BY JOSE FAUS
If the season ended today what a trip this NFL campaign would have been. The Dallas Cowboys would be the prohibitive favorite to lose to the San Francisco 49rs in the NFC championship game. As for the AFC, the Las Vegas Raiders would be the prohibitive favorite to lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC championship game who will then proceed to bow down to the 49rs in the Super Bowl.
I’m kidding about that the Raiders will not be the team representing the AFC - that honor will go to the Cleveland Browns who have finally gotten their act together. Now I’m a little torn about who could be the opposing team to the Browns, but I’m leaning to the Baltimore Ravens. They just earned it for looking good. Those colors looked good on the tv screen.
One would think the Jets would be prohibitive favorites to lose in the playoffs, but without Rogers, I just don’t see it. And on that note, how refreshing this season will be now that It’s a guarantee that Aaron Rodgers will not be involved in any drama surrounding the MVP voting at the end of the year. While it is a shame that Rogers is out for the season, it is good to know this will be a Rodgers-drama-free year.
The best news of the season is the resurgence of the Washington Commanders. It’s been a long time since they were considered a legit playoff team. I may be getting ahead of things but darn they looked like something good in beating the Arizona Cardinals. Let’s face it, any team without Daniel Snyder is a better team. Go Commanders.
Oh, look at the AFC West. What a brutal thing to know that going into the playoffs the Raiders will be the representative of the division. No Denver Broncos to pout about this and that, no San Diego Chargers to hog the headlines about what a gifted team they are, and how ready they are to step to up to the next level. Sorry, no next level this year.
As for the Kansas City Chiefs, the less said about the first game the better. Chris Jones’ signing is a good thing, but the question remains, what did the stall accomplish? I guess that is what you get when you have two brothers representing you.
How about Tyreek Hill? What a beast the man is. Let’s accept the man is so fast that I have no doubt if Tua Tagovailoa goes down Tyreek will step right up and throw the ball to himself, and the result will be the same. Think of the money they will save by not having to pay a quarterback salary. Speaking of which, what has happened to Josh Allen? The man with all the talent in him and around him and he can’t seem to get out of his own way. Maybe he should throw the ball to himself and eliminate the interceptions.
The Bills self-immolation was a hard thing to watch as the game closely resembled a tooth extraction. It was painful to the eyes and the only joy coming in how quick overtime ended. Go Bills, Jets, wherever that may be, just keep going. Hey Josh, say hi to Joe Burrow when you get there. Burrow, say hi to Kirk Cousins over there in quarterback dog house.
The Sean Payton experiment is off to an exhilarating start. He, along with Gino Smith, is the poster child for the knee jerk reaction to the shiny toys’ syndrome. Look at that Smith model out on the field. He will do this for years to come. Let’s give him all the money he wants. And while we are at it, let’s give all this money to Payton who has won one Superbowl all by himself. Let’s make him the highest paid coach in the land. He is a winner.
Other random thoughts following the first week of games - What can you say about the New York Giants? Look up in the sky, it’s not the New York Giants, it’s the New York Jets. What can you say about the Pittsburgh Steelers? Leading candidate for number one draft pick? No that must be the Cleveland Browns even though given the results last week they are in the playoffs.
Those are the thoughts that fill my mind as I look at the results from last week’s games. No loss is ever good, and a win will go a long way to healing the Chiefs. This weekend they will play the Jacksonville Jaguars, a repeat of last year’s playoff game. It should be a good game. The good guys will win. They have an appointment with the 49rs come the end of the season.
