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Well, the first weekend of the new NFL season is almost in the books. Two games remain tonight, one of which involves my Giants.
Do I think that the Giants will win that one?
No I do not.
But the preview will be posted later. For now, let us look at the games that actually were played yesterday. Here we go:
Buffalo 27, NY Jets 17 – This game was, more or less, what I expected it to be. Maybe the level of dominance by the Bills in the early part of the game was a bit surprising, as was the relatively impressive late rally by the Jets to make the outcome at least appear more respectable. But for the most part, the Bills did what they were expected to do. They took care of business, on both offense and defense. Josh Allen set a personal best record for most yards thrown for in a game. The offense looked solid, and outside of the late rally by Gang Green, Buffalo’s defense looked pretty decent, too. This was the result the Bills wanted, expected, and earned. As for the Jets, a tough way to start the season, but it is just one game. My prediction: Accurate
Baltimore 38, Cleveland 6 – That the Ravens won this game was not a surprise. That they completely dominated, even humiliated the Browns was not as expected. I thought that the Browns would have a better season this year, and indeed, they still might. But this was the kind of discouraging start to the season that Cleveland and their fans certainly were hoping to avoid. Not a pretty start, and they have to remember that this was just one game. As for Baltimore, it is hard not to be incredibly impressed by this show of dominance. Wow! My pick: Accurate
Las Vegas 34, Carolina 30 – The Panthers played tough at home, which is what you would want. True, the Panthers appear to be going through a rough time. This was just another loss, although it was also a rough way to start the season. But the Raiders should be a better team this coming season, and it seemed like they would be, judging by this game. A solid, East Coast road win the for the Raiders, which is not something to overlook. They are off to a decent start to a promising season. My pick: Accurate
New England 21, Miami 11 – The first game for the Patriots in the post-Tom Brady era went rather well, thank you very much. No, the Pats do not resemble some of their better or more explosive teams of past years, and most do not expect them to reach the Super Bowl this season. But they nevertheless showed that they are not going to slip down to become a disaster, at least not without a fight. The Dolphins struggled on the road, in a place where they have not won very often in recent decades. From their vantage point, this was disappointing, but again, it is still very early, and there is plenty of time to recover. My pick: Accurate
Seattle 38, Atlanta 25 – Like the game between Green Bay and Minnesota, this one had a lot more offense, and much less defense, than I was expecting. That is particularly true of Seattle, a team that traditionally relies on their normally solid defense. But on offense, they looked great, and Russell Wilson looks like he is off to another great season. As for the Falcons, this was pretty much what you could expect, and likely what you can expect from them for this still very young season. Discouraging loss for Atlanta, and a solid East Coast road win for the 'Hawks. My pick: Accurate
Jacksonville 27, Indianapolis 20 – Like the Eagles, the Colts looked like they were as solid in their season opener as you could expect them to be, only to blow the lead and the game. And Jax is hardly the best overall team that the Colts will face this season. So, not a good sign. A great win for the Jaguars, who most people did not expect great things from. But a very sour opening game for the Colts and their fans. My pick: Inaccurate
Green Bay 43, Minnesota 34 – This game was far more explosive in terms of points scored and offensive fireworks than expected. Did not expect an NFC North showdown to feature quite this much offense, and such little defense. But in the end, the Packers proved to be the better team, which is what most expected. Not a good start for the Vikings. My pick: Accurate
Chicago 27, Detroit 23 – For most of this game, especially later in the game, it looked like the Lions would prove me wrong, and win. But right at the end, the Bears rallied for a solid road comeback win. Chicago looked a bit more questionable than I had expected, but the end result, an exciting, come from behind win, restored faith. As for Detroit, hard not to think that these are the same old Lions that we have seen before. It is only week one, but if they keep having games like this, it will be another long season. My pick: Inaccurate
Washington 27, Philadelphia 17 – When I saw early on that Philly held a 17-point lead against Washington, my first thought was that maybe they were more dominant than I had expected them to be. But later, once I saw that they had blown that big lead and lost the game (convincingly), it felt like the same old Eagles of the past two seasons. Not the way you want to start a promising new year. As for the Washington Football team, an explosive win for the most generic sounding sports team of all time! My pick: Inaccurate
LA Chargers 16, Cincinnati 13 – This was the kind of game that I was expecting, with the results, more or less, to match. Not an especially exciting game, but a solid road win pretty far east for the Chargers, so they can feel good about this. As for Cincy? Well, the defense held the Chargers offense, so that is something. But otherwise, not a great way to start the season. My pick: Accurate
Arizona 24, San Francisco 20 – Not what I expected. The Cards really played well to earn this huge of a road win right away. What a way to begin the new season! As for the 49ers, the defending NFC champs, this was a sour result. They had taken the NFC by storm last season, racing off to a perfect 8-0 start, the second best start ever for this proud franchise, en route to winning the top seed and bullying their way to the Super Bowl. But this has to be a sobering reminder of how different this season may be, and how tough it is to stay on the straight and narrow path of winning. Still, it's only week 1. My pick: Inaccurate
New Orleans 34, Tampa Bay 23 – Tom Brady's debut as a Buccaneer had it's ups and downs, but mostly, it was frustrating and disappointing to him. I kind of have a feeling that this is the way the entire season will go for him, because the Bucs with Brady and Gronk are not the Patriots with Brady and Gronk and Belichick. Then again, this was a very tough road game to start the season with, and Tampa Bay did not exactly get humiliated. My pick: Accurate
LA Rams 20, Dallas 17 – The Cowboys had a chance to tie this game, and decided to gamble by going for the winning touchdown rather than the tying field goal. Had it worked, Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy might have looked like an absolute genius with nerves of steel. It did not work, and so everyone is questioning his decision making, which possibly cost the Cowboys a chance to win this one. The Rams looked impressive, with a solid win to start the season. My pick: Inaccurate
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