Hey, did any of you hear that Taylor Swift was at the Chiefs game last week and is dating Travis Kelce? I had no idea. I’m sure the massive increase in his jersey sales has to do with his resumption of his Hall of Fame career. Although I’ll take having TayTay on my TV screen over those brainless, aspiring reality TV “stars” family of Aidan Hutchinson. YMMV. And, oh, by the way, Miami scored 70 points last Sunday. I bet you didn’t hear about that either.
I find I’m fascinated by the high drama coming from the New York Jets. The putrid play of Zach Wilson (if you recall, he was a “your guy” that I hated coming out of college), although no surprise, seems to be causing problems in the locker room as the defense, and many offensive players too, are frustrated that the powers that be keep trotting him out to start despite the fact he’s in waaaaayyyyy over his head. In their defense, the Jets signed Trevor Siemian this week, so maybe there is a way it works out. However, thanks to their GM’s decisions, their hands are kinda tied. They don’t have the draft capital to trade for a good QB, nor the salary cap room to pay a QB what he’s worth, especially since whomever they sign will be a one and done once Rodgers gets back. Tough spot and a lot of pressure on Robert Saleh to keep this team together.
In other news, Mac Jones apparently punched Sauce Gardner in the nuts during last week’s game. That’s fun. And in a move even more cringey than that, Colin Kaepernick wrote a letter to the Jets offering his services as their practice squad QB. I suppose they could do worse than a rich man’s Justin Fields.
Here’s your games:
Thursday Night Football
Detroit Lions (-1.5) at Green Bay Packers (+1.5)
Sunday, October 1, 2023
Early
Atlanta Falcons (+3) at Jacksonville Jaguars (-3)
Miami Dolphins (+2.5) at Buffalo Bills (-2.5)
Minnesota Vikings (-3) at Carolina Panthers (+3)
Denver Broncos (-3.5) at Chicago Bears (+3.5)
Baltimore Ravens (+2.5) at Cleveland Browns (-2.5)
Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5) at Houston Texans (+3.5)
Los Angeles Rams (+1) at Indianapolis Colts (-1)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3) at New Orleans Saints (-3)
Washington Commanders (+7) at Philadelphia Eagles (-7)
Cincinnati Bengals (+1.5) at Tennessee Titans (-1.5)
Late
Las Vegas Raiders (+4.5) at Los Angeles Chargers (-4.5)
New England Patriots (+7) at Dallas Cowboys (-7)
Arizona Cardinals (+14) at San Francisco 49ers (-14)
Night
Kansas City Chiefs (-9) at New York Jets (+9)
Monday Night Football
Seattle Seahawks (-1.5) at New York Giants (+1.5)
To obviously no one’s surprise, the game I’m most excited for this weekend is the TNF matchup of the Packers and Lions. Not only will it have divisional repercussions, but both these teams are a good test for the other. Jordan Love, in my opinion, has been very fortunate the last few weeks. His inaccuracy is a huge problem, but a solid defense and some luck and they’re not game costing mistakes. Yet. Still, the Pack are 2-1, which is great considering they’re playing without 4 or 5 of their best players on the team. The Lions’ offensive line is very good, and the matchup against the Packers pass rush should be fun to watch.
On Sunday, there are two games that are highlighted for nearly opposite reasons. The Bills/Dolphins game should be a barn burner. Both teams have Super Bowl aspirations, great offenses, and the matchup should be super-fun to watch. Great Football. On the completely opposite side, the Broncos/Bears game could be worth a peek just to see how which number is higher: the number of passes over 10 yards that Justin Fields completes vs the number of people Sean Payton throws under the bus to avoid taking responsibility for his team’s struggles. Maybe it will be “so bad it’s good”.
Of the afternoon games, my eyes will likely be on the Cardinals. I really thought they would be in full-on tanking mode, but Jonathon Gannon has them playing very competitively. Sure that will only last until the Niners pound them into dust, but it will be interesting to see how the Cards respond.
Neither the Sunday nor Monday night games intrigue me much. But I’m expecting a huge regression by Geno Smith this year, but he played very well against the Lions. I’m just not sure I’ll learn anything about him playing against the Giants defense (3rd worst in scoring behind only the Bears and Broncos). Although, in their defense, they’ve played the Niners and Cowboys, two teams with Super Bowl aspirations. Plus, I get to rub it in my Giant’s loving brother in law and nephews when Daniel “40 million a year” Jones plays poorly. But, again in his defense, he’s had to play the two best defenses in the NFC, so he’s not as bad as his play has been this year.
There will be a lot of “Bad Blood” this weekend. Hopefully if your team loses this weekend, you’ll be able to “Shake it Off”. Maybe the Mac Jones sack tap is the start of a “Love Story”, but I’m betting him and Sauce Gardner are “Never Ever Getting Back Together”. So put on your “Cardigan”, root for your favorite “Anti-Hero”, and lets hear from you.