And then a classic which all but eliminates Baltimore Week 1...

Sixteen unanswered including a field goal at the gun, and Buffalo all but ensures any rematch with Baltimore is in Buffalo, 41-40.

Well, the Lamar Jackson pick took a nice dive right there.

ESPNBet still has them at the top two for the Super Bowl futures (+550 for Buffalo, +650 for Baltimore, +700 for Philly, +800 for Green Bay, +1000 for Kansas City), so how would I look at a Week 1 Political Rankings with Chicago vs. Minnesota tonight?

NFC:

1) Washington

2) Green Bay

and they play on Thursday.  But there is an important play here.

He is trying to position himself, him being the Pigfucker, as the center of American culture and sport.  He held another audience yesterday, this at the US Open Men's Final.

The biggest problem I have with both of these picks is the same problem I have with Baltimore now:  If Donald Trump is the play, the quarterback almost certainly has to be White.  That's Jayden Daniels out, that's Jordan Love out, that's Lamar Jackson out, that's Patrick Mahomes out.

The reason, however, these two still top my NFC Political Rankings is the military power desired to be asserted in Washington and the rural power (which overwhelmingly votes Trump) in Packer Nation.

3) and a distant 3rd at that, Philadelphia

They play Kansas City this week at Arrowhead.  But that's not the problem.  If the NFL wishes to take it's sportsmanship initiative seriously, you will see Jalen Carter pay, and pay huge, for that incident before the opening play.

Current word is that Carter still may be suspended as of posting this.

Once you get beyond Philly, it gets rather tentative on political ends:  San Fran is too liberal, LA is probably facing a full martial law scenario after the Super Bowl through the World Cup, Arizona is just a flat no, and Tampa is just meh.

Biggest drop:  Detroit.  For the same reason that the Buffalo win reshapes the AFC, Detroit (until they got punched in the mouth by Green Bay, a hungry Green Bay at that, in one of the more convincing wins of the week) now probably has an uphill battle.

AFC:

1) Queasy, but Buffalo.

Same concept as Green Bay, White quarterback, you probably get most of the marks checked off with this.

2) Pittsburgh

Pleasedon'ttelltheYinzer... Pleasedon'ttelltheYinzer... Pleasedon'ttelltheYinzer... Pleasedon'ttelltheYinzer...

But that's one mark on the Aaron Rodgers situation.

They're, more, #2 in the AFC, at least for Week 1, because they check all the marks.  Right-wing White quarterback, less urban of a following than their Philadelphia counterparts.

Biggest drop:  Baltimore and Kansas City took pretty significant drops, but I think you have to go Miami here.  Probably the flattest performance of Week 1 in a 33-8 loss to Indianapolis.