1) New England Patriots
Frightening stuff by the Patriots on Sunday. It raised the question whether Bill Belichick’s team even needs Antonio Brown on the offense. Their efficiency - after a stalled opening drive - had them leading 20-0 against Pittsburgh by half time; the Steelers biggest midway deficit since the 2004 AFC Championship game. The defence continued where it left off against the Rams; giving up little on the stats sheet and just a field goal on the score board.
2) Philadelphia Eagles
(up 1)
The good, the bad, the ugly. Philadelphia seemingly showed it all on Sunday as they overcame a 20-7 halftime deficit to beat their rival Redskins 32-27. A slow start for the offense turned into a second half masterclass as DeSean Jackson had a career game - eight catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns – and 36-year-old Darren Sproles made fans question why the team invested second and third round picks in running backs this past off-season investment. Malik Jackson’s injury is a worry, but the defence has as much depth as anyone in the league.
3) Kansas City Chiefs
(up 1)
We’ll keep saying it: Kansas City has a phenomenal offense and a bad defense. Need proof? Look at Week 1’s 40-26 tilt with Jacksonville. Patrick Mahomes and Co. carved a one of our favourite defences up with ease. But the defence allowed a sixth-round rookie quarterback look very good in relief for the injured Nick Foles. Steve Spagnuolo’s unit did show some signs of improvement – notably against the run – but the Chiefs continue to look far from a well-rounded team.
4) New Orleans Saints
(down 2)
Had the Saints - deservedly - lost on Monday night, a first half time-keeping mistake and Houston’s rekicked extra point would likely have plagued us all week. But they won, and it means we can talk about how phenomenal Brees was in the fourth quarter -- posting a perfect 8-8 through the air.
But New Orleans didn’t show up in the first half and played horrible defence as Deshaun Watson lead a go-ahead drive at the death. You won’t get away with that all year, especially on the road. That said, the win means New Orleans enters Week 2 with a 1-0 record for the first time since 2013.
5) Dallas Cowboys
(up 3)
A fifth consecutive win over the Giants will please the reigning NFC East champs, but they looked like a team built for bigger victories this season. Dak was as good as his perfect passer rating suggests, making easy work of a New York defence that offered little pressure and became confused by the end. First year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore – who played for the Cowboys in 2015 - showed plenty of innovation in his first game and is a story to watch all season.
6) Los Angeles Rams
Goff got off to a shaky start in front of a hostile Carolina crowd and looked like he could have used some warmup reps before the 30-27 opening game win. The QB recorded just 186 passing yards while completing 58.9% of his passes. Luckily for him, the run game could help see the game out, with Gurley showing up for 64 of his 97 yards in the fourth quarter while surprise contributor Malcolm Brown added two scores in a committee backfield.
7) Los Angeles Chargers
(down 2)
Los Angeles showed the offensive line wasn’t as terrible as expected - against a good looking Colts pass rush - but it isn’t inspiring either. Ekeler was able to get going behind it and posted a career day in an over time win against the Colts. The offensive play makers lived up to their billing, but Hunter Henry also lived up to his injury-prone tag and looks set to miss some time. That won’t help the Chargers.
8) Minnesota Vikings
(up 4)
The Vikings defence put the league on notice against one of the NFL’s best looking offenses on Sunday. Mike Zimmer’s unit kept Atlanta scoreless until the fourth quarter -- where the team already lead 28-0. Julio Jones was kept to just six catches for 31 yards and a garbage time touchdown; an achievement that will provide mountains of confidence going forward. Unusual day from Cousins though, who recorded just ten passing attempts as the team relied on the ground game. We’re putting that down to a Week 1 audible and expect Thielen and Diggs to combine for more than five targets in future.
9) Houston Texans
(up 6)
It looked like the Texans would beat the Saints for 45 minute of their game on Monday. Then things got tight, until a rekicked extra point with 37 seconds remaining looked set to take Houston out of New Orleans with a stunning win.
They let it slip big time. Ultimately, they lost a close road- game to a very good team. But the things we wanted to see addressed weren’t; Watson continued to be hit and JJ Watt looked less effective with Jadaveon Clowney gone. Those problems will only become more and more evident.
10) Baltimore Ravens
(up 3)
Kind of feels like this was a tune-up boxing match to give the Ravens confidence heading into the season. The performance certainly helped acclimate Marquise Brown to the professional level and Lamar Jackson got to reply to his doubters. But I’m not going to overreact and pronounce the Ravens as runaway AFC North favourites after one week. They looked phenomenal on Sunday but let’s not ignore the quality of their opponent.
11) Chicago Bears
(down 4)
Mitchell Trubisky and Co. proved why we wrote so tentatively about the Bears in the build up to Thursday’s opener. They reached the red zone just twice against the Packers and Trubisky threw a crucial interception in the endzone to seal a loss. It wasn’t a good night, and to make matters worse, the team plays its old defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, next. We’re guessing he’ll know how to exploit this offense come Sunday.
12) Atlanta Falcons
(down 1)
The season couldn’t have started any worse for Matt Ryan, whether it was being sacked on his first play or being held scoreless for three quarters. The quarterback looked slow, throwing a couple of interceptions - one ball looked oddly short and meant to go out of the endzone - and getting sacked four times. The team was against one of the better defences in the NFL so it may have been rust, but the performance was a surprise considering how strong the offense looks on paper. The defence didn’t seem equipped for the Vikings game plan that only threw ten passes, but an even tougher match up awaits this week against Philadelphia.
13) Pittsburgh Steelers
(down 3)
Big Ben used garbage time to pad his stats in an otherwise ugly offensive performance. He overthrew receivers. JuJu was a non-factor. And the loss of Antonio Brown was noticeable.
We wrote last week that head coach Mike Tomlin had some great names on his defence. The problem was none of them really showed up in the 33-3 blow out loss on Sunday. We’re going to put it down to playing the almighty Patriots.
14) Cleveland Browns
(down 5)
Yikes. Whatever about breaking the game - and all those flags - down, we’re questioning the Browns’ mental toughness after a devastating 43-13 home opener against the Titans. With all the talent on paper, the hype seemed too much for the team. You can say “it’s only early” but what does that mean for pressure if this team is playing a road playoff game? They need to manage the expectations of a Week 1 win if they hope to perform in tougher games to come. Time to move on and hope this was a once off.
15) Green Bay Packers
(up 2)
The Packers could certainly have used a trial run of Matt LaFleur’s new offense before meeting the Bears on Thursday. Rodgers looked at times uncomfortable in the new scheme, but a second half throw to Jimmy Graham ensured he got away with it. Fans can thank a staunch defence for the win after it hit a stiff Mitchell Trubisky for five sacks. Room for improvement but huge to beat a rival on the road.
16) Carolina Panthers
A currently healthy Cam Newton and dynamic Christian McCaffrey showed off what could be an explosive offense late in Sunday's 30-27 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. McCaffrey shredded the Rams for 81 yards on ten catches and 19 carries for 128 yards. The defence needs work though, recording just one sack against a suspect offensive line and stiff quarterback, while the unit also surrendered 166 yards on the ground. Against such a high powered offense, fans can hope that this game was an outlier.
17) Seattle Seahawks
(down 3)
It’s not often you’re going to be outgained 429 to 233 yards and come away with the win. Andy Dalton having one of the best performances in his 9-year career - 35-of-51 for 418 yards and two touchdowns – tells you everything about Seattle’s defence. There was an abundance of coverage issues, and the team could have lost except for a Dalton fumble with 14 seconds remaining. The offense struggled for most of the game but ultimately got the big plays when it needed.
18) Tennessee Titans
(up 8)
Has to feel good to derail a hype train and unearth a receiving weapon in the one game. AJ Brown looked far from a rookie as he caught three balls for 100 yards, throwing Browns players off himself in the process. Along with Derrick Henry and Delanie Walker’s two touchdowns each, we were surprised with this offensive showing. and Meanwhile, Cameron Wake only confirmed the Dolphins are tanking, as the 37-year-old recorded 2.5 sacks and a safety after leaving Miami this off-season.
19) Buffalo Bills
(up 1)
Crazy to lose a turnover battle 4-to-1 and still come away with the win. Running back Devin Singletary looked like he’s on the rise after recording 98 yards on nine carries. But the story of the day is Josh Allen’s resiliency after trailing 16-3 going into the fourth quarter. It wasn’t pretty – save for the go ahead touchdown pass to John Brown – but it suggests the Bills could be the menace we thought they’d be all off-season.
20) San Francisco 49ers
(up 1)
Not so sure the 49ers won this one or whether it was more on Jameis Winston. He gifted the 49ers two pick sixes and more interceptions (3) than the team had all year (2). Garoppolo only threw for 166 yards and a touchdown - with one interception - but put Robbie Gould in a position to kick three field goals. Not the kind of exciting offense we’d hoped for from the 49ers.
21) Indianapolis Colts
(up 1)
What a valiant effort by the Colts against one of the highest regarded teams in the league -- proving success without Andrew Luck is still possible. An easy game plan with plenty of short throws was installed for Brissett, with TY Hilton showing he can turn small gains into long touchdowns. Realistically, teams will easily game plan for that kind of offense moving forward, so the Colts will have to challenge Brissett a bit more. On defence, the team has to get better at tackling after giving up a couple of very long runs.
22) Detroit Lions
(up 3)
A less-than-average team was made look good by another less-than-average team in Arizona on Sunday. I’ll let you decide whether that describes the Cardinals or the Lions.
Detroit came out looking really strong but didn’t take big enough advantage of Arizona’s make-shift cornerbacks. On defence, the team allowed Kyler Murray beat himself before realising the no huddle offense had worn them out by the fourth quarter. The first overall then shook his rookie jitters and mounted an easy comeback. A tough draw made easier by rookie tight end TJ Hockenson proving his worth as a Top 10 draft pick.
23) Denver Broncos
(down 4)
That’s not what anyone expected from the new version of Vic Fangio’s defense. His fearsome edge rush was negated by quick passes early, and the secondary was manipulated into defending the short game so Carr could carve it up. Surprised Fangio was so easily fooled, and that his defence couldn’t record one sack.
This offense wasn’t supposed to light the league on fire but surrendering three sacks to last year’s worst pass rush is miserable. Besides that, DaeSean Hamilton dropped a potential TD, and the team had to settle for field goals on three red zone trips in the second half. Have to find more production from somewhere.
24) Arizona Cardinals
(up 4)
I thought Kyler Murray was going to call the Oakland As from the sideline in Arizona on Sunday. The first overall pick looked beyond frustrated as he looked inaccurate against the Lions and messy play-calling prevented him from getting into any kind of rhythm. Cue the fourth quarter - and some monster Larry Fitzgerald catches - and the Cardinals new offense suddenly started looking good.
The defence played better than expected – even though Matt Stafford had himself a good game - and could have won them the matchup if Tramaine Brock didn’t drop an interception with five seconds to go in the tied game. A draw making fans feeling better than they’ve been in over a year says it all.
25) Oakland Raiders
(up 5)
A lack-lustre Denver allowed Derek Carr to make the Raiders receiving corps look better than it is on Monday Night Football. The quarterback went 22-of-26 for 259 yards thanks to good scheming, as he notably only threw four balls more than 10 yards.
After being told the pass rush was no good all off-season – Oakland recruited a miserable 13 sacks last year – the team got to Flacco three times, with two sacks coming on third down. Lots of good improvement but you’d wonder was it helped by a poor opponent.
26) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(down 3)
Maybe Bruce Arians really is phoning it in. After we hyped his offense this off-season, it turns out BA is letting offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich call the plays because “he’s better at it”. That’s not inspiring. And seeing as Jameis Winston still looks awful - throwing three interceptions/ two pick-6s, with one sealing the game - I don’t know what the fiery head coach’s role is with the Buccs. Todd Bowles’ defence looked much improved however, highlighted by Vernon Hargreaves pick-6 to give them their only score before halftime.
27) Cincinnati Bengals
(up 4)
Can feel a little better about these Bengals. Despite AJ Green and left tackle Cordy Glenn missing the game and Joe Mixon being side-lined the second half, Cincinnati went to Seattle and almost pulled out a win. Dalton threw for a career-high 418 yards - completing 35 of 51 passes – John Ross looked like a former first round draft pick, and the defence got after Russell Wilson. Promising start to the Zac Taylor era.
28) Jacksonville Jaguars
(down 10)
Look across to AFC South rivals Indianapolis, and you can see how a high-end starting quarterback giving way to a high-end backup quarterback is not a great situation. So, hearing Nick Foles will remained sidelined for some time while Gardner Minshew takes the reigns is less than ideal.
Minshew looked good filling in for the inured Foles but will also take time to develop as a full time starter. We hoped the defence would carry some of the weight, but they looked uncomposed early in their Week 1 battle, with players getting ejected for brawling. They need to get focused.
29) Washington Redskins
It’s been quite the whirlwind for Case Keenum since he last played the Eagles as part of the 2017 NFC Championship game for the Vikings. While still not a convincing long-term starter, he put his team in a good position to win as Washington jumped out 17-0 against Philadelphia. But a lack of a ground game and a shifting momentum went against his team in the second half, and eventually the Redskins gave way to fate. A more promising performance than we expected.
30) New York Giants
(down 3)
The Giants saw just how far away they are from being contenders on Sunday. The reigning NFC East champion Cowboys exploited their young (rebuilt?) defence, with Dak Prescott going 25-of-32 for 405 yards, four scores and a perfect passer rating. The pass rush stalled despite us thinking Markus Golden would really help it. Offensively, Saquon Barkley was the best player on the field but got handed the ball just 11 times - for 120 yards - which doesn’t make sense. Daniel Jones came in for Eli in garbage time, with his fumble maybe quieting a QB controversy for a couple more weeks.
31) New York Jets
(down 7)
Some tough breaks for the Jets this week almost overshadow how bad they were to lose a 16-3 fourth quarter lead on Sunday. Sam Darnold is out for a couple weeks with mono, a thin receiver group saw Quicy Enunwa land on IR, and Le’Veon Bell is getting an MRI on his shoulder. Suddenly 0-1 looks good compared to the likely 0-3 we’ll be writing about when the Jets get their Week 4 bye.
32) Miami Dolphins
Is it too early in the year to stop updating this part of the page? The Dolphins clearly aren’t putting in the effort so why should we? Coaches are telling players they’re not tanking while players are telling agents to seek trades. Chaos.
Feel bad for Brian Flores. His skin colour already unfairly hindered him from getting head coaching opportunities. To land into this situation when you finally reach the top is devastating.
