Now that the NFL season has kicked off, we can begin to reshape, or further solidify, the narratives that were cast during the off-season. New players on new teams have already made their impact felt, while injuries to star players may cast further doubt on teams that entered the season with questions.

We’ll start by looking at teams that suffered significant injuries to key players in week 1, and then move onto teams that put on uninspiring performances in the opener, to see what to expect heading into week 2. Plus, a surprise underdog that is poised to win their second consecutive game to start the season.

Dallas Cowboys

Not only are the Cowboys going to be under-matched as they are slated to start Cooper Rush at quarterback, but they’re also expected to play without key players like Connor McGovern and Jayron Kearse. Against a formidable defensive front in Cincinnati, as well as a lethal combination of pass-catchers on offense, the Cowboys are going to need to find answers internally, quickly. Leaning on Ezekiel Elliot is one way to mitigate the deficiencies Dallas is facing, but the Bengals shut down Pittsburgh’s rushing attack last week, and did so against a similarly leaky offensive line. The Cowboys coaching staff will have to get creative in finding ways to create space and exploit mismatches for players like Tony Pollard and Dalton Shultz if they expect to keep pace with the Bengals explosive offense. Coming off a tough loss to Pittsburgh, the Bengals should be plenty motivated, and have the weapons to win by a comfortable margin.

Score: 31-10 Bengals over Cowboys

Pittsburgh Steelers

Losing anchors on both sides of the ball (TJ Watt & Najee Harris) in one game is tough for any team to overcome. While Harris is expected to play against New England, it seems likely that his workload will be limited. The Patriots limited Miami to less than 3 yards per carry in week 1, but fell victim to short passes that turned into long gains. Pittsburgh deploys their pass catchers in a variety of ways, so the coaching staff will have to find creative ways to make space for guys like Chase Claypool and rookie George Pickens. The running back room in Pittsburgh leaves a lot to be desired, which means that a balanced attack is the key for the Steelers to win this contest. After surrendering 3 turnovers to Miami, the Patriots, meanwhile, needs to play mistake-free football against an opportunistic Steelers defense if they’re to pull off the win. Even without Watt, the Steelers have the edge in this contest, given their playmakers on the perimeter and aggressive scheme on defense.

Score: 24-13 Steelers over Patriots

Green Bay Packers

Green Bay is not a team that experienced significant injury; rather, the Packers, once again, failed to show up for the first half of their week 1 game against the Minnesota Vikings. Playing with a patch-work offensive line allowed the Vikings to apply pressure on Aaron Rodgers and limit his shots down field. A matchup against the Chicago Bears poses an opportunity for Green Bay to improve – despite Chicago’s impressive outing in week 1 – given how much success the San Francisco 49ers had running the ball against Chicago before Elijah Mitchell went down with injury. The first step toward regrouping for Green Bay should be establishing the run, especially with the state of their receiver group, and the Packers have the personnel to matchup well with Chicago in the run game. The secondary is an area of improvement for Chicago, so Rodgers will have to be patient and also willing to test their group of young defensive backs if the Packers expect to return to their 2021 form. If rookie linebacker Quay Walker cannot go against Chicago, the Bears have an extra edge, due to the mobility and explosiveness of quarterback Justin Fields when he takes off running. Both teams will be motivated, but there is more on the line for Green Bay, and they field an overall more complete roster.

Score: 24-17 Packers over Bears

Bonus: One team that the league is not talking about, but showed in week 1 that they can solidify themselves as a playoff contender down the stretch.

The Washington Commanders, despite winning a close contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars, are slight underdogs to the Detroit Lions heading into week 2. While the Lions have proved they won’t quit against any team under Dan Campbell, the Commanders are seeing the pieces finally come together after years of tinkering with the offense and adding players in free agency and the draft. Carson Wentz is the key to this offense, and he draws a favorable matchup against a Lions defense that allowed both star receiver AJ Brown to eat, and the Eagles rushing attack to gash them for most of the game. The Commanders possess a similar set of skill players, and should look to attack this Detroit secondary early and often. Washington wins a close match against the upstart Lions.

Score: 23-21 Commanders over Lions