1. Kansas City
2. Baltimore
3. San Francisco
4. Detroit
5. Philadelphia
6. Houston
7. Buffalo
8. Miami
9. Cincinnati
10. Green Bay
The Commanders start the year in 28th, ahead of only the Cardinals, Patriots, Broncos, and Panthers.
Since it is Week One, the League is starting us off with some very good games. In fact, the very first game of the year, on Thursday night, will feature a rare 1 v. 2 matchup, with the Chiefs hosting the Ravens in a rematch of the AFC title game. Then, the next night -- Friday night -- we get the Number 10 Packers versus the Number 5 Eagles from Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil. And then we have a full schedule for Sunday and Monday. So it will be an excellent weekend to watch the NFL.
As for Survivor Pool, a reminder that last year we made it through 13 weeks -- all the way into December -- before the Jaguars failed us, losing in overtime to the Bengals. Let's see if we can do even better this year. We are going to start with the same team who eliminated us last year -- Cincinnati -- at home against the new-look Patriots. That's a noon Central game, and hopefully the Bengals can take care of business in a game where they are favored by 8 1/2 points.
I'm so glad to have the NFL back. Last season was one of the best the League has ever given us, and I can't wait to see how this one turns out.
Michigan held the U.C.F.C. over the weekend, which sets up a huge U.C.F.C on Saturday. Texas rolls into the Big House, hoping to come away with a win -- and the U.C.F.C.
ReplyDeleteSunday Afternoon you have the Seahawks hosting the Broncos, while the Chargers host the Raiders. I can only assume that Charlie Jones will host at least one of those games, and that WPSD will give you a news update at halftime.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me happy to think about.
DeleteMeanwhile, in Tallahassee, Florida State and Boston College are wrapping up Week One of the College Football season.
ReplyDeleteClassic SEC matchups for Week Two (home teams listed first, all times Central):
ReplyDelete1 PM: Georgia v. Tennessee Tech
2:30 PM: Auburn v. California (ESPN 2)
2:30 PM: Kentucky v. S. Carolina (ABC)
3:15 PM: Ole Miss v. Middle Tennessee (SEC Network)
6 PM: Alabama v. S. Florida (ESPN)
6 PM: Florida v. Samford
6:30 PM: Vanderbilt v. Alcorn St. (ESPN U)
6:30 PM: LSU v. Nicholls St.
6:30 PM (in Charlotte, N.C.): Tennessee v. N. Carolina St. (ABC)
9:30 PM: Arizona St. v. Mississippi St. (ESPN)
Go, Kentucky!
DeleteIn the first quarter, BC had 113 yards of offense, while FSU had only 4 yards. But no one has scored yet.
ReplyDeleteBill O'Brien, who coached the Texans from 2014 to 2020, is coaching his first game at BC. And his team just took a 7-0 lead with 14:56 left in the second quarter.
ReplyDeleteWith 9:58 left in the second quarter, BC leads 14 to 0. The Eagles have 174 total yards, while FSU has 8. The folks in Tallahassee are getting restless.
ReplyDeleteFSU may want to go back to starting the season with LSU.
ReplyDeleteWith 5:05 left in the first half, FSU kicks a field goal. BC leads 14-3.
ReplyDeleteWith 25 seconds left in the first half, FSU kicks another field goal to make the score 14-6 for BC.
ReplyDeleteFlorida St. 6 - 14 Boston Coll. (Halftime)
ReplyDeleteFSU comes out to start the second half, takes the kickoff, goes for it on 4th and 5, and throws an interception that BC runs all the way back to the FSU 7. Soon afterward, the Eagles burst into the end zone. BC leads 21-6 with 11:58 left in the 3d quarter, and the Noles are now clearly in danger of an upset.
ReplyDeleteWith FSU facing 4th and 4 from its own 31, and a 21-6 deficit, the ESPN Analytics said that the Noles should go for it. But the FSU coaching staff, having seen what happened the last time they went for it, call a punt. FSU gets off a great punt, and BC will start from its own 4. With 10:33 left in the third quarter, BC leads 21-6.
ReplyDeleteFSU, thoroughly roused by its own peril, holds BC, gets the ball back, and drives straight down the field for a touchdown. With 5:19 left in the 3d, BC leads 21-13.
ReplyDeleteOh, doctor! BC takes the kickoff and runs roughshod over the FSU defense. Looking like the Lombardi-era Packers, they just hammer FSU with one pile-driving rush after another. In only 8 plays, they go 60 yards for another touchdown. With 1:03 left in the 3d quarter, BC leads 28-13.
ReplyDeleteFSU leads this series 15-5-0; since 2009, the Noles have won 12 out of 13 matchups, including the last five in a row.
ReplyDeleteFSU gets to the BC 40, but turns the ball over on downs. BC takes over with 14:15 left in the game and a 28-13 lead.
ReplyDeleteBC's defense shut down FSU the rest of the way, and the Eagles roll to an easy 28-13 win in Tallahassee.
ReplyDeleteVery happy for Boston College.
ReplyDeleteMy Week 1 Survivor Pick is the Dolphins.
ReplyDeleteMy Week 2 Survivor Pick is the Dolphins.
DeleteAlso, the SilerCityLife Yahoo! Fantasy season kicks off another season this weekend, so this is exciting.
ReplyDeleteI picked every game for the 2024 season. I have KC winning their opener 28-14.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of my picks for week 1.
ReplyDeleteGB @ Phi 21-17
Pit @ Atl 17-10
Ari @ Buf 14-35
Ten @ Chi 17-10
NE @ Cin 14-17
Hou @ Ind 28-10
Jax @ Mia 21-35
Car @ NO 10-17
Min @ NYG 17-20
Oak @ SD 21-10
Den @ Sea 28-17
Dal @ Cle 21-10
Was @ TB 17-14
LA @ Det 21-35
NYJ @ SF 24-10
COMMANDERS REPRESENT!
DeleteThat Bengals score is too close for comfort.
DeleteI'm assuming the NE defense is still going to be very good and the Bengals defense will still be under development in week 1.
DeleteOK we are through Sunday and my picks are 8-7. So I at least won't have a losing record. Of course this is week 1 and I've already picked out every week for the year, so we'll see where things go from here. In looking at the results here is what stood out to me. The Eagles appear to have their offense working. I really thought the Eagles would take a full collapse this year but it would appear as though they are not, so that will work against me as the season goes forward. The Colts are probably better than I was expecting them to be. Mostly I just can't imagine Richardson making it through the season healthy. The Giants are done and the season has just started. Of course I thought they would be bad, just not this bad. I thought it would take the chargers a few weeks to get their offense functioning at all and thought the Raiders would come in fired up to win. I thought this would be the high point of the Raiders season, but maybe they just won't have one. I had the same thought for Denver and Washington, but neither team showed up to play.
DeleteWell I finished 8-8. Again thought this win would be the highlight of the Jets season, now I'm guessing they won't have one.
DeleteMatthew was right about the NE defense. Here are the scores right now (home teams first):
ReplyDeleteAtlanta 10 - 12 Pittsburgh (7:45 left in 3d quarter)
Buffalo 17 - 17 Arizona (6:16 left in 3d)
Chicago 3 - 17 Tennessee (9:26 left in 3d)
Cincinnati 0 - 13 New England (5:37 left in 3d)
Indianapolis 7 - 15 Houston (8:55 left in 3d)
Miami 7 - 17 Jacksonville (10:21 left in 3d)
New Orleans 30 - 3 Carolina (12:41 left in 3d)
N.Y. Giants 6 - 21 Minnesota (6:08 left in 3d)
Yes, that means Cincy is the only team that has yet to score.
DeleteAlso, Cincy decided to go with orange jerseys and orange pants to match their orange helmets. They look ridiculous.
DeleteOn the other hand, they finally scored a touchdown. NE leads 13-7 with 1:10 left in the 3d quarter. All over the nation, Survivor folks are counting on the Bengals to pull this out.
DeleteThis game is so serious that I have abandoned the Red Zone to focus on Cincinnati and New England.
DeleteHere's where I went wrong. Next Sunday, the Bengals travel to Kansas City to play the Chiefs. Obviously, they regard that as the true beginning of their season, and so they chose to treat the Patriots as a warmup game -- much like South Carolina struggled with Old Dominion before crushing Kentucky in Lexington.
ReplyDeleteI can promise you this: the Bengals won't look like this next week in Kansas City. If they do, the Chiefs will beat them by 30. But Cincinnati would rather play the Chiefs than do anything else, so they'll be ready for that game.
ReplyDeleteAtlanta 10 - 15 Pittsburgh (11:28 left in 4th)
ReplyDeleteBuffalo 24 - 20 Arizona (10:43 left in 4th)
Chicago 13 - 17 Tennessee (14:47 left in 4th)
Cincinnati 7 - 16 New England (8:46 left in 4th)
Indianapolis 13 - 22 Houston (13:05 left in 4th)
Miami 14 - 17 Jacksonville (14:47 left in 4th)
New Orleans 37 - 10 Carolina (2:16 left in 3d)
N.Y. Giants 6 - 28 Minnesota (13:40 left in 4th)
If Cincinnati pulls this game out, and I'm still in Survivor Pool, I may just pick against Carolina for the rest of the year.
I watched the Hard Knocks special on the Giants' front office and came away unimpressed. Apparently my instincts there were a lot better than my instincts regarding the Bengals.
ReplyDeleteWith 6:14 left, the Bengals kick a 51-yard field goal. NE leads 16-10.
ReplyDeleteAtlanta 10 - 15 Pittsburgh (7:03 left in 4th)
ReplyDeleteBuffalo 31 - 20 Arizona (8:44 left in 4th)
Chicago 13 - 17 Tennessee (11:54 left in 4th)
Cincinnati 10 - 16 New England (6:14 left in 4th)
Indianapolis 20 - 22 Houston (12:12 left in 4th)
Miami 14 - 17 Jacksonville (13:33 left in 4th)
New Orleans 37 - 10 Carolina (end of 3d quarter)
N.Y. Giants 6 - 28 Minnesota (12:18 left in 4th)
The Patriots, running an offense from 1948, grind out to midfield. On 4th and 2, they fake a run, but the Bengals don't jump offside and NE takes the delay of game penalty. They punt and Cincy will start from its own 11 with 3:04 left.
ReplyDeleteLast year, when I desperately needed the Bengals to lose against Jacksonville, they went up and down the field at will -- and that was with their backup quarterback on the road. Now they have Joe Burrow at home, and they are facing 4th and 5 from their own 16.
ReplyDeleteI would have gone for it, but Cincy punts.
ReplyDeleteThis means the Chiefs are doomed next week, by the way. There's no way the Bengals and Joe Burrow are starting off 0-2.
ReplyDeleteNE takes over at their own 30 with 2:13 left and they just need one first down to win the game.
ReplyDeleteOn first down, the Patriots rush for 5.
ReplyDeleteOn second down, the Patriots rush for 9 and that's your ball game.
ReplyDeleteHere are the two QB's in this game:
ReplyDeleteJacoby Brissett: 15-24, 121 yards, 0 TD's, 0 INT's
Joe Burrow: 21-29, 164 yards, 0 TD's, 0 INT's
New England has 34 carries for 160 yards. Cincy has 16 carries for 70 yards.
Ex-Dolphin Jacoby Brissett!
DeleteNow this game doesn't matter that much to Cincinnati. They'll go to Kansas City next week, beat the Chiefs, and be right back on track. But for me and the Sports Junkies -- who also took Cincinnati in Survivor Pool -- it's the end of the season.
ReplyDeleteMy last two Survivor picks both involved the Bengals. They eliminated me last year by beating the Jags. And today they've eliminated me by losing to the Patriots.
ReplyDeleteIt is staggering how much more the Patriots wanted this game than Cincinnati. On every single play that I've watched, the Patriots were trying harder than the Bengals. And I haven't seen anyone do that to Cincinnati in a long time.
ReplyDeleteOh, well. I should have trusted my instincts and picked against the Commanders.
ReplyDeleteAtlanta 10 - 15 Pittsburgh (2:21 left in the 4th)
ReplyDeleteBuffalo 31 - 28 Arizona (3:08 left in the 4th)
Chicago 24 - 17 Tennessee (5:09 left in the 4th)
Cincinnati 10 - 16 New England (Final)
Indianapolis 20 - 29 Houston (3:23 left in the 4th)
Miami 14 - 17 Jacksonville (4:34 left in the 4th)
New Orleans 47 - 10 Carolina (9:50 left in the 4th)
N.Y. Giants 6 - 28 Minnesota (1:57 left in the 4th)
Or at least I should have checked with Matthew.
ReplyDeleteAtlanta 10 - 18 Pittsburgh (Final)
ReplyDeleteBuffalo 34 - 28 Arizona (Final)
Chicago 24 - 17 Tennessee (Final)
Cincinnati 10 - 16 New England (Final)
Indianapolis 27 - 29 Houston (Final)
Miami 20 - 17 Jacksonville (Final)
New Orleans 47 - 10 Carolina (2 minutes left)
N.Y. Giants 6 - 28 Minnesota (Final)
Honestly, if the NFL gives you a Commanders game on the road with a rookie quarterback and a new coach in Week One, and you don't take it, you deserve to go out.
ReplyDeleteThe Seahawks throwback uniforms are so good that it's hard for me to believe that they ever changed them.
ReplyDeleteSeattle 5 - 3 Denver (2d quarter)
ReplyDeleteOakland 7 - 3 San Diego (2d quarter)
If those scores don't give you a WPSD in the 1980's vibe, then you just weren't there.
That first score should be:
DeleteSeattle 3 - 5 Denver (2d quarter)
San Diego 6 - 7 Oakland (12:13 left in 3d quarter)
ReplyDeleteSeattle 9 - 10 Denver (0:24 left in 2d quarter)
Cleveland 3 - 17 Dallas (2 minutes left in 2d quarter)
Tampa Bay 16 - 7 Washington (Halftime)
Denver has two safeties and two field goals.
I'm so angry at myself over not picking the Commanders. I should have trusted my own judgment on that one.
ReplyDeleteWashington is treating this game as an exhibition -- they know they can't beat a playoff team on the road, so they're just trying to get through the afternoon without too much drama. That's the attitude I was hoping to see from New England. Instead, the Patriots came out like their families were being held for ransom, and the Bengals acted as if they were holding back most of their playbook until they see the Chiefs next week.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, the Cowboys are up 20-3 in Cleveland. Bad day for Ohio.
ReplyDeleteSan Diego 9 - 7 Oakland (4:19 left in 3d)
ReplyDeleteSeattle 9 - 13 Denver (13:31 left in 3d)
Cleveland 3 - 20 Dallas (Halftime)
Tampa Bay 16 - 7 Washington (12:52 left in 3d)
Jayden Daniels so far:
ReplyDelete7-12 for 59 yards, 0 TD's and 0 INT's
10 rushes for 71 yards
Caleb Williams for the Bears today:
ReplyDelete14-29 for 93 yards, 0 TD's and 0 INT's (rating of 55.7)
5 rushes for 15 yards
With 7:11 left in the third quarter, the Bucs go up 23-7 over Washington.
ReplyDeleteSan Diego 16 - 7 Oakland (12:44 left in 4th)
ReplyDeleteSeattle 16 - 13 Denver (8:03 left in 3d)
Cleveland 3 - 27 Dallas (12:59 left in 3d)
Tampa Bay 23 - 7 Washington (7:11 left in 3d)
In all seriousness, I can't tell that the new coaching staff or the new quarterback have made any difference to the Commanders. To me, they look almost exactly like they did last year.
ReplyDeleteSan Diego 16 - 10 Oakland (3:57 left in 4th)
ReplyDeleteSeattle 19 - 13 Denver (end of 3d)
Cleveland 10 - 27 Dallas (7:47 left in 3d)
Tampa Bay 23 - 14 Washington (1:52 left in 3d)
The Chargers go up 22-10 with 3:40 left in the game, and the Harbaugh era is off to a winning start. Oh, and now they're fighting in the end zone before the Chargers can kick the extra point -- really gives it that throwback Raiders/Chargers vibe we all want.
ReplyDeletePeople in Washington scorn Baker Mayfield. Meanwhile, here are his numbers today with 14 minutes left in the game:
ReplyDelete21-27, 256 yards, 3 TD's, 0 INT's, rating of 143.2
And here's Daniels:
10-17, 106 yards, 0 TD's, 0 INT's, rating of 77.1
11 carries for 72 yards and 1 TD
Reboot the Baker Mayfield commercials!
DeleteGood point!
DeleteSan Diego 22 - 10 Oakland (1:57 left in 4th)
ReplyDeleteSeattle 26 - 13 Denver (8:37 left in 4th)
Cleveland 10 - 27 Dallas (3:55 left in 3d)
Tampa Bay 30 - 14 Washington (14:14 left in 4th)
Should be a lot of fun on the Sports Junkies tomorrow morning. They picked Cincinnati in Survivor's Pool, and Tampa Bay leads Washington 37-14 with 3:29 left in the game.
ReplyDeleteSan Diego 22 - 10 Oakland (Final)
ReplyDeleteSeattle 26 - 20 Denver (Final)
Cleveland 17 - 33 Dallas (Final)
Tampa Bay 37 - 20 Washington (Final)
Final stats for Jayden Daniels:
ReplyDelete17-24, 184 yds, 0 TD's, 0 INT's (Rating of 93.1)
16 carries for 88 yards and 2 TD's
So I may be wrong about the Junkies -- if they react like most of the DC media, they will probably conclude that Daniels is on his way to Canton.
Meanwhile, here were Baker Mayfield's stats:
ReplyDelete24-30, 289 yards, 4 TD's, 0 INT's (Rating of 146.4)
If you watched Hard Knocks on the Bears, you know that they are obsessed with turnovers and defensive points, and that's how they beat Tennessee today.
ReplyDeleteIf the goal was to have more kickoff returns, why don't they make teams kick off from the 25?
ReplyDeleteOr, alternatively, say that the return team gets to start at the 35 on a touchback?
DeleteLions lead the Rams 10-3 at the half.
ReplyDeleteLions win 26-20 in OT. The three big games of the weekend: Chiefs/Ravens, Eagles/Packers, and Lions/Rams, were all outstanding.
ReplyDeleteSo was Dolphins/Jaguars (which Miami won).
ReplyDelete