5 NFL Tips for the Weekend - 19/09/21

Two rookie quarterbacks will battle it out this weekend at the Metlife Stadium, as Zach Wilson meets Mac Jones when the New England Patriots play host to the New York Jets.

Jones may not have won on his NFL debut, but his first appearance certainly caught the eye, because in what was a precise performance from the 23-year-old, Jones managed to complete more than 74% of his passes. To put this in perspective, this was an NFL record for a rookie on his debut and just the sign the Patriots were looking for towards the future.

As for the second overall pick Zach Wilson, it was a hit-and-miss debut as the Jets took on the Carolina Panthers, throwing for more than 250 yards and picking up a pair of touchdowns, however it wasn't enough to get the win. The Panthers did also manage six sacks here, topping off a topsy-turvy debut for Wilson.

To make matters worse, offensive tackler, Mekhi Becton, came off injured which may leave Wilson even more vulnerable than he was against the Panthers.

In reality, Wilson will be running all evening in Boston, and no rookie in his second professional game can be expected to run an offense under those circumstances. Ultimately, as long as Mac Jones can keep up his consistency, it should be a relatively easy one here.

It was a memorable week for Teddy Bridgewater and the Denver Broncos as he starred in the win over the New York Giants, with Von Miller also having a fabulous match in offence.

Bridgewater smashed around the Giants' defense for 264 yards and threw just eight incomplete passes, and given the form of the two stars early on, we don't see how much changes here.

On the other hand, once again, the Jaguars were dreadful week one. There were some positives to be taken, however, as Trevor Lawrence bagged three touchdowns, while the first overall draft pick also threw three interceptions on what was his debut.

Moreover, a real problem for them is the Jags’ defense. Along with 449 total yards, the AFC South outfit shipped 37 points last Sunday against a Texans team that not much is expected of this season. This means it's now been more than a year since Jacksonville last conceded fewer than 24 points in a regular-season contest, which is incredibly worrying for fans.

As a result, the Broncos should rack up a bit of a scoreline here.

Similar to last season, the Arizona Cardinals are expected to have a positive start to the season, especially after beating the Tennessee Titans last time out 38-13. On the other hand, the Minnesota Vikings were mediocre in their first match of the season as they lost to the underdog on the day, the Cincinnati Bengals, in an overtime play.

The Cardinals had it quite easy last time around, as they eased in points against the Titans, whilst with five sacks to his name, Chandler Jones, also impressed. Elsewhere, along with four passing touchdowns, Kyler Murray dashed into the end zone in week one and remains a consistent threat whenever the Cardinals are near the 20-yard line.

Danielle Hunter did impress for the Vikings, however, but they struggled against a Bengals run-attack last week, where they conceded 149 yards and a touchdown, which no doubt favours Murray on Sunday.

Rookie, Ja’Marr Chase, took them for 100 yards and scored a touchdown on his first NFL start, despite Joe Burrow throwing under pressure for most of the game and we think the Cardinals should get the job done here.

The reigning AFC champions have four straight wins over their Conference rivals dating back to 2015, and only one of those was close, as the Kansas City Chiefs travel to the Baltimore Ravens' home turf once more.

The Chiefs have won by an aggregate margin of 120-94 over their conference foes, and it's unlikely they can close this margin on Monday, because not only did the Ravens lose as the favourites in overtime last Monday, they looked poor as they lost to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Injuries are also halting progression in their backfield, and given how the Ravens struggled to run the ball with any consistency against the Raiders, it's fair to say the Chiefs are the favourites here. Lamar Jackson's offensive line also failed him last time around, and with no immediate improvement likely, the Maryland side may struggle again.

The defence also conceded 491 yards and allowed Derek Carr to end week one as the NFL’s leading passer - another dreadful statistic for them to mull over.