Jason Bell gives us the inside take on the latest news across the National Football League, with NFL betting and predictions for the biggest matchups this week...
Barkley Back On Track For Offensive Award
I think Saquon Barkley’s move to the Philadelphia Eagles has revitalised his career. He’s always had the skill and ability, it was just about what he had to deal with in New York.
Now at the Eagles, he has a much better offensive line, and the quality he has out wide in the receivers means teams can no longer target him like they did in New York where he was the main guy.
His talent means that he can go out there and flourish now that he’s not the focal point of the defense on every down. That’s exactly why the Eagles picked him up.
I think he’s a candidate for the Offensive Player of the Year. When it gets to later in the year, when you have to be running the ball well, he and this offense could be really dangerous if he keeps playing like he is.
Stay Patient With Burrow’s Bengals
I’m not fearing the worst for the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow just yet, because they’re always slow starters. What concerns me is the cohesiveness of the team because of the receiver situation.
They’ve got one who didn’t get the deal he wanted and another who has been told he’s not part of their long-term plans. That’s not a recipe for success.
They’ve got a tough second game in the Kansas City Chiefs and if they don’t raise their level then they could get embarrassed.
Joe Burrow has been known to start slow and figure things out as the season progresses.
Patrick Mahomes vs. Joe Burrow is a battle that has always seemed to go in Burrow’s favour, so he’ll be looking forward to the challenge.
Keep An Eye On The Battle Of The Top Picks
Chicago Bears @ Houston Texans is the first of my games to watch this week.
Caleb Williams – this year’s number one pick – up against CJ Stroud – last year’s number two pick – is the matchup we all want to see.
Total Points Over/Under - Over (49.5)
I’m excited to see both progress week-to-week and I want to see how CJ fares against this Bears defence.
Those two alone make this one a great game and one to circle on the calendar this weekend.
Thursday Throws Up A Treat
Thursday night football also catches my attention as the Buffalo Bills face the Miami Dolphins.
The Bills looked good against the Arizona Cardinals and this season they haven’t got the media fanfare that usually comes with them. It’ll be interesting to see how they fare in Miami.
Josh Allen could take over the game once again because when I look at Tua Tagovailoa, I know he got his big deal, but can he take over the game? He’s 1-6 against the Bills and Josh Allen has always had the upper hand, but things are changing.
The Dolphins are a better team, they’re fast and fun to watch, but can they respond in those tough scenarios? Josh Allen is going to try to dominate them and it’s whether they can counteract that.
This is a real battle, and could show us early signs of who is going to be the dominant force in the AFC East.
Jets Will Be Fired Up In Tennessee
The third game I’ll be keeping a really close eye on is New York Jets @ Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Their defense didn’t step up to the task against the San Francisco 49ers, but that was a unique situation.
Kyle Shanahan obviously understood exactly what Robert Saleh was going to do.
It is a talented defense, though, and I expect them to bounce back here and let everybody know what they’re about. They will try to make life very tough for Will Levis.
Aaron Rodgers will be back out there, he hasn’t played a lot of football in a while so he’ll still be feeling his way back in, but I can still see him making some plays.
The Jets can definitely dominate this game because of who they are and how fired up they’ll be after last week.
