'MNF' best bets: Can Rodgers and the Jets handle Buffalo?

That first Monday-after-sitting-on-your-couch-all-day Sunday feels good, don't you think? It felt damn good to take in all the action yesterday, we have some reactions and notes down below the fold.

Week 1 ain't over yet. We head back to MetLife tonight (please be a better game) to take in the Bills and Jets.

Buffalo is getting slept on

You know what we noticed yesterday? A lot of really sloppy football. Quarterbacks in new places and new offensive schemes/coaching staffs led to some ugly plays and tighter-than-expected games. 

The Jets are getting the buzz this offseason, and we are bought in for the full season. However, with a new QB and new offensive coordinator, plus rumors of a struggling offensive line, it shouldn't come as a surprise if tonight isn't the Jets' best performance.

Buffalo, meanwhile, brings back all of their most important contributors on offense, plus one of the NFL's best defenses. Josh Allen still has his OC, and he's beaten New York in five of his last six meetings.

We're guilty of this sometimes too, but you might tend to gravitate toward the shiny new objects in the NFL and cast aside the stable teams who haven't been able to bring home a Super Bowl and gain your trust. That latter bucket is most definitely the Buffalo Bills. This is a team that was the Super Bowl favorite last season, and they're very much still a team that can make it through this conference.

We expect them to show why, playing cleaner and crisper football tonight. We get a nice price here, a field-goal win will do the trick.

Betting: Buffalo -2

In the news ...

Knee-jerk reactions to NFL Week 1 — How great did it feel to sit back and take in a full NFL Sunday? Highlights included the roast pork sandwich this writer made and his six-pack of hazy IPAs. Oh, the action? Well, let's overreact. The Niners and Cowboys both look dominant. San Fran jumped Philly and is now the favorite to advance to the Super Bowl out of the NFC at +225. Dallas is still behind the Eagles, +500 to reach the Super Bowl. Elsewhere, Tua Tagovailoa and Miami looked downright explosive; they're currently +850 to make the Super Bowl and Tua is the current favorite to win MVP at +700. Joe Burrow and the Bengals looked bad. The most expensive man in football didn't even throw for 100 yards. Cincy is now +245 to win the AFC North behind both Baltimore and Cleveland.

Do the Vikings and Seahawks stink? They both lost to teams we thought really stunk, so now we're confused. Minnesota is -300 to miss the playoffs and Seattle is -285. Now seems like the time to buy the dip on the Seahawks and grab that +225 price on them returning to the playoffs. Jordan Love and Green Bay rolled Chicago. How unfair would it be if the Packers just seamlessly transitioned to a third-straight franchise QB? The Packers are -130 to make the playoffs and Love is +4500 to win NFL MVP.

Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff take U.S. Open titles — Coco Gauff won her first Grand Slam title at just 19 years old, taking down Aryna Sabalenka in three sets on Saturday. Novak Djokovic followed it up with a straight-set win on Sunday over Daniil Medvedev, his 24th Grand Slam title.

Texas takes down Alabama to headline College Football weekend — The premier matchup of the college slate was in Tuscaloosa between Texas and Alabama, and the Longhorns made a statement, winning 34-24. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers saw his Heisman odds go from +2200 to +1000, and Texas is now fourth on the board to win the national championship at +1100, behind Georgia, Michigan and Ohio State. Elsewhere, Colorado continues to electrify, easily smashing Nebraska. The Buffaloes are now ranked No. 18 in the country.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll. For more content to help fuel your betting picks, follow him on Substack: griffybets.substack.com.