Fourteen teams currently stand at a 1-and-1 record in the NFL (soon to change). For a few of them, their loss was merely a blip on their radar guiding them towards more victories and possibly the playoffs. For the rest, it’s a melting pot of reasons of which we’ll quickly explore. Hopefully, after a quick glimpse, you’ll be able to better decide if your team is the pony to ride to glory with, or if you need to trade up (and quickly).

Jacksonville – For a team which holds expectations to lead the AFC South, this team has not shown the same sort of firepower and grit when coming against a premiere team. Yes, this team dominated their division game – against a rookie (Anthony Richardson – Colts). But reality set in vs the reigning SB Champs as they only amassed 200 yards and 3 field goals while managing to get KC to turn the ball over 3 times. If they want us to bet on them to go the distance, they’re going to need to capitalize and execute when in possession of the ball. For now, they’re only a safe ML bet against weaker teams.

Green Bay – To quote Ricky Jarrett on HBO’s Ballers, “Where’s the love?” Well, when you find it (and Love, himself), that is where you will find the success of the Packers. There’s no fitting unit of measurement to assess how this team will perform, but 38 points against the Bears is questionable at worst. Accruing only 24 points against the Falcons says more about Love’s ability to drive the team downfield. But it’s too early to say. 

Las Vegas – Two lines. Until the Raiders fix their run game, do not bet on this team. Also, until the right guard position STEPS UP, do not bet on the run game. 

Pittsburgh– If the Steelers were a show or a movie, they would fit in well as a franchise with the MCU. This is because they do one thing VERY WELL, but when you look at the body of work as a whole you wonder why you spent your $20 watching it in theaters. This is a defensively sound team that can turn you over or sack you in a moment. But the offense… let’s just say you’ll want to skip a few weeks and start your betting then, if you still want to.

New York – Although it looks like this team has come back to earth as a post-Rodgers team, I’m still optimistic about the projections of this team based on the talent and adjustments alone. In the win against the Bill’s, a sideline discussion with now-starter Zach Wilson sparked an adjustment to create several Wilson-to-Wilson connections. In the loss to the Cowboys, there were better adjustments made by Dallas as well as more pressure given. So, give this team 2 more games before you bet the house. It may help your wallets.

Kansas City – Crown Mahomes your 2-week MVP for the mess that he’s had to deal with at the WR position. It won’t matter, because this team has a few positions on both ends of the ball which are still lethargic from the 2022 Championship parade. They lost against Detroit in a Kelce-less game that went into the trenches, and we expected the Lions to do well. However, a win in which, with all your “firepower” you only put up 17 points against Jacksonville (a team you’ve seen before) screams “upset alert” this season. Bettors beware!! This team could burn your parlays and might actually be closer to this record than you think.

Buffalo – The Bills set the bar for themselves at the top rope. Yet, like their Mafia, they fell and crashed through a table in week 1 against the Jets. They woke up and played to expectations in week 2 versus Las Vegas, and it seems like they’re back on track towards winning the division again this year. 

Indianapolis – This team will be a decent team to contenders with on 2 conditions: Anthony Richardson stays healthy, and that the team gets on the same page top to bottom. The whole Johnathan Taylor debacle took away what looks to be a “better than we thought they were” team. But which team will show? The one that ran into a brick wall for points against Jacksonville,  or the team that utilized Richardson’s feet safely for a win against the Texans. I wouldn’t bet on this franchise just yet to win much. 

Los Angeles – Still not quite sure what to make of this year’s team. I am 50-50 on the Rams making it deep into the playoffs, but about 60% sure they’ll make it in. Here’s why – So far they’ve shown they can at least hang in and also win in their division. THey beat Seattle, handily. Although the game against the Niners was well out of hand, the Rams made the game look close. And that definitely counts for something. Where the Niners are literally running through their opponents, the Rams look like they might hold. If they play this well, at least offensively, you can bet on them going on a nice run in about the middle of their season to set them up for a crack at a Wild Card berth. 

Tennessee – Both games the Titans have played left me thinking “I don’t know who these Titans are.” They’re either on their way to being an offensively sound team, or just extremely lucky to find teams that play to their strengths. Either way, this team is far from a safe bet in any challenge. Buyer beware! This team is operating like they’re banking their wins on match-ups, not any sort of identity. The win against the Chargers is fool’s gold. 

Cleveland – Before the injury to Nick Chubb, I would’ve told you that this Cleveland team had a Kansas City issue: trouble in the execution. Now, with the Chubb injury, they have a Jets issue: trouble with the personnel executing. Deshaun Watson looks less and less like the QB the Browns wanted and more like the player Browns turn QBs into. The loss against Pittsburgh not only hurt their playoff chances, but exposed their O-line and passing issues as well. Not the way you want to start the season, even if the team is  1-1. If I’m picking this team for an Eliminator Challenge, I’d wait until something changes up front. 

Seattle – The good news is that this team has a coach that makes the right adjustments, a QB that adheres to them, a core of budding talent and a team that’s hungry to find a win against more proven teams. The bad news is their schedule. The first half of the season could leave this team fighting to stay afloat in their own division if they’re not careful about dropping wins. Looking far ahead, they get the Rams in a revenge game before carols start calling, but up until then, it is an NFC-slated dogfight. 1-1 might be the best this team looks for awhile

New York – I’m not going to lie to you – I drank the Kool Aid and believed the hype Twitter/X, ESPN, IG and so on were saying about how real this Giants team was. Well, it just got real for the Giants and its fans. Despite a comeback win against the lowly (dare I say tanking) Arizona Cardinals, this team looks nothing like it was believed to be. Saquon is hurt, Daniel Jones has little faith or accuracy with his deep balls, the pass protection evaporated… The whole thing is one big football nightmare I think we all want to wake up from. This team got punched in the mouth by Dallas and it has not recovered. They can definitely turn it around, but for now, check the whole team for CTE. Maybe, check yourself too if you bet on this team too early. 

Detroit – I wish I could lie to you about the Lions! I wish I made preseason Futures bets on Detroit to come out on top of the NFC North, that they would be the first to make Kansas City bleed, to show the world they are finally ready for primetime games this season. All being said, this team is dangerous, Dan Campbell is coaching to win, they have a core of receivers that can actually catch the ball, and they can run it down your throat too! Yes, Goff’s faux pas against Seattle swung the game, but up until that point this team was (and I still believe is) upper echelon. If you have a chance to stack your parlays, or stash this team for Moneyline bets, do it! I’ll take 2 cups of whatever is brewing in Motor City. 

What are your takes on these teams so far? Who are your teams to roll your bank on? Let us know in the comments!

Snapshot is a series of quick outlooks on various teams within their prospective league. For a more in-depth analysis of each team, or for a longer discussion, be sure to follow and reach out!