By Stephen Nover
Some NFL rants, raves and observations from Week 1:
Packers-Bears: Yes, the Packers defense looks improved. But keep in mind Mitch Trubisky is going to make a lot of defenses look good. I didn’t like the Packers hire of Matt LaFleur and I still don’t like it. Green Bay’s offense is going to be a work-in-progress. I’d rather trust Aaron Rodgers not Aaron Jones.
Falcons-Vikings: I predict Dalvin Cook is going to lead the NFL in rushing. Matt Ryan’s passer rating at home was 118 last season compared to 99.7 on the road. Ryan and Ben Roethlisberger are similar – they are great at home and much weaker on the road. It’s why I don’t consider either one a Hall of Fame quarterback.
Redskins-Eagles: I took 14-1 odds on Carson Wentz being MVP. Somehow a backdoor cover by the Redskins seems less hard to swallow after Washington blew a 17-point lead. Never once did I feel the Redskins were going to win that game, though. Had a discussion in the sports book with some fellow fantasy football owners. We were discussing how many years it has been since we last had Jordan Reed on our fantasy team. It was like an alcoholics anonymous meeting. My name is Stephen. I’ve gone three years without Jordan Reed and I feel great!
Bills-Jets: The Jets most important player may not be Sam Darnold or Le’Veon Bell, but C.J. Mosley. The Jets’ defense fell apart after he left with an injury – and this was at home to the Bills. Jamison Crowder may lead the league in receptions, but not finish in the top 30 in receiving yards. It’s also time for the Jets to try kicker No. 4 this season.
Ravens-Dolphins: John Harbaugh not only likes to win preseason games, but also run up scores. The Ravens faked a punt leading 35-3 and also went for it on fourth down up 52-10 with less than 10 minutes left. I won’t be spotting too many people this season wearing Miami Dolphins gear. I did like Brian Flores’ answer, though, when asked about Harbaugh’s rubbing it in tactics: It’s our job to stop them; it’s not their job to let off,” Flores said.
49ers-Bucs: Leave it to Jameis Winston to throw more interceptions in this game than the 49ers had all of last season. Bruce Arians has his work cut out for him. Arians needs to have dinner with Winston and get inside his head. Hopefully they wouldn’t dine at a place serving crab legs.
Chiefs-Jaguars: So maybe Patrick Mahomes isn’t going to regress.
Titans-Browns: Right now the Browns are way too undisciplined and unpolished to be considered a Super Bowl contender. The Titans defense does have a way of getting underneath opponent’s skins, though. They’ve been a dirty team going back to the days of Albert Haynesworth and Jeff Fisher. Don’t get too excited about Marcus Mariota yet. His statistics for that game are skewed. He completed only four passes to wide receivers. The Titans aren’t going anywhere until Mariota shows a downfield passing ability.
Rams-Panthers: I’m glad I stayed away from Cam Newton in my fantasy drafts. He never was an accurate passer and now it appears he’s lost much of his running ability with opponents wise to his delayed quarterback draw. Interesting quote from Rams linebacker Cory Littleton, who said, “Cam is a readable guy.” Todd Gurley looked good at times. But it’s obvious that the Rams have to monitor his carries. More troublesome to LA should be Jared Goff’s 4.8 YPA. He’s another QB who is less effective on the road.
Lions-Cardinals: Just save time and fire Matt Patricia. He’s another in a long line of sad sack Lions head coaches.
Bengals-Seahawks: I’ve never thought much of Andy Dalton, but have to give him credit for throwing for 418 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in a very tough road enviornment beind a weak offensive line and no A.J. Green. It’s too bad Bengals coach Zac Taylor didn’t trust his quarterback enough to go for it on fourth down at midfield trailing by one point with 3:30 left. If the Bengals still have that play-not-to-lose mindset than maybe they shouldn’t have turned the page from Marvin Lewis.
Colts-Chargers: The Chargers don’t need Melvin Gordon. Austin Ekeler proved that. It wasn’t just his 154 all-purpose yards. He also pass blocked well. Justin Jackson is a decent back, too. Bad move by Gordon to hold out.
Giants-Cowboys: The Giants have bigger problems than Eli Manning. Their defense gave up TD drives of 75, 93, 83, 75 and 89 yards during five straight possessions. Jason Garrett may get bailed out by new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. You need to make a move if Michael Gallup is still floating around the waiver wire in your fantasy league.
Steelers-Patriots: Lost in the glare of all the Antonio Brown news is just how good the Patriots defense is. Tremendous depth at linebacker and in the secondary could make this Bill Belichick’s best defense in more than 10 years.
(Editor’s note: Stephen Nover is 33-11-3 on his last 47 NFL premium/free plays. If you are interested in Stephen’s sports service please email him at scriber26@gmail.com or message him via Twitter.)