The most important game of the week, of course, has already been played. It’s done and it’s won, and so everything that follows this weekend is sheer pleasure for Packer fans.
The next most important games, of course, belong to our Division opponents (though admittedly it’s easy to be thinking more about Conference opponents like the Saints, Falcons, and Eagles at this point). Within the Division, though, all three of our rivals face tough match-ups.
First, the Bears host the Falcons, which is a win-win for us. One of them is bound to lose, and either way is good. I think the Falcons are a much better team, and I expect them to win. If the Bears pull it off, though, then that may be a sign that they are going to have another one of their occasional charmed, over-achieving seasons. (They just had one last year, so I don’t expect it to happen again already in 2011.)
The Lions, meanwhile, travel down to Florida to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both teams are widely regarded as comers, and so it becomes a fascinating match-up. Naturally, we are Bucs fans on Sunday.
Finally, the Vikings head west (no, not moving yet, just visiting) to play the Chargers. I’m quite certain that San Diego is the better team, and I would be shocked if the disheveled Vikings can pull off a win on Sunday.
Other games of interest around the league this weekend include…
Steelers at Ravens. That’s a marquee match-up, and it’s a high stakes way for both clubs to start the season. These two have been neck-and-neck for years, and one senses that they genuinely hate each other. Should be great football.
The Colts in Houston should be interesting, too, though more in the way that a traffic accident is interesting. It’s the perverse fascination to see what Indy is like without Peyton Manning. (More about him and his situation in an upcoming post.)
The Jets hosting the Cowboys has a lot of sex appeal. They are hardly rivals, but they are both big-name teams with larger-than-life characters and a certain tendency toward exhibitionism with their problems. I expect New York to win, but perhaps I am under-estimating the new-look Cowboys.
The Patriots play in Miami on Monday Night. I don’t really expect it to be very competitive game. It should be good viewing, though, just to see if New England is as good as their press.
Finally, the Seahawks head to San Francisco to see which team can get a jump on the 8-8 record they’ll need to win the NFC West.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment