2020 DFL Week 2 Rankings
Sept 19, 2020 23:52:30 GMT -5
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Post by Los Angeles Rams on Sept 19, 2020 23:52:30 GMT -5
DFL POWER RANKINGS:
Week 1 in the DFL saw the reigning champ go down, which brings us a new #1 in the power rankings, but that new #1 did not leave week 1 without there own scare. In Travis's matchup of the week BAL-LAR the Ravens won by just over a point and we had teams score anywhere from 90 points to 177 points. It is good to have football and the DFL back for 2020 when things looked hairy in the summer! What will week 2 bring us in terms of surprises and close games?
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers +1 : After only 1 week we have a new #1 in DFL! Chief moves to the to spot thanks to Travis losing and the Bucs winning over the Seahawks. The win did not come with its lack of drama though! The margin of victory was just .21 points, if things had broke just slightly differently in week 1 both #1 and #2 in my rankings would have fallen, but Chief claims the top spot this week, thanks to Brady, Zeke, and Fant on offense putting up strong numbers. With the defense only putting up 39 points, all the points the offense put up was much needed. Week 2 might be another hard fought week for the Bucs as they face off with the Cowboys who were within 3 points of them in week 1, will we see #1 go down in back to back weeks, or will Chief hold onto the top spot for another week?
Record: (1-0)
2. Kansas City Chiefs +1 : Kansas City finished the week as the highest scorer in the league by nearly 30 points and won his matchup by 56 points over the Bears, all that despite a 0 from Ronnie Harrison. Lamar Jackson, CMC, and Josh Jacobs all had huge week 1s helping the Chiefs put up 105 points on the offensive side of the ball. Jerome Baker accounted for 1/3 of the points on the defensive side of the ball with 21.5 of the 63 points put up. That is a solid number for that side especially with a 0 from the group. The early statement was made by the Chiefs here. The question to be answered will be what will be his answer to the statement made with week 2 being a Super Heavy Weight matchup between the Chiefs and Washington!
Record: (1-0)
3. Washington Football Team -2 : For Travis, the 2020 season started with a shocking week 1 loss for the defending champs. The loss did not come from a lack of good performances from Travis’s team, Mahomes and Nuk did their part on offense, but off color games for Saquon, Kittle, and AJ Brown held the offense back from reaching its potential in week 1. It was a fine performance from the defense, but with the names on that side of the ball, Travis will be hoping for more from them in the future. Week 2 for the Champs bring another huge test and presents a very real possibility that we see Travis start the season 0-2. It is a MASSIVE game between him and the Chiefs. Can Travis avoid the 0-2 hole?
Record: (0-1)
4. Green Bay Packers +1 : The Packers started the season off strong with a 125.84-109.01 win over the Falcons. The offensive had half its points and a quarter of the teams total come from Aaron Rodgers with a 32 point game. The other 29 points from the offense was split between Kenyan Drake, DJ Moore, Ian Thomas, and Keenan Allen, so the names and potential is there for this offense to break the 100 point mark on some weeks when those guys are on their normal games. Kwon Alexander, Devin White, Bradley McDougald, and Rodney McLoud all had strong weeks combining for 42 of the 59 points put up by the defense. For the Packers it will be a top 10 battle this week as they will square off with the Titans who are also coming off a win in week 1. Can the Packers get more from the other members of the offense and put up more points securing a big week 2 win, or fall for the first time this season?
Record: (1-0)
5. San Francisco 49ers +1 : The 49ers opened the season by scoring the 3rd most points of the week and winning by nearly 50 points over the Steelers. For the 49ers Wentz and Amari Cooper dropped a 13 spot each, Hockenson scored 15, and Julio scored 20 to push this offense to a 63 point total. The 4 guys of Lavonte David, Patrick Queen, Jamal Adams, and Fred Warner combined for 50.88 of the 67.25 points, which created a well balanced performance between the offense and defense. If Fournette plays into significant touches this 49ers team will be a contender deep into the playoffs. Week 2 and a matchup against the Seahawks will be a challenge for the 49ers as the Seahawks nearly knocked the Bucs off, will the 49ers handle it as easily as they did week 1?
Record: (1-0)
6. New York Giants +1 : Probably the big winner from week 1 is this team, the NY Giants, thanks to an impressive win over Travis and his team. The huge win came in part due to Kyler, Derrick Henry, OJ Howard, and Tyler Lockett all having strong games pushing the offense to 74 total points. 13 points from Johnathan Abram and rookie CJ Henderson a piece led the defense to a 55 point week. Terrell Edmunds and Benardrick McKinney had solid days as well to help chip in on that side of the ball. The Giants draw the Saints in week two, and while the Saints lost by 30 in week 1, they will be a team the Giants should not take lightly right now, or risk falling to a big upset in week 2.
Record: (1-0)
7. Baltimore Ravens +1 : The Ravens picked up a hard fought win over the Rams in week 1, winning by 1.2 points in a final of 109.64-108.4. A big game from Dallas Goedert with 20 points and a solid game from Godwin at 11 points led the offense to a 58 point total. 42 points from the defense is a little worrying, but Tracy Walker and Zach Cunningham had solid games to lead the unit and it would have been better as a whole had Rashaan Evans not gotten ejected early on Monday night. So there is clearly room to grow for the Ravens moving forward, but they have the pieces to do so. Going against a team that could not top 100 points in week 1, is probably the needed matchup for the Ravens in week 2 to let them focus on getting things figured out, while still winning a game, will that be the case though?
Record: (1-0)
8. Los Angeles Rams -4 : The Rams had to settle for a narrow loss to the Ravens in week 1, losing by 1.2 points by a final of 109.64-108.4. Despite a solid 20 points from Watson and 12.7 points from Gurley in his Falcons debut the rest of the offense struggled to do much of anything leading to a 50 point total for the unit. The defense managed 49 points with Nathan Gerry topping the 10 point mark and Trevathan and Hitchins managing 7 points, but the unit as a whole did not do enough. Week 2 does not get any easier for the Rams, they get a strong Patriots team and things could go from uncomfortable to bad for the Rams if they end up dropping another week.
Record: (0-1)
9. Tennessee Titans +2 : Week 1 was good for the Titans, they picked up a win by 17 points over the Eagles. It was a solid way to get them off on the right foot in 2020, especially with a tough matchup with the Packers here in week 2 looming. The offense for the Titans only managed 47 points as a unit despite Brees, Thomas, Kelce, and Emmanuel Sanders being in the lineup. Brees and Kelce both posted 14 points, while Thomas and James White only managed 9.9 combined points, and Sanders chipped in 9. The defensive side of the ball put up 48 points combined led by 9 from Chuck Clark and 7.88, 6.7, 6.5, 5, 5, 4, and 4 from the other 7 guys on the unit. With Michael Thomas more than likely out this week, the Titans will need their other names on offense and some guys on defense to step up and have strong games to try and knock off the Packers in this top 10 battle.
Record: (1-0)
10. Pittsburgh Steelers -1 : The Steelers did not have a good first week, not only did they lose, but the team as a whole did not top 100 points. Only 3 players scored 10+ points for the Steelers and one of them was the kicker. Having Conner tweak his ankle early and not playing much against the Giants did not help. Carr and Chark led things on offense getting 23 of the 40 points there. Leonard, Schobert, and Jewell combined for 25 of the 44 points on the defensive side of the ball, so clearly both sides of the ball need to step up moving forward or the Steelers will not be winning much this year. A big week for the Steelers in week 2 as they face off with the Bengals, can they get back on track this week and move to 1-1 or lose again and be in a 0-2 hole.
Record: (0-1)
11. Minnesota Vikings +4 : The Vikings put up the 2nd most points in the league in week 1 by putting up 148.11 points, knocking the Saints off. The trio of Big Ben, Dalvin Cook, and Calvin Ridley all scored 20+ and combined for 72 of the 82 points put up by the offense. The defense did work this week as well putting up 63 points. There were 4 guys, Christian Wilkins, Myles Jack, James Bradberry, and Jon Bostic all put up 10+ points to get the defense to that point total. After an impressive week 1, the Vikings will look to keep that momentum going with another win, but will have to do so by beating the Colts.
Record: (1-0)
12. Cincinnati Bengals -2 : The Bengals did not open their DFL account with a win, falling to the Lions by a final of 125.31-104.86. Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, and Kareem Hunt put up 50 of the 60 points scored by the Bengals offense. A measly 34 points from the defensive side of the ball is not a recipe for success here in DFL, but having 4 players combine for 6 points will do that to a team, so it is likely that the guys on that side of the ball just had a rough week 1. The question for the Bengals will be what of those performances were real and which ones were not and can they do better to knock off the Steelers and get the new Bengals owner their first win in the league.
Record: (0-1)
13. Chicago Bears -1 : The Bears had a good game in week 1, putting up 121 points to open the season, the bad part is they faced off with the team that put up the most points in week 1, so they had to settle for a loss. Bright spots for the Bears was Russell Wilson looking like an MVP candidate early and David Johnson looking pretty comfortable in his new home in Houston, both leading the offense to 73 points total. Solid opening weeks from Bobby Wagner and Marquise Blair were not enough to bring the defense to anything more than a 41 point total and getting outscored by 22 points by the Chiefs on that side of the ball. The Bears will square off with the Browns in week 2 and look to build on the good week 1 and make it even better and secure their first win of the 2020 season.
Record: (0-1)
14. Seattle Seahawks - : Brian almost snagged a huge result in week 1 by upsetting Chief and his Bucs, but fell short by the slimmest of margins at .21! It was a great matchup and has to have Brian ready to get week 2 rolling and the rest of the season. Alvin Kamara, Raheem Mostert, and Robert Woods look to be the players Brian needs to make this offense very competitive. Goff and Herndon need to step it up a bit to help the other 3, but should be able to do so. The duo of AJ Johnson and Germaine Pratt scored 12 points a piece scoring 24 of the 43 points put up by the defense. With 4 of his defenders combining for 7 points, Brian can see where the loss likely came from. Another very tough matchup in week 2 for the Seahawks as they face off with the 49ers, so if Brian’s team can pick up those spots lacking this could be the first win of the season they are looking for.
Record: (0-1)
15. Indianapolis Colts -2 : The Colts opened the 2020 season with a 5 point loss to the Browns. It was a disappointing opening for the team, but Stafford and Thielen pulled their weight scoring 16 and 29 respectively. Akers, Hooper, and John will need to put up more than 11 combined points to help this offense be a threat. The defense can be excused a little because of Robert Quinn not playing. Eric Kendricks and Christian Kirksey led the way with 10 and 12 points, the 52 points as a unit was solid given they only had 7 guys putting up points, so there are signs the Colts week 1 result can be fixed. Week 2 though, might not be the week that things get back on track for the Colts as they go against a Vikings team that scored the 2nd most points in week 1. Is there enough points to be found for the Colts to pick up a big win over the Colts, or will they slip into the 0-2 hole?
Record: (0-1)
16. New England Patriots +1 : The Pats opened 2020 with a 20 point win over the Raiders and put up a good 115 points. Cam takes the reins of the NFL and DFL Pats’ offense and showed he can handle the pressure of that. Tyreek Hill had a solid day, nothing special but good enough. It was the trio of David Montgomery, Evan Engram, and Mecole Hardman who struggled in week 1 and kept the offense putting up more than 50 points on the week and helping the team to one of the top scorers of the week. Thanks to 33 points from Chase Young, Deion Jones, and Kevin Byard the defense was able to put up 55 points as a unit and be a big part of why the team won this week. The matchup in week 2 will be a battle for the Pats as they face off with the Rams who need a win, can the Pats improve and knock the Rams off and move to 2-0, or will they taste defeat this week and move to
1-1?
Record: (1-0)
17. Dallas Cowboys +3 : Dallas had a comfortable 24 point win in week 1, besting the Cardinals by a final of 118.11-94.51. The offense looked very good and ready for the season with Aaron Jones and Will Fuller scoring 15 a piece and Kirk Cousins and JuJu putting up 21 a piece. Fells at TE only managed 2.9 points and will need to step up moving forward to make this offense a top one in the league. The concerning part of week 1 for the Cowboys was the defense as a whole, as they only managed 31.75 points total. With 16.75 of that coming from Gilmore and Watt, it is on the others to step up and score more than 4 points, which was the highest point mark for any of their players. With Tampa being the opponent in week 2, it appears the only way the Cowboys can knock off the new #1 is to have the defense put up more than 31 points, while the offense does what it did, again. If the defense does not do its part, the Cowboys will likely be 1-1 after week 2.
Record: (1-0)
18. Atlanta Falcons -2 : The Falcons had to take a 16 point loss in week 1, as they kicked their season off going up against the Packers. The newly acquired Davante Adams did his part to try and bring the team a win by throwing up 34 points in week 1, but outside of Tannehill, he did not have the help needed on that side of the ball, putting up 63 points on offense. On the flip side, the defense only managed 35 points as a unit with Xavier Woods scoring 9 points, Bud Dupree getting 5.5, and no one else on the unit scoring more than 4.5 points. That will need to change if the Falcons want to be a contender this season. A week 2 meeting with the Eagles could be the matchup needed for the Falcons to start fixing things and getting back to 1-1, but a stumble this week and falling to 0-2 would not be a good sign for them.
Record: (0-1)
19. Detroit Lions +3 : The Lions started off with a solid, what is looking like an upset, win in week 1, by knocking off the always threatening Bengals team. On the offense, Daniel Jones at 19 points and Greg Olsen with 10 led the offense for the week, and with the other 3 they combined for 53 points. With Blake Martinez and Jaylen Smith hitting 12 points a piece, McKinley getting 8 on at DL, and 6 from Keanu Neal, Eddie Jackson, and Denzel Perryman a piece the defense put up 60 points and were the biggest piece of the puzzle in the win over the Bengals. With a matchup against a Cardinals team that did not top 100 points in week 1, the Lions appear on track to get to 2-0 on the season as long as they do what they did in week 1. This team might fly up the rankings if they keep this up.
Record: (1-0)
20. Arizona Cardinals -2 : The Cardinals had a rough opening week of the season, they only managed 94 points, which was only outdone by 1 team, but that team only 13 players play. The team didn’t do bad on offense, it was actually a good enough day for that unit scoring 63 points. Two-thirds of that came from Jimmy G and Chris Carson as they both put up 21 points, and the other 3 combined for 21 between them. So it was not on the offense for the poor showing. The struggles came on the defense and at K, the 2 combined for 30.75 points, thanks to 5 defenders scoring 6 combined points and the K getting a -1 on the week. A silver lining, possibly, was the fact that Shaq Thompson put up 12 points as the new tackle machine for the Panthers. Working out some bugs in week 2 is a priority for the Cardinals and if they do so, they might be able to pull off a win against a Lions team, but it will be a big turn around for the Cards as the Lions had a strong week 1.
Record: (0-1)
21. Cleveland Browns (CAR) +2 : As you can tell the Browns did not have a good 2019, but opened the 2020 season on the right foot with a win over the Colts. Matt Ryan and the #1 pick here in the DFL, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, showed up on week 1 ready to go scoring 43 of the 63 points on the offensive side. AJ Green and Eric Ebron struggled in week 1, but if they get going this offense will be competitive. A balanced score sheet on defense led to a 48 point total there, with Tre Boston, Chris Jones, and Jessie Bates being the noteworthy performers there. There is something to build on for the Browns here that could push them to be in the playoff race, which is a good sign after finishing last, last season. Can they pull an upset on the Bears and push that team to 0-2, or will the new look Browns fall in week 2?
Record: (1-0)
22. Las Vegas Raiders -3 : Thanks to Deebo and Sutton being out week 1 the Raiders struggled mightily in their 115.88-95.99 loss to the Patriots. With the absence of that WR duo, the Jets had to run out Michael Pittman and Anthony McFarland on the week and McFarland ended up being inactive for the Steelers. Mark Andrews had a very good week and Darnold played well enough given how the Jets game went, ultimately the offense only managed 45 total points. On the defensive side, Budda Baker had a very strong week notching 15 points, the rest of the defense needed some work as they combined for 24.69 points, giving the unit a 39.69 total for the week. With Sutton still uncertain for the week and the defense needing work, the Raiders are likely in for a rough week 2 especially going against the Ravens.
Record: (0-1)
23. Philadelphia Eagles -2 : The Eagles take home the crown for lowest point total in week 1, scoring 90.14 points on the week. The offense picked up 46.14 of that total with Dak and Parris Campbell combining for 29.64 of that. The defense picked up the other 44 points of the total, as the kicker did not play and obviously gave the Eagles 0 points. The defense put up 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2 points, don’t mind me just finding this fascinating, probably more so than Joe did with the group scoring 44 points total with that. Will week 2 bring any better news for the Eagles, or will it be more of the same? With no K currently it is likely more of the same, but you never know, they could surprise us and knock the Falcons off and pick up win #1 of the season.
Record: (0-1)
24. New Orleans Saints - : The Saints had a fairly good week given they were going up against the Vikings and only had 13 players play on the week. The offense looked raring and ready to go, putting up 70 total points, with Minshew scoring 20 points, Melvin Gordon scoring 14, and DK Metcalf scoring 17.5 points. The struggles for the Saints came on the defensive side of the ball, where Adoree’ Jackson did not play and since he played on Monday, the Saints were not able to put someone in the lineup for him and Donte Jackson did not score a single point either. When a DL is your top scorer with 8 points it is typically not a good sign for the defense, which is also what happened with Jurrell Casey getting 8 points and the other 5 getting 21 combined points. With no one to slot into the lineup at DB currently (might change tomorrow, don't know for sure) and a matchup with the Giants in week 2, the Saints early season struggles are looking increasingly likely to continue.
Record: (0-1)
Week 1 in the DFL saw the reigning champ go down, which brings us a new #1 in the power rankings, but that new #1 did not leave week 1 without there own scare. In Travis's matchup of the week BAL-LAR the Ravens won by just over a point and we had teams score anywhere from 90 points to 177 points. It is good to have football and the DFL back for 2020 when things looked hairy in the summer! What will week 2 bring us in terms of surprises and close games?
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers +1 : After only 1 week we have a new #1 in DFL! Chief moves to the to spot thanks to Travis losing and the Bucs winning over the Seahawks. The win did not come with its lack of drama though! The margin of victory was just .21 points, if things had broke just slightly differently in week 1 both #1 and #2 in my rankings would have fallen, but Chief claims the top spot this week, thanks to Brady, Zeke, and Fant on offense putting up strong numbers. With the defense only putting up 39 points, all the points the offense put up was much needed. Week 2 might be another hard fought week for the Bucs as they face off with the Cowboys who were within 3 points of them in week 1, will we see #1 go down in back to back weeks, or will Chief hold onto the top spot for another week?
Record: (1-0)
2. Kansas City Chiefs +1 : Kansas City finished the week as the highest scorer in the league by nearly 30 points and won his matchup by 56 points over the Bears, all that despite a 0 from Ronnie Harrison. Lamar Jackson, CMC, and Josh Jacobs all had huge week 1s helping the Chiefs put up 105 points on the offensive side of the ball. Jerome Baker accounted for 1/3 of the points on the defensive side of the ball with 21.5 of the 63 points put up. That is a solid number for that side especially with a 0 from the group. The early statement was made by the Chiefs here. The question to be answered will be what will be his answer to the statement made with week 2 being a Super Heavy Weight matchup between the Chiefs and Washington!
Record: (1-0)
3. Washington Football Team -2 : For Travis, the 2020 season started with a shocking week 1 loss for the defending champs. The loss did not come from a lack of good performances from Travis’s team, Mahomes and Nuk did their part on offense, but off color games for Saquon, Kittle, and AJ Brown held the offense back from reaching its potential in week 1. It was a fine performance from the defense, but with the names on that side of the ball, Travis will be hoping for more from them in the future. Week 2 for the Champs bring another huge test and presents a very real possibility that we see Travis start the season 0-2. It is a MASSIVE game between him and the Chiefs. Can Travis avoid the 0-2 hole?
Record: (0-1)
4. Green Bay Packers +1 : The Packers started the season off strong with a 125.84-109.01 win over the Falcons. The offensive had half its points and a quarter of the teams total come from Aaron Rodgers with a 32 point game. The other 29 points from the offense was split between Kenyan Drake, DJ Moore, Ian Thomas, and Keenan Allen, so the names and potential is there for this offense to break the 100 point mark on some weeks when those guys are on their normal games. Kwon Alexander, Devin White, Bradley McDougald, and Rodney McLoud all had strong weeks combining for 42 of the 59 points put up by the defense. For the Packers it will be a top 10 battle this week as they will square off with the Titans who are also coming off a win in week 1. Can the Packers get more from the other members of the offense and put up more points securing a big week 2 win, or fall for the first time this season?
Record: (1-0)
5. San Francisco 49ers +1 : The 49ers opened the season by scoring the 3rd most points of the week and winning by nearly 50 points over the Steelers. For the 49ers Wentz and Amari Cooper dropped a 13 spot each, Hockenson scored 15, and Julio scored 20 to push this offense to a 63 point total. The 4 guys of Lavonte David, Patrick Queen, Jamal Adams, and Fred Warner combined for 50.88 of the 67.25 points, which created a well balanced performance between the offense and defense. If Fournette plays into significant touches this 49ers team will be a contender deep into the playoffs. Week 2 and a matchup against the Seahawks will be a challenge for the 49ers as the Seahawks nearly knocked the Bucs off, will the 49ers handle it as easily as they did week 1?
Record: (1-0)
6. New York Giants +1 : Probably the big winner from week 1 is this team, the NY Giants, thanks to an impressive win over Travis and his team. The huge win came in part due to Kyler, Derrick Henry, OJ Howard, and Tyler Lockett all having strong games pushing the offense to 74 total points. 13 points from Johnathan Abram and rookie CJ Henderson a piece led the defense to a 55 point week. Terrell Edmunds and Benardrick McKinney had solid days as well to help chip in on that side of the ball. The Giants draw the Saints in week two, and while the Saints lost by 30 in week 1, they will be a team the Giants should not take lightly right now, or risk falling to a big upset in week 2.
Record: (1-0)
7. Baltimore Ravens +1 : The Ravens picked up a hard fought win over the Rams in week 1, winning by 1.2 points in a final of 109.64-108.4. A big game from Dallas Goedert with 20 points and a solid game from Godwin at 11 points led the offense to a 58 point total. 42 points from the defense is a little worrying, but Tracy Walker and Zach Cunningham had solid games to lead the unit and it would have been better as a whole had Rashaan Evans not gotten ejected early on Monday night. So there is clearly room to grow for the Ravens moving forward, but they have the pieces to do so. Going against a team that could not top 100 points in week 1, is probably the needed matchup for the Ravens in week 2 to let them focus on getting things figured out, while still winning a game, will that be the case though?
Record: (1-0)
8. Los Angeles Rams -4 : The Rams had to settle for a narrow loss to the Ravens in week 1, losing by 1.2 points by a final of 109.64-108.4. Despite a solid 20 points from Watson and 12.7 points from Gurley in his Falcons debut the rest of the offense struggled to do much of anything leading to a 50 point total for the unit. The defense managed 49 points with Nathan Gerry topping the 10 point mark and Trevathan and Hitchins managing 7 points, but the unit as a whole did not do enough. Week 2 does not get any easier for the Rams, they get a strong Patriots team and things could go from uncomfortable to bad for the Rams if they end up dropping another week.
Record: (0-1)
9. Tennessee Titans +2 : Week 1 was good for the Titans, they picked up a win by 17 points over the Eagles. It was a solid way to get them off on the right foot in 2020, especially with a tough matchup with the Packers here in week 2 looming. The offense for the Titans only managed 47 points as a unit despite Brees, Thomas, Kelce, and Emmanuel Sanders being in the lineup. Brees and Kelce both posted 14 points, while Thomas and James White only managed 9.9 combined points, and Sanders chipped in 9. The defensive side of the ball put up 48 points combined led by 9 from Chuck Clark and 7.88, 6.7, 6.5, 5, 5, 4, and 4 from the other 7 guys on the unit. With Michael Thomas more than likely out this week, the Titans will need their other names on offense and some guys on defense to step up and have strong games to try and knock off the Packers in this top 10 battle.
Record: (1-0)
10. Pittsburgh Steelers -1 : The Steelers did not have a good first week, not only did they lose, but the team as a whole did not top 100 points. Only 3 players scored 10+ points for the Steelers and one of them was the kicker. Having Conner tweak his ankle early and not playing much against the Giants did not help. Carr and Chark led things on offense getting 23 of the 40 points there. Leonard, Schobert, and Jewell combined for 25 of the 44 points on the defensive side of the ball, so clearly both sides of the ball need to step up moving forward or the Steelers will not be winning much this year. A big week for the Steelers in week 2 as they face off with the Bengals, can they get back on track this week and move to 1-1 or lose again and be in a 0-2 hole.
Record: (0-1)
11. Minnesota Vikings +4 : The Vikings put up the 2nd most points in the league in week 1 by putting up 148.11 points, knocking the Saints off. The trio of Big Ben, Dalvin Cook, and Calvin Ridley all scored 20+ and combined for 72 of the 82 points put up by the offense. The defense did work this week as well putting up 63 points. There were 4 guys, Christian Wilkins, Myles Jack, James Bradberry, and Jon Bostic all put up 10+ points to get the defense to that point total. After an impressive week 1, the Vikings will look to keep that momentum going with another win, but will have to do so by beating the Colts.
Record: (1-0)
12. Cincinnati Bengals -2 : The Bengals did not open their DFL account with a win, falling to the Lions by a final of 125.31-104.86. Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, and Kareem Hunt put up 50 of the 60 points scored by the Bengals offense. A measly 34 points from the defensive side of the ball is not a recipe for success here in DFL, but having 4 players combine for 6 points will do that to a team, so it is likely that the guys on that side of the ball just had a rough week 1. The question for the Bengals will be what of those performances were real and which ones were not and can they do better to knock off the Steelers and get the new Bengals owner their first win in the league.
Record: (0-1)
13. Chicago Bears -1 : The Bears had a good game in week 1, putting up 121 points to open the season, the bad part is they faced off with the team that put up the most points in week 1, so they had to settle for a loss. Bright spots for the Bears was Russell Wilson looking like an MVP candidate early and David Johnson looking pretty comfortable in his new home in Houston, both leading the offense to 73 points total. Solid opening weeks from Bobby Wagner and Marquise Blair were not enough to bring the defense to anything more than a 41 point total and getting outscored by 22 points by the Chiefs on that side of the ball. The Bears will square off with the Browns in week 2 and look to build on the good week 1 and make it even better and secure their first win of the 2020 season.
Record: (0-1)
14. Seattle Seahawks - : Brian almost snagged a huge result in week 1 by upsetting Chief and his Bucs, but fell short by the slimmest of margins at .21! It was a great matchup and has to have Brian ready to get week 2 rolling and the rest of the season. Alvin Kamara, Raheem Mostert, and Robert Woods look to be the players Brian needs to make this offense very competitive. Goff and Herndon need to step it up a bit to help the other 3, but should be able to do so. The duo of AJ Johnson and Germaine Pratt scored 12 points a piece scoring 24 of the 43 points put up by the defense. With 4 of his defenders combining for 7 points, Brian can see where the loss likely came from. Another very tough matchup in week 2 for the Seahawks as they face off with the 49ers, so if Brian’s team can pick up those spots lacking this could be the first win of the season they are looking for.
Record: (0-1)
15. Indianapolis Colts -2 : The Colts opened the 2020 season with a 5 point loss to the Browns. It was a disappointing opening for the team, but Stafford and Thielen pulled their weight scoring 16 and 29 respectively. Akers, Hooper, and John will need to put up more than 11 combined points to help this offense be a threat. The defense can be excused a little because of Robert Quinn not playing. Eric Kendricks and Christian Kirksey led the way with 10 and 12 points, the 52 points as a unit was solid given they only had 7 guys putting up points, so there are signs the Colts week 1 result can be fixed. Week 2 though, might not be the week that things get back on track for the Colts as they go against a Vikings team that scored the 2nd most points in week 1. Is there enough points to be found for the Colts to pick up a big win over the Colts, or will they slip into the 0-2 hole?
Record: (0-1)
16. New England Patriots +1 : The Pats opened 2020 with a 20 point win over the Raiders and put up a good 115 points. Cam takes the reins of the NFL and DFL Pats’ offense and showed he can handle the pressure of that. Tyreek Hill had a solid day, nothing special but good enough. It was the trio of David Montgomery, Evan Engram, and Mecole Hardman who struggled in week 1 and kept the offense putting up more than 50 points on the week and helping the team to one of the top scorers of the week. Thanks to 33 points from Chase Young, Deion Jones, and Kevin Byard the defense was able to put up 55 points as a unit and be a big part of why the team won this week. The matchup in week 2 will be a battle for the Pats as they face off with the Rams who need a win, can the Pats improve and knock the Rams off and move to 2-0, or will they taste defeat this week and move to
1-1?
Record: (1-0)
17. Dallas Cowboys +3 : Dallas had a comfortable 24 point win in week 1, besting the Cardinals by a final of 118.11-94.51. The offense looked very good and ready for the season with Aaron Jones and Will Fuller scoring 15 a piece and Kirk Cousins and JuJu putting up 21 a piece. Fells at TE only managed 2.9 points and will need to step up moving forward to make this offense a top one in the league. The concerning part of week 1 for the Cowboys was the defense as a whole, as they only managed 31.75 points total. With 16.75 of that coming from Gilmore and Watt, it is on the others to step up and score more than 4 points, which was the highest point mark for any of their players. With Tampa being the opponent in week 2, it appears the only way the Cowboys can knock off the new #1 is to have the defense put up more than 31 points, while the offense does what it did, again. If the defense does not do its part, the Cowboys will likely be 1-1 after week 2.
Record: (1-0)
18. Atlanta Falcons -2 : The Falcons had to take a 16 point loss in week 1, as they kicked their season off going up against the Packers. The newly acquired Davante Adams did his part to try and bring the team a win by throwing up 34 points in week 1, but outside of Tannehill, he did not have the help needed on that side of the ball, putting up 63 points on offense. On the flip side, the defense only managed 35 points as a unit with Xavier Woods scoring 9 points, Bud Dupree getting 5.5, and no one else on the unit scoring more than 4.5 points. That will need to change if the Falcons want to be a contender this season. A week 2 meeting with the Eagles could be the matchup needed for the Falcons to start fixing things and getting back to 1-1, but a stumble this week and falling to 0-2 would not be a good sign for them.
Record: (0-1)
19. Detroit Lions +3 : The Lions started off with a solid, what is looking like an upset, win in week 1, by knocking off the always threatening Bengals team. On the offense, Daniel Jones at 19 points and Greg Olsen with 10 led the offense for the week, and with the other 3 they combined for 53 points. With Blake Martinez and Jaylen Smith hitting 12 points a piece, McKinley getting 8 on at DL, and 6 from Keanu Neal, Eddie Jackson, and Denzel Perryman a piece the defense put up 60 points and were the biggest piece of the puzzle in the win over the Bengals. With a matchup against a Cardinals team that did not top 100 points in week 1, the Lions appear on track to get to 2-0 on the season as long as they do what they did in week 1. This team might fly up the rankings if they keep this up.
Record: (1-0)
20. Arizona Cardinals -2 : The Cardinals had a rough opening week of the season, they only managed 94 points, which was only outdone by 1 team, but that team only 13 players play. The team didn’t do bad on offense, it was actually a good enough day for that unit scoring 63 points. Two-thirds of that came from Jimmy G and Chris Carson as they both put up 21 points, and the other 3 combined for 21 between them. So it was not on the offense for the poor showing. The struggles came on the defense and at K, the 2 combined for 30.75 points, thanks to 5 defenders scoring 6 combined points and the K getting a -1 on the week. A silver lining, possibly, was the fact that Shaq Thompson put up 12 points as the new tackle machine for the Panthers. Working out some bugs in week 2 is a priority for the Cardinals and if they do so, they might be able to pull off a win against a Lions team, but it will be a big turn around for the Cards as the Lions had a strong week 1.
Record: (0-1)
21. Cleveland Browns (CAR) +2 : As you can tell the Browns did not have a good 2019, but opened the 2020 season on the right foot with a win over the Colts. Matt Ryan and the #1 pick here in the DFL, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, showed up on week 1 ready to go scoring 43 of the 63 points on the offensive side. AJ Green and Eric Ebron struggled in week 1, but if they get going this offense will be competitive. A balanced score sheet on defense led to a 48 point total there, with Tre Boston, Chris Jones, and Jessie Bates being the noteworthy performers there. There is something to build on for the Browns here that could push them to be in the playoff race, which is a good sign after finishing last, last season. Can they pull an upset on the Bears and push that team to 0-2, or will the new look Browns fall in week 2?
Record: (1-0)
22. Las Vegas Raiders -3 : Thanks to Deebo and Sutton being out week 1 the Raiders struggled mightily in their 115.88-95.99 loss to the Patriots. With the absence of that WR duo, the Jets had to run out Michael Pittman and Anthony McFarland on the week and McFarland ended up being inactive for the Steelers. Mark Andrews had a very good week and Darnold played well enough given how the Jets game went, ultimately the offense only managed 45 total points. On the defensive side, Budda Baker had a very strong week notching 15 points, the rest of the defense needed some work as they combined for 24.69 points, giving the unit a 39.69 total for the week. With Sutton still uncertain for the week and the defense needing work, the Raiders are likely in for a rough week 2 especially going against the Ravens.
Record: (0-1)
23. Philadelphia Eagles -2 : The Eagles take home the crown for lowest point total in week 1, scoring 90.14 points on the week. The offense picked up 46.14 of that total with Dak and Parris Campbell combining for 29.64 of that. The defense picked up the other 44 points of the total, as the kicker did not play and obviously gave the Eagles 0 points. The defense put up 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2 points, don’t mind me just finding this fascinating, probably more so than Joe did with the group scoring 44 points total with that. Will week 2 bring any better news for the Eagles, or will it be more of the same? With no K currently it is likely more of the same, but you never know, they could surprise us and knock the Falcons off and pick up win #1 of the season.
Record: (0-1)
24. New Orleans Saints - : The Saints had a fairly good week given they were going up against the Vikings and only had 13 players play on the week. The offense looked raring and ready to go, putting up 70 total points, with Minshew scoring 20 points, Melvin Gordon scoring 14, and DK Metcalf scoring 17.5 points. The struggles for the Saints came on the defensive side of the ball, where Adoree’ Jackson did not play and since he played on Monday, the Saints were not able to put someone in the lineup for him and Donte Jackson did not score a single point either. When a DL is your top scorer with 8 points it is typically not a good sign for the defense, which is also what happened with Jurrell Casey getting 8 points and the other 5 getting 21 combined points. With no one to slot into the lineup at DB currently (might change tomorrow, don't know for sure) and a matchup with the Giants in week 2, the Saints early season struggles are looking increasingly likely to continue.
Record: (0-1)
