Around the AFC
1 vs. 2. It’s 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young vs. No. 2 pick C.J. Stroud this weekend when Carolina and Houston meet in Charlotte. So far, Stroud’s been the best rookie in the NFL and Young has struggled. Of course, the two will be compared for much longer than half a season. Even still, it’s difficult to overstate how impressive Stroud’s been in getting the Texans to 3-3 and logging just one interception so far.
Chargering. This was maybe, just maybe going to be the year somebody in the AFC West challenged Kansas City. Instead, Patrick Mahomes threw for 424 against the Chargers last week and KC’s defense is one of the best in football. Justin Herbert’s team? 2-4 now. At least they play Chicago this weekend. That won’t be a problem. Right?
Birds aloft. The Ravens hammered Detroit last week to get to 5-2. The defense is stout. Lamar Jackson’s playing great and rookie receiver Zay Flowers is fun to watch. They take the show cross-country this weekend for a game at Arizona. The schedule gets rough as the season progresses, so good on John Harbaugh’s team for the fast start.
Around the NFC
Niners… reeling? Brock Purdy hadn’t lost a regular season start and now his team has dropped two straight. San Francisco is really talented and should be fine going forward, but their schedule is no picnic. After back-to-back road losses against Cleveland and Minnesota, the Niners host Cincinnati and then travel to Jacksonville. They need their defense in prime form and getting Deebo Samuel back from injury certainly wouldn’t hurt, either.
Seahawks in it. Geno Smith bounced back from a rough outing against Cincinnati to get the job done last week vs. Arizona. Seattle’s sitting at 4-2 and just a half-game behind the Niners in the NFC West. So, can they actually make a run at a division title? They’re still big underdogs, but the playoffs should be squarely in view. Tough stretch coming up though against Cleveland this weekend and Baltimore after that.
Fightin’ Falcs. Don’t look now, but seven weeks in the books and Atlanta is leading the wide-open NFC South. The Falcons have exciting offensive skill talent and notched a big division win against Tampa Bay last week. Get this: 10 games remaining on Atlanta’s schedule and none of the opponents currently feature a record better than .500. The division’s there for the taking. Of course, the same could be said of the Bucs and New Orleans.
Game of the Week
Jacksonville at Pittsburgh
A sneaky good game in the Steel City pits the streaking Jaguars against the feisty Steelers. Jacksonville’s won four straight and is 3-0 on the road. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, keeps finding ways to get the job done despite being limited offensively. Their outside linebacker duo of T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith will have to cause a lot of havoc. And even if they do, it may not be enough for the 2.5-point underdogs.
Jaguars 24, Steelers 21
Lock of the Week
New England at Miami
The Patriots, like several other teams last week, notched their second win of the season. They popped a stunner on Buffalo after a horrendous start to the season. So, can they make it two in a row? Sure, they could. But not this week against this offense. The Dolphins can hit the accelerator like few teams in the league. They should be able to again this weekend as 9.5-point favorites, even with all-time great Bill Belichick, new contract extension in hand, on the other sideline.
Dolphins 28, Patriots 17
Upset of the Week
New Orleans at Indianapolis
Derek Carr hasn’t had a smooth start, exactly, to his tenure with the Saints. He’s struggled, throwing six touchdowns to four interceptions and last week showed up receivers after mistakes. Even still, the Saints have more stability at the position than Indianapolis after Anthony Richardson’s shoulder injury. Gardner Minshew got the job done last week, but New Orleans has a great chance as a 1-point underdog on the road.
Saints 23, Colts 20
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