The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Allen draws comparisons to Big Ben as Bills face Steelers
Buffalo Bills starter Josh Allen doesn’t dispute the comparisons he has drawn to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Allen recalls being a youngster and marveling at Big Ben’s ability to shed blockers and make throws on the run. Where the comparisons end for Allen is how much more he has to prove entering just his fourth season in relation to Roethlisberger’s body of work over 18 seasons. The two will square off in a season-opening showdown between two defending AFC division champions Sunday at Buffalo.
PITTSBURGH (12-5) at BUFFALO (15-4) Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
OPENING LINE: Bills by 6.5, according to FanDuel SportsBook SERIES RECORD: Steelers lead 16-11
LAST MEETING: Bills beat Steelers 26-15 on Dec. 13, 2020 in Orchard Park, New York
KEY MATCHUP: Steelers CB Joe Haden vs. Bills All-Pro WR Stefon Diggs. With Haden sidelined by a concussion in the teams’ most recent meeting, Diggs burned the Steelers with 10 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown.
FANTASY TIP: With Lotulelei’s status uncertain, Steelers rookie RB Harris should have an opportunity to find his footing against a defense which allowed 140 or more yards rushing eight times (including playoffs) last season.
PHILADELPHIA (4-11-1) at ATLANTA (4-12)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox
OPENING LINE: Falcons by 3, according to FanDuel SportsBook SERIES RECORD: Eagles lead 20-15-1
LAST MEETING: Falcons beat Eagles 24-20 on Sept. 15, 2019 in Atlanta
KEY MATCHUP: Eagles QB Jalen Hurts vs. Falcons secondary. Atlanta allowed more passing yards than any team in the NFL a year ago and has a pair of new safeties. That should provide some inviting targets for Hurts, who is now the unquestioned starter in Philadelphia and looking to bolster one of the league’s worst passing games.
FANTASY TIP: With the Falcons looking to bolster a dismal run game, newcomer Mike Davis is worth a look. He’s coming off the best season of his career with the Carolina Panthers, gaining 642 yards rushing, 373 yards receiving and scoring eight TDs (six rushing, two receiving). Davis had a career-high 59 receptions, fourth in the league among running backs.
L.A. CHARGERS (7-9) at WASHINGTON (7-9)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
OPENING LINE: Chargers by 1, according to FanDuel SportsBook SERIES RECORD: Washington leads 7-4
LAST MEETING: Chargers beat Washington 30-13 on Dec. 10, 2017 at Los Angeles
KEY MATCHUP: Chargers LT Rashawn Slater vs. Young. Young has been dominant, but Slater was one of the few offensive tackles to hold him in check when Northwestern faced Ohio State in 2019. Slater, the 13th overall pick in the draft, is set to make his NFL debut.
FANTASY TIP: If Samuel does not play, rookie WR Dyami Brown should start alongside McLaurin. Brown, Cam Sims and DeAndre Carter could all get extra catch opportunities in Samuel’s absence.
SAN FRANCISCO (6-10) at DETROIT (5-11) Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox
OPENING LINE: 49ers by 7.5, according to FanDuel SportsBook SERIES RECORD: 49ers lead 38-28-1
LAST MEETING: 49ers beat Lions 30-27 on Sept. 16, 2018 in San Francisco
KEY MATCHUP: Detroit rookie RT Penei Sewell, the No. 7 overall pick, will likely get tested by Bosa and Arik Armstead. Sewell struggled to block backups at times in the preseason, competing for the first time since the 2019 season at Oregon while making a transition from left to right tackle.
FANTASY TIP: San Francisco WR Brandon Aiyuk is worth a start against a young defense with a new coordinator. Aiyuk was one of four receivers last year with at least five receiving touchdowns and two rushing scores as a rookie. He had 60 catches and 748 yards receiving.
JACKSONVILLE (1-15) at HOUSTON (4-12)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
OPENING LINE: Jaguars by 2.5, according to FanDuel SportsBook SERIES RECORD: Texans lead 25-13
LAST MEETING: Texans beat Jaguars 27-25 on Nov. 8 in Jacksonville.
KEY MATCHUP: Houston’s revamped running game vs. Jacksonville’s run defense. The Texans added RBs Phillip Lindsay, Mark Ingram and Rex Burkhead to help improve a running game that ranked 31st in David Johnson’s first year with the team. New Houston coach David Culley has promised that all four backs will get carries and he wants to be a power running team, which will be at test for a Jacksonville defense which ranked 30th against the run last season. FANTASY TIP: Texans WR Brandin Cooks returns after leading the team in yards receiving (1,150) and catches (81) last season. He has had at least 1,000 yards receiving in five of the last six seasons and had 244 yards receiving and two touchdowns combined in two games against Jacksonville in 2020.
SEATTLE (12-5) at INDIANAPOLIS (11-6) Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox
OPENING LINE: Colts by 2.5, according to FanDuel SportsBook SERIES RECORD: Colts lead 7-5
LAST MEETING: Seahawks beat Colts 46-18 on Oct. 1, 2017 in Seattle
KEY MATCHUP: Seahawks WR DK Metcalf vs. Colts secondary. Coming off his first Pro Bowl season, Metcalf’s size and speed give him a huge advantage against the Colts. It will take a team effort to neutralize Metcalf.
FANTASY TIP: Colts RB Jonathan Taylor embraces a challenge and it doesn’t get much tougher than facing a topfive run defense. Taylor thinks he can improve on a breakout season in which he led all rookies in yards rushing (1,169) and yards from scrimmage (1,468). He averaged 5.9 yards and ran for eight TDs in his final seven games.
N.Y. JETS (2-14) at CAROLINA (5-11)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox
OPENING LINE: Panthers by 3, according to FanDuel SportsBook SERIES RECORD: Panthers lead 4-3
LAST MEETING: Panthers beat Jets 35-27 on Nov. 26, 2017 at New York
KEY MATCHUP: Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey vs. New York front seven. McCaffrey returns after missing 13 games last season due to injury and will once again be the focal point of Carolina’s offense. McCaffrey will be used frequently in the passing game. His 320 catches through 51 career games are the fourth most by an NFL player in the Super Bowl era.
FANTASY TIP: The Jets will lean heavily on RB Tevin Coleman, who in 2019 ran for 105 yards and scored four touchdowns in 51-13 win over the Panthers while a member of the San Francisco 49ers. Carolina allowed 4.8 yards per carry last season.
MINNESOTA (7-9) at CINCINNATI (4-11-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox
OPENING LINE: Vikings by 3, according to FanDuel SportsBook SERIES RECORD: Vikings lead 7-6
LAST MEETING: Vikings beat Bengals 34-7 on Dec. 17, 2017, in Minnesota.
KEY MATCHUP: Cook vs. Cincinnati defensive front. Partially due to injuries, the Bengals had a terrible time stopping the run last season. Tackle D.J. Reader is healthy again and tackle Larry Ogunjobi was brought in to beef up the middle.
FANTASY TIP: Bengals WR Tee Higgins led the team as a rookie with 908 receiving yards. Much of the attention will be on rookie Chase, the team’s top overall pick in 2021, but he dropped a concerning number of passes in the preseason. Burrow could look to Higgins Sunday.
ARIZONA (8-8) at TENNESSEE (11-5)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
OPENING LINE: Titans by 3, according to FanDuel SportsBook SERIES RECORD: Cardinals lead 7-4
LAST MEETING: Cardinals beat Titans 12-7 on Dec. 10, 2017, in Arizona
KEY MATCHUP: DE J.J. Watt in his Cardinals debut against either Titans LT Taylor Lewan in his first game back from a torn right ACL, or a right tackle yet to be decided. Watt has 18 sacks against the Titans as a Texan, along with nine forced fumbles and two fumbles recovered in 15 games. FANTASY TIP: Titans WR Brown. A Pro Bowler in his second season, Brown could benefit both from having Jones on the other side plus Henry’s runs opening up passing lanes. Brown had six TD catches in seven home games last season.
DENVER (5-11) at N.Y. GIANTS (6-10) Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, Fox
OPENING LINE: Denver by 1, according to FanDuel SportsBook SERIES RECORD: Giants lead 7-6
LAST MEETING: Giants beat Broncos 23-10 on Oct. 15, 2017 in Denver
KEY MATCHUP: The Giants’ offensive line was terrible last season, and it showed little improvement in the preseason. It will have its hands full against linebackers Von Miller and Bradley Chubb in passing situations. Jones could take a pounding.
FANTASY TIP: Barkley. Hey, this is a fantasy tip! His status for the opener has been uncertain since OTAs and even this week because of his ACL rehab. The 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year returns Sunday with one long TD run, one big catch and 150 yards combined offense. Maybe even two TDs. The fantasy stars are aligned.
MIAMI (10-6) at NEW ENGLAND (7-9) Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, CBS
OPENING LINE: Patriots by 3, according to FanDuel SportsBook SERIES RECORD: Dolphins lead 57-54
LAST MEETING: Dolphins beat Patriots 22-12 on Dec. 20, 2020 in Miami Gardens, Florida
SERIES NOTES: The teams split two games last season, both winning by exactly 10 points at home: Patriots prevailing 21-11 in Week 1, Dolphins winning 22-12 in Week 15. Those were the first 21-11 and 22-12 games in series history.
FANTASY TIP: Jones will make his NFL debut. Since 1991, according to STATS LLC, there have been 69 quarterbacks whose NFL debuts came in a start. Of those, only 22 had multiple TD passes in those debuts.
CLEVELAND (12-6) at KANSAS CITY (16-3)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, CBS
OPENING LINE: Chiefs by 6.5, according to FanDuel SportsBook SERIES RECORD: Chiefs lead 14-11-2
LAST MEETING: Chiefs beat Browns 17-12 on Jan. 17 in divisional playoffs in Kansas City
KEY MATCHUP: Browns pass rush vs Chiefs offensive line. The Browns added Jadeveon Clowney in the offseason to perhaps form with Myles Garrett one of the league’s best pass-rushing tandems. They’ll be going against a completely rebuilt Chiefs offensive line that includes C Creed Humphry, RG Trey Smith and RT Lucas Niang all making their first career starts.
FANTASY TIP: Browns RBs Chubb and Hunt are both viable options against a Kansas City run defense that was obliterated by Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs are moving DT Chris Jones to defensive end and replaced him with Jarran Reed, a solid if unspectacular tackle who will be under pressure to stop the Cleveland ground game.
GREEN BAY (14-4) at NEW ORLEANS (13-5)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, Fox at Jacksonville, Florida
OPENING LINE: Packers by 3.5, according to FanDuel SportsBook SERIES RECORD: Packers lead 17-9
LAST MEETING: Packers beat Saints 37-30 on Sept. 27, 2020, in New Orleans
KEY MATCHUP: Adams against Saints top CB Marshon Lattimore. This marquee matchup didn’t take place last season because Adams sat out with an injury. Lattimore, the Saints top draft choice in 2017, when he was also Defensive Rookie of the Year, is now in the final year of his contract and looking to build on his credentials as an elite pass defender.
FANTASY TIP: The Saints have been scrambling to find a second starting caliber cornerback, and also have had turnover on the interior defensive line. So Rodgers could have time to throw and find weaknesses to exploit in the Saints’ pass coverage — even if Lattimore contains Adams, which is no sure thing.
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Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EDT, NESBPCN
OPENING LINE: Ramvesnbsyb7y.5, accordiing tto FanDuellSpoorrttssBooookk SERIES RECORD: BReaaversnslelaedad549-38-3
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BALTIMORE (12-6) at LAS VEGAS (8-8)
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Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EDT, NBC
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