1. Season Headlines
Me:
-In the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breanna Taylor and others at the hands of police violence, NFL players have made it clear they will NOT be silent and will kneel during the playing of the National Anthem in protest. Even owners who are passionate supporters of the President (such as Jerry Jones), have given their players the green light to do so. Upon hearing the news, Eric Trump, the second of the President’s three sons, tweeted that the NFL was over. And there is no doubt that the President will try to make kneeling for the national anthem a centerpiece of his re-election campaign. If ratings show a sizeable drop, the NFL will be caught between a rock and a hard place and have to walk the tightest of lines in an attempt to avoid alienating significant chunks of the fan-base
Matt: COVID…can they finish the season?
2. Truth/Exaggeration
-The NFL will decide to conduct the 2020 playoffs and Super Bowl in a bubble environment, especially if the pandemic worsens the further we get into fall and winter.
-Von Miller has played his last down as a Denver Bronco
-Jalen Ramsey’s blockbuster contract extension further ensures that the Rams will remain in a state of mediocrity (or worse) for the foreseeable future
-Kyler Murray will have a similar breakout campaign in 2020 to Lamar Jackson’s in 2019, even if he doesn’t win MVP
-The Chiefs are heavy favorites to repeat as AFC Champions
-The Packers will NOT make the playoffs in 2020
-Because of there being no preseason games due to COVID, the opening month of the 2020 season will be DOMINATED by offenses and defenses will struggle
3. GAME OF THE WEEK: Texans at Chiefs
-Will the speed of the Texans WR corps help mitigate for the loss of DeAndre Hopkins against an opponent like the Chiefs?
-Just how low is the floor for the Texans defense given the TREMENDOUS holes and inconsistencies in their secondary?
-On paper, how much have the Chiefs improved compared to last season’s Super Bowl triumph? How much have they regressed on paper?
-Game deciding matchups: Chris Jones vs. Texans interior OL, Chiefs WR’s/Kelce vs. Texans secondary
-Game Predictions
4. GAME OF THE WEEK: Bucs at Saints
-You have been EMPHATIC that Tom Brady has little to nothing left. Do you anticipate seeing a similar decline from Drew Brees this year like we supposedly saw from Brady last year?
-Does this Bucs D have the potential to be a top-10 unit?
-Can Emmanuel Sanders be the most consequential free agency acquisition of 2020?
-Game-deciding matchups: Saints iOL (Ruiz, McCoy, Peat) vs. Bucs behemoth DT’s (Vita Vea, Ndamukong Suh), Tristan Wirfs vs. Cameron Jordan??
-Game Predictions
5. Game Predictions
-Seahawks at Falcons
-Raiders at Panthers
-Colts at Jaguars
-Eagles at Washington
-Browns at Ravens
-Jets at Bills
-Dolphins at Patriots
-Packers at Vikings
-Bears at Lions
-Chargers at Bengals
-Cardinals at 49ers
-Cowboys at Rams
-Steelers at Giants
-Titans at Broncos
6. BOLD PREDICTIONS
ME: Saints and Bucs will combine for 80 points and the game will end with 0 seconds on the clock as Drew Brees finds Emmanuel Sanders for a 10-yard TD on fourth and goal
MATT: Garoppolo throws for 4 TD’s (2 to Kittle, 1 to Aiyuk, 1 to McKinnon) 350 yards
7. Challenge Flags
ME: NFL teams…do what the Bucs, Lions and Eagles did and turn your stadiums into voting locations for the 2020 election, giving your fans a VERY safe option to vote in-person during this pandemic.
MATT: Fans and analysts…DO NOT OVERREACT TO WEEK 1
