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When fasting, doctors recommend small portions to avoid overwhelming your digestive system. But after my first taste of NFL action in 208 days, I don’t care. feed me Today:
- 🔬 Last night: What we learned
- 📊 Josh Allen: Overrated?
- 📺 Tonight: Eagles, Packers
- 📕 Weekend guide
Opening Night: Crows and Chiefs, more than a toe
The start of the 105th NFL season delivered everything the league hopes for: a high-scoring, drama-filled affair with a last-second comeback attempt.
We saw Baltimore lose to the back-to-back champion Chiefs, 27-20, after Isaiah Likely’s toe landed on the white line. But it should never have come to that. One play earlier, Zay Flowers was wide open in the back of the end zone. I mean, WIDE open.
Lamar Jackson just missed the toss, didn’t he? Wrong. As he explained in his post-game presser, he was targeting a different receiver, with a miscommunication along the way. Justice Hill blocked Chris Jones, and Jackson threw under pressure. (Yes, you read that right: a second-string running back was the only one to block the best defensive tackle in football.)
“If I had held it a little more, I would have just fired it to Zay for the touchdown,” Jackson said. Jeff Zrebiec’s poetic article explains how — before the entire game depended on Likely’s toe — the Ravens shot themselves in the … foot.
For Kansas City, it was business as usual, just with Xavier Worthy’s game-changing speed. Worthy only had three touches, but two went for scores, including a 21-yard rushing touchdown behind a stampede of blockers. His impact was also felt in the middle of the field, as sophomore Rashee Rice looked open on every play, catching seven passes for 103 yards.
In the end, it’s just the first game of Week 1. Last year’s Super Bowl winner lost their opener on this very field, after all. But for a Ravens team with championship aspirations, last night showed that the gap between these two teams remains bigger than a toe.
What Dianna Hears: Overrated? Josh Allen calls it “an expression of endearment”
Josh Allen spent his summer on TV and all over social media. Not because he was on any set or making endless TikTok content. He was everywhere as NFL analysts and fans filled much of the offseason controversy: Is Allen overrated?
So far, it looks like everyone has weighed in – except Allen. So when the Bills quarterback dropped into “Scoop City” for our latest podcast episode, I started with: What’s your response to people calling you overrated?
Allen’s response: “If 31 other fan bases and 31 other teams like you, you’ve got a problem, right? The other teams shouldn’t like you. The other players shouldn’t like you. The other fan bases shouldn’t like you. I see it as an expression of affection. At the same time, my teammates know what I am and who I am and what we do here in Buffalo, and that’s all that matters to me.”
Listen to today’s podcast for the full conversation with Josh Allen, as well as takeaways from last night’s game — Chase and I recorded at midnight, sharing our concerns about the Ravens this year. Click here to listen.
Come back to you, James.
Tonight: Preview Eagles, Packers in Brazil
After the offseason drama, from the hold-outs to the hold-ins, here we are. Or more specifically, there.
In Sao Paulo, Brazil, The Athletics‘s Brooks Kubena collected eight days’ worth of stories ahead of the NFL’s inaugural South American game. The reception from the football-loving country seems warmer than I expected: “If we had a 300,000-person stadium,” said one local fan, “we would sell out the 300,000 seats.”
The two teams playing tonight are familiar to most fans, but be aware:
New running backs. Josh Jacobs has replaced the talented but oft-injured Aaron Jones as the Packers’ RB1, while Philadelphia rookie Saquon Barkley will run behind the best offensive line of his career. Both should find success early, as these two defenses have been below-average against the run in 2023. After Jones spent years in a timeshare, I expect a heavy workload for Jacobs.
New defensive schemes. Speaking of defense, Green Bay is switching to a 4-3 (from 3-4) after hiring Jeff Hafley, a coordinator who hasn’t coached at the NFL level since 2015. However, Robert Mays thinks the Packers can be top. -10 defense. Philadelphia had experience after a disastrous 2023, hiring Vic Fangio, who has coached in the NFL almost non-stop since 1986. This offseason, both emphasized improvement in the secondary, which should make life difficult for …
Developing quarterbacks. The Packers’ willingness to trade Aaron Rodgers was partly due to Jordan Love’s 2022 debut against these Eagles. Now paid as a franchise player, Love enters his second season as a starter. Jalen Hurts, Philly’s two-time Pro Bowler, spent the offseason learning the offense from new OC Kellen Moore, who will be missing tush-push extraordinaire Jason Kelce.
Expect a fun, close game, with BetMGM favoring the Eagles by 1 1/2 points. But hell, I’d have a blast if it means live NFL action. This game starts at 8:15 pm ET. Sorry, it’s a Peacock exclusive.
Weekend NFL Watch Guide: The schedule
“Wait, MORE soccer?,” I thought as I typed this. “Yes, myself. Now write the schedule, then cancel any Sunday plans.” The rest of Week 1:
Sunday at 1 pm ET: this morning, The AthleticsThe feature on what makes Caleb Williams different preludes his NFL debut, which comes against the new-look Titans (FOX). Also:
- Cardinals at Bills (CBS)
- Patriots at Bengals (CBS)
- Texans at Colts (CBS)
- Vikings at giants (FOX)
- Jaguars at Dolphins (CBS)
- Panthers at Saints (FOX)
- Steelers at Falcons (FOX)
Sunday at 4:05 pm or 4:25 pm ET:
- Broncos at Seahawks (CBS)
- Raiders at Chargers (CBS)
- Commanders at Buccaneers (FOX)
- Cowboys at Brown’s (FOX)
Sunday at 8:20 pm ET:
Monday at 8:15 pm ET: Aaron Rodgers and the Jets open in Monday’s primetime game (ABC/ESPN)? What could go wrong? We’ll see how they fare against the 49ers, a team that survived what Tim Kawakami called a summer of crises.
Do you need tickets? Go here. For streaming information on Fubo, click here.
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(Photo: David Eulitt/Getty Images)
