Just like that, Week 1 of the NFL season has come and gone. There were a few surprises, but for the most part, the teams that we expected to look like contenders did, and the teams that we expected to be a little less than stellar ended up looking, well, less than stellar. But if Week 1 didn't answer all of our early season NFL questions, Week 2 will certainly assist in giving us a clearer picture of how teams are stacking up early in the year.
The Chiefs got off to a great start in the first game of the league schedule last Thursday, but welcome another fierce rival to Arrowhead this Sunday when Joe Burrow and the Bengals come to town. Other matchups to watch include the Dolphins welcoming Josh Allen and the Bills to Miami for an early season clash, the (somehow) high-flying Saints visiting the new money Cowboys, and Jake Moody's 49ers traveling to Minnesota to take on Sam Darnold's Vikings. After an 11-5 start to the season, I'm hoping to stay hot early in the 2024 edition of the weekly picks.
Since the Chiefs proved that the spirit of Dontari Poe lives on in Arrowhead more than the spirit of Edgar Allen Poe lives in Baltimore, we're going to get poetic with the picks this week—with the exception of the Chiefs vs. Bengals matchup. Welcome to your first Arrowhead Addict Picks and Predictions: Haiku Edition.
Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs
Of all of the opponents that the Chiefs will face in 2024, division rivals included, the Bengals would be the one I would peg as the "most hated" by Chiefs fans and (probably) players alike. Over the course of the past four seasons, this rivalry has gone from a chippy back-and-forth heavyweight boxing match to a somewhat one-sided affair where one team (the Chiefs) has propelled itself to historic levels of success while the other (the Bengals) finds itself in constant disarray.
Cincinnati came into the season with high hopes of being able to dethrone Kansas City and regain their position atop the AFC. After all, it was not that long ago that Cincinnati came into Kansas City and defeated the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game before falling to the Rams in Super Bowl 56. Well, it might not have been that long ago in terms of actual time elapsed, but it seems like a lifetime when you peer through the glass of on-field accomplishment.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are the NFL's newest dynasty, and Joe Burrow and the Bengals are, at the moment, a very hot mess. Burrow's bleached mane has not warded off the predatory contract desires of wideout Ja'Marr Chase and it certainly hasn't helped the Bengals' offense evolve from anything more than a "take what they give you" buffet of 4-yard passes.
As the Bengals appear to be off to another slow start, Kansas City's offense looks to be hitting another gear with Xavier Worthy having a breakout debut last week and Hollywood Brown waiting in the wings to return from a preseason shoulder injury.
Ja'Marr Chase can scoff at the notion that Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the game all he wants, but he cannot alter facts. Mahomes and the Chiefs, based on one week's sample set, look to be head and shoulders above where the Bengals are at right now. That doesn't mean Cincinnati won't put things together, and they could as early as this week, but my eyes tell me that Kansas City is prepared to come in and dominate this game. Chiefs 31, Bengals 20
Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins (Thursday Night Football)
Josh Allen, The Beast.
Can Phins compete in the East?
Bills say "Not just yet"
Bills 33, Dolphins 30
New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys
Dark eyes Derek Carr
Dak gets paid to throw it far
Parsons destroys all gameplans
Cowboys 29, Saints 21
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions
Baker can cook, but
Lions appetites too large
Detroit NOLA Bound?
Lions 27, Buccaneers 20
Indianapolis Colts at Green Bay Packers
Love lost for Packers
Colts are just frisky enough
Windianapolis Colts
Colts 23, Packers 17
New York Jets at Tennessee Titans
Rodgers gets Moody?
How long before Jets implode?
Titans offense stinks
Jets 17, Titans 14
San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings
Niners are for real
No CMC, no problem
Vikings not enough
49ers 28, Vikings 24
Seattle Seahawks at New England Patriots
Who's good and who's bad?
Do we think that Geno's back?
Mayo - Bill. Jr.?
Seahawks 20, Patiots 17
New York Giants at Washington Commanders
Someone has to win
Daniels should outshine Daniel
Commies get the dub
Commanders 14, Giants 10
Los Angeles Chargers at Carolina Panthers
Carolina, bad
Chargers find grit with Harbaugh
Herbert hands it off
Chargers 22, Panthers 10
Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars
Deshaun is broken
Jags were so close in South Beach
Browns wasting Myles' prime
Jaguars 22, Browns 16
Las Vegas Raiders at Baltimore Ravens
Isaiah can cry
All he wants about the Chiefs
Ravens still bounce back
Ravens 33, Raiders 14
Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals
Rams are getting close
To being very spicy
Cardinals fall short
Rams 29, Cardinals 26
Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos
Fields vs. Nix, sweeeeeeet
What a quarterback showdown
Denver, dumpster fire
Steelers 16, Broncos 10
Chicago Bears at Houston Texans (Sunday Night Football)
Young QB showdown
Both teams fought to win week 1
CJ comes out clean
Texans 23, Bears 20
Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles (Monday Night Football)
Battle of the birds
Eagles fly, Falcons starving
Saquon will run wild
Eagles 34, Falcons 25