The NFL season is underway, to the relief of many. All the games have been played, including a Monday Night Football doubleheader which involved a one-point margin between Arizona and San Diego.
1. Seattle Seahawks
This week: +365
Last week: +475
The Seahawks looked like a great team in their opener against the Green Bay Packers last Thursday. Seattle’s defense swarmed Green Bay’s offense in much the same way that it swarmed all of its opponents last year, including the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. Seattle’s speed to the ball and its reactions to offensive adjustments were very accurate, and in order to defeat that kind of football IQ on defense, an offense needs to have a dominant offensive line which can repel just about any threat. Green Bay wasn’t good enough to stop Seattle’s suffocating front four, which is so good at getting that first step after the snap and gaining a territorial advantage as soon as plays begin.
2. Denver Broncos
This week: +410
Last week: +480
The Broncos were a Super Bowl team in the first half of their game against the Indianapolis Colts, and a non-playoff team in the second half. Denver couldn’t have played much better in the first 28 minutes against Indianapolis, but after gaining a 24-0 lead, it very nearly allowed the Colts to tie in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Denver’s offense stalled, and the defense allowed a lot of passing yards to Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. Denver has to get a more consistent pass rush, something the team counted on when it brought aboard DeMarcus Ware to bolster the front four. One very good piece of news for the Broncos is that the rest of the AFC West all lost in week one, with San Diego falling to Arizona, 18-17, on Monday night.
3. San Francisco 49ers
This week: +755
Last week: +825
The 49ers looked like a Super Bowl team in week one, although they had help from Tony Romo and the rest of the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas made so many mistakes in the first quarter of Sunday’s game, enabling the 49ers to take advantage. The good part for the Niners is that they didn’t refuse the Cowboys’ gifts. San Francisco accepted them and took a 21-3 lead in the first quarter. It is hard to evaluate the full 60 minutes for the Niners, since they took such a big lead so quickly. Yet, San Francisco did what it had to do. You can’t really fault the Niners for coasting a little in the second half. They were never in danger of losing. That’s important to remember.
4. New England Patriots
This week: +925
Last week: +732
The Patriots took one of the big hits among the top five teams in the NFL. New England played a very strong first half but then got obliterated in the second half, losing by 13 to the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots fell to the Dolphins in Miami for the second straight season, a very unexpected development especially since the Dolphins didn’t even make the playoffs last year. It should be especially concerning that Miami scored 33 points against New England’s defense. It’s okay for the Patriots’ offense to have some rust in week one, especially since their full and desired offensive unit did not have much time together on the field last season. Allowing 33 to a mediocre offensive team is what Bill Belichick is likely to focus on in practice this upcoming week.
5. New Orleans Saints
This week: +1100
Last week: +1000
The Saints joined the Patriots as a team that suffered a really frustrating loss. It would have been one thing if the Saints had lost to a team such as Seattle or San Francisco, but they lost to a division rival on the road after getting a late lead. New Orleans watched Atlanta kicker Matt Bryant hit two field goals of over 50 yards, one of them in overtime after a New Orleans fumble put the Falcons in position to win. The Saints have immediately lost a measure of margin in the NFC South, and so they have to be able to apply the clamps on defense in ways they weren’t able to against Atlanta. New Orleans’ secondary is going to remain a source of concern for much of the season. That secondary was not good in the NFC playoffs last January. It will have to find a way to be better.
6. Green Bay Packers
This week: +1451
Last week: +994
The Packers were whipped in week one, but they know they were whipped by an excellent team in that team’s home stadium. A lot of teams are going to lose to the Seattle Seahawks in the Northwest. That’s just a fact of life in today’s NFL. Green Bay has to realize that it was simply beaten by a better team and that if it can just go back to work and play with more determination, it will be able to rise in the NFC North and become a playoff team by season’s end, with a chance to go to the Super Bowl.
7. Philadelphia Eagles
This week: +2099
Last week: +2300
The good news for the Eagles? They won, and they won by 17 points. The bad news? They trailed the Jacksonville Jaguars at home by 17 points. Quarterback Nick Foles repeatedly fumbled the ball, losing fumbles twice, as the Jaguars steamrolled the Eagles in the first quarter and a half on Sunday. Philadelphia got the result in the win column, but Foles has to be much steadier in a season when a lot of opposing defenses and defensive coordinators are going to have a lot more game film of him. Foles surprised a lot of people last year. Now, he’s a known quantity, and that’s what the Eagles really have to work on: getting the most out of their starting quarterback.
8. Cincinnati Bengals
This week: +2245
Last week: +2800
The Bengals didn’t look pretty, but they won a division game on the road. Cincinnati scored just one touchdown, but it was a clutch touchdown, a 77-yard pass from Andy Dalton to A.J. Green to come from behind and beat the Baltimore Ravens, 23-16. Cincinnati, with a win over Baltimore later in the year at home, would sweep the season series. The Bengals have the talent to play so much better on offense. If they make improvements there, they should be a division champion for the second straight NFL season.
9. Detroit Lions
This week: +2795
Last week: +4091
The Lions won handily at home, but a lot of people are going to wonder if this was more about the Lions being great or the New York Giants being a bad team in a bad NFC East. The NFC East looked terrible in week one, and Detroit was able to play its opener at home on Monday Night Football in front of a juiced-up crowd. The Lions will need to win a few tough games on the road against decent opponents before they are able to improve their Super Bowl odds.
10. Atlanta Falcons +4499
11. Carolina Panthers +3207
12. Pittsburgh Steelers +3603
13. Miami Dolphins +3905
14. Arizona Cardinals +4300
15. Atlanta Falcons +4499
