Football. FOOTBALL!!!
What a weekend we just enjoyed. If 14 hours of incredible college football wasn’t enough for you on Saturday and into Sunday morning, I hope the eleven hours of NFL action we got on Sunday afternoon and night did the trick. I was locked in for all 25 hours and while nobody I know was that crazy or committed, I’d do it all over again.
In fact, I probably will next weekend.
That’s not to say it was all sunshine and roses, because it wasn’t. I wanted to crawl into a hole and stay there for the remainder of the season for the first 80% of the Bears game, with Caleb Williams looking lost and the offense continuing to look like what I’ve spent my life becoming accustomed to. But, almost like the Avengers themselves, the defense and special teams units swooped in for the rescue and got Chicago one of the more improbable wins I can remember. It wasn’t pretty, but you never apologize for losses in the National Football League.
While the final score of the Missouri-Buffalo game (38-0) would lead you to believe it was never close, that wasn’t the case. The Tigers lead was just 3-0 after the first quarter, and after watching a myriad of ranked teams struggle all day long (more on that in a minute) I was genuinely concerned this game was not going to be a walk in the park. Luckily, Mizzou figured it out and cruised to 2-0.
Outside of my two favorite teams winning on the same weekend, which is an incredibly rare occurrence, figuring out my favorite moment from the rest of the weekend was easy.
Without a doubt, it was (sorry Stef) Northern Illinois pulling out the upset of the season so far and beating Notre Dame in South Bend.
Forget that a school from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) thoroughly outplayed one of the biggest powerhouses in the country for four quarters on their home field. Forget the fact that the referees blatantly tried to steal the game back for the Irish in the final minute with one of the worst spots I’ve ever seen in my life. Forget the fact that Marcus Freeman is (probably) spending more time on his weekly haircuts than he is the game plan and quarterback recruiting for this type of loss to happen so often.
What brought it all together for me was NIU head coach Thomas Hammock and his postgame interview on the field. After spending the entire game running up and down the sidelines, hyping his guys, as well as chewing out the guys that committed some dumb penalties, Hammock fell to his knees when the final ND field goal attempt was blocked.
“I told the guys all week long that we didn’t need luck,” he said after the game with tears streaming down his face. “We just needed to be our best.”
I mean, how can you not get romantic about this sport?
What Hammock said rings true to our everyday lives. Each one of us is so talented in our own way. If you are at your best, who says you can’t accomplish what you set your mind to? If Northern Illinois can head into South Bend and defeat the No. 5 team in the country with half the amount of three star players as Notre Dame’s four and five star guys, who’s to say you can’t conquer your own personal mountaintop?
Think about that this week. I’m sure there will be another life lesson hidden in next week’s slate.
Quick hitters for the day:
Yearning to return to the simpler time of my childhood, I recently got a Nintendo Wii, a gaming console that defined my adolescent years. If you happen to have any old games for it you no longer use, send me an email.
The Bears are still back. 1-0 is 1-0.
Rest in Peace to the great James Earl Jones. Thank you for everything.
Are bean bags strictly a college dorm piece of furniture? I want to get one but have been told that. Please let me know.
It was a slow start for my picks this week, but we ended up finishing things off right at .500 with an 8-8 week one. We’ll take it, but will also be looking to improve in this spot. Week 2 is the week of overreacting to what we saw in Week 1, so we’re going to try to avoid that.
Here we go.
THURSDAY NIGHT
Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins (-2.5)
This is a very intriguing matchup to start the week off on Thursday night. The Bills started off awfully slow against the Cardinals while the Dolphins came alive in the second half to beat the Jaguars at the horn. I mentioned last week that playing September games in Miami is a very difficult task to perform, and Thursday’s forecast is a hot one. If there’s any team that can get it done though, it's Buffalo. The Bills have won four in a row against Miami, and four of the last five on the road. They continue that trend.
The Pick: Bills +2.5
1 O’CLOCK SUNDAY
Indianapolis Colts (-3.5) at Green Bay Packers
This line is an interesting one to say the least. The Colts kept it close against the Texans, with QB Anthony Richardson looking incredible in some spurts, not so much in others. The Packers lost their opener in Brazil, with Jordan Love getting hurt on the final play of the game. He was 17-34 passing for less than 250 yards before that, but that’s neither here nor there. It’ll be Malik Willis starting under center this week if Love can’t go, which I’m assuming is the case based off of this line. I hate the Packers, which is no secret, but I love them in this spot. Counted out, playing at home, taking on a team with a lot of hype from the week before. This is where they shine. Will be extremely happy if I’m incorrect, so this is a win-win.
The Pick: Packers +3.5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions (-7)
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills here. The Bucs looked awesome against Washington last week, and although the Commanders defense is bad, Tampa is a good team. The Lions needed overtime to beat the Rams at home on Sunday night, although they did cover in the process. The Detroit defense looked soft, the offense looked like it was figuring it out on the fly, and overall, it was not the defending NFC North champions’ best performance. I would not be surprised if they win this game, but seven points is crazy! I don’t think this is an overreaction here. These are two good teams, and that line is way too high. Which probably means 99% of the public backs the Bucs and the Lions cover. We’re going to zig instead of zag.
The Pick: Lions -7
New York Giants at Washington Commanders (-1.5)
Finally, a chance to pick a favorite. The New York Football Giants look absolutely atrocious. Daniel Jones has more pick sixes (3) than TD passes to his own team (2) since signing a $160M deal. Jayden Daniels didn’t really do much with his arm in his team’s loss to the Bucs, but looked awesome scrambling around, rushing for two TDs. I don’t think either of these teams are very good at all, but I don’t see much going well for the G-Men this season. New York has won the last four of the series, but that changes Sunday.
The Pick: Commanders -1.5
New York Jets (-3.5) at Tennessee Titans
I’ll start by saying that I’m not expecting a whole lot of points in this one, in a battle of two good defenses. The Jets didn’t look great on Monday night, but testing out a new offense against the reigning NFC champs isn’t exactly an easy task. The Titans had a win against the Bears all but secured, but a few costly mistakes by Will Levis cost his team dearly. Even at 41, I trust Aaron Rodgers more than Levis to get it done, so I’m going with the Jets to come away with a road victory.
The Pick: Jets -3.5
Seattle Seahawks (-3.5) at New England Patriots
I’m wondering how this one is going to go. On paper, the Seahawks are a much better team than the Pats, but they also will have to travel across the country to play in this game. They also never play in a normal game ever. The Patriots didn’t look great against the Bengals, but did enough to get a win against the worst September team of all time. This is going to stay close all the way through, and if I’m wrong, I’m wrong, but I like the Patriots to cover once again.
The Pick: Patriots +3.5
Las Vegas Raiders at Baltimore Ravens (-9.5)
This is a classic spot for Baltimore. Home opener against a far inferior team, coming off a brutal loss in the season opener. The Raiders offense couldn’t do anything against the Chargers, and I don’t see them getting it going against a stout Ravens D. This is a game I’ve seen time and time again. Lamar and the boys get it going early, keep their foot on the gas and cruise to a blowout victory. They take this one easily.
The Pick: Ravens -9.5
New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys (-6.5)
I couldn’t have been more wrong about picking against the Saints last week, as they absolutely demolished the Panthers. I did hit my Cowboys pick dead on though, as they took care of business quite easily in Cleveland. At the risk of upsetting Saints fans once again, I’m going to keep fading them and riding with Dallas. The Cowboys are a different animal at home, and I still think they’re a top team in the NFC, especially in the regular season. New Orleans may have looked awesome last week, but it was against the worst team in football. Give me Dak and the Boys.
The Pick: Cowboys -6.5
Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars (-3.5)
The Browns were one of the worst looking teams in the league last weekend, with a lot of questions circulating around Deshaun Watson and his contract. The Jaguars started well, but were unable to finish in a loss to the Dolphins. A lot of people are down on the Browns right now, as they should be. Jacksonville needs a win in the worst way after how last season ended, and I think this is the weekend they get it. Will it be by more than three points? I’m going to say yes.
The Pick: Jaguars -3.5
Los Angeles Chargers (-6.5) at Carolina Panthers
This is a cross-country trip for LA but I’m not sure it matters. Star defender Derrick Brown is possibly out for the season for Carolina, an absolutely huge loss for a team that already is among the worst in football. The Chargers didn’t look incredible in their first game under Jim Harbaugh, but they looked competent, something that team can rarely say. For some reason, my gut is still telling me that the Panthers will cover this lopsided spread, but after watching last week, I just can’t do it. Carolina is so bad. They’re so bad that I actually feel bad. I’m sorry Panthers fans. Not this week.
The Pick: Chargers -6.5
San Francisco 49ers (-6.5) at Minnesota Vikings
Well, the Niners look like they’re going to be the cream of the crop in the NFC again after crushing the Jets. Granted, everybody crushes the Jets, but it’s supposed to be different this year. The Vikings also had a blowout win, destroying the other New York team on the road. For some reason, the Vikings have a history of beating the Niners when they shouldn’t. I’m not sure they win outright this week, but there are so many lopsided spreads this week and I can’t pick the favorites in all of them. This feels so gross, but give me Minnesota.
The Pick: +6.5
LATE AFTERNOON SLATE
Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals (-1.5)
Both the Rams and Cardinals lost last week, but both looked frisky in the process. The Rams erased a 17-3 deficit to take the lead before eventually falling in overtime, while the Cardinals led 10-0 before eventually dropping the game. The Rams suffered the loss of Puca Nacua, who was placed on the IR with a knee issue. However, Cooper Kupp looked like the Kupp of old, tearing apart the Lions defense. I think Arizona will be a lot better than they have been in recent years, but I think the Rams are still better. They win this one.
The Pick: Rams +1.5
Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs (-5.5)
I’m done picking against the Chiefs. I’m going to pick them every single week and if I’m wrong, I’m wrong. The two-time defending champs look even better than last year in their opening night win over Baltimore. Kansas City’s offense looked fantastic once again, and that was even with Travis Kelce not doing too much. The Bengals dropped their season opener to a Patriots team that’ supposed to be one of the worst in the league, which actually wasn’t that shocking when you think about how they’ve opened up the season over the last few years. It’s usually a good matchup when Burrow and Mahomes meet, but for the life of me, I can’t go against the champs any longer.
The Pick: Chiefs -5.5
Pittsburgh Steelers (-3) at Denver Broncos
It was classic Steelers to head into Atlanta in Week 1 as underdogs with a backup quarterback and then win without scoring a touchdown. Bo Nix and the Broncos didn’t look great against Seattle, but kept it close for a good chunk of the contest before falling behind late. As classic as last week was for Pittsburgh, it would be just as on brand for them to lose this game as favorites after getting some momentum going. I like Nix to pick up the first win of his career with a victory at home here.
The Pick: Broncos +3
WAITIN’ ALL DAY FOR A SUNDAY NIGHT
Chicago Bears at Houston Texans (-6.5)
I came into this fully prepared to pick Houston, who looks to be a top team this year, especially after how the Bears’ offense looked last week. However, 6.5 points is far too high, especially with how good the Chicago defense is. I had a feeling it could be a special unit heading into the year, but they blew away all expectations last week, single handedly winning the game for the offense. I don’t know how Caleb Williams is going to look, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say it looks better than Sunday. How much better? I’m not sure, but it’ll be enough for this to stay a one-possession affair.
The Pick: Bears +6.5
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles (-6.5)
The Eagles had their hiccups in Brazil, but they were still able to come away with a victory and a cover against the Packers. The Falcons, with Kirk Cousins making his debut for the team, looked god awful in their loss to Pittsburgh. Philly is a very good football team, and while last season did not pan out the way they wanted, this is a game they should win handily. Cousins looked lost at points last weekend, and while he was not very mobile before last year’s Achilles tear, he looked like he was stuck in the pocket in Week 1. I think the Eagles fly their way to 2-0.
The Pick: Eagles -6.5
Let’s hope for a better week than last, I’d prefer to add an above .500 week to my resume heading into Week 3. Enjoy the football this weekend, we’re one week closer to it ending.
Cheers.
Last Week’s Record: 8-8
Season Record: 8-8