Opinion
One of my favourite things about the NFL is it’s unpredictability. This was on full display this week when the Colts knocked off the Chiefs, the Titans took out the Raiders and Tom Brady/Aaron Rodgers combined for 26 points.
The beauty of this game is that on any given Sunday the bettings odds are at best ceremonial. With that said, now allow me to provide for you a guaranteed* and accurate set of way too early predictions for who is winning the Lombardi trophy this year.
20% I hear you gasp? But…but…but Josh Allen, Stefon Di- save it! Remember this time last year where Kyler Murray was playing out of his mind and the Cardinals were the most complete team in football?
Then they won it all right? Wrong!
Or how about the year before when Clyde Edwards Helaire was about to revolutionise the run game? The landscape in week three is rarely if ever the same 14 or 15 weeks later.
With that said, Josh Allen is as close to being a football God right now than just about anyone. The one thing I didnt trust about them last year was their defense.
Not to say it was bad but it was streaky and some games they simply went to sleep. That doesn’t seem to be on the cards this year, and with a suffocating defense like that, an offense that by most dipsticks measures number one in the league, no one could plausibly put the Bills anywhere but first or second in the Superbowl favourite rankings right now.
Jalen Hurts is a fantasy heads cheat code. He might be the best runner QB or otherwise in the league right now (Sorry Lamar, I did say “might”).
That said his passing game is on the up and with the weapons they have on offense you’d have to catch the Iggles on a terrible day just to hold them under 20 points. Then their defense pulled out 9 sacks against the Commanders. 9 sacks. 9. Nine!
With AJ Brown and Devonta Smith ballin out they look like 8 year old me playing Madden going deep on every play. It makes it hard to crowd the box and stop Jalen Hurts running through your line when the passing game is just as threatening.
The Eagles are the only name who you probably wouldn’t find in this list at this time last year, which worries me. Every NFL season has their early stars that are forgotten by Christmas and I hope this isn’t the case, but it’s something to worry about.
Everyone else on the list is a proven dominant force and continuity matters.
Jordan Mailata of the Eagles (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Oh no, Tyreek is gone who will Mahomes throw to? I’m not sure, maybe one of the seven receivers he found in week 1… or perhaps the nine in week 2?
We are passed the point where the Chiefs can be considered anything but a contender unless Mahomes is injured, and if you like good football you won’t be wishing for that.
But believe it or not Mahomes is not even the reason they are in this list. It’s Andy Reid.
The moustachioed soccer dad of the NFL is hands down the king of change. Don’t expect the Chiefs to look even remotely the same by January as they do now.
The mistakes that cost them a loss to the Colts are just part and parcel with a Reid offense that changes so much early on. Once they find their groove by about week 8 it will be game on.
If you’re an AFC West fan just pray they rack up a few losses before then. Otherwise I’d expect a 13 – 4’ish season with a deep playoff run and potentially another ring.
It’s a shame that the Dolphins came back in week 2 because it genuinely overshadowed the insane talent that is Lamar Jackson. Through three weeks he has to be the most slept on QB(pop vs production), and thats saying something since he isn’t exactly slept on.
But considering old mate Tua is getting way more pop in the media, and playing at about a third of Jackson… OK I might be indulging my dislike for Tua (sorry TuAnon) but Jackson is a fairly unanimous favourite for regular season MVP at the moment.
I know the D called it quits early last week slipping into a dreamless slumber against the Fins but they showed up and closed the game at Foxborough.
If the defense can keep it up, and Lamar continues to be who he is the Ravens will be hard to overlook.
Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Any betting man knows, in a game of numbers you always take the field. Its way more likely to be one of the 28 teams not mentioned , then it is to be one of the four that were. And let’s not forget, in this case the field is no joke, a few honourable mentions:
– Dolphins: I didn’t forget about them, I just don’t trust Tua to deliver over an entire season – or even stay healthy. Tyreek Hill is a force multiplier and makes his QB better but that can’t be what you are relying on come January
– Buccs: TB12 in his most likely final season, I can’t count him out. If he gets his weapons back and his finger healed you can rely on him to deliver into January, a few lucky wins and he could go out with Lombardi number 8
– Packers: As the Pack work out who they are going to throw to, for the same reason as the Buccs I can’t consciously count out Rodgers, or the ever overlooked for Coach of the Year, Matt La Fleur. If they get their passing game to an average-above average level, with a dominant run game and a top 3 Defense who knows where the cieling is
Abuse me in the comments with what you disagree with, it fuels me!
*Not an actual guarantee,
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