelo Wiliams looked like the 2009 version of himself suddenly. My hesitation in ranking them higher is their defense. That pass rush is nonexistent. While this may work against most teams - certainly they can look to those Colts on how to win a lot of games by running and hiding on offense, but against top teams they need some of those young, talented front-seven players to take a step forward.
4.) Green Bay Packers = 1-0 (27-23)
Maybe the Jaguars are a good team, and if they are this result looks a whole lot better. The defense had some huge plays late, and they still employ the best QB in the NFL, and they saw two of the three primary alternate contenders for the NFC crown lose, but there are some causes for concern. The main one is the offense. Aaron Rodgers went 20-32 for just 199 yards, and needed to do some incredible Aaron Rodgers stuff to get his two TDs. Where is the offense that dominated the league in 2014? Maybe Nelson isn't fully fit, but they better hope he does become so soon.
3.) Cincinnati Bengals = 1-0 (23-22)
Other than the two teams ahead, no one had a more impressive win than the Bengals going to play a good team on the road and winning despite a performance that left a lot to be desired. The Bengals pass defense should get better over the course of the year as their younger guys get more seasoned in the secondary. The passing offense still looks great as Andy Dalton, when he wasn't get put on his ass, was able to fire strikes and make good use of even his non-Green targets. The team looks every bit as good as last ear, and a tight Week 1 test should be a good way to start that off.
2.) New England Patriots = 1-0 (23-21)
Let's just face it, they are going at least 14-2, if not 16-0. Let's move on before I break my monitor.
1.) Denver Broncos = 1-0 (21-20)
Still the Champs, still undefeated, and thus, still #1. I was impressed by the Broncos defense for still being so damn good even without Jackson or Trevathan. Sooner or later, Von and Demarcus will get you. The offense probably has a low ceiling, but seems to also have a high floor, especially if they can run block the way they did against Carolina - looking a lot the Kubiak-era Texans and nothing like whatever hodgepodge Kubiak threw together last year.
Playoff Projections
AFC
1.) New England Patriots - 14-2
2.) Cincinnati Bengals - 12-4
3.) Oakland Raiders - 10-6
4.) Houston Texans - 10-6
5.) Pittsburgh Steelers - 11-5
6.) Baltimore Ravens - 10-6
NFC
1.) Green Bay Packers - 13-3
2.) Carolina Panthers - 12-4
3.) Seattle Seahawks - 12-4
4.) New York Giants - 10-6
5.) Arizona Cardinals - 10-6
6.) Detroit Lions - 10-6
Looking Ahead to Next Week's Games
16.) Baltimore Ravens (1-0) @ Cleveland Browns (0-1) (1:00 - CBS)
15.) San Francisco 49ers (1-0) @ Carolina Panthers (0-1) (1:00 - FOX)
14.) Seattle Seahawks (1-0) @ Los Angeles Rams (0-1) (4:05 - FOX)
13.) Tennessee Titans (0-1) @ Detroit Lions (1-0) (1:00 - CBS)
I call it "Games I Don't Really Have Any Interest In" Sunday, with four games that I really don't care too much about. For the Ravens and Lions, they have seemingly easy paths to nice 2-0 starts and some nice national praise, especially the Ravens who easily could have another great defensive performance. Carolina gets to lick their chops against what is still a bad team, and the Seahawks get to flex their muscles against what is most definitely a bad team. Only interesting question to me is do the Rams make it two straight shutouts? Very likely, honestly.
12.) Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) @ San Diego Chargers (0-1) (1:00 - CBS)
I call it "The loser can kiss all Wild Card hopes behind" Sunday, as while I don't think either of these two teams have realistic playoff chances, the loser almost certainly doesn't. Generally one team a year will make the leap from 0-2 to the playoffs, but it is hard to imagine either of these two doing so. For the Jags, an 0-2 start would be particularly painful.
11.) Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) @ Chicago Bears (0-1) (MNF - ESPN)
10.) New Orleans Saints (0-1) @ New York Giants (1-0) (1:00 - FOX)
9.) Atlanta Falcons (0-1) @ Oakland Raiders (1-0) (4:25 - CBS)
I call it "The random fun 0-1 vs 1-0 games" Sunday and Monday, I like these 0-1 vs. 1-0 matchups as the most likely outcome is the Week 1 loser wins and we learn we don't know too much about any of these teams. I can easily see that, both with the Eagles riding high after beating up on a truly awful club, or the Giants realizing that not every QB is Dak Prescott, or the Falcons.... well actually with the Falcons, I think we know who we are. The Raiders can actually go 2-0 for the first time since 2002.
8.) Dallas Cowboys (0-1) @ Washington Redskins (0-1) (1:00 - FOX)
I call it "Yeah, let's just get these NFC East Games out of the Way" Sunday, as after this game there will only be 10 more of these ridiculous contents. Neither team came out too well after Week 1, particularly the Redskins, who were outscored 38-10 to end their Monday Night Game. If there is one thing to look for, it can be that given what we saw DeAngelo and the Steelers run game do to the Redskins, we might actually get to see what that Ezekiel Elliott hype was about.
7.) Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) @ Houston Texans (1-0) (1:00 - CBS)
6.) Miami Dolphins (0-1) @ New England Patriots (1-0) (1:00 - CBS)
I call it "I really had no where else to put two games I'm mildly intrigued in" Sunday, as it is hard to get too hyped for these games, but in a post-Manning NFL where I'm open to just enjoy the games for once, I can get into these games a bit. Let's start with the Chiefs and Texans, where we get two 1-0 teams that both are trying to return to the playoffs. For the Dolphins, had they held on to their lead, and had Chandler Catanzaro hit his field goal, this game would have been way up the list.
5.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) @ Arizona Cardinals (0-1) (4:05 - FOX)
4.) Indianapolis Colts (0-1) @ Denver Broncos (1-0) (4:25 - CBS)
I call it "Surprisingly Intriguing intra-conference Week 2 Games" Sunday, with two really nice games. After the Bucs surprising week 1 win in Atlanta, and the Cardinals pathetic performance, this is suddenly a big game. The Bucs can get a 2-0 start with two road games, the Cardinals can get an 0-2 start with two home games (really hurting my Super Bowl pick), or you know we can get a nice course correction. For the Colts, their defense gets an easier test, but their offense get a much tougher one.
3.) New York Jets (0-1) @ Buffalo Bills (0-1) (TNF - CBS)
2.) Green Bay Packers (1-0) @ Minnesota Vikings (1-0) (SNF - NBC)
1.) Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) (1:05 - CBS)
I call it "The Bad, The Good and the Great of Divisional Week 2 Games" Thursday and Sunday, as we get three nice divisional games in Week 2. The Jets and Bills both have playoff aspirations. For one of them, they will be 0-2 and really in a hole. The winner stays in pace with the Patriots in the division - but let's be real, this will be a mess of a game with the Color Rush jerseys and all that mess. The Packers and Vikings play a game that suddenly looks a lot nicer after Week 1, with a sullen Packers performance, and great Vikings defensive performance making this seem like a much more interesting game. Also it is the opening of the Vikings new stadium. And finally, another great game featuring the Bengals. If the Bengals can get their revenge win, they would start the season 2-0, both on the road against AFC contenders, just a huge opportunity for them.
16.) Cleveland Browns = 0-1 (10-29)
Weirdly enough, most of the favorites won in Week 1, and teams played, to some degree, to form and expectations. Exhibit A is the Browns absolutely sucking the life out of their fans in a truly awful display. I got a lot wrong (and am already dreading what the 2016 New England Patriots are going to do to my sanity), but I can say that I got the Browns right. They are so phenomenally bad. I realize that is the point, and in a sense am happy they are embracing how bad they are. By the way, in a week full of close games, this was the largest margin of defeat - the only team to lose by double digits!
15.) St. Louis Rams = 0-1 (0-28)
Well, I'm already regretting my Rams as the #6 seed pick. I will caution myself that just last year Minnesota went to San Francisco for the late MNF game and looked about as bad as St. Louis looked yesterday. They ended up just fine. But at least they scored, at least they had a pulse. Maybe the Rams get one when/if Jared Goff comes in, but for now this team is an unholy mess on offense.
14.) Tennessee Titans = 0-1 (16-25)
Looks like Mularkey ball is a disaster. If they ran a normal offense, they win that game. Instead, they gimmicked it up, made Mariota run the fucking option, and gave up two defensive TDs and lost in embarrassing fashion. What is worse is that there actually seems to be some modicum of talent on that club. Instead, they are destined to ruin Marcus Mariota's career seemingly. On the bright side, the defense was really good, especially the run defense.
13.) Chicago Bears = 0-1 (14-23)
The Bears had their chances, but ultimately, just weren't as good as Houston. Also, it seems that they paid so much attention to JJ Watt they let the rest of the Texans front just wreak havoc, especially Whitney Mercilus. The offense looked ok at times, but far too little of the consistency in short to medium gains that they showed off last year in the Gase offense. It looks like it may be a long year in Chicago.
12.) Atlanta Falcons = 0-1 (24-31)
The Falcons have become just a more boring version of the Saints. They too will always end up with some staggering numbers on face value, but they have such a hard time transferring production into points. Matt Ryan, by the numbers, had a really nice day, but they only scored 24 points and were not really in this game in teh second half. When they were going 13-3 or 10-6, they absolutely win that game. Now, the Falcons are looking like a clear pick to finish last. The defense is the real issue, as they let the Buccaneers just stomp over them for 60 minutes.
11.) Jacksonville Jaguars = 0-1 (23-27)
The final score says it was a four point game, and the Jaguars were 15 yards away from potentially winning the game, but I still came away underwhelmed. Their defense definitely looks better, but unless one of the Allens is making a great catch, I really dislike the production from Blake Bortles. He seems to have no real touch or feel, and while these areas could get better, they rarely do after two-plus years in the league. Good to see that Gus Bradley defense put up a fight for once, though.
10.) Indianapolis Colts = 0-1 (35-39)
On the plus side, Andrew Luck looked like the player he was in 2014 when he threw 40 TDs and looked like the next great QB. On the down side, that defense is dreadful. Admittedly, they are worse than they should be due to injuries, but they have such a stunning lack of playmakers on that side of the ball. You would think they would luck into one by now. Scheme can only do so much, and while earlier versions of the Colts defense would have held the Lions at bay, this one was completely powerless.
9.) Miami Dolphins = 0-1 (10-12)
Really like that performance by the defense, but as usual there were key errors. Their secondary was a mess all game, and if the line didn't get to Russell Wilson (which did often happen), Doug Baldwin was running wild on them. Of course, the offense was not very good, including dropped TDs (Holy Lord, Kenny Stills!) and a seeming inability to recognize a blitz even one time.
8.) Washington Redskins = 0-1 (16-38)
I was shocked to see the Redskins actually put up 330 yards of passing, and Cousins was, on the whole, rather accurate. That said, to me he was scatter-brained, checked-down way too much, and threw as many interceptions in that game as he had the whole second half of last season. The defense also had no real answer for anything the Steelers threw at them. They still have an offense that could keep up with most teams, but the Steelers are not most teams.
7.) Dallas Cowboys = 0-1 (19-20)
The limitations of Dak Prescott cost them the game. Now, that is fine, as Dak is a 4th round rookie and we shouldn't expect so much, but his inability to read defenses in the red zone, and reliance on the checkdown option, kept the Giants in the game despite being thoroughly outplayed. In many ways, this game had a lot of similarities to last year's opener in Dallas, but the clock management worked this time for New York. Dallas's defense was surprisingly frisky, but they better get those suspended guys back quickly.
6.) Buffalo Bills = 0-1 (7-13)
Well, at the very least this version of the Bills looked more like what we all expected last year when Rex took over and started Tyrod Taylor. The offense was anemic, the defense was good but made some key mistakes including leaving Mike Wallace open in a middle-seam. This was such a classic Rex Ryan performance, and while I think the Ravens are pretty good, they are now staring an 0-1 start and divisional games ahead.
5.) San Diego Chargers = 0-1 (27-33)
What the heck happened in the 2nd half? This offense was in full-in 2013 Chargers mode for 45 minutes (that year they were #2 in Offensive DVOA and Philip Rivers was a monster) and then just suddenly could do nothing. I leave that game disliking both teams, but really hating the Chargers throwing away a key winnable division game. Also, I feel really bad for Keenan Allen, who is destined to never fulfill the promise he showed as a rookie in 2013.
4.) New Orleans Saints = 0-1 (34-35)
I guess the Saints aren't any better than a historically bad defense after all? Of course, the offense still has certain skills in the dome, but it has to be really worrying that they get an A game from Drew Brees, 500 total yards, and can't even beat the Raiders - and while I think the Raiders are good, the Saints absolutely cannot drop home games like that if they want any shot at the playoffs.
3.) New York Jets = 0-1 (22-23)
Honestly, I was really impressed with the Jets. Despite missing Sheldon Richardson, their D-Line was completely dominant, not seeming to miss Damon Harrison at all. They have to be concerned about Revis, but maybe it was more about how damn good AJ Green is than Revis slipping. Certainly, against a team without a dominant receiver, their defense will be even more effective. On offense, they have a lot of room to improve, and the talent to do so as well. Hard to see Marshall with as many drops again.
2.) Arizona Cardinals = 0-1 (21-23)
This ranking is partially a sign that the Patriots might be a juggernaut, and a sign that the teams that were supposed to lose did end up losing, so it is easy for a team that surprisingly lost to still seem better. The Cardinals did move the ball reasonably well, but it was stunning to see them so lackadaisical, showing none of the inventive blitzing and aggression that was their hallmark. I feel they were lulled into a very, very false sense of security playing New England down so many players. Suddenly, their Week 2 game hosting Tampa is much trickier than previously believed.
1.) Carolina Panthers = 0-1 (20-21)
I think if you play that game 10 times, the Panthers win 7 or 8. I'm still not quite sure how it went away so quickly, and they were one out of two teams (the other being Arizona) who were felled by inaccurate kickers. Kelvin Benjamin looks great. The offense looks good. If the refs call Roughing the Passer correctly they win anyway. I also have to believe the run defense will not be that bad again, as that performance was very out of character for what is generally such a good tackling team.
Ranking the 1-0 Teams
16.) San Francisco 49ers = 1-0 (28-0)
That win says way more about the Rams than it does the 49ers in my book. Also, we just saw this script last year. The 49ers throttled trendy favorite Minnesota 20-3 in the 2nd Monday Night Game. How did that work out? The offense still looked really slow, and while the defense looked great, I think most defenses will this year against the Rams. I'm holding off announcing them as sleepers.
15.) Philadelphia Eagles = 1-0 (29-10)
It shows how bad I think the Browns are that the team with the best point differential after Week 1 is the team I have second to worst out of all the winners. It is just a fact that I won't give any credit to teams beating the Browns, and anyone who even plays a competitive game against them should think of it as a moral loss. Still, it was a nice debut by Carson Wentz, and that defense has a lot of talent.
14.) Minnesota Vikings = 1-0 (25-16)
Much like Philly, this ranking is more of discounting who they beat. With Minnesota, it is also based on how they did it, as winning because of two defensive TDs and very specious defense is not a repeatable recipe. The defense is sitll very good, but if Peterson can't have better days than that facing stacked boxes, there is a real concern on their offense.
13.) New York Giants = 1-0 (20-19)
Odell Beckham is still very good, but I was happy to see Victor Cruz look healthy and contribute greatly. If they can get even the Victor Cruz from 2013 (73 catches, 998 yards), this is going to be a scary passing offense. The defense still has no pass rush, but they tackle really well, have a knack for turnovers, and for at least one game, their major Free Agent signings worked out. Snacks Harrison helped clog up the run game and really limit Zeke Elliott, Janoris was solid at corner, and Oliver Vernon got a handful of hurries. But against non rookie QBs, that was not a good enough effort.
12.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers = 1-0 (31-24)
Jameis looks really good. Now, maybe it is Atlanta's defense that is dreadful, and maybe it was just a good day. Certainly, Jameis had similarly good days in 2015, but also complemented those with some awful ones. Still, it is interesting to take a trip down memory lane one year ago, when the day after Week 1 Marcus Mariota had a perfect passer rating and Jameis looked awful. Things have changed slightly, huh?
11.) Houston Texans = 1-0 (23-14)
Brock Osweiler probably thought midway through that game that absolutely nothing had changed from his time in Denver. He got the support of a great defense, some excellent receiving targets, and managed to put up a really nice game while also showing some of the issues that ultimately convinced John Elway to not go forward with him. Still, the Texans right now are sitting really pretty in that division, and this is even without having a 100% JJ Watt.
10.) Detroit Lions = 1-0 (39-35)
The Lions have now won 7 of 9 games dating back to last season, and generally been very good on offense in all of them. It is hard to get too good a read on them given how bad the Colts defense is - especially after seeing top guys get injured - but the Lions varied approach to making up for the loss of Calvin Johnson is really intriguing. Stafford just looks really calm and confident in that Jim Bob Cooter offense. The defense was startlingly bad, and they will have to hope they just ran up against Andrew Luck at his best, because there were serious breakdowns in coverage.
9.) Baltimore Ravens = 1-0 (13-7)
Could that have been a more Ravens-esque win? It has to be a great sign that despite never leading by more than a score, the Ravens defense never relented and just slammed the door on the Bills the entire game. They never let them get anything going, and this is with a Terrell Suggs who is still trying to get into game shape. The offense was not great, but it was more mistakes than an inability to move the ball, so there is hope as well. The Ravens really late into the preseason predictions period became a trendy playoff pick, and for a week they showed why.
8.) Kansas City Chiefs = 1-0 (33-27)
Give them credit for the comeback, for sticking to their plan, for the defense finally getting stops despite numerous injuries. But still, we need to remember this team was trailing 24-3 at home. The Chiefs defense was so lethargic early on, and while I realize Philip Rivers at his best can do that to any team, this was another level of disinterest. Better teams would not give up 17-point leads. Still, the Chiefs picked up their 11th straight regular season win.
7.) Oakland Raiders = 1-0 (35-34)
Even had the Raiders lost that game, I would still think of them as one of the better 0-1 teams. Instead, they won in one of the craziest ways possible. Before we just write this off saying the Saints defense sucks, let's remember the Raiders went into the Superdome, went down 10-24, and won the game. This is a huge moment for a young team. You hope the defense comes together and does a better job getting after the passer, but there will be few games so challenging form them than the Saints in the Superdome on offense.
6.) Seattle Seahawks = 1-0 (12-10)
The good news is Russell Wilson's injury doesn't seem too serious, and they still won the game. The Seahawks defense spent most of the game playing in the dominant fashion they ended last year and displayed in 2013-14. But my word was that offense bad. How are they still so bad at pass protection? How does Jimmy Graham get 1 catch in a game where Wilson throws in 43 times? At this point, you have to seriously wonder if Wilson plays 16 games, and if he can even be allowed to reach the level he showed late last season.
5.) Pittsburgh Steelers = 1-0 (38-16)
The Steelers could not have drawn up a better performance. It was almost prime Manning-era Colts in its effectiveness. Roethlisberger was brilliant, Antonio Brown was even better, and DeAngelo Wiliams looked like the 2009 version of himself suddenly. My hesitation in ranking them higher is their defense. That pass rush is nonexistent. While this may work against most teams - certainly they can look to those Colts on how to win a lot of games by running and hiding on offense, but against top teams they need some of those young, talented front-seven players to take a step forward.
4.) Green Bay Packers = 1-0 (27-23)
Maybe the Jaguars are a good team, and if they are this result looks a whole lot better. The defense had some huge plays late, and they still employ the best QB in the NFL, and they saw two of the three primary alternate contenders for the NFC crown lose, but there are some causes for concern. The main one is the offense. Aaron Rodgers went 20-32 for just 199 yards, and needed to do some incredible Aaron Rodgers stuff to get his two TDs. Where is the offense that dominated the league in 2014? Maybe Nelson isn't fully fit, but they better hope he does become so soon.
3.) Cincinnati Bengals = 1-0 (23-22)
Other than the two teams ahead, no one had a more impressive win than the Bengals going to play a good team on the road and winning despite a performance that left a lot to be desired. The Bengals pass defense should get better over the course of the year as their younger guys get more seasoned in the secondary. The passing offense still looks great as Andy Dalton, when he wasn't get put on his ass, was able to fire strikes and make good use of even his non-Green targets. The team looks every bit as good as last ear, and a tight Week 1 test should be a good way to start that off.
2.) New England Patriots = 1-0 (23-21)
Let's just face it, they are going at least 14-2, if not 16-0. Let's move on before I break my monitor.
1.) Denver Broncos = 1-0 (21-20)
Still the Champs, still undefeated, and thus, still #1. I was impressed by the Broncos defense for still being so damn good even without Jackson or Trevathan. Sooner or later, Von and Demarcus will get you. The offense probably has a low ceiling, but seems to also have a high floor, especially if they can run block the way they did against Carolina - looking a lot the Kubiak-era Texans and nothing like whatever hodgepodge Kubiak threw together last year.
Playoff Projections
AFC
1.) New England Patriots - 14-2
2.) Cincinnati Bengals - 12-4
3.) Oakland Raiders - 10-6
4.) Houston Texans - 10-6
5.) Pittsburgh Steelers - 11-5
6.) Baltimore Ravens - 10-6
NFC
1.) Green Bay Packers - 13-3
2.) Carolina Panthers - 12-4
3.) Seattle Seahawks - 12-4
4.) New York Giants - 10-6
5.) Arizona Cardinals - 10-6
6.) Detroit Lions - 10-6
Looking Ahead to Next Week's Games
16.) Baltimore Ravens (1-0) @ Cleveland Browns (0-1) (1:00 - CBS)
15.) San Francisco 49ers (1-0) @ Carolina Panthers (0-1) (1:00 - FOX)
14.) Seattle Seahawks (1-0) @ Los Angeles Rams (0-1) (4:05 - FOX)
13.) Tennessee Titans (0-1) @ Detroit Lions (1-0) (1:00 - CBS)
I call it "Games I Don't Really Have Any Interest In" Sunday, with four games that I really don't care too much about. For the Ravens and Lions, they have seemingly easy paths to nice 2-0 starts and some nice national praise, especially the Ravens who easily could have another great defensive performance. Carolina gets to lick their chops against what is still a bad team, and the Seahawks get to flex their muscles against what is most definitely a bad team. Only interesting question to me is do the Rams make it two straight shutouts? Very likely, honestly.
12.) Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) @ San Diego Chargers (0-1) (1:00 - CBS)
I call it "The loser can kiss all Wild Card hopes behind" Sunday, as while I don't think either of these two teams have realistic playoff chances, the loser almost certainly doesn't. Generally one team a year will make the leap from 0-2 to the playoffs, but it is hard to imagine either of these two doing so. For the Jags, an 0-2 start would be particularly painful.
11.) Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) @ Chicago Bears (0-1) (MNF - ESPN)
10.) New Orleans Saints (0-1) @ New York Giants (1-0) (1:00 - FOX)
9.) Atlanta Falcons (0-1) @ Oakland Raiders (1-0) (4:25 - CBS)
I call it "The random fun 0-1 vs 1-0 games" Sunday and Monday, I like these 0-1 vs. 1-0 matchups as the most likely outcome is the Week 1 loser wins and we learn we don't know too much about any of these teams. I can easily see that, both with the Eagles riding high after beating up on a truly awful club, or the Giants realizing that not every QB is Dak Prescott, or the Falcons.... well actually with the Falcons, I think we know who we are. The Raiders can actually go 2-0 for the first time since 2002.
8.) Dallas Cowboys (0-1) @ Washington Redskins (0-1) (1:00 - FOX)
I call it "Yeah, let's just get these NFC East Games out of the Way" Sunday, as after this game there will only be 10 more of these ridiculous contents. Neither team came out too well after Week 1, particularly the Redskins, who were outscored 38-10 to end their Monday Night Game. If there is one thing to look for, it can be that given what we saw DeAngelo and the Steelers run game do to the Redskins, we might actually get to see what that Ezekiel Elliott hype was about.
7.) Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) @ Houston Texans (1-0) (1:00 - CBS)
6.) Miami Dolphins (0-1) @ New England Patriots (1-0) (1:00 - CBS)
I call it "I really had no where else to put two games I'm mildly intrigued in" Sunday, as it is hard to get too hyped for these games, but in a post-Manning NFL where I'm open to just enjoy the games for once, I can get into these games a bit. Let's start with the Chiefs and Texans, where we get two 1-0 teams that both are trying to return to the playoffs. For the Dolphins, had they held on to their lead, and had Chandler Catanzaro hit his field goal, this game would have been way up the list.
5.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) @ Arizona Cardinals (0-1) (4:05 - FOX)
4.) Indianapolis Colts (0-1) @ Denver Broncos (1-0) (4:25 - CBS)
I call it "Surprisingly Intriguing intra-conference Week 2 Games" Sunday, with two really nice games. After the Bucs surprising week 1 win in Atlanta, and the Cardinals pathetic performance, this is suddenly a big game. The Bucs can get a 2-0 start with two road games, the Cardinals can get an 0-2 start with two home games (really hurting my Super Bowl pick), or you know we can get a nice course correction. For the Colts, their defense gets an easier test, but their offense get a much tougher one.
3.) New York Jets (0-1) @ Buffalo Bills (0-1) (TNF - CBS)
2.) Green Bay Packers (1-0) @ Minnesota Vikings (1-0) (SNF - NBC)
1.) Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) (1:05 - CBS)
I call it "The Bad, The Good and the Great of Divisional Week 2 Games" Thursday and Sunday, as we get three nice divisional games in Week 2. The Jets and Bills both have playoff aspirations. For one of them, they will be 0-2 and really in a hole. The winner stays in pace with the Patriots in the division - but let's be real, this will be a mess of a game with the Color Rush jerseys and all that mess. The Packers and Vikings play a game that suddenly looks a lot nicer after Week 1, with a sullen Packers performance, and great Vikings defensive performance making this seem like a much more interesting game. Also it is the opening of the Vikings new stadium. And finally, another great game featuring the Bengals. If the Bengals can get their revenge win, they would start the season 2-0, both on the road against AFC contenders, just a huge opportunity for them.
