Week 2 of the NFL season has come and gone. Much more so than in Week 1, many teams were rocked by injury news this week. Two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks suffered serious injuries. The Miami Dolphins are cemented as the worst team in the league as they appear non-competitive. The New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs appear on another AFC Championship Game collision course. This article will focus on the things that we think are definitely true, but are simply overreactions. Here are four NFL overreactions (with betting implications) after Week 2 of the season.
Week 2 NFL Overreactions
The New Orleans Saints are done without Drew Brees
First things first, this injury appears that it will keep Drew Brees out for roughly six weeks. The New Orleans Saints next six games are against the Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, and Arizona Cardinals. This isn’t exactly a murderer’s row of opponents. In addition, the NFC South doesn’t appear to be littered with teams that will pounce on the opportunity. The fact that people are worried about the Saints is one of the biggest overreactions. The Atlanta Falcons secured a nice victory in primetime over the Philadelphia Eagles but lucked out when Philly’s top two receivers left the game with injuries. The Carolina Panthers and Bucs are messes in their own right.
If Brees was out for the year, then Saints nation would have cause for concern. As it is, Teddy Bridgewater is more than capable of keeping this team afloat until Brees gets back. The Saints would still win this division even if Brees missed the rest of the year.
The Green Bay Packers are a lock to win the NFC North
The Green Bay Packers took a huge step in the first two weeks of the season, beating both of their other key contenders for the division crown (the Bears and Minnesota Vikings). One could argue this is the point of the season where the Packers are most vulnerable since the team was still getting used to new head coach Matt LaFleur’s new system. However, the Packers offseason additions on defense look like they have paid huge dividends as they are allowing 9.5 PPG over the first two games.
The Vikings are still the favorites to win the division. Losing at Lambeau doesn’t kill you. If anything, Minnesota can walk out of that game feeling pretty good that they fought back from a 21-0 hole to have a chance to steal the game late. In addition, they held Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense scoreless for the entire second half.
The Buffalo Bills won’t make the playoffs after a 2-0 start
According to Pro Football Reference, teams that start 2-0 since 1990 have a 61.3 percent chance of making the playoffs. The Buffalo Bills have never been much of a public team, and certainly beating the New York Jets and New York Giants on the road doesn’t inspire too much confidence. Buffalo has already matched their road season win total from a year ago, so this is a big deal. Josh Allen looks more poised in year two, and the defense is as rock-solid as they come. Outside of a home date with the Patriots in two weeks, the next four games (vs Cincinnati Bengals, at Tennessee Titans, vs Dolphins) are not the least bit daunting. In a year where nine wins most likely gets you into the playoffs in the AFC, the Bills are more than capable of finding nine-plus wins on their schedule.
The Dolphins are going 0-16
The Dolphins have been outscored 102-10 in their first two games. This week against the Cowboys, they are once again a three-touchdown underdog. Miami has become the laughing stock of the NFL in just two weeks, and fans are already making plans for what they are going to do with the number one pick in the draft. There are even Vegas lines on what the spread would be if the Jets and Dolphins combined rosters and played the Patriots.
As bad as the Dolphins are, it is an overreaction to think they are going 0-16. Only two teams (2008 Lions, 2017 Browns) have ever gone 0-16. With injuries happening each week, my bet is that the Dolphins beat someone who comes into the game banged up. Or, they still appear to have three winnable home games against the Washington Redskins, Jets, and Bengals. The Dolphins will end up with the first pick in the draft, but it won’t be because they go 0-16
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
