Game of the week
Minnesota at Philadelphia
The Vikings walloped Green Bay last week and are a 1 1/2-point road underdog against the Eagles. Receiver Justin Jefferson started his quest for a 2,000-yard season with 184 yards on eight catches (two touchdowns). The Eagles will counter with receiver A.J. Brown, who debuted with a 10-catch, 155-yard game in a win at Detroit.
Vikings 29, Eagles 27
Lock of the week
Atlanta at L.A. Rams
Poor Falcons. First, they squander a 16-point home lead and lose to New Orleans. And now they hit the road for a two-game West Coast road trip (at Seattle next week). The Rams are a 10 1/2-point favorite and have had 10 days to stew over their opening-night no-show/loss to Buffalo. A get-right game for them.
Rams 37, Falcons 17
Upset of the week
Indianapolis at Jacksonville
The Jaguars are a 4 1/2-point home underdog; they should have won at Washington last week (lost 28-22). The Colts should have lost at Houston; they rallied from 17 points down to tie. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (24 of 42 in opener) will bounce back and drop Indianapolis to 0-1-1 and likely enrage Colts owner Jim Irsay.
Jaguars 17, Colts 14
Around the AFC: T.J. Watt injury equals opportunity for former Broncos outside linebacker Malik Reed
Reed’s opportunity. Former Broncos outside linebacker Malik Reed, traded to Pittsburgh after the preseason, is expected to see his role grow because of a starter’s injury. Reed started 34 games for the Broncos from 2019-21 because of injuries to Bradley Chubb (’19), Von Miller (’20) and Chubb (’21) plus last year’s trade of Miller. The Steelers’ T.J. Watt is out indefinitely (torn pectoral), creating an opportunity for Reed, who played 32 snaps (one tackle) in last week’s overtime win at Cincinnati. “(Reed’s) resume speaks for itself,” coach Mike Tomlin told reporters. “That’s why we went out and acquired him. He’s a very, very credible NFL player and we expect him to play varsity ball for us.”
Rotating linemen. Raiders coach Josh McDaniels took a page from Bill Belichick’s book by rotating offensive linemen into the game in last week’s loss to the Chargers. Three players (left guard John Simpson, left tackle Kolton Miller and center Andre James) played all 58 snaps, but two players apiece rotated at right guard and right tackle, playing 18-40 snaps. The Raiders, which allowed five sacks to the Chargers, plan to use the same rotation plan Sunday against Arizona. Shouldn’t they have their best five figured out by now?
Ex-Broncos injured. Baltimore won its opener last week against the New York Jets, but it was costly injury-wise. Left tackle Ja’Wuan James, who was filling in for Ronnie Stanley, sustained a torn Achilles and cornerback Kyle Fuller tore his ACL after playing 80 defensive snaps. James was an all-time free-agent bust for the Broncos (2019-20) and Fuller was signed to a one-year deal in ’21 and played his best at the nickel spot. Fuller, a Baltimore native, had not missed a game because of injury in five consecutive years. The Ravens are still without cornerback Marcus Peters.
Around the NFC: After Week 1 win, next up for Tom Brady is nemesis New Orleans
Brady faces nemesis. Since joining Tampa Bay in 2020, quarterback Tom Brady is 0-4 against New Orleans and 24-5 against the other 30 teams in the regular season. The Buccaneers travel to play the Saints on Sunday. Brady is 4-5 all-time against the Saints and Seattle is the only other team (1-2) he has a regular-season losing record against. The best way for Brady to break his Saints slump? Have the Buccaneers follow the same script as last week’s 19-3 win at Dallas. Leonard Fournette rushed 21 times for 127 yards and the defense held Dallas to 3 of 15 on third down. The Buccaneers lost receiver Chris Godwin (hamstring) against the Cowboys in his first game since tearing his ACL last year.
Dallas’ problems. The Cowboys had big-time issues even before quarterback Dak Prescott broke his throwing thumb in the 19-3 loss to Tampa Bay. They commit too many penalties (10). They didn’t run it well (Ezekiel Elliott gained 52 yards, but had only 10 attempts). And receiver CeeDee Lamb had only two catches in, gulp ,11 posted targets. Cooper Rush will start at quarterback Sunday against Cincinnati. If Prescott misses four games, they will be against the Bengals, New York Giants, Washington and the Los Angeles Rams.
Another Week 1 stinker. Last year, Green Bay was overmatched 38-3 by New Orleans, but quickly rebounded to win its next seven games (four by double-digits). The Packers are back in that mode after losing 23-7 at Minnesota last week. The Packers host Chicago Sunday night ahead of next week’s trip to Tampa Bay. The big difference is obvious: Aaron Rodgers had Davante Adams last year. His leading receiver was running back A.J. Dillon (five catches) last week. The Packers could get Allen Lazard (ankle) back.
