One of the interesting “traditions” for the culmination of Week 1 in the NFL is for fans and pundits to overreact to happenings in Week 1. So, let me join the parade and do the same thing here today – – but understand that I know these are overreactions based on a minimal sample size. So, just for fun:
- The Rams are cooked; they are old and injured already; they won’t win their division let alone the Super Bowl. I would not write them off just yet; after all, they lost to a pretty good team last week. Yes, the Rams are old and the injury to Myles Garrett’s knee is not a good omen. The Rams schedule over the next month is difficult and they could be as low as 1-4-0 in early October, but I still think they have the stuff to be a significant factor in the playoffs.
- Forget Kyler Murray; Carson Wentz should be the Vikes’ QB. Coming in as a substitute, Wentz put 39 points up on the Packers last week. Is Carson Wentz going to be another Kevin O’Connell Reclamation Project as was Sam Darnold. The career arc of Darnold and the career arc of Wentz are very similar as they arrived in Minnesota to experience the magic touch of Coach O’Connell. This actually makes sense to me; but I am not the coach or BM in Minnesota.
- The Cowboys’ defense has not been repaired. Over the offseason, the Cowboys got themselves a new Defensive Coordinator, spent 2 first round picks on defenders, extended the contract of Quinnen Williams, traded for Rashan Gary and more. That unit looked worse than miserable on Sunday night. Just one stat; the Cowboys defense forced 11 third-down situations and gave up the first down on 9 of those situations. The Giants pushed the Cowboys’ defense around and far too many pass receivers were running free. I know it is a small sample size, but I think the statement is correct.
- Deshaun Watson’s career is over. He was sacked 5 times – – so maybe his miserable showing on the stat sheet and on the scoreboard is mitigated by the fact that the Browns’ OL is not a good one. Nevertheless, the Browns’ only TD in the game came late in the 4th quarter with the Jags up 34-3.
- The Bears’ offense is unstoppable. The Panthers have a decent defense, and they were steamrollered to the tune of 59 points. Ben Johnson said he wants the Bears to break the record for most points scored in a season which is held by the Broncos in 2013 at 606 points – – in a 16-game season. I don’t know about “unstoppable”, but the Bears’ offense will be fearsome in 2026.
- The Bears’ defense is miserable. The Bears gave up 361 yards passing to Bryce Young – – most of it when the panthers were significantly behind and needed to throw the football. If indeed the Bears’ offense scores the most points in a season in NFL history, maybe the Bears’ defense can allow the most points in a season in NFL history too. That record is 534 points allowed by the Panthers in 2024.
- The Jets’ defense is stout. Yes, the Jets only allowed 195 yards in the opening game – – but those were the Titans trying to move the ball not the Bears. Pump the brakes there a bit…
- The Bengals are for real. The Bengals won an opening game in 2026; they have not done that recently. The Bengals’ defense protected a fourth quarter lead; that was not a common occurrence in Cincy in recent years. Could be true …
- The Chargers are in even worse shape than the Rams. Not only did the Chargers lose; they lost to a team that will probably have a Top 3 Draft pick next year. Moreover, the Chargers face a brutal schedule over the next two months:
-
- Vs Raiders
- At Bills
- At Seahawks
- Vs Broncos
- At Chiefs
- BYE WEEK
- At Rams
- Vs Texans
- At Ravens
-
- The Chargers could be 3-6-0 in mid-November. That just might be worse than the Rams…
- Baker Mayfield is suffering from “Fat Wallet Syndrome”. Yes, he got a nice contract extension in the offseason and yes, he lost 3 of his four fumbles on Sunday. But he was also sacked 4 times and was running for his life on a half-dozen other occasions. Maybe his OL is at least a co-owner of the poor play last week.
- The Eagles’ offense is no different than the one from last season. That may be too strong an indictment, but the Eagles hand the ball to Saquon Barkley on first down too often for it to be a surprise for the defense and the Eagles did not throw the ball into the middle of the field very often on Sunday. The jury is out on this one …
See how much fun this annual NFL “tradition” is? Shakespeare warned to “Beware the Ides of March” so take that advice and do not get ahead of yourself in proclamations about the full NFL season based on Week 1 showings.
Finally, these words from Julius Caesar himself seem appropriate today:
“Men in general are quick to believe that which they wish to be true.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………