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Pardon my absence last week. While I had, um… concepts of a process… for a column, I basically had no column September 7.
With this said, let’s talk about week one in the NFL.
I enjoy the Thursday night opener each season because it almost always features two relevant, competitive, good-quality NFL teams. The (defending Super Bowl champions) Kansas City Chiefs win over the Baltimore Ravens game did not disappoint.
The Chiefs seem to have the solution for Lamar Jackson, the Ravens’ anomaly – a hard-nosed rusher who happens to play quarterback. The Chiefs’ home stadium is a great atmosphere for launching the sport moving into the spot named “America’s game.”
The opening weekend (Monday Night Football notwithstanding) ended on a remarkably high note with a great battle between the Los Angeles Rams and the Detroit Lions, the latter being a team continuing to be fun to watch with the exception of last season’s NFC Championship game hiccup.
If the Rams had two currently injured offensive linemen available, and if Puka Nacua didn’t leave play early due to injury, the Rams could have been on the winning side of the score. Add the Detroit offensive line’s ability to dig deep for a burst of strength and energy in overtime to the former Detroit and current L.A. Rams’ Matt Stafford’s masterful performance at quarterback in front of a hostile crowd, and we could say the competitors in the weekend finale, the Sunday Night Football clash, gave viewers an excellent television product.
Most of my day Sunday was spent with domestic and occupational to-do lists, and a hearty late lunch so I missed seeing any televised ballgame from start to finish.
On one screen during Sunday’s late lunch, I caught the end of the Bears-Tennessee Titans game, where the defense carried Caleb Williams to a late-game comeback win.
I had left a house earlier that day when the Bears were headed to the locker room trailing 17-3. The hosts likely believed I was the jinx because once I left, the Bears put together their comeback.
I did enjoy the Colts’ home opener versus the Houston Texans. The Indianapolis side looked more competitive than I expected, and I was still pleased with the loss because it came at the hands of former Ohio State Buckeye quarterback/now Houston Texans signal caller C.J. Stroud.
Anthony Richardson’s performance for Indianapolis was mediocre at best, but his back foot, dirty pocket touchdown heave to Alec Pierce will likely hold up very well in the highlight reels for several ensuing weeks.
Texans fans have to be thrilled with the Houston offense’s young field marshal when they looked their way toward the shores of Lake Erie to Cleveland, where they must be thrilled Deshaun Watson is no longer their problem.
Watson, Cleveland’s troubled quarterback, was contained by an improved Dallas defense, and the NFL’s richest quarterback just before the opening kickoff, Dak Prescott. More off-field trouble with Watson, a multiple sexual offender already, might give the Browns the out they need to part ways with him, and only eat half of the vulgar amount of guaranteed money Watson will still receive.
I am puzzled why Cleveland parted ways with Joe Flacco after last season’s run. The Colts will be glad they have him in case Richardson misses snaps throughout the season resulting from his physical style of play.
I shall still be able to catch a selective look at full games from week 1 thanks to my “NFL+” subscription.
Strangely, compared to seasons past, I want to start abridged viewing tranches with some of the week’s lousiest teams in lousy games.
I want to see if the New Orleans Saints’ 47-10 slaughter of the Carolina Panthers will confirm my hunch that Panther QB and former Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young will have a noticeably short NFL career. The Bears are thankful they traded him in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The New York Giants are another awful-looking team with an awful quarterback, and a struggling front office. I want to watch their 28-6 beating just to see how bad they are and seeing the struggling front office on a special Hard Knocks “offseason” series compels me to see how terrible things will get from this sorry outfit.
I’ll rewatch L.A.-Detroit, on the other hand, because I was working more than I was watching that game. I need a break after about 85 minutes of viewing the aforementioned condensed dregs of week one’s action.
Additionally, I want to see if the L.A. Chargers transformed in a manner in line with their final score versus the Las Vegas Raiders in Jim Harbaugh’s coaching debut.
I also want – digressing to more week one stinkers - to watch Arizona-Buffalo to see how often Arizona’s Kyler Murray missed seeing an open Marvin Harrison, Jr.
Finally, I want to have a look at Dallas-Cleveland to appreciate how bad the aforementioned Watson’s performance was, and to see how Tom Brady did in his game analyst role (I’ve ignored the broadcast pundits so far). I’ll watch that one at full length for the first half, and as I said before, the other games will be condensed.
I’m grateful for NFL+ because I can take care of life and living on Sunday but come around to the games I missed. Following the Warsaw Tigers Boys’ soccer match this morning, you know where I’ll be for about five to six hours this afternoon.
