The NFL is a confusing place because nearly all of our predictions were wrong for Week 1, and we started with a big shock in the Kansas City Chiefs beating the New England Patriots. We thought that would be the one aberration from the weekend, but it turned out to be a weekend where we realized that we do not know what is right and what is wrong. We have no idea if any of these teams are going to be able to continue in the second week of the season, and we are stuck wondering if these teams have any idea how they will succeed. They are flying by the seats of their collective pants as they fix offenses, fix defenses, and adjust to performances they did not expect.
They did not know
In a private moment, we would find it hard to believe that Doug Marrone thought that Blake Bortles would look this good in Week 1. Sean McVay could not have thought that Jared Goff would be that good. There is no way that Bill Belichick thought he would get humiliated by the Chiefs. The Chiefs could not have known that Kareem Hunt is this good. These teams will pretend like it was all part of the plan, but we know that it is not. These teams have to cope with what happened, and they have to play better to extend their success or stop the bleeding.
Bad performances
The Houston Texans offense was pretty bad, and their defense was even worse. Tom Brady may have looked old in Week 1, but he has to rebound.
The New Orleans Saints were not good at all, and the New York Giants looked pathetic. The Dallas Cowboys were good enough, but can they improve? The Washington Redskins need to learn how to win close games, and the Philadelphia Eagles need to see if they can get better in Week 2. These teams have to make dramatic shifts or minor adjustments.
It is much easier for these teams to adjust now that they have tape, but we do not know if they will stay the same or improve.
The season is long
The teams that are very good right now have to be able to play as well as they can every week to ensure that they maintain their success. Many people believe that the NFL season is too long for some of these teams, and we could see some major missteps from these franchises.
The Texans have to get better, or their defense could sink to the bottom of the league. The Jags have to hope that their offense looks great in Week 2, and the Los Angeles Rams have to be sure that they can figure out how to get Jared Goff to be consistent. A long season gives all these teams many chances to mess up, and they will show us whether they are consistent or inconsistent in their preparation. The NFL will adjust to itself, and we will see who does the best job of adjusting.
