Six months of anticipation and excitement for the Jets’ season dissolved when Aaron Rodgers tore his left Achilles’ tendon three and a half minutes into Monday night’s game. But the Jets’ surprising victory over the division-rival Bills revealed strengths — and Buffalo weaknesses — that could be interesting to watch play out the rest of the way.
Week 2 should provide a few more intriguing windows into the N.F.L. as Lamar Jackson explores the limits of a newly built Ravens offense against the Bengals, who last week signed quarterback Joe Burrow to a dizzying contract extension. The Lions bring momentum into their matchup against the Seahawks that dates back to last season’s upset of the Packers and includes their shocking win over the Chiefs last week. On the other end of the spectrum, the Steelers and Giants can’t be as bad as they were in the drubbings they took last week, can they?
It’s early, and finding out whether teams are as good as their preseason hype, or as bad as their Week 1 showings, is the fun part.
Sunday’s Best Games
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m., CBS
Line: Bengals -3.5 | Total: 46
This early A.F.C. North matchup features two quarterbacks who recently entered the highest-paid bracket in the N.F.L., Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, who each signed contract extensions this year.
Burrow’s core unit remained intact from last season, but his Bengals (0-1) looked sloppy against a Cleveland Browns team he’s never beaten in five meetings. He’s got the edge in the head-to-head career matchup, 3-2, against Baltimore, but hasn’t gone up against the Ravens’ (1-0) revamped offense, led by the first-year coordinator Todd Monken and with the additions of receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers. The game should be close and 3.5 points might be too much to spot the Bengals in such an even matchup. Pick: Ravens +3.5