Thursday night, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers beat the Saints in a dizzying display of offensive pyrotechnics. Assuming Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers will straighten out any issues they had on defence, Green Bay will be awfully tough to beat.
The same could be said for the Saints. If their secondary hadn't struggled so much in the first half, the Saints might have won that game.
Let's take a look at the key Week 1 games:
The Crystal Ball game - Falcons vs. Bears - When most people look into their crystal balls, they see both the Falcons and the Bears in the playoff race. Boneheads like me even see the Falcons making it all the way to the NFC Championship game. Rookie receiver Julio Jones gives Matt Ryan yet another weapon on offence to work with. Because of their issues along the offensive line, I find the Bears are being disrespected by a lot of prognosticators. The Bears still have an elite defence, a good multi-purpose back in Matt Forte and Jay Cutler has a great arm. So when I look into my crystal ball, I see both of these teams in the playoffs come January.
The hype vs. hope game - Eagles vs. Rams - Michael Vick and the Eagles are the "hype". Sam Bradford and the Rams are the "hope". Fans of 31 other NFL teams are getting a little sick of all this talk about the "Dream Team." Meanwhile, Bradford and his young team have provided Rams fans with hope that they might win the NFC West. The key for the Rams in this game is trying to contain DeSean Jackson and the rest of the Eagles playmakers. Jackson led the entire NFL with his 22.5 yards per catch average and is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Just ask the Giants.
The "where's Peyton" game - Colts vs. Texans - This is a strange new world for the Colts, no Peyton Manning. Dating back to 1998, Manning has started 227 consecutive games. Not any more. Manning's required further surgery on his injure neck and when he will return is a complete mystery. So Kerry Collins and his gnarly grey beard will step into the Colts huddle and attempt to run one of the most complex offensives in the league. The Texans have been given a gift from the football gods. There can be no more excuses and if they don't win the AFC South this year, there is bound to be a major housecleaning. The Colts might not have Manning but they still have Dwight Freeney. If the Texans are going to win, their offensive line better keep Freeney out of Matt Schaub's face.
The "hell in a cell" game - Steelers vs. Ravens - Ray Anderson, the NFL's VP of football operations should make James Harrison and Ray Lewis pay their fines before the game even begins. This will help save a lot of time and cut down on all the red tape afterwards. Everyone knows that both teams don't like the NFL's new rules and neither one of them are about to change their styles of play. The Steelers didn't make it to the Super Bowl by accident; they are a solid team with a phenomenal defence. The Ravens feel they have a team that can go all the way. The only thing standing in their way is their arch rivals, the Steelers.
The 9/11 game - Giants vs. Redskins - Not far away from the Pentagon, the Redskins will face their longtime NFC East rivals.. Both cities suffered greatly 10 years ago during 9/11, especially New York. After what promises to be an emotional ceremony at the start of the game, both teams have some work to do. Eli Manning is trying to bounce back from last season when he led the league with a whopping 25 interceptions. The Redskins have their own issues at quarterback; as in who exactly is their starting quarterback, Rex Grossman or John Beck. Grossman gets the start Sunday. Only Mike Shanahan knows how long Grossman will remain the starter.
The battle of the giant egos game - Cowboys vs. Jets - Who has the bigger ego, Jerry Jones or Rex Ryan? One look at Cowboys stadium will tell you all you need to know about Jerry's ego. Meanwhile Rex never met a camera, microphone or notepad he didn't like. Considering his defence and the Jets ground and pound running game, Ryan has the right to be a little cocky. All eyes are on Mark Sanchez to take the next step in his development and emerge as one of the top quarterbacks in the AFC. Injuries limited Tony Romo to only six games last year. It goes without saying that if the Cowboys can't keep Romo healthy, they won't make the playoffs.
Monday Night preview- Raiders vs. Broncos - Out of respect to my co-host on Sportsnet Radio the Fan 590, Greg Brady, I won't talk about the Dolphins game against the Patriots. Now the Raiders game against the Broncos intrigues me. First off, I can't wait to see what Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil and linebacker Von Miller will do to the Raiders offensive line in pass protection. And secondly, I wonder if the Broncos will be able to stop the Raiders running game.
Lock of the week - The Cardinals vs. Panthers. Even with the seven point spread, I am taking the Cardinals to lay a beating on rookie Cam Newton and the rebuilding Panthers.
After the Patriots pound the Dolphins in the Monday night game, please don't start taunting Greg Brady (@BradyFan590) on Twitter. I have to work with him every morning and he will be in a bad enough mood to begin with.
