NFL Week 1 overreactions - Can Rodgers and the Steelers win the Super Bowl?

There’s nothing better than overreacting to Week 1 of the NFL. 

After months of prepping for another season on the gridiron, we now have tangible results to sink our teeth into. 

We must do our best to not get too carried away after just one game… but in a world of storylines, some things are just too good to not be talked about. 

Can the Pittsburgh Steelers win the Super Bowl? 

How about a moment of silence for New York Jets fans. They waited years to see what Aaron Rodgers could do on their field at MetLife with his new team and new weapons.

It’s just an absolute shame they had to see him do it with the Pittsburgh Steelers after wasting two years. 

Rodgers’ 244 yards and four touchdowns were the first time he’s hit those marks since… his last game with the Jets in 2024. 

It’s the first time since the 2020 season that Rodgers has thrown for four touchdowns in back-to-back games. 

Sure, those games where nine months apart, but the fast start to his Steelers tenure has to make you wonder. Has Rodgers found the fountain of youth, does Mike Tomlin finally have a quarterback again, can this team make a deep run in the AFC? 

Tomlin’s streak of finishing seasons with a non-losing record is a well documented as he seeks to extend his historic streak to 19  seasons this year. 

However, it’s been nine years since the Steelers last won a playoff game, and despite making the playoffs five times since, they have never been a threat to win the Super Bowl. 

If Rodgers has returned to a level we haven’t seen from him since 2020, is this the year that all changes? 

Pittsburgh’s odds to make the playoffs moved from +130 to +118 on FanDuel following the win, while their Super Bowl odds also shifted from +5500 to +5000. 

The Lions are in trouble 

I’m writing this during the first quarter of their game on Sunday against Green Bay. 

This could be a long season. 

The sharpest NFL mind I know doesn’t work at TSN, he isn’t a former NFL player (look away Ryan Clark), in fact he’s never played the sport outside of some touch football during lunch in high school. 

He also happens to be a massive Philadelphia Eagles fan. Two years ago he texted me during the first half of their Week 1 game following a heartbreaking loss in the Super Bowl the season prior. 

“These coordinators are a problem.” 

He was right. The Eagles were good but not great in 2024 and fizzled out losing in the Wild Card round with coaching issues hanging over the team all year.  

This Lions team seems destined for the same fate. 

After reaching the NFC Championship in 2023 and being one of the most dominate teams in the league in 2024, the Lions lost both their offensive and defensive co-ordinators this off-season to head coaching jobs and have been forced to find new voices. 

I’m not saying these two new coordinators are a problem. Of course the team’s identity is still the same with Jared Goff at QB and Dan Campbell at head coach. But with this much turnover on the staff and one of the hardest schedules in the league, the path back to the NFC Championship game is going to be a tough one. 

Now that Detroit has dropped the opening game, my fear in the opening sentence feels confirmed. This team was lacking juice against Green Bay. They were slow out of the gate. They trailed by multiple scores at the half. And Goff had barely any time to throw with a revamped O-line in front of him. 

This isn’t the Motor City Dan Campbell led Lions we are used to seeing. I’m not writing off Campbell and his Lions, but after entering the season as one of the favourites to win the Super Bowl, I’m definitely cooler on the Lions today as I’ve been in years. 

Here is an updated look at Detroit's odds to win the division and Super Bowl. 

The Bucs have a path... to where?  

It's early but you can already pencil the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into a home playoff game this season. 

The Bucs went into Atlanta this week without Tristan Wirfs, one of the best offensive tackles in the league, and missing wideout Chris Godwin, but still found a way to steal a win. 

With Wirfs on this way back from a knee injury and Godwin expected to return shortly, all signs point to Tampa Bay being the class of this NFC South division once again. 

The Buccaneers have won the division four straight seasons and are -170 to do it again this season. 

Looking around the division and Atlanta has already given away a good opportunity to get a leg up on Tampa. Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints didn't exactly inspire a ton of confidence today, both losing and failing to score more than 13 points. 

I want to like this Bucs team, and I do. But while the path to a home playoff game is already in their hands, head coach Todd Bowles has a history of putting a cap on this team's ceiling. 

I encourage you to head over to FanDuel and pick your favourite stage of elimination for this team. They are +190 to lose in the Wild Card round, but I have more interest in the +330 price on them to get bounced in the Divisional round. 

Are my Colts… good? 

After rolling with Anthony Richardson to open the 2023 and 2024 season, the Colts turned to former New York Giants stater Daniel Jones for Week 1 this season. 

It was hard to find anyone buying stock in the Colts this off-season as Indianapolis drew one of the lowest amount of bets on them to make the playoffs, according to the traders at FanDuel.

It was also hard to find many people that agreed with the decision to start Jones, but when the game started, nobody's opinion on the decision matters. 

Jones went 22-29 on Sunday with 272 yards and a touchdown, adding 26 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. 

Suddenly, with a favourable schedule and a statement win in their pocket to start the season, Indy has moved on FanDuel from +172 to +154 to make the postseason.