{"id":24276,"date":"2023-09-08T19:24:15","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T23:24:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/?p=24276"},"modified":"2023-09-08T19:24:17","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T23:24:17","slug":"friday-afternoon-quarterback-nfl-week-1-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/nfl\/friday-afternoon-quarterback-nfl-week-1-3\/","title":{"rendered":"FRIDAY AFTERNOON QUARTERBACK: NFL WEEK 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BY ADAM GREENE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alright, it\u2019s time to come to grips with a simple truth \u2014 Jared Goff is Patrick Mahomes\u2019 father. I don\u2019t understand it anymore than the rest of you do, but in two games against Mahomes and the Chiefs Goff has been fantastic and led his team to come from behind victories. The first, a 54-51 victory with the Los Angeles Rams where he threw for 413 yards and four touchdowns. This time, in the Thursday night season opener with the Detroit Lions, he threw for 253 yards and a score to win 21-20 in a game I\u2019m not sure even Dan Campbell\u2019s kids thought they had a chance to win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all watched it happen in real time. He outplayed Mahomes again, who was good for 21 of 39 passing for 226 yards, two touchdowns and a pick (which honestly wasn\u2019t his fault). And, hey, I\u2019m not a coach or an athletic trainer, but I think it should be a good idea for receivers and pass catchers to lay off the buttered popcorn between snaps. Maybe hold off on that DIY oil change while the actual contest is happening. But, hey, like Mina Kimes, one of my favorite NFL analysts in the business, I too have never played a down of professional football. Maybe a good Aveeno lotion-ing up pre-snap is the norm for a big time game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How big was the absence of Chris Jones in the middle of the defensive line for Kansas City? He\u2019s not Aaron Donald, but Jones is, at worst, the third best defensive lineman in the league and his only real competition at No. 2 is Quinnen Williams with the New York Jets. Even though the Lions rushed for just 118 total yards, they got the big runs when they needed them, it set up the play action and Goff was sacked just once. So, if I\u2019m Jones, I\u2019m checking my Venmo every 30 minutes or so today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flipside, while the Chiefs didn\u2019t surrender a sack on Mahomes, he was hit plenty and the team rushed for a total of 90 yards and that leading rusher? Mahomes with 45 yards. Mahomes is a sneakily good runner, but that\u2019s not his game and the fewer times he has to do that the better. A week or so ago I saw Isiah Pacheco called himself one of the best running backs in the game. He answered that call with eight carries for 23 yards and all but 26 of them came from a single carry. I don\u2019t feel like 2.87 yards per carry puts you in the \u201cBest RB in the League\u201d category. But, again, I\u2019m like Steven A. Smith, Nick Wright and Mike Greenberg. I never played a single snap in the league. Why that\u2019s never mentioned with those guys and is with Mina, I mean, I have no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe you have some theories?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, hey, let\u2019s make some picks<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SUNDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CAROLINA PANTHERS AT ALTANTA FALCONS (-3.5, O\/U: 39.5)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For maybe the first time in recent history, NFL Red Zone\u2019s<\/em> Scott Hansen has no apologies pre-prepared. Yes, this is probably the worst game on the Week 1 Sunday schedule, but there\u2019s still plenty to garner your interest here. You could see how poorly the Panthers have added offensive linemen to protect the No. 1 overall quarterback Bryce Young, they spent so much on. Or, you could enjoy watching Arthur Smith, the odds-on (for reasons no one can explain to me) favorite to win Coach of the Year began an outright campaign to get fired before you start buying yams for the sweet potato casserole. Falcons 20, Panthers 13<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

HOUSTON TEXANS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (-9.5, O\/U: 43.5)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Houston has ruined so many survivor pools in Week 1, I legitimately skipped them here. Yes, here, playing at the Ravens with an actual competent offensive coordinator. I believe in Baltimore and I even believe in the line. But the Texans will always get my stink eye in Week 1 when it comes to survivor pools, so I\u2019m saving them for later. I am stoked to see what Lamar Jackson can do with Odell Beckham, Jr., which is why I picked OBJ for my fantasy team. Ravens 41, Texans 17<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CINCINNATI BENGALS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS (+1.5, O\/U: 48)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a crazy stat for you. Before Deshaun Watson made his official debut for the Cleveland Browns, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow had never beaten his fellow Ohio team. He\u2019d put up good stats, even as a rookie before he tore his knee up but was 0-4 against Cleveland until they faced off on Dec. 11 last year. In Burrow\u2019s worst game against Cleveland, by far, (he completed just 54.5 percent of his passes and threw a pick), he finally got that off his back. So, Watson playing in Cleveland is already working out pretty well for the state of Ohio. Bengals 27, Browns 23<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (+5.5, O\/U: 46.5)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the \u201cnext Andrew Luck\u201d versus the team that ruined the \u201cformer Andrew Luck\u2019s\u201d career. I\u2019m as curious as anyone about how Anthony Richardson will pan out as a real NFL quarterback, but one thing I don\u2019t believe is that a guy that struggles with accuracy is going to be able to realistically compete with a Final Four team from a year ago led by a guy who might really be the \u201cnext Andrew Luck.\u201d And that guy has a line and competent head coach. Jaguars 37, Colts 20<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (-5, O\/U: 45.5)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not sure what Six Million Dollar man machines Oscar Goldman<\/a> has hooked up to Kirk Cousins before this game, but one thing they won\u2019t have to worry about is gametime. It\u2019s a 1 pm start in a contest that won\u2019t be available all over the country, outside of NFL Sunday Ticket. It\u2019s early. It\u2019s regional. I mean, that\u2019s like a flannel, short-sleaved shirt on the Walmart discount rack \u2014 it\u2019s Kirk Cousins time. Meanwhile, let\u2019s just hope Baker Mayfield\u2019s old iPhone\u2019s screen\u2019s not so cracked he can\u2019t get directions to the stadium. Vikings 41, Buccaneers 20<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

TENNESSEE TITANS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (-3, O\/U: 41.5)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens when two middling franchises from the two worst divisions meet in Week 1 of the NFL season? That someone who put the schedule together just shrugged their shoulders and said, this is your problem now, Scott Hanson. Tennessee could flirt with six or seven wins this season and be fine. If New Orleans doesn\u2019t win at least nine, they\u2019re going clean out every coach and set them on the curb like Bobcat Goldthwait in Scrooged<\/em>. NoLa better win this one. Saints 23, Titans 17<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (+2.5, O\/U: 41.5)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No team looked better in the preseason than the Steelers and this is the year that Kenny Pickett can make the leap. At the same time, no team was fleeced harder in a trade involving Trey Lance, for a second time, than the Niners were here this summer. There was a thought, just a few months ago, that Brock Purdy might not be ready to play in this one. When TJ Watt buries him into the Hienz Field (yes, I know it\u2019s named something else, but I\u2019m not using that name because I respect my friends from Pittsburgh too much), the Brock-ster might have wished his recovery wasn\u2019t quite this speedy. Fun fact: Pittsburgh has not lost a season opener since 2019. Steelers 27, 49ers 23<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ARIZONA CARDINALS AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (-7, O\/U: 37.5)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are games that will show up on the season schedule all year that you\u2019ll point at and say, \u201cthat\u2019s the one that cost that squad a shot at the playoffs.\u201d We\u2019re not dealing with that here. We have two of the worst teams in the NFL with two of the worst quarterback situations I\u2019ve seen in my adult life. And they\u2019ve done it all on purpose. The winner of this game could very well cost itself the No. 1 overall pick and a shot at Caleb Williams out of USC (or, you know, trading away that selection for a bevy of picks). I\u2019m sorry, Commanders. You draw the short end of the straw. Commanders 17, Cardinals 13<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

GREEN BAY PACKERS AT CHICAGO BEARS (-1, O\/U: 42)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I cannot stress to you, if this is the first NFL season in which you\u2019re paying attention to betting lines, what it\u2019s like to see the Bears a favorite, even by a single point, over the Packers. And, here\u2019s the thing, I believe it 100 percent. I do think it\u2019ll be close, but I also think Chicago can win it. Because, honestly, even if the Packers fall to pieces this season, losing this one out of the gate could ruin Chicago\u2019s year and that normally doesn\u2019t happen until all the Halloween decorations are out. Bears 24, Packers 16<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT DENVER BRONCOS (-3.5, O\/U: 44)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here we have it. The match up between Sean Payton, possibly one of the best head coaches in NFL history and Josh McDaniels, a guy that would struggle to empty the mop bucket after cleaning up vomit at a Golden Corall. Payton\u2019s first job was to come in and fix his struggling quarterback. McDaniels recurring plan is to ostracize and chase off whatever Pro Bowl quarterback is on the roster when he\u2019s tossed the key codes to enter the facility. The results? One guy has won a Super Bowl and was a consistent contender the entire time he ran his former team. The other has never posted a winning record and was fired halfway through his second season. I\u2019ll let you decide which guy fits each description. Broncos 38, Raiders 19<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MIAMI DOLPHINS AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (-3, O\/U: 51.5)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For all the games set up in Week 1, we don\u2019t get many potential playoff pairings. This game, the Rams at Seahawks game and the Sunday Night and Monday Night games, feel like it, but there are 12 more outside of that. While every contest matters in the NFL, the head-to-heads against your conference opponents matter the most and it\u2019d be a shame for either of these squads to miss out in a tiebreaker over something that happened while your kid hasn\u2019t lost his favorite mechanical pencil at school. For the Dolphins, the key is keeping Tua Tagovailoa healthy, so I\u2019ll be interested, especially facing Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack, how they\u2019re going to do that. For LA, it\u2019s all about unleashing their offense because there is no excuse for a team this talented to just Kramer its way into the playoffs once again. This is a long trip for Miami too and I think it costs them. Chargers 27, Dolphins 24<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (+4, 45)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am mystified by this spread. Did no one watch the Eagles put forth one of the best offenses in the world a year ago? Am I the only person that remembers they were a stupid fumble away from defeating the Chiefs in the Super Bowl? I don\u2019t care if they\u2019re playing at Foxboro. Tom Brady isn\u2019t suiting up for New England here, but you know who is? Bill Belichick\u2019s two sons, Pudknocker and Cooterbooger or whatever the hell their names are. Eagles 41, Patriots 17<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

LOS ANGELES RAMS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (-5, O\/U: 46.5)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the Rams are going to prove the naysayers wrong, they\u2019ll have to do it without All-Universe wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Luckily for them, their other two stars, Matthew Stafford and Aaron Donald have four functioning hamstrings between them. Los Angeles saw its season end last year with an overtime loss to nearly this exact same Seahawks team (with the exception of Bobby Wagner \u2013 who was a Ram- and Jaxon Smith-Njiba \u2013 who was rehabbing an injury at Ohio State). Wagner will play a lot. JSN, probably not as much, but considering the damage the referees did in this contest last year, I have a feeling the officials will be on their best behavior and LA will surprise some people. Fun fact: No player in NFL history was sacked more by another player than former Seattle QB Russell Wilson was by Aaron Donald. It\u2019s time for AD99 to start a new streak against Geno Smith. Rams 31, Seahawks 23<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preseason<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Straight up:<\/strong> 26-21-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Against the spread:<\/strong> 26-23<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter <\/em>@TheFirstMan<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connect with us our socials on <\/em>Twitter<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>Instagram<\/em><\/a> for the latest sports news, viral moments, betting odds and the occasional memes.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BY ADAM GREENE Alright, it\u2019s time to come to grips with a simple truth \u2014 Jared Goff is Patrick Mahomes\u2019…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":11802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[129],"tags":[146],"class_list":["post-24276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl","tag-nfl"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24276"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24276\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24277,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24276\/revisions\/24277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}