Who said we had to wait until Week 1 was over to fire one of these up? We have Wednesday Night Football tonight (for some reason that escapes me)! So let’s talk about it, and what we can look forward to in the first week of the 2026 season. That way, if I’m wrong about everything, you can laugh at me next Tuesday.
1\. Call me a sucker, but I do like a good Super Bowl rematch to kick off the next season. This time around, I do expect the Patriots to put forth a way better showing than that ass-kicking they took in the championship game against the Seahawks. Having a bona fide WR1 like AJ Brown is eventually going to pay some dividends for MVP runner-up Drake Maye, and their defense is going to be motivated to put the clamps on Sam Darnold and Seattle’s offense. I’m remembering how the Chicago Bears handled the Indianapolis Colts back in the 2008 season opener—albeit two years after they faced off in the Super Bowl—and I’m getting some similar vibes about tonight.
2\. Speaking of the Pats: I didn’t think there was ever a world in which the Patriots didn’t pay Christian Gonzalez before the season to make sure Week 1 featured the two highest-paid cornerbacks of all time (him and Seattle’s Devon Witherspoon). But man, Bob Kraft just had to push it to the 11th hour, didn’t he? You can talk about injury risk and a lack of interceptions if you want, but there aren’t many reasons I’ll accept for making Gonzalez, an All-Pro and Pro Bowler the last two years, respectively, wait for his bread. Any man who can put clamps on Jaxon Smith-Njigba can take my money. All I know is the Patriots better not pull this with Maye this offseason, or stuff’s gonna get weird in Foxborough.
3\. The Chicago Bears look like a prime regression candidate in 2026, with a tougher strength of schedule, early injury issues, a bad defense (on paper, anyway) and a league that is now gunning for them, their head coach Ben Johnson, and their star quarterback Caleb Williams. And you know what? I don’t care. Some things about last year, like the insane takeaway production, are too variable to count on this season. But Johnson’s maniacal attention to detail and dedication to pounding the rock, along with Williams’ cold-blooded killer mentality, aren’t going anywhere. Whatever step back the Bears take in the luck department can be more than mitigated by Williams taking a step toward superstardom in his third season, and that doesn’t even account for the likes of Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III potentially taking bigger leaps in their second seasons. I’ll gladly take anyone’s cast-off Bears stock, thank you.
4\. DJ Metcalf and Aaron Rodgers are made for each other. A hidden civilization under the ice of Antarctica? Okay, pal. As a man of science, my take on conspiracy theories is pretty simple: when you don’t know anything, it’s easy to believe anything. Which is why Rodgers seems able to keep convincing people to take him on even though he hasn’t been good since the Biden administration.
5\. One person I’m very eager to watch this coming week? Patrick Mahomes. Given how the Chiefs offense has looked the last few years and Mahomes still working his back from an ACL tear, I’m not expecting him to look perfect in Week 1. I also don’t envision him running around or scrambling much, which could hinder some of his upside. But that’s actually part of the intrigue for me. We know Mahomes can dominate from the pocket, even without an elite supporting cast around him. (Don’t look now, but did Travis Kelce just gain a step back after looking slow and old last year?) With his legs still getting back under him, let’s see if Week 1 marks an evolution in the future Hall-of-Famer’s game.
6\. Call me crazy, but I think this just might be Lamar Jackson’s year. The Ravens have fumbled away opportunity after opportunity, flamed out with title hopes on the line over and over. But something about this Jesse Minter addition and the growing urgency Jackson’s feeling to win before his prime years are out makes me think interestingly of the Seahawks last year. The Ravens under John Harbaugh were a mainstay that were carried largely by talent and simply not being as bad/unlucky as the rest of the division. This squad feels like it’s going to have some edge to it. I, for one, am ready to see Lamar finally get his.
7\. I’m not entirely sure what to make of the Rams and the superteam they’re forming. But I did find myself asking a question that I’d love for you all to chime in on below: will Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald be the two best defensive players to line up next to each other? At this rate, Garrett will go down as one of the five best pass rushers ever to play the game, as long as he reaches 15 relatively healthy seasons. (If he averages no more than 10 sacks a year for the next six seasons, he’ll be top three in sacks all-time.) And Donald had an argument for being the most dominant interior defender of all time _before_ he decided to come back and potentially add to his trophy case. Now, there will be times when the Rams put those two fiends next to one another on passing downs…Seriously, give me your best dynamic defensive duos ever in the comments below.
8\. My personal over-under for Deshaun Watson starts before he’s finally benched for Shedeur Sanders is 5.5—and that’s only because they seem deadset on playing him purely for financial reasons. (Once again, give me your predictions below.) Personally, I’m here for all the Watson slander and can’t wait for him to fail. But honestly, why not just fail with Shedeur, bench Watson for the year, and get this over with? All that dead money you’re going to owe Watson next year will hurt a lot less when you get your pick of cheap first-round rookie quarterbacks. Either way, everyone knows that man’s future in football is cooked. Why delay it any longer?
9\. My upset of the week: I have the Giants getting a rare win over Dak Prescott and the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. It’s at home for New York. They have a new coach. They’ve revamped their lineup, especially the skill group around Jaxson Dart. And the Cowboys are the Cowboys, man. Dak is 14-3 against the Giants in his career, so history suggests this isn’t the smart bet. But this Giants team feels young, stupid, and arrogant enough—especially Dart—to think they’re going to come in and beat Dallas on national television. Count me in for that.
10\. Bold prediction: the New York Jets get that first interception of the 2026 season in their first game, likely off some Cam Ward off-platform lob into double-coverage. Please. Let’s get that out of the way early. Because a whole year of no interceptions? That’s just sad, especially when your head coach specializes in defense!
See More:
* [Chicago Bears Analysis](/chicago-bears-analysis)
* [General](/general)