1. Kansas City Chiefs– You talk about making a statement and that’s exactly what they did. Coming into this game, the Chiefs didn’t stand a chance against the Patriots or in Foxboro. They were down early but made adjustments. This is one of the rare times when Bill Belichick was outcoached and Andy Reid made those second half adjustments. Kareem Hunt fumbles on his first carry and then redeems himself by having the game of his life. Alex Smith showed he’s more than just a game manager as he torched the Patriots defense and threw four touchdown passes and the defense held Brady in check as he was held to zero touchdown passes. Prior to this game, I said the Chiefs could give New England problems, but I never thought they would beat them.
2. Green Bay Packers– They were one of the four teams that really impressed me in week one. The defense was active, they stayed in their lanes and they held a pretty good Seahawks offense to three field goals. This is what we’ve needed to see from the Packers on the defensive side of the ball for years now. Of course, Aaron Rodgers did what Aaron Rodgers does and the offense could be a special unit of Nelson, Cobb, Adams, Bennett and the running game can all mesh. Tonight, they’ll face a true test as a defense against the Atlanta Falcons and their high-flying offense.
3. Dallas Cowboys– I was waiting to see when they’d put a complete game together and week one, they did just that. With Odell out of the lineup, their secondary was able to game plan differently and it worked. They played man to man coverage across the board and didn’t allow the other Giants receivers to separate. We also saw year two of the Prescott/Elliott tandem and they looked to pick up where they left off in 2016. Having Ezekiel Elliott for this team is huge. Dak Prescott also looked to improve as a passer and didn’t rely on his ground game too much to win the game.
4. Oakland Raiders– Their offense is going to get their points. They’re one of the best at scoring and getting the football down the field. The good sign about their week one win over the Titans was their defense. The secondary didn’t give up too many big plays down the field and they kept Mariota in check for most of the second half. What looked like it was going to be a shootout in the first quarter, the Raiders clamped down and made plays defensively.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers– Talk about winning ugly, that’s exactly what happened. Le’Veon Bell was rusty, but Antonio Brown came through and was clutch big time. He was targeted 11 times and made 11 catches. He’s the most dynamic player on the field and you know he’s going to be targeted. The Browns decided to play him in single man to man coverage. You have to triple team him and make Ben throw it to a tight end or another wide receiver.
