Our top two picks came through, but some of our secondary Week 1 picks fell victim to the old switcheroo. Let's review and make our plan for Week 2.
Week 1 Results
Jacksonville (vs Cleveland) - 5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT
Deshaun had two more near turnovers in the first half before this got out of hand.
A Look Ahead: @DEN NE @CIN - The Broncos offense was terrible on Monday night, but Sean Payton won't let that happen twice in a row. Toss em back.
Pittsburgh (vs Atlanta) - 4 sacks, 2 INT, 1 DEF TD
T.J. Watt saved the Steelers and this rent-a-defense play with a leaping interception of a swing pass that turned into a pick six when no one touched him down. Yes, we will target Cooper Rush again in Week 2.
A Look Ahead: @NE CIN @CLE - The Steelers defense will be a top rent-a-defense in Week 4, and they did force five turnovers against the Patriots last year, but they probably aren't worth starting this week just to hold on your bench in Week 3 to be assured of the Browns matchup.
Dallas (at NY Giants) - 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery
I couldn't have been more wrong about which unit would surprise with a new look that leaves the opponent off balance. On the bright side, the Cowboys defense could still be there for another year of us picking on them with our lineup choices at other positions.
A Look Ahead: WAS BAL @HOU - Jayden Daniels hung in against the Eagles, so there's no reason to even pause and consider this.
LA Chargers (vs Arizona) - 1 sack
Here's the biggest surprise of Week 1: the Chargers' offense and defense fizzling and the Cardinals dominating on both sides of the ball. Jacoby Brissett looks very comfortable running Mike LaFleur's offense.
A Look Ahead: LV @BUF @SEA - Kirk Cousins is a limited quarterback, but we can't trust the Chargers D/ST while the team is playing so poorly.
Las Vegas (vs Miami) - 5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT
The "whoever is facing the Dolphins" weekly play is looking like one worth considering every week since the Raiders were a Week 1 hit against them.
A Look Ahead: @LAC @NO KC - Mike McDaniel's offense was bad in Week 1, but not so bad that we want to start the Raiders D/ST against them in Week 2
Buffalo (at Houston) - 3 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries
We got the game script we wanted and a decent result, but C.J. Stroud was actually effective and almost matched Josh Allen blow for blow in this heavyweight title fight.
A Look Ahead: DET LAC NE - The Lions offense was kind of underwhelming. This could be a really good Thursday night D/ST play.
Tennessee (vs NY Jets) - Nada. Zilch. Bupkis.
NY Jets (at Tennessee) - 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery
This one was disappointing no matter how you slice it. The Titans offense was demoralizing, but it didn't commit any huge errors.
A Look Ahead NYJ: GB @DET @CHI - Packers and Lions and Bears, oh my!
A Look Ahead TEN: PHI @NYG @BAL - Titans? More like the Titanic
Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda
Cincinnati (vs Tampa Bay) - 4 sacks, 4 fumble recoveries, 1 DEF TD
Welcome to the era of the Dexter Lawrence II led Bengals defense. They played with more edge and took advantage of all of the extra fight in Baker Mayfield to force fumbles at both ends of the field, including one returned for a score by Demetrius Knight Jr.
Detroit (vs New Orleans) - 5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 2 INT
The Lions defense showed up early and smothered the Saints offense, but then let them off the hook and were an overtime two-point conversion away from the biggest collapse in team history.
Week 2 Candidates