STAMFORD, CT – The Yankees made it through a tough 12-game stretch and looked primed to make a run for the division against the league’s patsies. But after a losing another game to the Jays with a stumble in Minnesota, they appear destined for a Wild Card. The Mets are trying to stay above water and hold on to the last Wild Card spot after a huge win on Sunday. But I’d rather talk some football, even with the Giants and Jets looking as hopeless as Junoir in a spelling bee. And while I know that predicting the NFL is a fool’s errand because of the unpredictability of injuries, I’m going to do it anyway. So here it is, What I Think I know about the NFL After Week 2, by Division.
AFC East
Get him a body bag, Johnny, this one is over. If Josh Allen stays healthy, none of the other teams have the horses to even dream about catching the Bills. Justin Fields looked like the guy we know, and Miami is lost. New England looks better but still not close to challenging the Bills.
AFC North
The Bengals lead at 2-0, but lost Joe Burrow for a while. Jake Browning filled in pretty capably two years ago, but three months is a long time to hold it down. The Ravens D might not be top tier, but they will score more than enough points to win this division. The Steelers seem destined not to disturb the string of Mike Tomlin good-but-not-great teams. The Browns don’t look terrible, but Joe Flacco is not taking them anywhere. They are sticking with him for now but look for Gabriel to get a look soon.
AFC South
Oh my, Daniel Jones. He is the story of the season so far. In case you missed it, the Colts have 0 punts and 0 turnovers this season and have scored on almost every drive. We all saw this one coming, right? The Jags look improved, but not great. The O-line has been Houston’s undoing, as predicted by many. And for the Titans, this is a learning year for Cam Ward. The division is the Colts to lose. Gag, cough, puke.
AFC West
Okay, I’m in on the Chargers. They look like a pretty complete team and if they can get a little more from their running game, they could be dangerous. The Broncos could be good enough to stay with the Chargers after a tough loss to the Colts. Geno Smith looked awful on Monday night and this time is headed for last place. The Chiefs are 0-2 and have a tough schedule coming up. They’d better be careful not to dig themselves too deep of a hole. Luckily, they have a get-right game against the Giants on Sunday night. This is a tough division.
NFC East
Status quo. The most disappointing thing about the Giants’ loss was the defense and the “vaunted” pass rush. They have about 25 chances to make one play to win the game. This was supposed to be the strength of this team. I don’t think Shane Bowen is up for the job. What is Wink Martindale up to? Otherwise, the division looks about the same as last year. The Eagles might not be as good, but they’re still one of the best teams in the league. The Commanders don’t look so great on offense. Daniels has been inaccurate and now has a knee issue. They are looking like a team that will be a Wild Card but won’t challenge the Eagles. The Cowboys’ defense looks extremely vulnerable, and I would expect some shootouts.
NFC North
The Packers look like a true SB contender. The Lions looked like last year’s version against the Bears, and Dan Campbell seemed to run up the score against his old O-Coordinator. JJ McCarthy has looked confused for the Vikings and now they’re going to have to get by with Carson Wentz for a few weeks. That’s not ideal. Maybe they should have held on to Daniel Jones. And Ben Johnson had better settle in, because he has a lot of work to do with Caleb Williams. Johnson might be going gray pretty quickly, with Caleb’s inconsistent play. This division is the Packers and Lions to settle.
NFC South
It’s nice to be in a division with the Saints and the Panthers, two teams likely to be battling for the top pick. That’s four easy games on the schedule for the Falcons and Bucs. Both are flawed but talented teams that should be bobbing just above .500. The Bucs overcame a ton of injuries last night and I like their chances to win the division.
NFC West
This is a tough one to call. Three teams are 2-0 but none of them have looked all that great. The Cardinals have been pretty good, but against the lowly Saints and Panthers. Why couldn’t the Giants start with those two teams? The 49ers lost a lot of talent on offense, but have gotten by with good coaching. The Rams look like they will win some games, but the real test will come on Sunday against the Eagles. And I wouldn’t count out the Seahawks just yet either, as they find their footing. If I had to pick a winner, I’d go with the Rams.
That’s it for me. Look for more with Extra Angry Ward.
