Seton Hall
Chris Schweitzer's week one power five
Date: September 12, 2018By Christopher Schweitzer
It’s the beginning of September and although that means school is back in session, and summer is ending, it also means that football is back and that is one of the best parts of the year. While the hype surrounding football definitely helped fuel peoples interest in week one, the craziness in a lot of the games helped for sure. We had everything from combined 88 point shoot-outs in New Orleans to Aaron Rodgers leading a comeback for the ages on one leg against the division rival Bears. While a lot of teams had strong performances this week, there are five that stand above the rest.
1. Philadelphia Eagles
What more can be said about the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles. They have one of the best defenses in all of football, and they pair that with an exciting offense that will reach its full potential once Carson Wentz returns from his knee injury. The offense was a little stagnant in the first half but Nick Foles was able to settle down and lead the Eagles to a week one victory over a strong opponent in the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 18-12.
2. Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings got embarrassed last season in the NFC Championship game by the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles, but they still boast one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. While Case Keenum was a reliable and capable quarterback for the Vikings last year, he lacked the ability to really let this offense reach its full potential. That’s where Kirk Cousins comes in. Cousins may not be the best QB in the league but he can make any throw on the football field and can be truly dangerous with the offensive weapons the Vikings have. Minnesota also has an incredible defense that embarrassed San Francisco, beating the 49ers 24-16 and handing Jimmy Garrapolo his first loss as a starter.
3. New England Patriots
The New England Patriots have been the pinnacle of success for the better part of the last two decades and this season should prove to be no different. Sure Tom Brady is 41 years old, but until he shows he can’t play at a high level anymore, I will continue to have the Patriots as one of the best teams in all of football. Despite a late comeback push from Deshaun Watson, the Patriots handled the Houston Texans very well in a 27-20 victory to open the season.
4.Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams were a shock to a lot of people last season when they won the NFC West with a new head coach in Sean McVay and a second year quarterback who had a disappointing rookie season in Jared Goff. They won’t be shocking anybody this season however with the offseason additions of Brandin Cooks to an already high powered offense, and Ndamokung Suh, Marcus Peters, and Aqib Talib to an exciting defense. The Rams showed their strength in week one after taking the Oakland Raiders by a score of 33-13 on Monday Night Football.
5.Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars have the best defense in football, and I’m not sure there’s even an argument to be made about it. They have All-Pro talent at every level of the defense and they would be ranked higher if it weren’t for shaky Quarterback play and a questionable offense. The offense outside of Blake Bortles is very good, with Leonard Fournette and multiple good receivers, there is no excuse for this offense to not put up more points. They were still able to take down the New York Giants on Sunday by a score of 20-15.
Christopher Schweitzer can be reached at christopher.schweitzer@student.shu.edu
