There are a ton of overreactions when it comes to Week 1. The Ravens offense probably won’t be as good as it was versus the Dolphins. The sky is not falling in Cleveland when it comes to the Browns. The Bears offense should perk up a bit as the season moves along. There are, however, some things that may carry over further into the season. Watch out for these things in Week 2. If they continue, it could start a trend.
Cleveland Browns offensive line woes
While everyone was caught up in the excitement that was the Cleveland Browns offseason, people kind of overlooked the fact that this roster still had some holes. The biggest area where they lacked depth was along the offensive line. That offensive line did very little to help Baker Mayfield in Week 1. Greg Robinson couldn’t keep his foot out of Kenny Vaccaro’s face. Then the Browns lost Robinson’s backup Kendall Lamm to injury. They were down to five active linemen for the rest of the game.
The problem is that Robinson isn’t exactly great to begin with and the Browns kind of need an offensive line. Yes, Baker Mayfield has the ability to avoid the rush and he’s mobile, but he still needs some semblance of time if he’s going to stretch the field with Odell Beckham Jr. The Browns seem to have talent everywhere else but the offensive line. They have to find a way to fix that problem.
The Todd Gurley pitch count
The Rams learned their lesson last year. They essentially didn’t have one of their most explosive players at the level that he performed at all year. Missing Cooper Kupp may have hurt their offense, but missing a healthy Todd Gurley really cut back on how dead the L.A. could be.
Having Gurley healthy for the playoffs is more important than having Gurley put up fantasy MVP stats in the regular season. It’s that simple. The best way to keep Gurley fresh is to rely on Malcolm Brown as the backup. They should give Brown the short yard carries. Brown may see a lot of action by the goal line. If Gurley is still nursing a knee injury, then he shouldn’t see the field for some games. He’s like an NBA player on load management. Gurley should be used as a closer.
Whatever is going on with the Broncos offense
It’s not Vic Fangio’s fault that John Elway loves tall quarterbacks who shouldn’t be starters in the NFL. Joe Flacco is who we thought he was. He hasn’t been good for a few years at this point. He’s replacement level at best.
The Broncos need a quarterback who is more dynamic if their offense is going to get moving. Everyone loves Phillip Lindsay, but he’s still a bit undersized to be a workhorse and he’s very good but not great. The Broncos don’t have a true No. 1 wide receiver to help Flacco out. He could throw jump balls to Courtland Sutton, but that’s not exactly a recipe for success.
There aren’t a ton of offensive weapons in Denver. They have good but not great people throughout their depth chart. The Broncos defense is going to have to carry Denver if they are going to be competitive.
The Cowboys passing game
It might be time to believe in Dak Prescott the passer over Prescott the game manager. Dallas has weapons at wide receiver. Amari Cooper has been a different play since leaving Oakland. Michael Gallup could be the real deal. Randall Cobb will provide a solid security blanket for Prescott when he’s looking for shorter routes. Ezekiel Elliott can catch the ball out of the backfield as well.
Right now only one thing has changed and that’s the offensive coordinator. Kellen Moore is already a hot name in coaching circles. He’s young. He’s leading what looks to be an explosive offense and he’ll be in the spotlight a lot. He’s also very good at his job.
The Patriots defense
The Patriots defense usually finishes in the top half of the league when it comes to points scored against them. It’s their yardage numbers that usually makes people think the defense is a weak spot. It doesn’t look like they’ll have problems at all this year.
Their defensive backfield could be the best and deepest in football. They have linebackers who know Bill Belichick’s system. Their defensive line rotation will do just fine. They aren’t Bears or Ravens level dominant, but they will be very good.
