Ty's NFL Quick Hits: Week 1
/Every Monday during the NFL season I want to do some quick hits. I want to talk about my reactions, my highlights, my lowlights and just give my own top teams and players. With it being Monday, I will not talk about the Monday night game, and I will not preview the game as well. So, with that being said, lets get to it.
Yesterday was the start to the season. I know we had a game Thursday night, but come on, Thursday night's game was awful. The Falcons and Eagles still need a few weeks before they are the teams they are going to be. And, that is exactly how I viewed the games yesterday. Yes, there are a few teams that we should already know how good or bad they are, but in reality, there are still about 30 teams that I don't have a full grasp on yet, and I probably won't for about 4 or 5 more weeks.
With that said, the Bills are horrendous. They got absolutely smoked by the Ravens yesterday. I know the Ravens have a solid defense, and a good running back, but Joe Flacco looked like a top 5 QB, and that was all because of the Bills awful defense. Flacco was out there throwing dimes and hitting the open guy all game. Alex Collins, the running back, didn't even have to do too much. The Ravens defense also swallowed everything the Bills tried on offense. First off, I cannot believe they started Nathan Petermann. I mean, how is this guy on a roster? How is he a starter? Why did the Bills let Tyrod Taylor go so this mediocre dude could be their QB? None of it makes sense. And, as predicted by everyone, the Bills took him out very early and went to Josh Allen. He didn't fare much better. Allen is going to be a bust. I'm about 99 percent certain of this. That game was awful, and spoke volumes about the Bills. They may be worse than the Browns.
Speaking of the Browns, they didn't lose yesterday, but they also didn't win. I don't know if that says more about them or their opponent, the Steelers. The Browns are not a good offensive team. They have an okay, up and coming defense. But, their offense is real bad. The Steelers are the opposite. They, at least on paper, are supposed to have an electric offense. I mean, I picked them to go to the AFC title game. Now, I know that Le’Veon Bell wasn't playing yesterday, but his backup, James Connor, went off. He had over 130 rushing yards and 2 TD's. He also had about 50 receiving yards. He played great. But, Antonio Brown was relatively quiet. Ju Ju Smith Schuster had an okay game, but nothing spectacular. The tight ends were very blah. And Ben Roesthilberger was dreadful. I feel like he is done. I kind of felt that way last season, but he looked real, real bad yesterday. This actually makes me happy because that dude is a creep, and he doesn't deserve anything positive said about him. I feel like this tie game was solely on him. He stunk up the joint. To go back to the Browns real quick though, they acted excited because they tied the Steelers. That is embarrassing. They have won 1 game over the past 2 years, and they are happy with a tie? Get the hell out of here. I still think they stink. Tyrod Taylor is a good QB, but he doesn't really have anything else. This team is bad.
The Chiefs looked wonderful yesterday. Patrick Malhomes looked awesome. He might be the real deal. Kareem Hunt looked just as good as he did last year. Their defense was bad though, real bad. They had that game sewn up early in the fourth, but they let the Chargers get back into the game. Also, the Chiefs started off super hot last year, and we all saw how that ended. So, I do not put a ton of stock in their win yesterday. Also, the Chargers are still the Chargers. People please, please stop picking them as your "sleeper" team. Please stop saying they are on the cusp. They are who we thought they were to quote the late great Dennis Green.
The Buccaneers need to cut Jameis Winston now and go with Ryan Fitzpatrick. He looked incredible and actually got the ball to guys like Mike Evans in prime position to score. Also, Alvin Kamara is the new best multi purpose back in the league, Drew Brees can still throw the ball, and what in the hell happened to the revamped Saint defense? They could not stop a thing. I think they will fix what ailed them last year, but they need to be better to compete in their hyper tough conference.
The Panthers and Cowboys game was ugly and boring. Ezekial Elliot looks like a flash in the pan. Dak Prescott, who I like, may be best as a backup and their defense is mediocre. As far as the Panthers, Cam Newton needs help. He will try to do it all, but he needs help. He needs weapons around him. At least their defense is sound and physical.
To finish it all up for today, I have to talk about the Packer game last night. They looked so so so bad in the first half. On the other side of that coin, the Bears looked great. Mitch Trubisky was making throws. Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen were doing their thing. And my god, Khalil Mack was dominant. He was totally worth all those picks for that trade. They looked to have that game wrapped up. I continued to watch because I am a glutton for punishment when it comes to the teams I root for. So, when Aaron Rodgers went down, and was carted off the field, I was certain they were done, especially after Mack got that pick 6. But, Rodgers came back in the second half, and then the pass to Geronimo Alison happened. That was a beautiful throw and an even better catch. That was when my hope came back that the Packers could win. Rodgers then threw a TD to Davante Adams to cut the lead to three. The Bears answered with a field goal, but that was about all they could muster in the second half. They looked like a completely different team. They looked content with winning a half, not a game. So, when the Packers got the ball back, I thought they could win. Then a 75 yard pass to Randall Cobb pretty much sealed the deal. The Packers came all the way back and won. I was happy for a minute, then I got a little concerned. Yes, they won. Yes, Rodgers looked amazing. Yes, the receivers were tremendous. But, the defense looked bad all night. They have no contain, and they got carved up for a half by Mitch Trubisky. Also, they need Aaron Rodgers. If he goes down, this team is done. They have no backup plan. Hopefully they will explore Colin Kaepernick. He would be ideal to play behind Rodgers. They also need a real run game. Jamal Williams had moments, but he is young and green. Ty Montgomery needs to be a slot receiver and returner, not a running back. But, I do appreciate his willingness to play the position. The Packers need a real running game. So while I am happy with the win, I still have plenty of concerns.
These are some of my thoughts my week one. I'm pretty stoked that football is back.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is not happy or sad for the Browns. His emotions are a tie, that is what Cleveland seems to want.
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