Week 1 of the NFL season showed that the league still runs through Kansas City and San Francisco in 2024, as the two Super Bowl participants both kicked off the season with quality wins in their openers. As for their biggest threats, well, not much has changed their either from last season. In the AFC, the Ravens came a toe away from stunning the Chiefs, while the Bills, Texans, and Dolphins all scratched out wins. In the NFC, it was the Lions, Eagles, and Cowboys all picking up solid wins in their openers to keep pace in the early going.
As we move into Week 2, we’re still waiting for our first big surprise of the young NFL season, as the teams we expected to look good did so, while the teams we expected to look bad were as advertised. The middle of the pack is what’s most interesting right now, as some teams like Minnesota, New Orleans, and Tampa Bay feasted on bad opponents in Week 1, and we’ll be looking to find out if that was more a referendum on their skill level or just a matter of how bad the Giants, Panthers, and Commanders are.
Primetime Game of the Week: Bills at Dolphins (Thursday 9/12, 8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video)
Thursday Night Football usually sucks because of the short week, but it’s a chance we get an excellent football game this time around. The two teams have battled at the top of the AFC East over the last few years, and while the Bills’ status at the very top of the division is debatable, they still have Josh Allen, which might be enough, even with a questionable group of pass catchers and on the heels of some high-profile losses on defenses due to free agency departures and an injury to Matt Milano.
As for the Dolphins, they loaded up this offseason with an eye on finally winning the division and going on a run in the AFC, but everything still comes down to Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, and their high-powered offense. There are questions about who lines up next to Tagovailoa in the backfield — Raheem Mostert is out, De’Von Achane is a game-time decision — but the Dolphins are incredible about plugging and playing guys at running back who just keep the machine humming.
These teams have so much familiarity with one another, so it’ll be fun to watch how much of a feeling out process there is early in the game. Buffalo has to make sure it doesn’t fall for the eye candy that Mike McDaniel will throw at them, while Miami absolutely cannot let Allen and James Cook run all over them — making Allen throw the ball isn’t always a great idea, either, but at least there’s reason to believe the Dolphins could handle a Bills receiver room that isn’t totally proven yet.
Sunday Funday Game of the Week: Bucs at Lions (Sunday 9/15, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX)
Do you like it when football teams score points against one another? Well, good news: The Bucs and the Lions are very good at doing that, and they play one another on Sunday. They’re helmed by two of the best redemption stories in the league at QB in Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield, both passing games are a joy (Mike Evans and Amon-Ra St. Brown are maybe my two favorite receivers to watch in the entire NFL), and there’s a battle in the trenches on both sides of the ball that will be worth the price of admission — Aidan Hutchinson going up against Tristan Wirfs (whenever they’re matched up, of course), and Vita Vea against Detroit’s unbelievable IOL. I’d say bet the over, but it’s currently set at 51.5, which is awfully high for a Week 2 NFL game.
Under the Radar Banger: 49ers at Vikings (Sunday 9/15, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS)
We’re going to learn whether the Vikings are a legitimate threat in the NFC or if they’re still a couple notches below the best team in the conference (and perhaps the NFL) on Sunday afternoon. Minnesota was very impressive in Week 1, as Sam Darnold carved up the Giants early before they effectively shut it down and cruised to a win over a completely inept New York offense. San Francisco is a massive step up in competition from the G Men, and they showed that even without Christian McCaffrey they are an explosive offense. Even early in the season, a short week going on the road is tough and Minnesota should be up for this one.
Who Won The MVP Last Week: Baker Mayfield
In a week where passing stats across the league were way down, Baker Mayfield was carving it up down in Tampa. The former No. 1 overall pick threw for 289 yards on 24-of-30 passing (80 percent completion rate) and four touchdowns, with zero interceptions, as the Bucs dismantled the Commanders. He and Mike Evans continue to have a tremendous connection and while the Washington defense isn’t exactly elite, Mayfield’s command of the Tampa offense was quite impressive and he delivered the most impressive performance of the young season.
Best Bet: Colts (-3) vs. Packers (1:00 p.m. ET, FOX)
Last week we came painfully close with the Rams only to lose in overtime, and this week we’re going a bit of a different route than normal. I’m not one to lay it often, especially with a team that figures to be the public side, but this line just feels too low for the Colts going up against a Packers team starting Malik Willis. Matt LaFleur is a phenomenal coach, but Willis has been in Green Bay for less than a month and there’s no way he’s got a full grasp of the offense. He was brought in as a project guy with some upside and is now thrust into a starting role in Week 2, and I’ll take Anthony Richardson and the Colts to get the job done here.
