Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK It’s the deep breath before the plunge. It’s game week. We made it. The 2024 NFL regular season kicks off in just two days, and just three days after that, the Cincinnati Bengals will open the season against the New England Patriots at home. The Bengals have done everything they could do except extend Ja’Marr Chase, of course. Hopefully, he’s extended sometime between when you’re done reading this sentence and Sunday morning, and if he’s not, hopefully, he plays. They addressed needs along the defensive line, at right tackle, in the secondary, at tight end, and wide receiver. There were no significant needs they didn’t address. All they can do now is hope the ball bounces their way and there aren’t any significant injuries. That’s all they can do at this point. Hope. Labor Day was Monday, and that day always signifies the end of summer to me. When I was a kid, it meant I was back at school in full swing, the swimming pools closed, the temperatures were going to start dropping, and football season was here. Though summer officially lasts until September 22nd, Labor Day has always felt like the real farewell to the season. And now Labor Day marks the end of the time for talk for the Bengals and the beginning of the time for action. Everything, or at least most things, is stacked in their favor. Their schedule is easier this season. At least half of the quarterbacks they face this year aren’t great or are inexperienced. Joe Burrow seems to be fully healthy and just completed his first-ever full training camp. They have a real shot. They’re one of the few teams who can call themselves real Super Bowl contenders. They’ve done all they can. Labor Day is over. Banners have been called, and the legions have assembled. As Ol’ Billy Shakespeare once said, “Cry ‘Havoc!’ and let slip the dogs of war.” Now then, on to Bold Predictions: The Cincinnati Bengals will win Super Bowl LIX That’s the big one. Too many individual storylines line up. Joe Burrow seems ready to rock and roll from Week 1 and is fully healthy. Of course anything can change, injuries are out of the team’s hands. If the main characters stay healthy, especially Burrow, the Bengals win the Super Bowl. I mentioned a bunch of reasons why. They’ve addressed all their needs. The Super Bowl is being played at the Superdome in New Orleans, where Burrow and Chase won their National Championship game against Clemson, and it’ll be in LSU’s back yard. The story is already written. Hopefully we get to just sit back and enjoy it now. Joe Burrow will win NFL MVP Burrow is one of a handful of guys on the short list for MVP this year. Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson are as well. Of the three, Burrow has the best offense around him, though. If the Bengals get what they hoped they could out of their rookie defensive tackles, if Myles Murphy or Joseph Ossai make a leap, and if the secondary is shored up with the new additions of Geno Stone and Bell, the defense could be a top unit as well. I know that’s a lot of ifs, and we’re not talking about Joe Burrow, but all of this affects him. The more the Bengals take off his shoulders, the more he can just do his thing, and if he spends his entire season healthy doing his thing, he’ll win MVP. The AFC Championship Game will be played in Cincinnati I truly am drinking the Kool-Aid right now, but that’s, like, the vibe, ya know? If things go their way, I see the Bengals losing three or four games this season. The Ravens are the only real threat within the division, and while they beefed up their offense, they did so at the expense of their defense. Luck is absolutely a thing. The Super Bowl-winning team has to be lucky. The thing is good teams set themselves up for things to work out their way when luck comes into the equation. The Bengals have better players, are better coached, and it’s their turn. The last stop on the road to New Orleans is Cincinnati. Ja’Marr Chase has All-Pro Season; Tee Higgins has Pro Bowl season I do believe the Bengals will get Chase signed before Week 1, and I think he’s going to explode. I think he’ll break his own franchise receiving-yards record, and I think he’ll break T.J. Houshmandzadeh’s receptions record. I think Burrow and Chase cement themselves as the league’s top quarterback-receiver duo. Higgins, I think, also has a great season, which will make him a Pro Bowler, but not on the level of All-Pro. I think the Bengals and Higgins have a symbiotic relationship in 2024. The Bengals will use Higgins to win the franchise’s first Super Bowl, and Higgins will use the Bengals to make a ton of money. Trenton Irwin will be a massive playoff hero Every great story has a great hero. In some of the best stories, the heroics often come from an unlikely source. If Lady Galadriel taught us anything it’s that, “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” Not to say that Trenton Irwin is a hobbit, but when you think of wide receiver and the Cincinnati Bengals, you think of Chase and Higgins. We, as Cincinnati Bengals fans, know Irwin well, but now the world will know him. I’m looking for a David Tyree/Julian Edelman-style catch. — There are more, but those are the five worth mentioning, and if the first one is to come true, the four that follow will be the reason. I hope all your fantasy drafts went well over the Holiday Weekend unless you happen to be in one of my leagues. If that’s the case, I hope you did TERRIBLY. Relevant Song Lyrics: What if I say I’m not like the
Tuesday Trenches: The end of summer, and bold predictions
Vikings’ UDFAs, Was Zimmer Right & Early College Scouting
In the latest episode of The Real Forno Show, Tyler Forness discussed the potential for Taki Taimani, one of the Vikings’ undrafted free agents, to make an impact this season. Tyler outlined what Taimani needs to do to secure playing time and have a meaningful effect on the team. In this episode of “The Real Forno Show,” Tyler Forness gets ready to prepare us for the Minnesota Vikings’ 2024 season opener against the New York Giants in week 1, he delves into the potential impact of undrafted free agents, Mike Zimmer’s candid comments, and college football insights. #SKOL! As the Minnesota Vikings prepare for their first game of the season in just five days, there’s plenty to discuss. How will the undrafted free agents (UDFAs) contribute to the team? What’s the buzz around Mike Zimmer’s tenure with the Vikings, and how will early college football scouting influence the Vikings’ draft strategy? In this latest episode of The Real Forno Show, hosted by Tyler Forness and produced by Dave Stefano, we dive deep into these fascinating topics and more. The Zimmer Saga: Multifaceted Truths and Harsh Realities One of the hot topics in this episode is former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. Tyler sets the scene, referencing a recent in-depth article by Mark Craig in the Star Tribune. “The Mike Zimmer stuff was interesting, Dave, and I’ll be honest, I haven’t had a chance to watch Two Old Bloggers because I spent the weekend focused on a lot of my writing,” Tyler says. Dave shares his perspective on Craig’s article, noting some potentially biased elements: “It sort of seems like a hit piece…but behind the motivations and how he got Zimmer to talk, whether Zimmer did it willingly, which could be, but it did seem like Mike is still very angry and bitter and is having a hard time moving on or refuses to.” Tyler elaborates on the complexities: “There are always three sides: Your side, my side, and the truth. Because as much as you try to be 100 percent honest and truthful, there’s always going to be an inherent bias.” This balanced perspective underscores the need to consider various angles when discussing Zimmer’s tenure. Tyler also mentions some of the personal and professional struggles Zimmer has faced, including the tragic passing of his son Adam. Surprisingly, one of Zimmer’s coping mechanisms was an unconventional yet heartwarming activity: “He went and bought an excavator and dug a six-acre lake.” Tyler adds, “That rules so much that he just messed around and dug his own lake. How cool is that?” UDFAs: Unsung Heroes or Just Roster Fillers? Shifting gears, the conversation turns to the UDFAs and their potential impact on the Vikings’ season. In 2023, the Vikings’ UDFA class includes Jalen Redman, Taki Taimani, and Dwight McGlothern. “These guys might end up playing a major role in 2024,” Tyler points out, highlighting their potential. Tyler praises the strategic planning behind these acquisitions: “Levi Drake Rodriguez might be the first guy off the bench because he’s versatile. Taki Taimani, if he’s going to be used situationally, might not dress for every game.” The discussion then moves to how these young players could accelerate their development by getting significant playing time. “Even if only one of these guys hits, guess what? You’re going to have a rookie contract with one of them, and you’re going to pay them peanuts to be a quality rotational piece,” Tyler explains. Dave agrees, emphasizing the adaptability of the coaching strategy: “I think B-Flo’s going to use them to the best of their skills. Whether it be pushing up the middle, run-blocking, tackling…he’s going to try to pick situations that optimize their talents.” Deep Dive into College Football Scouting Next, the discussion shifts to early college football scouting, with Tyler and Dave examining standout players like Travis Hunter and wide receivers who could be game-changers for the Vikings. Tyler reflects on Travis Hunter’s unique skills but offers a word of caution: “Anybody who tells you that Travis Hunter is going to play both ways on a full-time basis, I don’t think is telling you the truth.” He elaborates on the challenge of playing both ways at an elite level: “Champ Bailey was a two-way player, Charles Woodson was a two-way player, Chris Gamble was a two-way player. Now the first two are in the Hall of Fame. Anyone attempting this will need to be a historic outlier.” Tyler’s excitement peaks when talking about Luther Burden from Missouri and Tetairoa McMillan from Arizona, who he believes could be future stars. He enthuses, “Imagine giving Deandre Hopkins more speed and three inches of height ‘cause that’s kind of what you’re working with.” Dave and Tyler then discuss the importance of drafting based on talent rather than immediate needs. “The draft should not be to address needs, it should be to address talent,” Tyler asserts. McMillan, who showcased his abilities with 10 catches for 304 yards and 4 touchdowns in a game, is someone Tyler is particularly excited about. He compares McMillan to NFL stalwarts: “Think of Vincent Jackson; McMillan has that kind of size and versatility.” The Excitement of Week One: Vikings vs. Giants As the episode wraps up, anticipation for week one against the New York Giants is strong. Dave stresses the need to focus on the upcoming game: “We want to talk about the team going in to defeat the New York Giants. Not this BS.” Tyler promises more insights into the upcoming game, saying, “We will be back on Wednesday with more as the Vikings prepare to play their first game of the 2024 season against the Giants.” Listen: Watch: In Conclusion In this episode of The Real Forno Show, Tyler and Dave dove into the upcoming Minnesota Vikings game, shedding light on how the team’s Undrafted Free Agents (UDFAs) might contribute to a successful season. They also tackled the controversial interview with former coach Mike Zimmer, providing critical insights into his tenure and its impact on
Week 1 power rankings: Almost Everyone agrees, the Lions are elite
Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images All the major outlets have the Detroit Lions in the top tier of their Week 1 NFL power rankings…. except one. The first game of the 2024 NFL season is just days away, and it’s just time to say the quiet part out loud: the Detroit Lions are one of the best teams in football and quite possibly the best. This team has Super Bowl aspirations, and just about every analyst you’ll read or hear from will agree that goal is both justified and attainable for the Lions team. That is more than reflected in the opening week’s power rankings across various outlets. Of the nine outlets we looked at, seven had Detroit in the top three to start the season, and only one had them out of the top five entirely. Let’s take a closer look at what these outlets are saying about the Lions as they enter the 2024 NFL season. Yahoo Sports: 2 From Frank Schwab: The Lions had some injury scares during training camp and preseason but it doesn’t seem like any major contributors will miss Week 1. We’ll have to see if rookie first-round pick Terrion Arnold gets a starting nod for Week 1 after missing time in August with a pectoral injury. The Athletic: 2 From Josh Kendall: These guys were in a good mood when they were 1-6 in 2022. Now, they have won 21 of their last 29 games, and wide receiver Jameson Williams looks like he’s taken a step forward in practice. Add Williams’ dynamic breakaway speed to an offense that finished third in the league in yards per play last year (5.9), and Campbell might not even need that 12th daily cup of coffee. MMQB: 2 From Conor Orr: The Sports Illustrated preseason Super Bowl favorite Lions come in at No. 2 on our power rankings. We can discuss a lot about this roster but, for me, the strength is on the line of scrimmages. This is a decidedly unsexy way of talking about a team with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs, among many others. But D.J. Reader, Alim McNeill and Aidan Hutchinson as a combination are way more exciting to me. The Lions are going to absolutely wear teams down by forcing them into obvious passing situations which will lessen the stress on their still-developing secondary. They are also going to continue to be one of the most dominant possession teams in the NFL. Last year, the Lions held onto the ball for more than 31 minutes per game. The Browns, for reference, were the only club that broke the 32 minute barrier last year. USA Today: 2 From Nate Davis: Remember that WR Jameson Williams nearly put them over the top against the Niners in the 2023 NFC championship game. If he can develop into a consistent threat over a full season, there may be no stopping this team. The Ringer: 2 From Diante Lee: For the first time in my life, the Detroit Lions have real expectations to be one of the best teams in the NFL. Coming off of an NFC title game appearance last season, this team brought back both coordinators, nearly all of its offensive starters, and added experienced veterans Marcus Davenport, Carlton Davis, and Amik Robertson on defense, as well as first-round pick cornerback Terrion Arnold. In theory, all the defensive pieces are in place to play the style of football that Detroit wants: crushing the pocket up front and playing man coverage on the back end. Even if the defense’s aggression means they give up explosive passes at times, this defense should be much better against the pass on a down-to-down basis than it was a season ago. Sporting News: 3 From Vinnie Iyer: The Lions are hoping to make the NFC a two-team race after being strong runners-up to the 49ers last season. Detroit lost no key coaches and also worked more on shoring up weaknesses. The offense should be a little more explosive, and the defense should give Aidan Hutchinson more playmaking support on the back end. The 33rd team: 3 From Marcus Mosher: The Detroit Lions were just a few plays away from reaching the Super Bowl last year, and they made sure to retool their roster to give themselves an even better chance of taking down the 49ers. The secondary has been completely rebuilt, and they are hoping Jack Campbell will take a step in Year 2. If Detroit’s defense can be respectable, the Lions should be right back in the NFC Championship Game again. NFL.com: 4 From Eric Edholm: The 2023 Lions were a few plays away from reaching a Super Bowl with a defense that started out somewhat promisingly last season but really slipped after the early-November bye. Naturally, a lot of the focus has been placed on how much difference a revamped secondary and a beefed-up front can do for this team. Interestingly, the offense didn’t really cook until the defense had backslid a bit, so you almost have to marvel at how Detroit got to 12-5 in spite of very few complete performances — offense, defense and special teams all getting it done — after about Week 4. Believe it or not, I actually see this as a positive. The Lions were absolutely fearless, which was a big driver of their success, and I don’t expect that to change much this season. Now the talent level has risen, if only incrementally, but the biggest gains might be in the secondary and defensive front — two areas where Detroit arguably had the most room for growth. The NFC North is suddenly a bear, and the journey might not be as gilded at times, but I think the Lions can find a way to forge through with another banner season. CBS Sports: 7 [Editor’s Note: Prisco has the Packers #2, so adjust your reactions accordingly] From Pete Prisco: They should once again push for a deep playoff run
ESPN simulation of 2024 NFL season has Detroit Lions winning Super Bowl
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images An ESPN simulation of the 2024 NFL season ended with the Detroit Lions winning Super Bowl 59. Details here. On Monday, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said after an offseason of not hiding from the fact that winning the Super Bowl is the goal this year, they are done setting their sights on the Lombardi Trophy and focused on goals that come well before that. “I just told the team, ‘Let’s not talk about it anymore,’” Campbell said. “And it’s just this: Of course we do (want to win a Super Bowl), who doesn’t?” We are not beholden to those same restrictions. The Super Bowl is the ultimate goal for this franchise, and for the first time in a very, very long time, that feels attainable. A predictive model over at ESPN agrees. Over on their website, Seth Walder published an article that used ESPN’s FPI (Football Power Index) to simulate the 2024 NFL season and in the end, they had the Lions beating the Kansas City Chiefs to win Super Bowl 59. Here’s a look at some of the other projections, as detailed by Walder. “Quarterback Jared Goff proved he was “good enough for f—ing Detroit,” continuing the relentless efficiency that he showed in offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s system in 2023 by finishing in the top three in QBR,” Walder wrote. “Cornerback Carlton Davis III bounced back to be a critical part of the Lions’ secondary, and defensive end Aidan Hutchinson took another step toward stardom, recording 14 sacks and forcing four fumbles. “The combination led the Lions to 13 wins and the top seed in the NFC. Detroit took care of upstart Chicago in the divisional round before settling the score in the NFC title game with San Francisco to advance to New Orleans and Super Bowl LIX.” Now, there’s an important caveat to the methodology here. Walder ran the FPI simulation 20,000 times, but the selection of the Lions as Super Bowl winners was not the result of the most popular outcome for those simulations. Rather, Walder just randomly picked out one simulation of the 20,000 (he calls it No. 515), and that one just so happened to have the Lions as Super Bowl winners. Still, going by FPI’s overall probabilities, the dataset has the Lions with a 10.3 percent chance to win the Super Bowl, only behind the 49ers (15.8%) and Chiefs (11.9%). They also have the third-best odds to make the Super Bowl (17.6%). In other words, gone are the days of “So you’re saying there’s a chance” memes are over. There’s actually a real chance.
Test your NFL knowledge with SB Nation’s new daily trivia game
Your new daily word game obsession is here. Be one of the first people to try out our new NFL player guessing game. Game week is here, but we’re adding something to the mix that we hope will provide a fun time for all. SB Nation’s product team has been playing around with a new daily trivia game and we get to be a beta test site for it! The goal of the game is to guess the correct random NFL player with the help of up to five clues. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. We’ll be playing this all week long with a mix of active and retired players. It will be a mix of well-known players and some “that guys” that we haven’t thought of in some time. The game will appear in slot #3 of the POD layout each day this week, with a new article each day for the game. After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will let us know what you think and how we can improve the game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form. Enjoy! What we need from you Play the game Share your result in the comments and on social media Provide feedback (Google Form or in comments below) SB Nation in-5
Fantasy Football ‘24: 15 not-so-bold predictions
Double coverage? Doesn’t matter. | Photo by David Berding/Getty Images A look inside the fantasy football crystal ball Labor Day weekend has come and gone, so I feel like I can finally say it: Welcome to the 2024 NFL season! You’ve drafted most of your teams, and now it’s time to lock in your Week 1 lineups and cross your fingers. Buckle up — one thing I’ve learned from playing fantasy football for 30+ years is that you never know what’s going to happen once the ref blows the whistle. Before we get started, my Week 1 Fantasy Preview column, with my rides, fades, and sleepers, will publish this Thursday, right here at Big Blue View. It’ll be a weekly Thursday feature, and my Waiver Wire columns will run each Monday, starting next week. So keep it right here! Today I’m going to share 15 not-so-bold fantasy football predictions for the 2024 season. Throwing down a few predictions is always fun, and there are no consequences for being wildly off-target with hot takes. But I’ll tell you what — if I’m wrong about more than half of these, you get your money back. Last year, I didn’t get a single prediction wrong! But that’s only because I didn’t write a predictions column. I went back and looked at my not-so-bold predictions from the 2022 season, and I wish I hadn’t. What a mess. My first prediction was correct: That Deebo Samuel would regress after his massive 2021 season and finish outside the Top-10 WRs. My second prediction was that Kyle Pitts would lead all TEs in a bunch of stats (ugh)…and it went downhill from there. So with all of that said, here are 15 fresh predictions for this season. They’re “not-so-bold” because they aren’t outlandish. I’d give each one at least a 30% chance of happening. Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty ImagesI’ve got Kupp a little higher than Puka Cooper Kupp will outscore Puka Nacua in all PPR and standard formats. I’m not alone on this one, and when discussing Kupp in my players to target column I noted that you can get him two or three rounds later than Nacua. Puka is dealing with a sore knee, and while Kupp is over 30, he appears to be fully healthy and his and connection with Matt Stafford is undeniable. Kupp won’t win the triple crown like he did in 2021, but I’m feeling a very big season from him. 2. Justin Jefferson will lead all wide receivers in targets and catches. Sam Darnold has scared away a lot of people. Were people really all that confident in rookie J.J. McCarthy making Jefferson the No. 1 WR again? Jefferson has shown in the past that he is QB-proof, and with T.J. Hockenson slated to miss significant time to start the season and Jordan Addison banged up and possibly staring at a suspension, who else is Darnold going to throw to? Jefferson’s volume is going to be nuts. 3. Malik Nabers will lead all rookie wide receivers in targets, catches, and fantasy points. I know, his QB is Daniel Jones. And this could be close with Marvin Harrison, Jr. and a few other rookies in position to start and be big cogs right away. I’ll still bet on Nabers, who’s going to be the focal point of the Giants’ passing offense, and looked uncoverable in camp. 4. Brian Thomas, Jr. will be the No. 1 fantasy scorer among the Jacksonville pass-catchers. I believe in the talent, and reports out of camp were glowing. While we are here, two other rookies not named Harrison or Nabers who I think have a legitimate shot at doing this on their respective teams are Keon Coleman and Ladd McConkey. Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty ImagesI’m all-in on the Heisman winner 5. Speaking of Thomas…Trevor Lawrence will have his first finish as a QB1 (Top-12). Lawrence has an ADP in the QB16-18 range, but I’m feeling a big bounce back from the disappointment of 2023. He had all kinds of bad luck and some injuries last season, and I think Jacksonville’s defense will be below average. The AFC South is full of teams that can score, and Jacksonville is one of them. Expect Trevor to be in his share of shootouts. 6. Jayden Daniels will outscore Caleb Williams, and finish the season as a Top-10 QB and the top rookie at the position. The rushing floor almost assures this if he can stay healthy. And that’s the bet – that he plays at least 15 games. While we’re here I’ll give you a bonus WR prediction: Terry McLaurin will finish as a Top-15 WR, and people will start calling him Scary Terry again. Last year, he couldn’t even have scare Shaggy and Scooby. 7. Will Levis will significantly outperform his ADP, and finish as a borderline QB1 in deeper leagues (14-18 teams). I’m all-in on the AFC South having four quarterbacks you can count on this season. Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty ImagesBreece Hall is locked and loaded for a big year 8. Josh Jacobs will finish the season as a Top-5 RB. He did it once before (2022), on a much worse offense. 9. Derrick Henry, in his age 30 season, will have the best yards-per-carry average of his career (previous best: 5.4 in 2020). I think box safeties are going to have actual nightmares before they play Baltimore. 10. It will only take one week for Breece Hall to have more carries inside the 5-yard line than the ONE that he had ALL of last season. That actually happened, people. What the actual…The real prediction here is that Hall will lead the NFL in yards from scrimmage in 2024. Book it! Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesThe TE position is loaded with talent in ‘24 11. At least three tight ends will have at least 100 catches this season (the last time more than one tight end had 100 catches in a season was 2020, when two
Test your Eagles knowledge with BGN’s new daily trivia game
Think you can figure out which Eagles player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game! Game week is here, but we’re adding something to the mix that we hope will be a little fun this week. SB Nation’s product team has been playing around with a new daily trivia game and we get to be a beta test site for it! The goal of the game is to guess the correct Eagles player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in both active and retired players. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. The game will appear in slot #3 of the BGN layout each day this week, with a new article each day for the game. Additionally, there is a more general version of this at SBNation.com, which will feature a variety of random players that do not necessarily have Eagles history. After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form. What we need from you Play the game Share your result in the comments and on social media Provide feedback (Google Form or in comments below) Bleeding Green Nation in-5
The Linc – Eagles working to remove “counterfeit political ads”
Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 9/3/24. Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links … Eagles working to remove ‘counterfeit’ political ads in Philadelphia – 6ABCA bus stop sign at 34th and Walnut streets in University City shows Kamala Harris wearing an Eagles helmet with the text “official candidate of the Philadelphia Eagles.” To some, it might seem official. Along with the Eagles logo, the ad also sends people to a real, nonpartisan voting information website: PhiladelphiaEagles.com/vote. There is no mention of either candidate on the website. Other signs around the city have also been spotted, but the Eagles want to stress they are not real. “We are aware counterfeit political ads are being circulated and are working with our advertising partner to have them removed,” officials said in a statement. NFL Week 1 odds have the Eagles favored against the Packers on a neutral field – BGNNFL Weeks 1 odds have long been available by this point but, hey, I’d say the subject is especially topical now since … game week is FINALLY HERE! That’s right, your Philadelphia Eagles are kicking off their 2024 season with a “home” game against the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, Brazil this Friday night. The Birds are currently three-point favorites at this neutral field location, according to FanDuel. This means the Eagles would likely be six-point favorites if the game was instead taking place at Lincoln Financial Field, since home field advantage is generally worth three points. NFC Hierarchy/Obituary: Week 1 edition – PhillyVoice3) Eagles (11-6 in 2023): The Eagles are a hard team to figure out for some folks this offseason. On the one hand, they’re coming off an epic collapse to close the 2023 season, during which the underqualified coordinators were exposed, the quarterback fell into a rut, some young core players were out of shape, the pass rush died, and every solution they tried only made things worse. In the aftermath, Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox retired. On the other hand, Jalen Hurts had the best training camp of his career in 2024, the new coordinators are adults, the rushing attack should be better with Saquon Barkley and a healthy Hurts, and there is so much talent otherwise on the roster, with guys like A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, and Landon Dickerson all in their prime years, and Jalen Carter about to enter his. Ultimately, I believe the Eagles are a well-run organization, and they’ll bounce back. They’ll also have the benefit of a far easier schedule this season. My first bet: Early picks for NFL Week 1 – ESPNAndre Snellings first bet: Green Bay Packers +3.0 over Philadelphia Eagles (-120). Jalen Hurts didn’t play at all this preseason and for the second year in a row he’ll start the season with a new offense under a new offensive coordinator. The Packers are getting the full 3 points at ESPN BET right now, even though the Eagles won’t really have home field advantage with the game to be played in Sao Paulo, Brazil. While I expect the Eagles to look better than the team that lost six of their last seven games last season, they’ll be facing a Packers squad that ended last year on fire as Jordan Love took flight in his first year starting under center. Love enters this year with a full complement of exciting young wide receivers healthy, raising the ceiling for the Packers’ offense and increasing the likelihood they start the season on a high note. Rival coaches believe Eagles may struggle to replace legends: ‘(He) makes this whole operation work’ – NJ.com“(Fletcher and Jason) became dinosaurs and unicorns,” Washington Commanders defensive line coach Darryl Tapp, who played three years (2010-2012) with the Eagles, told NJ Advance Media in April. “I say that because it’s very rare an NFL athlete gets to start and finish their career in one place. It’s very rare when an athlete in this day and age has a career that lasts over seven years. So they have accomplished both of those feats.” Tapp, who was hired by the Commanders in February, is glad that he doesn’t have to game plan for Kelce anymore. As the former assistant defensive line coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Tapp has played against Kelce three times (two regular-season games and the 2023 NFC Championship Game) since 2021. “He is all you prepare for,” Tapp said. “I truly believe that Jason (was) probably the most important person on that offense. You can call me crazy. But having that chance to go against him the last three years, he is the guy who makes this whole operation work because he can read defenses. … He made everything work seamlessly.” Eagles notebook: Saquon’s appreciation for Jacobs, Covey’s role and more – NBCSPFor the last two seasons, Britain Covey has been a popular guy in the Eagles’ locker room and in the receiver meeting room. Part of his role is to lighten the mood and he does that with aplomb. Star receiver DeVonta Smith recently handed out a big compliment to Covey. “He’s the light of the room,” Smith said. “In the room, he’s always the guy keeping the spirits up, no matter if anybody is having a bad day, he’s going to be the guy to make sure that everybody in the room is having fun. Whoever it is who may be down a day, he doesn’t continue to let them feel that way.” From the outside, Smith and Covey are very different. One was a Heisman Trophy winner and early first-round pick. The other was an undrafted rookie a few years ago and finally made the 53-man roster out of training camp for the first time in 2024. But Smith and Covey are close. Aside from both being fathers to young children, they’re two of the smallest players on the team. They joke about that a lot. “He probably weighs a little
Community Convo: Which non-divisional opponent do you want to see the Browns beat?
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports The Browns schedule has some big names The Cleveland Browns returned from their holiday weekend to the practice field yesterday in Berea. The team is now in full regular-season mode as they prepare to welcome the Dallas Cowboys to town on Sunday. While the week-one matchup will tough, Cleveland remains the favorite according to Vegas. The Browns schedule overall will make for tough sledding, especially down the stretch as they face a gauntlet of elite quarterbacks in addition to our division rivals. Today’s conversation starter and question deals with the games on our schedule against teams not within the AFC North division. Which non-divisional squad on the schedule would you like to see the Browns beat the most? Would you feel good if they could pull off a convincing win against Dallas on Sunday? Maybe seeing the Browns defeat the Chiefs would assure you they could compete for a Super Bowl. Now let’s look at the non-division games on the schedule and you can decide for yourself. Week 1 vs Dallas Cowboys Week 2 at Jacksonville Jaguars Week 3 vs New York Giants Week 4 at Las Vegas Raiders Week 5 at Washington Commanders Week 6 at Philadelphia Eagles Week 9 vs LA Chargers Week 11 at New Orleans Saints Week 13 at Denver Broncos Week 15 vs Kansas City Chiefs Week 17 vs Miami Dolphins Let us know who you want the Browns to beat most in the comments below and why. You will find my answer and reason there and it may come as a bit of a surprise.
Bengals ranked among top Super Bowl contenders
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images The return of a healthy Joe Burrow is a big reason why. It is finally Week 1 of the NFL season, and the Cincinnati Bengals are preparing for a matchup with the New England Patriots this Sunday. Paycor Stadium will be rocking as the Bengals look to start their run back to the Super Bowl this coming February, and according to a new ranking heading into game week, they have a decent chance. Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports recently ranked his most likely Super Bowl LIX winners and explained why they would win. Taking No. 6 on the list, the Bengals are also the third favorite in the AFC listed behind Kansas City (No. 1) and the Baltimore Ravens (No. 4). The biggest reason this team has a shot? The reason Vacchiano gives shouldn’t be a shock to anyone… the return of Joe Burrow. “When Joe Burrow is healthy, the Bengals have a chance to win it all. It’s that simple. He’s made it all the way through the season twice — in 2021 and 2022. In those seasons, the Bengals made the AFC Championship Game twice and the Super Bowl once. Don’t worry about Zack Moss trying to replace Joe Mixon at running back or losing No. 3 receiver Tyler Boyd to Tennessee or the defense that ranked 31st last season or … Look, it’s all about Joe Burrow, OK? The guy just wins.” The Bengals have seemingly become the one team in the AFC that could slow down and defeat Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs over the last few seasons when they meet in the playoffs. With a healthy Joe Burrow and an improved defense, it seems that could be the case once again this season if the two teams meet. Well, at least that’s what we hope. But first we need to see this team go and beat this Patriots squad. Who Dey!
