Najee Harris (vs. KC) – Harris has recently been cleared for contact and is expected to suit up on Friday night. How much he plays is still to be determined but I expect rookie Omarion Hampton to get the majority of the workload.

Matthew Stafford (vs. HOU) – Stafford has missed most of the offseason due to a back injury but has recently been cleared for week 1. This injury is concerning for the 37 year-old quarterback who usually struggles in week 1 contests.

Tyreek Hill (@ IND) – It’s been a noisy offseason for Hill who was called out by his quarterback for his off the field drama. It looks like he is ready to go for week 1 after dealing with an oblique injury. Still, it’s hard to get too excited for Hill this season as his numbers continue to decline.

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Cleveland Browns @ Houston Texans +2.5 (Saturday 4:30 PM EST on NBC)

Our first matchup of the weekend features two teams that many of us didn’t think would be here. The Browns have shuffled through 5 starting quarterbacks this season yet managed to finish an impressive 11-6. That is in large part due to their dominating defense which finished #1 in total team defense allowing just 270.2 yards per game.

The Texans meanwhile are playing with house money and are led by their star rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. Stroud continues his strong rookie campaign where threw for 4000+ yards, 23 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions. The lack of turnovers was the most glaring stat as Stroud plays with the poise of a seasoned vet.

This game will come down to the wire and will be low-scoring. Expect Stroud to do just enough to pull off the upset at home and continue the Texans surprising season.

Game Pick: Texans 21 – Browns 14

Miami Dolphins @ Kansas City Chiefs -4.5 (Saturday 8:00 PM EST on Peacock)

Next up on Saturday night, we have a banged-up Dolphins team taking on the Chiefs in chilly Arrowhead. The weather will absolutely play a part in this matchup as temperatures as expected to be in the single digits come kickoff. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are somewhat flying under the radar but you can’t count out Andy Reid and Mahomes in the playoffs.

Miami has been struggling lately as they come in losers of 2 straight. The Dolphins offense has come back down to earth a bit and is hoping star receiver Jaylen Waddle can return as he has been missed.

It’s hard to see the Dolphins coming out victorious in this one. Miami hasn’t been a good cold-weather team as Tua Tagovailoa has struggled in these types of games. Mahomes and the Chiefs move on setting up an intriguing Divisional round matchup.

Game Pick: Chiefs 24- Dolphins 16

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Buffalo Bills -10 (Sunday 1:00 PM EST on CBS/Paramount+)

Our first Sunday game features the red-hot Bills vs. the Steelers. The Bills wrapped up the AFC East title last week in Miami and are starting to look dangerous. This will also be a cold weather game with temperatures expected to be in the low 20s.

Pittsburgh is a heavy underdog in this matchup and rightfully so. They will be without their defensive star T.J. Watt who went down last week with a knee injury. Quarterback Mason Rudolph is set to start and he will have his hands full with this Buffalo defense.

This is a tough matchup for Mike Tomlin and the Steelers. They certainly weren’t expected to be here but just don’t have enough firepower to hang with the Bills. Look for a late backdoor cover for the Steelers in this one.

Game Pick: Bills 27 – Steelers 20

Green Bay Packers @ Dallas Cowboys -7.5 (Sunday 4:30 PM EST on FOX)

The first NFC matchup of the weekend will be in Dallas where the NFC East champions take on the surprising Packers. Dallas has been dominant at home where they posted a perfect 8-0 record. Most of those games haven’t been close with the exception of the Lions game that featured the controversial 2-point conversion.

Jordan Love and the Packers will be playing with nothing to lose as they were expected to have a down year in Love’s first year under center. It has been anything but that and Love has shown he can be the quarterback of the future in Green Bay.

The playoff atmosphere is different and with the lights on I think the Cowboys come out flat. They will eventually find their groove but expect the Packers to hang around until the end.

Game Pick: Cowboys 31 – Packers 24

Los Angeles Rams @ Detroit Lions -3 (Sunday 8:00 PM EST on NBC)

In the Sunday nightcap, we have the Matthew Stafford Bowl in Detroit. To me, this is the best game of the weekend with so many storylines to explore. Along with Stafford coming back to Detroit you also have Jared Goff looking for revenge against the team that gave up on him.

You have to be impressed with what Dan Campbell did for the Lions this season. Not only did they capture their first-ever NFC North title but they have turned this once lowly franchise into one of the best teams in the league. The Lions also feature one of the most coveted head coaching candidates in Ben Johnson. Johnson is the next great offensive mind and it looks like this is the year he becomes a head coach.

The Rams come into Detroit with confidence as they are winners of 4 straight. They are led by impressive rookie Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams who both look to be late-round steals. While I do think the Rams will hang around for most of the game Detroit will be too much at home in this one.

Game Pick: Lions 28 – Rams 21

Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay Bucs +3 (Monday 8:15 PM EST on ABC/ESPN)

Finally, we end Wild Card weekend with a Monday night showdown in Tampa Bay. The Eagles, who were once favorites to win the NFC come in losing 5 of their last 6 games. They have key injuries on both sides of the ball but their defense has let this team down all year.

The Bucs are another one of the surprising teams to make the playoffs. It was supposed to be a rebuilding year in Tampa but they were able to sneak into the playoffs thanks to the lowly NFC South. They now get a home playoff game and will look to avenge a week 3 loss against the Eagles.

This game comes down to who is the healthier team and right now that’s Tampa Bay. A.J. Brown has a knee injury and is not practicing while quarterback Jalen Hurts has a sprained middle finger on his throwing hand. Philadelphia is reeling and this game will put an end to a season that had so much promise.

Game Pick: Bucs 24 – Eagles 14

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Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford – (32.3% Owned)

It turns out Stafford can still have success without Cooper Kupp. Stafford has thrown for over 300+ yards in his first two games as he continues to build rapport with his young receivers. One of those targets is of course Puka Nacua who is on a record-breaking pace in his rookie season. If you’re struggling at the quarterback position, Stafford is worth a look.

Running Backs

Jerome Ford – (13.1% Owned)

We now know star running back Nick Chubb is out for the season which means it’s Jerome Ford’s time to shine. Chubb suffered a gruesome knee injury on Monday night that was so bad they couldn’t show the replay. In his absence, Ford showed he is more than capable of taking over the lead-back role. Ford finished with 106 rushing yards including an impressive 69-yard scamper. Cleveland will need more of that from him to have any chance this season.

Matt Breida – (1.6% Owned)

Another key injury at the running back position was to Saquon Barkley who went down with an ankle injury. It looks as of now that Barkley will miss 2-3 weeks as he recovers. Matt Breida will most likely take over the starting duties but don’t expect huge production. Breida has been quiet thus far this season and should only be claimed if you are deep at the RB position.

Jaylen Warren – (40.7% Owned)

Now is the time to pick up Jaylen Warren if he is available in your league. Warren has looked like the more explosive back in the Pittsburgh Steelers backfield thus far. With Najee Harris struggling it’s only a matter of time until Warren gets more touches. What should you do with Harris? It’s time to think about putting him on the trade block.

Wide Receivers

Skyy Moore – (59.6% Owned)

It took a while but Skyy Moore finally showed his upside in week 2. Moore caught his first NFL receiving touchdown versus the Jaguars as he finished with 70 yards on the day. It’s still too early to lock him into your starting lineup but this is encouraging for Moore going forward.

Marvin Mims Jr. – (15.1% Owned)

The volume isn’t there yet but Mims Jr. showcased his speed on Sunday against the Washington Commanders. Mims Jr. had 113 yards on only 2 targets including a touchdown. He was also impressive on special teams as he returned a punt for 45 yards. If Mims and Russell Wilson can continue to build chemistry he could be a big threat in the Broncos offense.

Tight Ends

Zach Ertz – (29.2% Owned)

Zach Ertz hasn’t found the end zone yet in 2023 but the volume has been there. Ertz has 18 targets in his first 2 games as Joshua Dobbs has shown he is not afraid to throw him the ball. Expect this to continue and for Ertz to eventually have a break-out performance.

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Kansas City Chiefs (-3.5) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (1 PM EST on CBS)

The best game of the NFL week 2 schedule is when the Chiefs go on the road to take on the Jaguars. It was a disappointing opening game for Kansas City as they struggled against the Detroit Lions at home.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes put up rather pedestrian numbers in week 1 but he was without Travis Kelce. Kelce and stud defensive tackle Chris Jones are set to return for the Chiefs in this one. Jones will be needed to help stop the rushing attack of Jacksonville led by Travis Etienne Jr. and rookie Tank Bigsby. Etienne and Bigsby each found the end zone in week 1 against the Colts.

On the outside, Calvin Ridley made a splash in his debut for the Jaguars. Ridley did not look rusty after his 1 year suspension as he hauled in 8 receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown. Ridley will be a challenge for the Chiefs secondary all game long.

Baltimore Ravens (+3) @ Cincinnati Bengals (1 PM EST on CBS)

Cincinnati would very much like to burn the tape of their week 1 performance against the rival Browns. Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense could never find a rhythm as he was held to under 100 yards passing. It was the first time in his career that Burrow was held under the 100-yard passing mark. Burrow will look to get back on track versus the rival Ravens at home.

Meanwhile, the Ravens are coming off a dominating performance against the Houston Texans. Baltimore may have found its next star in rookie Zay Flowers. Flowers looked electric in his debut as he had 87 yards from scrimmage in week 1 including 9 receptions. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens will be without J.K. Dobbins who is now out for the season. Expect another classic AFC North battle in this one.

Seattle Seahawks (+4.5) @ Detroit Lions (1 PM EST on FOX)

Jared Goff and the Lions looked like an NFC contender in their week 1 win at Kansas City. Their defense which struggled all last season looked completely different in the opener. If they can get this type of performance consistently from their defense the Lions will be a threat come playoff time.

Seattle on the other hand looked lackluster as they were beat at home in week 1 by the Rams. Geno Smith who was the Comeback Player of the Year in 2022 struggled with a Rams defense that lacks playmakers. It was troubling to see for a Seahawks team that was set to take the next step this year. Look for this one to be another high-scoring affair. The Seahawks won 48-45 when the two teams met last season.

San Francisco 49ers (-7.5) @ Los Angeles Rams (4:05 PM EST on FOX)

Before the season started this looked to be an easy win for the 49ers. Now they may have more of a battle on their hands when they visit LA. This game will be a classic example of whether week 1 was a fluke or not. If the Rams keep it close many will start to give them respect. The problem is they will be dealing with the elite 49ers defense who will put pressure on Matthew Stafford all day long.

Rams rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua was the story of week 1 as he seemingly came out of nowhere. The Rams will need a repeat performance from Nacua who hauled in 10 receptions for 119 yards in his debut.

Washington Commanders (+3.5) @ Denver Broncos (4:25 PM EST on CBS)

Washington is looking to start 2-0 when they travel to the Mile High City on Sunday afternoon. The Commanders looked a bit shaky in their week 1 win against the Cardinals. Washington’s defense was dominant but the offense struggled at times. Quarterback Sam Howell had two costly turnovers but showed poised in leading Washington to a come-from-behind victory. Howell will need to be mistake-free on the road in Denver for Washington to have a chance.

The Broncos will be getting one of their best weapons back in Jerry Jeudy on Sunday. This is exactly what Russell Wilson and this offense needed as they look to bounce back from their week 1 loss. Wilson did have 2 touchdowns in the opener but the offense lacked explosiveness. They will need big plays to be able to beat the stingy Washington defense.

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The Good

Few defensive tackles have been as dominant as Aaron Donald over his 9-year career. The 7x All-Pro is a surefire Hall of Famer when he decides to hang it up. In the meantime like McVay, Donald considered walking away but in the end, decided to come back after a disappointing 2022. Although out of his prime Donald is still a force on the defensive line regularly blowing up offensive plays. The Rams will need all they can get from Donald in order for them to have a chance to rebound in 2023.

When healthy, Cooper Kupp is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Kupp had a dominant 2021 season with the Rams where he amassed 1,947 receiving yards. 2022 was a different story as Kupp was only able to play in 9 games due to injury. He is currently still dealing with a hamstring injury that the Rams are calling day-to-day. While this is troubling I don’t expect him to miss much time this season and LA will need him to be in top form.

The Bad

Other than Aaron Donald the Los Angeles Rams defense is lacking star power. This is due to the team moving on from Leonard Floyd, Bobby Wagner and Jalen Ramsey who was traded to the Miami Dolphins. The Rams will now rely on rookies and several unproven players on a defense that will have a tough time stopping anybody. Teams will be able to double-team Donald regularly and attack the young cornerbacks on the outside. It’s clear the Rams have decided to invest in the offensive side of the ball rather than the defense. If the offense struggles this could be another long year for LA.

The Prediction

It’s looking more like the Rams are in for another tough season. This may be the final year we see Matthew Stafford and Aaron Donald in a Rams uniform. There are just too many questions on the defense and not enough weapons on offense for them to be successful.

2023 Record: 5-12 (3rd in the Division)

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Arizona Cardinals: How Will They Perform With All The Chaos?

It was a messy season for the Arizona Cardinals, and they are glad it ended. It was leaked that Kyler Murray‘s extension had a “homework clause”. A $230M extension for your star player to watch film definitely made it to all shows and podcasts. Firing HC Kliff Kingsbury after another disappointing end of the season was a move that was expected. The worst thing that happened was Kyler Murray tearing his ACL. Sportsbooks have them winning about four and a half games and a shot at the top pick in the next draft. Having the top overall pick in the next draft could make it very noisy for Kyler’s future. Add in the DeAndre Hopkins rumors and nothing feels right in this organization. A rebuild could come sooner rather than later.

Los Angeles Rams: Is This The Final Season Of Multiple Key Players?

There was a Superbowl hangover for the Rams after they sacrificed their future for a Superbowl ring. There were key injuries to multiple players such as Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp. The offense looked non-existent if you weren’t Kupp as well. They looked slower and older and it felt that a blowup was impending, especially with the lack of assets they had. This offseason showed us this as they waived multiple key players such as Leonard Floyd, Bobby Wagner, and Jalen Ramsay through trade. For a couple of offseasons, Aaron Donald has contemplated retirement. Currently, this team looks very different from the past few seasons. Notable holdovers to mention are Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Aaron Donald. It may also sadly be their last year in LA as the Rams might trade them for future assets and begin anew.

San Francisco 49ers: Who Will Be The Starting Quarterback?

Brock Purdy, Trey Lance, and Sam Darnold all hold the key to the future of the 49ers. One of them will be the starting QB and it will affect how the team goes. Purdy had a successful surgery to fix his elbow after injuring it against the Eagles. He was the starter to end last season and he looked perfect for the role. Trey Lance was the Week 1 starter last season but he had a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. His performance was Incomplete because it was just his first few starts. Sam Darnold has been a disappointment as a former top 3 pick. He has the most experience but I don’t think he’s starting QB material anymore. The 49ers have a difficult choice with everything they have. The right move can put them among the favorites to win the Superbowl. The wrong move will waste another season for this talented team.

Seattle Seahawks: How Far Can Geno Smith Lead This Team?

The Seahawks were the surprise of the season when Geno Smith led the team to the playoffs after many projected them to be the worst team in the division. It wasn’t just Geno that made all the difference. The Seahawks had a draft where multiple rookies played like veterans. Kenneth Walker, Coby Bryant, and Tariq Woolen led the way for the rookies and they all played a major part in Seattle’s rise. Now, they retooled and have a chance to win the division. Signing Devin Bush and Bobby Wagner improved the defense while drafting Jaxson Smith-Njigba gives them an elite WR trio. If Geno can even play better than last year, Seattle is a team to watch out for in the NFC.

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By: Jake Rajala

The 34-year-old Matthew Stafford has thrown for 5,000+ passing yards in a single season & he recently became a world champion for the first time in his career. However, his 2022 campaign has told a different tale of his abilities. The former first-overall pick in 2009 has thrown five touchdowns to seven interceptions (tied with Matty Ice for the most in the league). Furthermore, he has led his reigning Super Bowl squad to a very disappointing 2-3 record on the season. With that enunciated, I can’t help but ask the pivotal question surrounding the Rams QB: Is Matthew Stafford overrated?

Contrary to die-hard Georgia fans, I honestly do believe that Stafford is overrated right now. I have to give props for Stafford being a stat machine in the Lions offense, especially because Megatron was often Stafford’s only hope in his Detroit tenure. Of course, he arguably solidified his case in the Hall of Fame with a victory against the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. However, he can’t lay down in a 2022 season where Aaron Donald and Sean McVay are un-retired.

Stafford hasn’t only been a stain in the face of the football gods in 2022 overall, but he hasn’t mustered out one quality showcase this season. The Rams QB1 has only thrown more than one touchdown in one game this season & in that same match-up, he unleashed two interceptions. Unfortunately, he’s struggled against divisional foes (Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers), who will certainly lick their chops against him in their battles in the future. Stafford threw 0 touchdowns to 1 interception against the 49ers & 0 touchdowns to 0 ints against the Cardinals (regardless of his porous pass protection).

If Stafford continues to look like his rookie self, I sincerely hope that Tupac doesn’t roll over in his grave. I don’t anticipate that McVay will flip to Rams QB2 John Wolford within the next few weeks, but It’s not a debate that the Rams will be looking closer at QB prospects in the 2023 draft for long-term plans. Kenneth Arthur of Turf Show Times nicely pointed out that it may be wise for LA to even draft a QB in 2023. Stafford has gifted arm talent, a head coach that is similar to the energizer bunny, and likely the keys to the offense for this season. Yet, it’s still safe to say that he’s vastly underperforming, he isn’t on pace to win his first MVP ring outside of the Lions building, and he may not be Rams genuine franchise QB beyond 2022.

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By: Andy Davies

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

When the Denver Broncos fired head coach Vic Fangio, it was deemed that they were just a quarterback away from being contenders.

And then the Broncos made moves. Nathaniel Hackett was hired, after a spell as the Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator. Not long after that appointment, the team went big in their search for a new quarterback. They traded a 2022 and 2023 first-round and second-round pick as well as a fifth round from this year and gave away Drew Lock, Noah Fant and Shelby Harris in exchange for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and a fourth-round pick.

This was supposed to be the answer. However, so far it has been far from that.

The Broncos have lost their last two games and currently sit at 2-3 after their first five games with their new head coach and quarterback duo. Neither has set the world alight.

In five starts, Wilson has thrown for 1,254 yards, just four touchdowns and three interceptions. This would have projected to finish the season with 4,264 yards, 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Whilst those projected yards would actually be a career best, it would be an all-time career low in touchdown passes, six less than his current worst in 2014. He would only have four seasons with more interceptions than nine. 

Russell Wilson is said to have requested the trade, and many felt Pete Carroll’s run-first offense was holding him back. However, all Wilson has shown us in 2022 is that perhaps Carroll was doing this for a reason.

Against the Colts, Wilson threw an awful interception and despite having 274 passing yards, he threw for zero touchdowns and two interceptions. With the exception of one great run and one great pass, Russ had no moments of excellence. He was incapable of getting it done in the red zone, seemed to force his passes to his target men, and often missed several open receivers.

Hackett came in as an offensive guy, one that worked with the current back-to-back MVP. Russ was meant to be allowed to cook, presumably one of the reasons if not the main one for Wilson agreeing to join the Broncos. With Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and Tim Patrick, he was not short of receiving options. Patrick may have suffered a season-ending injury prior to Week One, but the team still has K.J. Hamler and Albert Okwuegbunam.

His ability to just throw it without properly looking through his reads may have been disguised in recent years due to D.K. Metcalf being the closest thing to Calvin Johnson we have seen since the Hall of Famer retired. Neither Jeudy, Sutton and Hamler have the strength and hands of Metcalf. 

Hackett deserves some portion of the blame, with his questionable play calling and poor time management. He could well be one and done as a head coach for the Broncos. His time so far reminiscent of Adam Gase, a star quarterback glossing over coaching deficiencies. However, he is not the one out there missing open players, making bad throws, and seeming scared to get hit. So far, Wilson looks to have made no difference. With the number of draft picks given up and the long term multi-million-dollar extension given to him, this trade so far looks to be one the team may regret.

Let’s not forget that Wilson still has to play the Chargers and Chiefs each twice.

Granted, a new head coach who actually knows what they are doing may be the difference they need and not every quarterback can do what Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford did on new teams.

Despite this, should Wilson play like this for the rest of 2022 and beyond this trade could be one that potentially affects the team long-term.

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By: Jake Rajala

The mega-arm quarterback under the wiz Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, is undoubtedly coming off his best single season in 2021. The former Detroit Lions first-overall pick in 2009 registered 4,886 passing yards, 41 passing touchdowns, a 67.2 completion percentage, and an impressive 12-5 record. Most importantly, Stafford was a madman in the recent playoff gauntlet by unleashing 1,188 passing yards, an 70% completion percentage, 9 passing touchdowns to three interceptions, and securing the victory in Super Bowl LVI. It’s safe to say that emperor McVay’s plan of bringing in the highly gifted QB that was underperforming in Detroit to flourish in his scheme went as expected.

It’s clear that Stafford was a magical (and somewhat turnover-prone) QB and it’s widely known that he’s found success in previous chapters of his career. With that said, there is a fascinating, grand question surrounding the Rams QB: Is Stafford a future Hall of Famer?

The answer to my prior question is honestly a yes. It may seem bright in a contradictive way to slam the door on Stafford’s HOF chances after he finally won a Super Bowl ring, but I believe the combination of his 2022 overall campaign & his past career-high moments should eventually cement him to garner a gold jacket if he retired today. Of course, I fully expect Stafford to have many more unearhtly moments with the Rams and be a slam-dunk HOFer.

I anticipate that the former UDFA QB Tony Romo (who is a beloved NFL Analyst for CBS) will land in football paradise. I really like how Stafford compares to Romo. The former Boys QB and current Rams signal-caller have both had six seasons of 26+ passing touchdowns. They both have had a couple of unusually productive seasons. Romo ousted 34 passing TDs to 9 ints with a 69.9 completion percentage in 2014. Of course, Stafford was on another level with Megatron in 2011 by throwing 5,038 passing yards and 41 touchdowns (although, he did toss 16 ints).

I believe it’s safe to acknowledge that Romo has been slightly more impressive than Stafford in the regular season. He sits at ninth all-time in passer rating, while Stafford is 22nd in that category. Nonetheless, Romo doesn’t have a Lombardi trophy in his closet (while Stafford does have an SB ring). Hence, Stafford’s playoff success and regular season stats should place him with similar respect as the trustworthy “regular-season Joe Montana” at this point.

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By: Brock Wells

There’s a clear path for Matthew Stafford to win the NFL’s MVP award in 2022. Coming off the Super Bowl season of last year, he’s going to be more comfortable in his role as the Los Angeles Rams’ quarterback in year two. There’s also precedent for this as he was putting up MVP-caliber numbers last season up to a certain point in the year. He threw for 4,886 yards last season and 41 passing touchdowns, but the flipside of this was that his 17 interceptions led the NFL.

1

For Stafford, Cooper Kupp is key number one to getting himself in a position to win MVP in 2022. Kupp was arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL last season and figures to be so once again this season. His 145 receptions led the league last season, as did his 1,947 receiving yards, and his 114.5 receiving yards per game. To replicate these numbers is to ensure Stafford puts up similar numbers to last season.

Stafford and Kupp were one of the NFL’s most dangerous duos last season and a big part of the reason Stafford was getting early season looks for MVP.

2

Another key will be for Stafford to stay consistent throughout the season and cut down on the interceptions. He was an MVP-like trajectory last season early on before he started to throw a number of interceptions. Some of this may have come down to the fact that he was still a bit unsure in the Rams system after having spent the entirety of his career with the Detroit Lions. Leading the NFL in interceptions isn’t going to win you the MVP.

3

To help Stafford’s case for MVP, the Rams are also going to need to replicate the success they had last season, or even improve upon it in the regular season. The team went 12-5 last season, which was good enough to win the NFC West by a game over the Arizona Cardinals. But a decrease in interceptions likely translates to a similar 12-5 outing, if not a game or two better over the course of the season.

Can the Rams hold off a 49ers team that’s getting a lot of hype and a Cardinals team that’s likely better than people expect again this season?

Stafford vs. Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers has won the MVP the last two NFL seasons. Stafford had more passing yards and passing touchdowns than Rodgers last season, but Rodgers threw just four interceptions.

• Rodgers: 4,115 yards, 37 touchdowns, 111.9 passer rating
• Stafford: 4,886 yards, 41 touchdowns, 102.9 passer rating

The Packers went 13-3 in the 16 games Rodgers started last season. If Stafford can cut down on interceptions, that increases his passer rating overall. In addition to this, he’s going to want to keep a consistent level of passing touchdowns throughout the season, maybe pushing that number up to 45. If he does this, and the Rams do well as a team again, he’s going to be right in the thick of things in the race for the NFL MVP award.

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