With week one of the regular season in the books, it’s time to recap the excitement and look ahead to see what the rest of the season holds:

Much to the chagrin of most football fans, it seems as if the New England Patriots will be just fine until they get Tom Brady back on the field. Backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo put on a respectable performance, throwing for 264 yards and a touchdown, which, combined with LeGarrette Blount’s 22 carries, 70 yards and a touchdown was enough to bring the Pats a victory against a solid Cardinals team. Though it is just one game, the Pats proved they can run with one of the better teams in the league, missing two of their star players, Brady and Rob Gronkowski. Blount obviously played a significant role in this victory, but credit has to be given to both Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman, the possession receivers who made Garoppolo’s life much easier with their spectacular route-running and pass catching ability. While the Patriots showed vulnerability throughout the game and only managed to win off a missed field goal attempt, the win against the Cardinals should help fans sleep easier for the next three weeks until Brady returns.

The Pats game also showed us that Cardinals running back David Johnson has the potential to be this year’s best running back in the league. Johnson broke out towards the end of last season, racking up 442 yards in the final five games and looked even better this year slashing through the Patriots defense with his quick cuts and powerful downhill running. Keep your eye on Johnson

throughout the season.

Another team to watch this year is the Jacksonville Jaguars. For years, they have been a punching bag for teams to beat on and would more than likely finish last in their division, but no more. The Jags have perfected their roster and have an explosive offense coupled with a staunch defense. Quarterback Blake Bortles has proven he belongs in the ranks of the elite as he threw for 35 touchdowns last season and looked good in the opener. Plus, he has both Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson catching his passes, wideouts who both topped 1,000 yards last season. The Jags passing game looks really dangerous as they have a promising quarterback throwing to all-star wide receivers. It’s not unreasonable to expect a Super Bowl victory in the next five years if they can build on the team they already possess, but for this year I would say they can likely be a playoff team. 

Finally, though the Cowboys lost, rookies Ezekiel Elliot and Dak Prescott held their own against a decent Giants team. In both players’ first pro football game, they turned the ball over a total of 0 times and managed to lose by one point in a nail-biter. Regardless of the outcome, this was an encouraging result for fans and coaching staff and should point to a bright future with both Prescott and Elliot at the helm.