Week 1 of the 2021 NFL regular season gave us a lot of surprises. Two teams largely considered powerhouses in the AFC — the Buffalo Bills and the Tennessee Titans — took losses at home, as Pittsburgh beat Buffalo by seven and Arizona ran Tennessee out of their own stadium. In Jacksonville, Jameis Winston had an immense day for New Orleans, throwing five touchdown passes in a 38-3 demolition of the Green Bay Packers that may have been the surprise of the week — and showed that the NFC South may turn out to be a lot more interesting than we had thought.
Let’s take a look at which teams emerged as contenders after the first week — and how that might affect your NFL betting.
NFL News: Forget the Odds — Who Can Really Win the Super Bowl After Week 1?
The Saints aren’t going anywhere
The Saints’ operations moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the wake of Hurricane Ida, and their first “home” game of the season moved all the way to Jacksonville. In a stadium roughly divided between Saints and Packers fans, the Saints delivered an absolute stomping. The team had ten new starters over last year after the team dumped salaries and injuries and suspensions took their toll. The biggest surprise was the rise of Jameis Winston, who threw five touchdown passes, going 14 of 20 for 148 yards. He did throw a pick, but a defensive penalty wiped it off the books, and so he was officially turnover-free on the day. His decisions were elite, particularly when he had to deal with pressure from the Packer pass rush. If Winston can keep away from the turnover bug, this is a team that can threaten the Buccaneers and the Rams as well.
Arizona’s defense is the strength of the team
On Sunday, the Cardinals’ Chandler Jones posted five sacks, to tie a franchise record. J.J. Watt also applied pressure from the D-line, pushing into the backfield play after play. Cornerback Byron Murphy Jr demonstrated versatility and was buzzing all over the field. Derrick Henry, normally the one delivering the pain with his pounding style, was shut down by the Cardinals’ D-line. On offense, the Cardinals have a lot more weapons behind DeAndre Hopkins in the passing game. Christian Kirk had two catches for touchdowns. A.J. Green did not do much in the opener but has the talent and speed to do a lot of damage, and Rondale Moore could emerge as a solid slot option. This means that teams can’t rely on shutting down Hopkins — although he ended up getting two touchdowns of his own despite being the focus for the Titan defense.
Cleveland is ready to be elite
Yes, the Browns absolutely melted down late against Kansas City, turning an early 12-point lead into a 3-point loss. However, they were able to score basically at will for the first three quarters against the Chiefs. The Browns put up all of those points without having Odell Beckham Jr in the passing game. The star warmed up and then was ruled inactive just before the game. He has slowly built up his practice load as he has recovered from last year’s left knee injury. The team was driving down the field late, with a chance to get the winning score, when Baker Mayfield threw a crucial pick. More often than not, he doesn’t make that mistake — and you can’t expect your quarterback to bail out your defense drive after drive, and that’s what the Browns’ defense did in the fourth. Even so, this is a team ready to contend.
Tampa Bay looks poised to repeat
The Buccaneers had four turnovers against Dallas, but at least two (Brady’s Hail Mary pick at halftime and his other pick, which clanked off Leonard Fournette’s hands first) were bad-luck rather than the product of solid play from Dallas’ defense. When the Cowboys made it into the red zone, the Buccaneer defense stiffened. Those factors combined to give the Buccaneers a chance with the ball late…and they turned it into yet another comeback win.
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