For many teams, Week 1 of the NFL season cannot come soon enough. It will be the first chance to see if the free-agent moves, draft picks, and/or coaching changes your team made will amount to anything.
Of course, one problem that also comes with Week 1 is the inevitable overreaction. It is almost as if fans and the so-called experts forget that there are 17 games in the season. And how a team plays in Week 1 is not a good indicator of how the season will play out.
But many will treat it as such and jump to conclusions, anyway.
The following games are ones fans and the media are more likely to overreact to no matter how they play out:
Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Even though Tom Brady just led the Bucs to a Super Bowl win last year, if he looks anything other than great against the Cowboys defense, people will start talking about him losing a step. They’ll assume the Dallas defense is as horrid as last year and wonder why someone as great as Brady could not dissect it with ease.
Should Dallas win, the Cowboys will suddenly become Super Bowl contenders. Dan Quinn will have fixed the defense, Kellen Moore will be called an offensive genius, and Dak Prescott’s contract will be called a “bargain.”
However, should Dallas lose, whether they get dominated or the game is close, the opposite will occur. People will call for Quinn to get fired before the season is lost. Kellen Moore will be the problem on offense, and everyone will want to say, “I told you they overpaid for Dak Prescott.”
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans
The only reason anyone other than Jacksonville or Houston fans may watch this game is to see Trevor Lawrence and Urban Meyer make their NFL debuts. After the Jaguars mop the floor with the Texans, Lawrence will be called a lock to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, and people will wonder why Meyer did not make a move to the NFL sooner.
On the off chance the Jaguars lose this game, the opposite will be true. Lawrence will be a colossal bust, and Meyer should have stayed retired.
Seattle Seahawks at Indianapolis Colts
This game will get a lot of attention because of the quarterbacks. The commentators are bound to talk about the little drama the Seahawks had with Russell Wilson during the offseason. But the overreaction is going to be all about Carson Wentz.
If he has a good game, everyone will say he is back and blame his struggles in Philadelphia on everyone but Wentz. Should he struggle, the Colts will have made a huge mistake and should fire Frank Reich and Chris Ballard.
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