by Week 1 of NFL football is officially in the books and my oh my have the overreactions gone haywire amongst certain fanbases across the league. Below is a list of five notable teams that may or may not be on the hot seat already, but let’s remember that it’s only been one game… so don’t draw too many conclusions just yet. We still got 16 more to go.
Cincinnati Bengals: Relax
As a fan of a divisional rival, I will be the first one to tell you that Bengal fans who are already pulling their hair out need to chill. This is still a Top-10 NFL roster that has owned the AFC North over the past two years and will be in the conference title hunt come December. Sure, Burrow had the worst game of his life, but a lot of preseason distractions such as, the lower-leg injury in camp and his historic contract, might have clouded that performance. The Bengals are also now 1-3 in Week 1 games and 1-5 against Cleveland with Joe Shiesty under center. So, let’s not measure a team’s success based off one game or opponent. Cincy will be just fine.
Chicago Bears: Panic
Chicago fans can’t catch a break. Out goes Aaron Rodgers, in comes Jordan Love, and the Bears continue to get fathered by their division rival. It’s almost like a disease at this point.
A lot of Bears fans seem to be pinning most of the blame on HC Matt Eberflus. Don’t get me wrong, he never proved to be an above-average coach or some sort of Shanahan-or-Belicheck-type mastermind of the game (produced mid defenses as DC in Indianapolis). I also must add that the offensive play calling against Green Bay was very questionable and, yes, we’re still waiting on Justin Fields to become a refined passer. But to say that Eberflus is the main source of the Bears’ problems is a bit far-fetched.
Who should be catching most of the heat is GM Ryan Poles. The moves that this man has made over the past few years for this franchise is utterly terrible. The Chase Claypool trade turned out to be a failure, they got rid of Roquan Smith, passed on Jalen Carter in the draft, and while LBs Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards were solid pickups, they’re not game-changing type dudes that can make a huge impact at the snap of a finger.
In Eberflus’ defense, this franchise gave him little to work with. It’s hard to win when you have a bad GM who banks on a borderline Top-15 wide receiver in DJ Moore and a pair of decent (not great) linebackers to turn things around for your franchise. It’s going to be a long year in Chicago.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Relax
The Steelers have been my pride and joy in sports for my entire life and I’m not overreacting to that 30-7 beatdown against San Fran this past Sunday. I’ve seen this team get manhandled and dominated by elite teams before, so that’s not what bothers me.
What bothers me are the delusional Pitt fans that were overhyping this squad beyond oblivion this preseason and putting them on such a high pedestal despite not proving to be an elite team yet. What also bothers me is the fact that Matt Canada still has a job. Granted, there were a lot of things to point at during that gruesome loss, but we’ve seen this version of Canada for quite some time. I said it a month ago and I’ll say it again, the only reason he was retained this past offseason was because of that final 7-2 stretch and Kenny playing lights-out to finish the 2022 season.
To sum it up, the Steelers will be alright. San Fran was my preseason Super Bowl pick and they have arguably the most complete and stacked roster in professional football. Mike Tomlin is a Hall of Fame coach that knows how to regroup this team and get them back on track. Now, I’d be pressing the panic button if these guys have five or six losses at the end of October. You can’t make the playoffs in a conference that is this stacked top to bottom by starting out 2-6 again. But for now, let’s just take a deep breath and focus on Cleveland.
New York Giants: Cause for Concern
If I’m a Giants fan, I wouldn’t necessarily be “freaking out” but I’m also beginning to worry. I was at that Dallas game on Sunday night and let me tell you, that fanbase was in complete shambles. I mean like, no duh, I would be too if my team lost 40-0 to a hated rival at home. That o-line was an eye sore and struggled mightily against a stout Dallas pass rush. Andrew Thomas is good, but aside from that, Evan Neal looked bad and that rookie center John Schmitz Jr. looked like one after having a promising preseason. If this offensive front isn’t addressed quickly, then New York is going to have a longgg year going up against other elite defensive fronts such as, SF, NYJ, and every team in its division. Aside from the o-line woes, Giants fans also expected a tune up after giving Daniel Jones the bag, temporarily resolving that Saquon contract dispute, and picking up Darren Waller.
The only reason I tell Giants fans to relax a little is because I do believe that Brian Daboll is a good football coach. If they can bounce back and be 2-2 after that Seattle week, then they will be OK.
Kansas City Chiefs: Relax
You guys will probably be back in the AFC title game at the end of the year. Plus, Chris Jones finally signed the papers. Adding a good wide receiver at the trade deadline couldn’t hurt though.