Tag: Kansas City Chiefs

NFL Week 2 Reaction

Interesting Note: The NFL averaged a record 21 million viewers per game during Week 1. It’s seems impossible, but the NFL keeps growing and getting more popular. Even the Friday game that aired mainly on Peacock (and also local NBC affiliates in Philadelphia, Green Bay and Milwaukee) averaged 14 million viewers. This is a good sign for the NFL as they push towards more games being on streaming services.

Buffalo Bills (2-0) 31 @ Miami Dolphins (1-1) 10

The Bills simply match up well with Dolphins and consistently beat them. Josh Allen is now 12-2 vs the Dolphins and is their kryptonite. Usually, Allen plays like Superman vs the Fins, but yesterday James Cook and great defense led them to a win. That is good news for the Bills because they can’t solely rely on Allen to carry them every game.

The biggest question mark for the Bills is who their main weapon in the passing game is. Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid both have potential, but neither has looked amazing yet. Currently their leading receiver, Khalil Shakir, is under the 100 yard mark for the season. Someone needs to emerge for the Bills to be able to get past the other elite teams in the AFC.

For the Dolphins, this game went as bad as it could possibly go. The worst outcome is the Tua injury and the uncertainty surrounding him. It absolutely sucks to see a great guy like Tua consistently get concussions and take brutal blows to the head. This is now his 4th known concussion in the past 5 years and it’s gotten the point that we are all concerned for his long-term health. The Fins need to be very careful about bringing him back and we wish nothing but the best for him.

Miami needs to figure out how to beat the Bills. They are the two best teams in the AFC East, but the reason the Bills keep winning the division is that they consistently beat the Dolphins. The Tua injury and recovery will have a huge impact on the rest of the season, but the Dolphins still have other issues. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle combined for just 65 yards receiving. After they were taken out of the game due to the blowout, they just sat on the bench and looked like they didn’t really care. That was a moment they needed to continue to be leaders, especially with Tua out of the game, and they failed to step up.

Seattle Seahawks (2-0) 23 @ New England Patriots (1-1) 20

The Pats welcomed back Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcolm Butler. Shoutout to him for making the greatest play in NFL history and giving Pats fans a moment to remember for ever. Also shoutout to the 20 other players who came for a Super Bowl XLIX reunion weekend. That 2014 team was one of my favorite Pats teams ever.

Rhamondre Stevenson and the rushing attack continues to carry our offense. Ja’Lynn Polk getting his first TD is big for his confidence. Hunter Henry was a beast today and we’ll need that to continue. Defensively, CB Christian Gonzalez and DE Keion White have both looked great through 2 games

The Pats offense still suffers from a lack of explosiveness. If they get behind the sticks and have to pass on 2nd and long or 3rd and long, they are ineffective. Likewise, if they get down in a game and have to throw the ball, they are screwed. These are the problems we have dealt with since Brady left. The hope is that Maye and the young WRs we have can eventually fix that. They still need to draft, trade for, or sign another good weapon or two to get where they need to be.

The Pats could’ve won this game if not for mistakes. A bad 2 minute drill led to the Seahawks getting the ball and a FG at the end of the first half. A blown coverage led to a long TD for DK Metcalf. They also had a FG blocked at the end of the game that could’ve won them the game.

Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised by the Patriots play the first two weeks. We have been competitive vs two teams that are much better than us. Our defense and rushing attack have been tremendous.

The Seahawks are a good team and have weapons all over the field. Three good WRs, two solid RBs, and a solid TE combined with an above average QB in Geno Smith make them a formidable offense.

Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) 25 @ Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) 26

These teams play each other so well and their games are always entertaining. The Bengals deserved to win today, but what makes Mahomes and the Chiefs so good is that they pull out wins even when they get outplayed. The Bengals had chances to put the Chiefs away, but let them hang around and it cost them.

Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson is so underrated. He’s one of the best pass rushers in the league and was THE BEST player on the field Sunday. He had two sacks, drew so many penalties, and put so much pressure on Mahomes. KC’s offensive line did not play well and will need to clean it up.

The key drive of the game was the Burrow fumble drive. The Bengals got a highlight reel interception and had all the momentum and a five point lead. Mike Gesicki dropped a perfect pass on first down that would’ve gotten them another first down and kept the momentum going. Instead Burrow ends up fumbling and the Chiefs recovered and retook the lead. That was a drive the Bengals needed to take advantage of and they didn’t.

Mahomes is a wizard at somehow winning these types of games. Even on 4th and 16, I think we all expected that to go the Chiefs way and it did. That was a bad penalty by the Bengals, but Mahomes deserves a lot of credit. He threw a great pass to Rice and it put pressure on the defense that caused the penalty. Mahomes was terrible today, but still great in the clutch.

Speaking of clutch, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker is the 2nd most clutch kicker of all time behind Adam Vinateri. This guy seems to always come through in big moments. Just like Brady’s legacy wouldn’t have been the same without Vinateri, Mahomes’s legacy wouldn’t be the same without Butker.

For the 3rd straight year, the Bengals fall to 0-2. They’ll be fine and normally start slow, but losing this game hurts in case it impacts home field advantage. At least the Bengals know they can come into Arrowhead and beat the Chiefs.

I’m not sure how Rashee Rice is playing after all of his incidents this offseason, but he has been huge for the Chiefs. On the flip side, Travis Kelce needs to get it going. 4 catches on 7 targets for 39 yards through two games is not ideal.

The Bengals need to pay Ja’Marr Chase. He’s clearly frustrated and it’s creating an unnecessary headache for them. Pay him and let him ball out.

Other

I gotta say, you have to feel good for Baker Mayfield. He’s gotten so much shit through his career and gone through some ups and downs, so it’s great to see him play well. He seems like a great teammate and locker room guy.

Game/Betting Picks Results

Game: 3-0 (5-2 This Season) (43-18 All-Time)

Spread: 2-1 (4-3) (43-17-1)

O/U: 0-3 (3-4) (32-28-1)

NFL Week 2 Predictions

Seattle Seahawks (1-0) @ New England Patriots (1-0)

A rematch of one of the greatest Super Bowls in NFL history…

Sorry, I’m just trying to remember the glory days of being a Pats fan. In the present, the Seahawks are missing their starting RB Kenneth Walker and starting RT George Fant. This should hurt their physicality in a game where they will need it. I expect this to be a low scoring, smash mouth football game because that’s how the Pats like to play. I think the Seahawks will still pull out a win, the Pats will cover (+3.5), and the under (38.5) hits.

Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) @ Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)

One of the best rivalries in football right now gets back underway. It’s as contentious as ever with Ja’Marr Chase saying Cincy is the team to beat in the AFC and another Bengals player saying all Xavier Worthy can do is run fast in a straight line. Joe Burrow is 3-1 vs Mahomes in his career, so it’s understandable why the Bengals feel good, but these comments will only fire up the Chiefs more.

Both teams are likely missing their number 2 WRs, but this should still be an exciting game like it usually is. I think the Bengals will be a great team by the end of the year, but they always get off to slow starts and Burrow is still healing and getting back into the swing of things. The Chiefs will win, cover (+6), and the under (48) will hit.

2024 NFL Week 1 Reaction

Baltimore Ravens (0-1) @ Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)

The exact type of opening game you wanted to see. The game set an NFL kickoff game record with 28.9 million viewers.

Lamar Jackson falls to 1-5 vs Mahomes despite being 60-19 against the rest of the league. He and the Ravens need to solve their Chiefs problem. In terms of optimism for the Ravens, Lamar plus Derrick Henry should be a problem for other teams, especially as the year goes on. I love the 2 TE set the Ravens are using. Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely are both so talented that this formation will be lethal for their running and passing games.

The Chiefs look scary. Last year in their opening game, and for much of the season, they looked lethargic offensively and still won the Super Bowl. This year, their explosiveness is back. Rashee Rice continues to get better and develop into their WR1, Isaiah Worthy looks like he could be the next Tyreek Hill with his track star speed, Travis Kelce is gonna be Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco continues to get better, and Marquise Brown is going to come back from injury. I’m sure all the sports media will say that the Chiefs three-peating is a given for the next week and a half. One word of caution is that Brady’s Patriots teams that won the Super Bowl were often the ones who were “boring” like last years Chiefs. Those boring teams fared better than his ones with explosive offenses, so nothing is guaranteed.

Stats of the game: Mahomes became the Chiefs all-time leading passer this game at just 28 years old. Jackson moved to third all-time on the QB rushing list and could break Michael Vick’s record this year.

The league is sending a message with the illegal formation calls. It’s annoying right now but teams will learn and it will make the game better.

Green Bay Packers (0-1) vs Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) (In Brazil)

The playing surface was very slippery. That plus first game rust led to a sloppy game.

Saquon was on full display. It was a reminder that when he is on, he is one of the best RBs in the league. Him plus a great offensive line, two star WRs, and Jalen Hurts gives the Eagles an offense that can go toe to toe with any other in the league. Jahan Dotson and Dallas Goedert are good compliments too.

Jayden Reed looked electric for the Packers. They have so many good young players that it might be hard to keep them all happy and develop them like they want to. Their biggest current concern is Jordan Love. He sprained his MCL and should be back in a couple weeks. The Pack need to keep it together during his absence.

New England Patriots (1-0) @ Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)

An absolute shocker of a game. The Pats defense absolutely stifled the Bengals and they had no momentum or fire as a team whatsoever. For the Pats, I don’t think wins like this are sustainable because the defense completely carried and the offense was not very good. Still nice to get a W though.

For the Bengals, this is concerning. It’s one thing to lose and its another thing to lose and have the team not look like it gives a fuck. They had a loud offseason and have let the Ja’Marr Chase drama spill into the season. They are 1-5 in Week 1 the past six years, so this is familiar territory. They normally start slow and build momentum, but they need to sign Chase and have some passion as a team.

The one bright spot for the Bengals was that their rookie punter, Ryan Rehkow, had the best game by a punter I have ever seen. He had 4 punts and his AVERAGE punt went 64.5 yards (an NFL single-game record), including an 80 yard punt. The first and, probably, last time we hype up a punter on this blog.

New York Jets (0-1) @ San Francisco 49er (1-0)

The 49ers look motivated to get back to the Super Bowl. They went out and dominated the Jets without their best player Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey missing the game is probably good long term, as now the Niners know Jordan Mason (147 yds rushing), can help take some of the burden off McCaffrey. The one area they needed to be better was finishing drives, as Jake Moody made 6 field goals last night.

Rodgers and the Jets looked rusty last night. They clearly have the talent, but they need to mesh. Realistically, this was the first full regular season game they have played with Rodgers, so some kinks need to be worked out.

Game/Betting Picks Results

Game: 2-2 (2-2 This Season) (40-18 All-Time)

Spread: 2-2 (2-2) (41-16-1)

O/U: 3-1 (3-1) (32-25-1)

2024 Week 1 Prediction

Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs

The season kicks off with an awesome opening matchup. The Ravens look to get revenge on the team who eliminated them from last year’s playoffs. I don’t think that happens as the Chiefs will win, cover (-3), and the under (46.5) hits.

Green Bay Packers vs Philadelphia Eagles (In Brazil)

A Friday night game to kick off the season in Brazil is unprecedented but I’m here for it. Both teams have huge expectations for the season. I think the Packers win, cover (+2.5), and the over (48.5) hits.

New England Patriots @ Cincinnati Bengals

This season will not be fun for Patriots fans. The Bengals, meanwhile, are all in for a Super Bowl victory. That will be apparent as the Bengals win, cover (-7.5), and the under (41) hits. Note: Updated 9/7 to Bengals -7.5

New York Jets @ San Francisco 49ers

Both teams think they can win the Super Bowl this year. The Jets are delusional, while the Niners actually have a shot. The Niners will win, cover (-3.5), and the over (44) will hit.

2024 AFC Predictions

AFC East

  1. Buffalo Bills (4 Seed)
  2. New York Jets (6 Seed)
  3. Miami Dolphins
  4. New England Patriots

The AFC East is up for grabs right now. The Bills have the best QB in the division, but Josh Allen will have to contend with some unproven playmakers around him. The Jets have all the talent in the world, but need to prove they can stay healthy and keep it together for an entire year. The Dolphins have a great coach and a track team on offense, they just feel limited by their quarterback. The Pats are currently at ground zero of a rebuild, so expectations are low – to put it nicely. Ultimately, I think the top 3 teams are so even that I’m going to give the Bills the tiebreaker due to having the best player in the division at the most important position.

AFC North

  1. Baltimore Ravens (2 Seed)
  2. Cincinnati Bengals (5 Seed)
  3. Cleveland Browns
  4. Pittsburgh Steelers

This is the deepest division in the whole league. This will be a close race, but the Ravens will just edge out the Bengals for the division title. They have a more talented team than the Bengals and they have a better coach. The Bengals have also been a little more loud than I would like a team to be in the offseason and I don’t think they’ll be focused to start the year. The Browns boast a great roster and coach, but Deshaun Watson has been absolutely terrible and often injured while in Cleveland. The Steelers have a great defense and coach, but no answer at QB. Russ or Fields limits them in such a stacked division and conference.

AFC South

  1. Houston Texans (3 Seed)
  2. Indianapolis Colts
  3. Jacksonville Jaguars
  4. Tennessee Titans

Similar to the AFC East, three teams could potentially win this division and it’ll be close at the top. The Texans have such a great blend of veterans and young player that I think it propels them to the top. The Colts have a potentially lethal combo of Anthony Richardson and Shane Steichen that should start paying dividends this year. The Jags had a terrible collapse last year that their psyche might be off this year. The Titans are by far the worst team in the division.

AFC West

  1. Kansas City Chiefs (1 Seed)
  2. Los Angeles Chargers (7 Seed)
  3. Denver Broncos
  4. Las Vegas Raiders

The Chiefs should easily runaway with the division. The Chargers with Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert will be a force to reckon with and will make the playoffs. The Broncos have potential but don’t have the talent to compete with the Chiefs or Chargers. The Raiders have good offensive skill players but QB will be an issue.

AFC Playoffs

Wild Card Round

  • 1 KC: Bye
  • 2 BAL vs 7 LAC: 7 LAC Wins
  • 3 HOU vs 6 NYJ: 3 HOU Wins
  • 4 BUF vs 5 CIN: 5 CIN Wins

Divisional Round

  • 1 KC vs 7 LAC: 1 KC Wins
  • 3 Hou vs 5 CIN: 5 CIN wins

AFC Championship Game

  • 1 KC vs 5 CIN: 5 CIN Wins AFC

Final AFC Thoughts: 

The AFC is the most stacked we have ever seen an NFL conference in recent memory. There are so many teams who could get an a hot streak and win the conference. I think Cincinnati ends up being the team this year. They are the one team that has proven they can consistently knock off the Chiefs and I see it happening again this year.

Note: All predictions as of 8/29/2024

Start of Season Top 10 QBs

Below are my top 10 QBs in the NFL. I am not solely basing it off last year, but instead the last couple of years plus how I think they’ll perform moving forward.

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Do I even have to explain?

2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Allen is the modern day Brett Favre. He is an absurd athlete who routinely makes jaw dropping plays. He will also go rouge every now and then and make you ask yourself what the hell he is doing. His 173 total TDs the past 4 years make up for those mistakes.

3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

Burrow had a tough year, first dealing with a nagging calf injury that hampered him the first 4 games, then going on IR after the 10th game of the year. During the 5.5 games he was healthy, he threw for 13 TDs and showed how good he is. The only thing that can slow him down is injuries.

4. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Lamar balled out and won his 2nd league MVP last year. He is one of the most athletic players we’ve ever seen and can do things at QB that no one else in the league can. He needs to play better in the playoffs though.

5. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Herbert is insanely talented, but has struggled to win. The lack of coaching and injuries around him in the past is reasonable enough to blame. However, with Jim Harbaugh now his coach, there are no more excuses. He needs to start winning games and making runs in the postseason.

6. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

Hurts is a special QB and a great duel threat. He had some up and down moments last year, but the season ended on a bad note. He will need to shake it off this year.

7. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets

Last season did not go as he wanted it to, however, I am still a believer that this all-time great will come back with a splash this year.

8. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

Dak played great at times this year, but does not always bring it during big games. The uncertainty around the team could spell a tough year.

9. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Lawrence struggled last year, especially when his team needed him down the stretch. He’ll need to work out some kinks this offseason to return to the player he was two years before. The $275 m over 5 years suggests the Jags still have 100% belief in him.

10. Brock Purdy, San Franciso 49ers

He is definitely aided by his coach and playmakers around him, but he still gets them the ball and plays great. My only concern is that he struggles to bring his team back if they get too far behind. The Aiyuk and Trent Williams situations could cause complications, but he still has weapons around him.

NFL Market Cap

Sportico released their list of most valuable NFL teams today. From Sportico’s estimate, all 32 NFL teams combined are worth $190 billion, which includes team related businesses and real estate. If the NFL was a public company, a market cap of $190 billion would make them THE 36th MOST VALUABLE COMPANY IN AMERICA. The Cowboys have become the first sports franchise to be worth over $10 billion dollars ($10.32b) and the next closest NFL team is worth $7.79b (Los Angeles Rams). The full list:

  1. Dallas Cowboys, $10.32 billion
  2. Los Angeles Rams, $7.79 billion
  3. New York Giants, $7.65 billion
  4. New England Patriots, $7.31 billion
  5. San Francisco 49ers, $6.86 billion
  6. New York Jets, $6.8 billion
  7. Miami Dolphins, $6.76 billion
  8. Philadelphia Eagles, $6.75 billion
  9. Las Vegas Raiders, $6.7 billion
  10. Washington Commanders, $6.3 billion
  11. Chicago Bears, $6.26 billion
  12. Houston Texans, $6.01 billion
  13. Atlanta Falcons, $5.9 billion
  14. Seattle Seahawks, $5.59 billion
  15. Pittsburgh Steelers, $5.55 billion
  16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $5.5 billion
  17. Denver Broncos, $5.49 billion
  18. Kansas City Chiefs, $5.43 billion
  19. Green Bay Packers, $5.39 billion
  20. Minnesota Vikings, $5.32 billion
  21. Tennessee Titans, $5.29 billion
  22. Los Angeles Chargers, $5.22 billion
  23. Cleveland Browns, $5.14 billion
  24. Carolina Panthers, $5.13 billion
  25. Baltimore Ravens, $5.12 billion
  26. Buffalo Bills, $5.08 billion
  27. Indianapolis Colts, $4.99 billion
  28. Detroit Lions, $4.93 billion
  29. Arizona Cardinals, $4.85 billion
  30. New Orleans Saints, $4.79 billion
  31. Jacksonville Jaguars, $4.76 billion
  32. Cincinnati Bengals, $4.71 billion

Is the 2020 QB Class the Best Ever?

The 2020 NFL Draft Class of QBs is starting to look like they have what it takes to become the best ever. All five of the below QBs have received massive deals upwards of $50 M a year and four of them have been Pro Bowlers. Let’s dive into the stars of the class:

Joe Burrow, Cinncinatti Bengals: Round 1 Pick 1

Burrow is widely regarded as a Top 5 QB in the league, with his only kryptonite being his health. When healthy, he is the only QB other than Tom Brady that has shown he can consistently best Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. In his only two fully healthy seasons, he has made it to the AFC Championship twice, the Super Bowl once, and has a 5-2 record in the playoffs. He also has the best completion percentage in NFL history.

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins: Round 1 Pick 5

The most controversial QB from this draft. There are some who consider him a great QB, and others who think he is average and aided by a great coach and offense. The past two seasons he has upped his game and led the league in passer rating in 2022 and passing yards in 2023. He is 5th in career completion percentage.

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: Round 1 Pick 6

He is possibly the most talented QB in the entire league. He has shown how brilliant he can be, but has dealt with terrible coaching and many injuries to players around him. Despite this, he has thrown the most passing yards and 2nd most passing TDs in league history by a player in their first 4 years. Jim Harbaugh is only going to help elevate his game and help him start winning more.

Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers: Round 1 Pick 26

He was an extremely controversial draft pick, but it looks genius now. He still is a little bit of an unknown, having only played one year as a starter. He took over from Aaron Rodgers and played great. The last 8 games of the year, he completed 70.3% of his passes, had 18 TDs and just 1 INT. Unlike Favre and Rodgers, he made the playoffs in first year and won a game.

Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: Round 2 Pick 53

His success has been the most surprising since Carson Wentz looked like the franchise QB in Philly when he was drafted. He took over from Wentz and has been great. In 2022, he was the MVP runner up, an All-Pro, and led the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance. He has 41 rushing TDs already in 4 seasons.

Top 10 Coaches in the NFL

1. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers

3. Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams

4. Sean Payton , Denver Broncos

5. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers

6. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens

7. Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers

8. Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns

9. Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys

10. Doug Peterson, Jacksonville Jaguars