After months of withdrawal, NFL enthusiasts finally got their fix. As with any dependence, dealing with absolutes is easier than properly assessing the situation or waiting for more information. With that in mind, we’re jumping to five conclusions now that the full slate of Week 1 action is behind us.
San Francisco 49ers Will Win Super Bowl LVIII
No team has come closer to winning it all than the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners have made it to three of the past four NFC Championship games, only to lose to the Super Bowl winners each season. Although that’s a sad indictment of past failures, we’re betting this is the year it all comes together for Kyle Shanahan and company.
San Francisco trounced the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. The Christian McCaffrey-led offense totaled 391 yards, with the defensive unit holding firm and limiting the Steelers to just 239. Factoring total plays, the Niners ended the day with a +2.0 net yards per play over the highly-touted Steelers.
We may not even be through Week 1 yet, but we’re declaring the San Francisco 49ers the eventual Super Bowl champions. You can still get the 49ers at +850 at some sportsbooks. That’s probably the best price we’ll see for the rest of the season.
Dak Prescott is the Most Overrated Quarterback in the NFL
Some people may point to the rain or a few dropped passes to defend an otherwise lackluster performance from Dak Prescott. The Dallas Cowboys pivot disappointed on Sunday Night Football, amplifying the concerns plaguing Prescott.
Dak completed just 13-of-24 passes en route to 143 passing yards and zero touchdowns. Further, 27 of the Cowboys’ 40 points came off turnovers, which was the New York Giants beating themselves.
The Cowboys aren’t legitimate contenders as long as Prescott is under center.
The NFC South is the Worst Division in Football
Hold your horses, AFC South haters. There’s a new worst division in the NFL.
NFC South teams combined for 70 points in Week 1, with only the New Orleans Saints accumulating more than 281 offensive yards. Conversely, the Carolina Panthers were the only team to allow fewer than 281 yards.
Inevitably, one team will win the division, but they’ll likely end up the least deserving team in the NFL playoff picture.
Justin Jefferson Will Become the First Wide Receiver to Win MVP
We stand firm in our stance that Justin Jefferson will win this year’s MVP award. If it wasn’t evident already, Jefferson is the engine that drives the Minnesota Vikings offense. Week 1’s performance validates that Jefferson only gets better in his fourth professional campaign.
The Vikings’ wideout was targetted 12 times in Sunday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, representing a whopping 27.3% target share. More impressively, Jefferson came down with nine receptions and 150 yards, accounting for nearly half of the team’s 344 passing yards. The only knock on Jefferson is that he didn’t find paydirt against the Bucs. Nevertheless, we’re confident he will break that trend in a hurry.
With teams having to account for Jordan Addison and Jefferson remaining a fixture on offense, it’s only a matter of time before he starts to get mentioned in the MVP conversation.
It’s Time to Give Up on Justin Fields
The Chicago Bears had their chance, but now it’s time to sleep in the bed they made.
Rather than using the first overall draft pick to select Bryce Young, the Bears elected to trade the pick for future assets. The move served as a vote of confidence in Justin Fields, which looks more and more like the wrong move to make.
Fields couldn’t get anything going against an unimpressive Green Bay Packers defense. Ninety-six of their 311 yards came in garbage time, with the Packers already up 38-14.
Although Fields’ completion percentage went up, his yards per catch went down. Moreover, his one touchdown and one interception are analogous to the concerns we’ve had for years. In his third season with the Bears, the former 11th-overall selection has a 25-22 touchdown to interception ratio.
Until the Bears decide to acknowledge their misstep, they’ll continue to suffer a similar fate.
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