We are two weeks into the 2024-25 NFL season, and some teams have already astounded fans. In these moments of high emotion, fans are making some pretty crazy claims. Welcome to a segment I like to call “Proper Reaction or Overreaction.”
Claim: The Saints are legitimate contenders
Let’s begin with what is arguably the most discussed team throughout these first two gamedays. No, it’s not the defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s not the San Francisco 49ers, the NFC favorite and the Chiefs’ rival in the 2024 Super Bowl, either.
Enter the 2010 champs: the New Orleans Saints.
In Dennis Allen’s second season as head coach, the Saints look like an offensive juggernaut. Since the NFL-AFL merger, they have managed to tie the record for second-most points scored in the first two games of the season with 91. They most recently defeated the Dallas Cowboys 44-19, smashing right through Dallas’ 16-game win streak at home.
In combination with their bend-don’t-break defense, headlined by former pro bowlers Cameron Jordan and Marshon Lattimore, this team compliments itself well. My issue with the Saints is that I question the sustainability of their current pace — sooner rather than later, they may run out of steam and come back down to earth, so I’m not ready to crown them as contenders yet. They’ll be a team to watch as their schedule gets more difficult.
Verdict: overreaction.
Claim: The Texans are already clinching an AFC South title we expected to be more competitive
In the AFC South, the Houston Texans are the only team that has recorded a win so far. 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud has picked up right where he left off last season and led his team to a 2-0 start.
The Texans’ acquisition of Stefon Diggs has already proven fruitful, but adding Joe Mixon really makes this offense a two-headed monster. Not only does this dynamic run game take pressure off Stroud’s shoulders, it makes the Texans truly unpredictable.
The other three teams in the AFC South have made a poor first impression in my eyes. The Titans are still in the midst of a rebuild, so I doubt many fans had high expectations for them to begin with. The Colts suffered a head-scratching loss on Sunday to the Green Bay Packers, who were without their franchise quarterback, Jordan Love.
Lastly, the Jaguars are running out of both time and excuses. I had expected a resurgence from Jacksonville, granted the glimpses we saw from their playoff run in 2022 and them going toe-to-toe with the Chiefs, but that has just never come.
Verdict: proper reaction.
Claim: It’s time to hit the panic button on a few AFC North squads
Staying in the AFC, we need to discuss a poor start by two of the Chiefs’ biggest rivals: divisional foes Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals’ season opener loss at home against the New England Patriots was unprecedented, considering the talent disparity in favor of Cincinnati. I want to highlight two glaring issues here: The run game looks like a non-threat, and Mixon’s absence is evident.
In the first two weeks, the Bengals have the third-least rush yards and are tied for last in attempts, stats that just won’t cut it. The other troubling matter is hopefully more temporary, and that’s the health of star wideout Tee Higgins.
Since Higgins missed the first two games of the season due to a hamstring injury, it’s no coincidence that the Bengals’ passing game has felt predictable so far. With Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase on the field, teams must have a gameplan for both receiving threats.
Let’s move onto the Ravens, who have had a bizarre start to the season. They lost by a touchdown to the Chiefs because Isaiah Likely’s foot was a few inches too big –– a tough pill to swallow. The Ravens needed to turn the page against the Las Vegas Raiders, but their fourth-quarter lead evaporated. After they blew a 7-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost to the Raiders, the Ravens now have 10 losses, the most in the NFL’s last half of the decade.
Beyond what seems to be the achilles heel of Baltimore, I see an identity crisis here.
Lamar Jackson has the fifth-most passing yards and passing attempts across two games, yet the Ravens supposedly brought in Derrick Henry to bolster the team’s run-heavy scheme. Maybe these problems stem from Baltimore losing three of its five starting offensive linemen from last year, but regardless, I don’t see how these troubles will go away any time soon.
Verdict: proper reaction.
