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NFL Week 1 and 2 overreactions

Cooper Schultz and Maddox Raph

September 25, 2023

Maddox Raph

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson posing before his first NFL game.

NFL overreactions by team

Arizona Cardinals

The first two picks of the 2024 NFL draft will belong to the Arizona Cardinals. After starting the season 0-2, they are looking like the worst team in the NFL alongside the Houston Texans. The two worst teams in the NFL usually get the first two picks in the draft but the Texans traded their pick to the Cardinals. Those two picks could jumpstart a rebuild for one of the worst franchises in the NFL.

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons have the best running back duo in the NFL.

The Falcons have been off to a great start winning both of their first games and exceeding expectations. They have quickly asserted their dominance with their runningback combination of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Algeier, along with their “bend but don’t break” defense.

Baltimore Ravens

Zay Flowers will be the wide receiver one for the Ravens and will have a great year. So far in the season, receivers Rashad Bateman and Odel Beckham Jr. have been injured already, this means that Zay Flowers will have a much bigger role in the Baltimore offense. Flowers has also shown that he can produce with Bateman and OBJ on the field, the Ravens might have found themselves a star.

Buffalo Bills

Josh Allen is not a top-five quarterback. Allen is off to a slow start winning only one of his first two games with a below-average performance. This could be a down year for the Bills offensively, which could lead to star wide receiver Stefon Diggs looking for a way out of the organization.

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers are not a good football team.

Chicago Bears

Justin Fields will lead the league in rushing touchdowns. “Bustin Fields” has had an awful start to the season with two touchdowns and three interceptions, while the ongoing joke for Fields is that he is a running back playing quarterback, and that joke is becoming a reality as every game goes on. The Bears will embrace this, and Justin Fields will be rushing this season.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals will miss the playoffs this season. Joe Burrow has had a slow start to the season. Losing their first two games the Bengals have not looked good. The Bengals have been known to start slow the past couple of seasons, but in the stacked AFC you can not afford to start 0-2.

Cleveland Browns

Without Nick Chubb, the Cleveland Browns will miss the playoffs. Chubb is arguably the best running back in the NFL; and without his production, it is going to be hard for this offense to get going. Chubb was the most important piece to this offense and now that he is gone, their playoff chances are looking slim.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys will win the Super Bowl this season. Everything seems to be falling into place for the Cowboys Super Bowl run this year. The offense has scored 70 points in the first two weeks while the defense has only given up 10. After starting the season with a +60-point differential, the Cowboys are looking very dominant.

Denver Broncos

Sean Payton cannot fix the Broncos. After a disappointing season last year, the Broncos fired their head coach Nathaniel Hackett, and hired Super Bowl-winning coach Payton. Through the first two weeks of the season, the Broncos have lost to two non-playoff teams and are looking at another losing season.

Detroit Lions

The hype of this team is not warranted. The Detroit Lions have been catching some steam throughout the offseason after finishing the 2022-2023 season red hot. Many said this team could be one of the best in the league. While they garnered an impressive victory against the Chiefs, they lost to a mediocre Seahawks team the next week. This team has a fun young core surrounded by good coaching but they have yet to quite figure out how to be consistent in the league. I guess the Lions are not the villains just yet.

Green Bay Packers

Jordan Love is a top-10 quarterback and will throw over 40 touchdown passes. Love and the Packers have had a solid start to the season beating the Bears and losing to the Falcons by one point. Love has already thrown for six touchdowns and he has done so while missing the team’s number one wide receiver and number one running back for one game. Love has shown a strong passing game and shows no signs of slowing down.

Houston Texans

The Texans will be the worst team in the league for the second year in a row. The Texans have acquired CJ Stroud from the draft and he is looking like a solid quarterback; however, the rest of their team did not look good in their first two games, specifically the defense. The likelihood that CJ Stroud can carry this team to the top of their division this year is slim but that is not to say that there is no potential in this team.

Indianapolis Colts

Anthony Richardson is the best quarterback to come out of the 2023 draft. Although Richardson sustained a head injury in week two, he showed off his athletic ability with four total touchdowns. He is giving the Colts hope for the future and will have a great season barring any injuries.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars have the AFC South locked up this year. While the first games of the season have not looked the best for the Jaguars, the rest of their division is looking terrible. Trevor Lawrence and this young defense will cruise through the season and get ready to make a run in the playoffs.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs will lose in the wildcard round of the playoffs. Starting 1-1 is not ideal for the Chiefs, and in both games, they have not looked great. Patrick Mahomes has been good but has not shown the magic we are used to. It also does not help that Travis Kelce and Chris Jones were not playing in week one. The Chiefs need to get their stuff together if they want to go back to the Super Bowl.

Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders need an X-Factor quarterback in order to be competitive with the top teams in the league. Jimmy Garapalo in his first two games has thrown three touchdowns and three interceptions and less than 400 yards. This is very average and for this team to succeed they need a quarterback who is willing to make the risky plays that will take them the extra mile.

Los Angeles Chargers

Head Coach Brandon Staley will be fired before week seven. The Chargers have always found a way to disappoint. Justin Herbert has been firing on all cylinders since he was drafted in 2020, but Staley has been holding the Chargers back. They play the Vikings, Cowboys and Chiefs in their next four games meaning they could start 1-5. This is not ideal for a team with such high expectations.

Los Angeles Rams

Puka Nacua is the steal of the 2023 NFL draft. Puka Nacua is ranked number eight for all wide receivers and for good reason. He has the most receptions in the NFL and has the record for most receptions in the first two games for a rookie, it is safe to say that the Rams have a rising star on their hands and he could be an unexpected contender for offensive rookie of the year.

Miami Dolphins

Tyreek Hill will be the second player in NFL history to get 2,000 receiving yards. Hill has been one of the most dominant receivers in the league since 2017. He is most known for his blazing speed hence the nickname “Cheetah.” You might be asking yourself, how can Hill be the second person to reach 2,000 receiving yards in one season if nobody else has done it before?

Minnesota Vikings

Justin Jefferson will be the first player in NFL history to get 2,000 receiving yards. Jefferson has been a monster among men since entering the league in 2020. He has been breaking records left and right and is going for one of the most impressive records in the NFL. 2,000 receiving yards has never been done before but Jefferson is on pace for 2,627 yards and is not going to slow down anytime soon.

New England Patriots

Bill Bilechek is on his last legs. The Patriots have started the season 0-2, while this is disappointing they have faced two of the best teams in the NFL. He held the Eagles to 25 points and the Dolphins to 24 points. But if the Patriots let these two wins affect them, their season record could push Belichick into his long-awaited retirement.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints will miss the playoffs. The Saints have won their first two games but have not looked great. They beat the Titans by one point in a game where Ryan Tannehill threw three interceptions. The following week they beat the Panthers by a field goal. The Panthers are not a good football team, when they face a real challenge they will feel the heat.

New York Giants

The New York Giants will finish last in the NFC East, while the Giants won an impressive comeback against the Cardinals. They have a promising star in Jalin Hyatt, but their offensive game has taken a big hit with the loss of Saquan Barkley. Their defense is middle of the pack and nothing special. With the competition in their division, it is safe to say that they will finish with the worst record in the NFC East.

New York Jets

The Jets will have one of the worst offenses in the league. After the season-ending Achilles injury sustained by four-time MVP, Most Valuable Player, Aaron Rodgers, the Jets will have to try backup quarterbacks from around the league to fill the gap. This unfortunate turn of events could ruin the season for one of the best defenses in the NFL.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles are a playoff team but will not have as easy of a run as they did last year. The first two weeks for the Eagles have started out very well with a win against the Patriots and a win against the Vikings. While they won their first two games, they have not been by a large margin. The largest amount of points that they have won was six points, and they have been dominant in their games but they cannot keep winning by one touchdown.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers will have their first losing season in 19 years. Mike Tomlin is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history but there is only so much you can do as a coach. This year the Steelers do not have a functional offense and the defense is not anything to write home about. Expect a six or seven-win season out of this team.

San Francisco 49ers

This will be the team to rival the dominance of the Cowboys. The 49ers have looked very good in their first couple of games and have beaten the Steelers and the Super Bowl champs of two seasons ago the Rams. Their offense and defense have been on point looking great all around. If there is one team to rival the Cowboys in the NFL it would be the 49ers.

Seattle Seahawks

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a BUST. Smith-Njigba was the first wide receiver taken in the 2023 NFL draft and was looking to be a huge part of the Seahawks high-powered offense next to DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. In his first two games, he totaled eight catches for 47 yards and no touchdowns. This is not the production you want out of a first-round pick.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers will win the NFC South this year. Baker Mayfield has been dominating his competition, quickly showing how he was never the problem at the Browns. He had his way with the Vikings, and after his first two games had almost 500 yards and three touchdowns. The NFC South should be worried.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans are the most boring team in the NFL. Rebrand. Rebuild. Blow up the team.

Washington Commanders

The Commander’s defensive line is the best in football. With former defensive rookie of the year, Chase Young, returning to the lineup after his injury problems, the Commander’s defensive front is looking scary. On the other side of Young is Montez Sweat, one of the most underrated edge rushers in the NFL. In between those two lie Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, two giants plugging up the gaps and causing chaos for opposing quarterbacks.

About the Contributors

Cooper Schultz, Sports Editor

Cooper Schultz is a senior, second-year staff writer and Sports Editor for the Statesman. He also considers himself the #1 Minnesota sports fan and an Anthony Edwards enthusiast. When he is not watching Justin Jefferson Highlights, he is playing soccer or basketball. Schultz is enrolled in the Spanish Immersion program and enjoys hanging out with his friends during his free time.

Maddox Raph, Staff Writer

Maddox Raph is a senior and a second-year staff writer for the Statesman at LHS. He enjoys watching his sports franchises succeed. He is also involved in LHS track and field in the spring and is a hall of famer at the Spring Creek Golf Club. You can usually find him listening to Heartbreak Drake, and he has a passion for lake activities, like fishing and jet skiing.

Lincoln High School Statesman

Lincoln High School Statesman

Lincoln High School Statesman

NFL Week 1 and 2 overreactions

Lincoln High School Statesman

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