Upsets have been rife early in the season and we are still getting to grips with the teams that we are seeing.
Some have lived up to billing- the Buffalo Bills, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans are all sitting at 2-0 and looking like they will be taking part in the post-season as long as they can steer clear of injuries.
Others have been about as poor as expected, most notably the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants, but it is the surprising teams, both good and bad, that have made it tough for all picking games from week to week.
The Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Rams have been really disappointing in opening up at 2-0, while not many would have predicted what we have seen from the 2-0 New Orleans Saints.
It is still very early in the season and overreacting to what we have seen so far can be a mistake, especially with such a small sample size in front of us. More information will be learned in Week 3 and Week 4 and by then you will really begin to have a better idea about where teams are and what their prospects for the season could be.
Injuries have been the major talking point early in the season and those are going to have a big impact on the prospects for teams around the League.
Tua Tagovailoa took a nasty hit towards the end of the Miami Dolphins loss to the Buffalo Bills and it has led to another concussion and talk about whether he should be calling time on his career rather than risking long-term issues. For now the Dolphins are trying to give their Quarter Back time and as much support as he needs, but this could be a team that will need a new starter rather than relying on what they have in the building, especially if Tagovailoa is forced to sit out for the rest of the season.
The Green Bay Packers have also suffered an injury to their starting Quarter Back, but Jordan Love is expected back sooner than later- they may be able to give him more time if they can play as they did in the win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2.
It isn't just Quarter Backs, but there have been injuries at key positions up and down the NFL early in the season and those are going to have an impact on the abilities of teams, which makes its an early minefield to negotiate.
Some are hoping that the New York Giants will be ready to sit Daniel Jones and move on from him at Quarter Back, but it was a surprise to see the Panthers decide to sit Bryce Young after just two weeks of play under his new Head Coach.
You cannot disguise how bad Young has been, but it feels like a massive move from the Panthers who had selected him with the first overall NFL Draft Pick just eighteen months ago. Bryce Young has not had much support around him, but the Quarter Back does not look fit for purpose from what he has put on tape.
Even then, you would think the Panthers would want to give the Number 1 Draft Pick as many as the reps as possible just to make sure they are convinced about what Young can, or cannot, do going forward. Worst case would be that the Panthers get the Number 1 Pick again if Bryce Young continued to play badly, but the feeling of Head Coach Dave Canales is that Andy Dalton gives his team the best chance to win and there is now every chance that Young will go down as arguably the biggest bust of a generation.
Week 3 gets underway with a Thursday Night Football game between two AFC East teams with 1-1 records.
There are teams under pressure to avoid falling into 0-3 holes and others will be looking to bounce back from disappointing Week 2 outings.
Big underdogs have been thriving early in the season with plenty of those winning outright, never mind covering with the points in the pocket, and it does feel like the season is still settling down somewhat and so largely keeping stakes to a minimum may be the plan for now.
Two good weeks are in the books to open the season, but it is just an open and there is a long way to go between now and the Super Bowl in February 2025.
New England Patriots @ New York Jets Pick: There will be a lot of 'Survivor' players cursing the New England Patriots (1-1) were upsetting the odds in Week 1 of the regular season, but Jerod Mayo and the organisation bounced back down to earth with a bang in Week 2.
A home loss to the Seattle Seahawks will have hurt, especially as the Patriots had a chance to win that game before giving up a drive that ended with a late Field Goal to require Overtime. And this Thursday Night Football scheduled game in Week 3 might be coming up at a poor time for New England who have been hit hard by the early injury bug.
They are facing a Divisional rival on a short week when heading to the Meadowlands to take on the New York Jets (1-1) who recovered from an opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers to beat the Tennessee Titans. One or two poor decisions from Will Levis cost the Titans and helped Aaron Rodgers win his first game in the Jets uniform having recovered from an injury that cost him all but four plays in the 2023 season.
There will be some mental obstacles to overcome considering that injury occurred in this Stadium, but Aaron Rodgers will be keen to make up for missing last season and by making a statement in this opening game of Week 3.
He should be able to have a good outing against the New England Patriots, even if this Defensive unit has begun the season in good form. A healthy Patriots Defense would be a challenge, but it is the injuries in the Linebacker position that suggests the Jets can have a strong outing on this side of the ball.
Aaron Rodgers has players who can make plays for him and exploit the holes in the middle of the New England Defensive scheme, while it may also be possible for the Jets to lean on the running game more than they have so far this season. The Offensive Line has only opened up running lanes that have led to 84.5 yards per game at 3.9 yards per carry, but there is every chance that Breece Hall and Braelon Allen can contribute both on the ground and catching the ball out of the backfield as they did in the win over the Titans.
This should put the New York Jets in a position to put up enough points to secure a cover of this point spread, although the one concern is the scheduling. Playing on Monday Night Football in Week 1 and having consecutive road games on both the East and West Coast is tough, but added to that is the fact that this Week 3 game is being played on Thursday.
It is a concern when you think of some of the Defensive problems the Jets have had early this season, which was supposed to be a strength of this team. However, you do have to question whether the New England Patriots can do enough with the ball in their hand to give the Jets something to think about, especially with the amount of injuries on this side of the ball.
The Offensive Line could be down a number of starters, or at least have starters who are limited.
In the first two games, New England have been able to pile up the yards on the ground and that would be important for them in this game to just keep Aaron Rodgers and company cooling off on the sidelines. Shortening the game will make it that much easier to cover with this many points in their pocket, but those injuries or limitations on the Offensive Line may make it that much tougher to run the ball.
It would also mean Jacoby Brissett could find himself constantly harassed by this Jets pass rush if they are behind the chains- Penalties on the backup Offensive Linemen will likely pile up and this should mean New York are keeping the Patriots behind the chains.
Hunter Henry will look to make plays for his Quarter Back, but the Patriots have struggled for consistency on this side of the ball already and now could be in a world of trouble with the injuries on the Offensive Line.
Jacoby Brissett has been able to look after the ball, but that might be more difficult if the onus is on him to make bigger plays and the edge has to be with the New York Jets.
It is a big point spread number and the big underdogs have been barking very loud through the first two weeks of the season.
However, the short week and playing after needing to go through Overtime works against the Patriots and also means they are going to struggle to suit up their injured players. This should see their Divisional rival work a way past the New England Patriots as Aaron Rodgers shows the home fans what might have been if he was available last season.
The Jets beat New England on the road in their last game in 2023 and they did that as the underdog- however, it has been a series that has recently been dominated by the favourite who had been 6-0 against the spread prior to that meeting in January and Aaron Rodgers and the Jets can win and cover here.
MY PICKS: New York Jets - 6 Points @ 1.91 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
Week 2: 4-2, + 1.62 Units (6 Units Staked, + 27% Yield)
Week 1: 5-2, + 2.67 Units (7 Units Staked, + 38.14% Yield)
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