Who’s Hot:
Saints – Sure, they may not have acquired any stars, but the former Superbowl champs are still the team to beat and they have all the tools to win it again. Drew Brees looked “breezy†as usual, racking up 237 yards along with one touchdown to grab a 14-9 win in the Saints’ season opener against Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. The tough Saints’ defense held Brett Favre to a mediocre 171 yards, one touchdown, and forced one interception. Both the Saints’ defense and offense looked great and if they keep up this type of play, they are going be difficult to beat.
Jets – With a five time pro-bowl running back (LaDainian Tomlinson) and the MVP of the 2009 Superbowl (Santonio Holmes) joining their ranks, the Jets’ offense is going to be extremely difficult to bring down. That’s not to say they don’t also have a tough defense, led by one of the league’s best cornerbacks, Darelle Revis. However, what separates the New York Jets from other teams isn’t just their hot trade-deals, but their hot mentality. They have the fire to believe; a will so strong that if any foe let’s their guard down, the Jets will rip them to shreds. Though they narrowly lost their season opener, 10-9, to the Baltimore Ravens, I believe that they still are capable of being a powerhouse in the NFL.
Patriots – Despite being hammered about their young secondary, the New England Patriots silenced pessimists by dominating 34-24 in their season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. Quarterback Tom Brady had a solid 258 yard game, along with three touchdowns. Receiver Wes Welker, who recently returned from surgery, played well with two touchdown receptions and 64 total yards. The young New England secondary played decently by limiting Bengals’ QB Carson Palmer to two touchdowns, and forced one interception. However, Palmer was still able to pass for a whopping 345 yards. After some brush-ups on defense, the veteran Patriots will be a team to reckon with due to their strong receivers, and legendary QB.
Who’s Not:
Steelers – Ouch, it isn’t fun losing your superstar receiver (Santonio Holmes). Double ouch- neither is losing you star quarterback, even if it is for four games. After being accused of sexual assault, QB Ben Rothlesburger is suspended for four games in the regular season. Talk about loss of faith; how can Big Ben’s teammates look at him the same way? Even when Rothlesburger comes back, there’s going to be problems with leadership, trust, etc. All in all, the Steelers are not going to be the same. They barely scraped past 15-9 in their season opener against the Atlanta Falcons. Steelers’ quarterback Dennis Dixon had a mediocre game with 236 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception.
Cardinals – No team is going to miss a player more than the Arizona Cardinals will miss Kurt Warner. Not only did Warner lead the Cardinals to two playoff appearances (including one Superbowl), he displayed leadership, efficiency, and sturdiness. In their 2010 season opener, the Cardinals narrowly defeated the Rams 17-13. Cardinal quarterback Ryan Anderson was played decently with 297 yards and one touchdown. Despite his good start, it will be difficult for Anderson to fill the wide gap Warner left in the team, as he is new to the team and has yet to synch with them.
Sam Bradford and the Rams – The supposed messiah for the St. Louis Rams did not have a good NFL start. He threw 253 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions in the Rams’ season opener against the Arizona Cardinals. Bradford did not show the formidable play he demonstrated in the NFL pre-season. Though Bradford seems to be an efficient, strong, and quick quarterback, he has to improve those stats if he wants to maintain his influence in the team. Hometown Hero? To live up to that expectation, Bradford has got to perform much better than he did against the Cardinals.
