Fifth Down

3 weeks down and 15 to go. My Chiefs finally won a game. So that’s good. Let’s see how they and the other 31 teams measure up in the most accurate and respected rankings in the industry. (Spoiler alert, I am not actually in the industry).

Somehow are getting worse: Saints, Titans, Giants

All these teams have been bad this year but were even worse this week. Russ was so bad for the Giants that he is already benched after 3 weeks into the season. I guess he can now say “Let’s Ride…the bench.”

One of these teams is going to win in Week 4: Jets, Dolphins

Don’t forget to tune in Monday next week when these two disaster teams play each other. How many more games do the Dolphins have to lose before they fire their coach? I’m saying two more.

NFC South Pretenders: Panthers, Falcons

Both of these teams were supposed to be ready to challenge the Bucs in the South but right now it appears they can’t challenge anyone besides themselves.

No D Dallas: Cowboys

Is your quarterback struggling? Don’t worry, I have the perfect prescription. Playing the Dallas Cowboys

Had a good week but still suck: Browns, Bears

Both these team won, the Browns with the upset over the Packers who were talking about going undefeated. The Bears had an offensive explosion but it was against the Cowboys.

Best 0-3 team: Texans

They aren’t as bad as the teams above them but I am starting to think they aren’t good.

Burrowlessly bad: Bengals

Woof. This team is not good with Burrow. They are really bad without him.

Teams that are just “eh”: Raiders, Patriots, Steelers

None of these teams are terrible. They just all have issues and none of them are that exciting.

2-1 teams that I don’t think I believe in: Vikings, Jaguars

Vikings are a roller coaster and I’m not putting a lot of weight in the fact that they crushed the Burrowless Bengals. And then you have the Jaguars who lost to the Burrowless Bengals.

1-2 teams I think I believe in: Broncos, Chiefs, Ravens

The Broncos D is legit. Bo Nix has been shaky. But I think they will make the playoffs. The Chiefs look awful but they are the Chiefs so I think they will turn it around. The Ravens will beat themselves but not until the playoffs. They looked very upset during the Lions game and the vibe doesn’t seem great but their division sucks. So they will be alright.

Indiana Jones and the undefeated season: Colts

The Colts are undefeated being led by Daniel Jones just like we all predicted.

The NFC West: 49ers, Seahawks, Cardinals and Rams

I know the 49ers are undefeated but they are dropping players due to injury left and right. All the other teams are 2-1 and pretty good but not great.

NFC Super Bowl Contenders: Packers, Commanders and Lions

The Packers played terrible last week but they are still good. Commanders need to get Jayden Daniels back but when they do they will be in the mix. The Lions have been awesome the last two weeks and seem to be back to their dominating ways.

Bake show is still Baking: Bucs

Sure, they have sort of been scraping by but they find ways to win and I love Baker. They are probably overrated here but they are 3-0 and have a chance to knock off the champs this week.

September AFC West Champs: Chargers

Hey credit to where credit goes. The Chargers look tough. They also oddly started the first 3 weeks playing all their divisional rivals. I am still confident that the Chargers will charger it up. But right now they are a top team.

AFC home field advantage: Bills

The Bills are awesome and their schedule is easy. I don’t see a mathematical way that the Bills don’t have home field advantage come January. Now what they do with it is yet to be seen.

The new Chiefs: Eagles

The Eagles are winning in weird ways. Week 1 the other team’s best player can’t catch. Week 2, a hall of fame tight end drops a pass that they catch and then this past week they block 2 field goals. Along the way there is officiating controversy since they often false start on the tush push and people are getting pissy about it. Odd ways of winning, grinding out victories, and supposed “ref help”. Sure sounds like last year’s Chiefs to me. But they are still the champs and yet to get knocked off.

It’s already week 3. The season is already flying by. Is this the week someone finally beats the Eagles? Is this the week the Chiefs finally win a game? Which fan base has more fans at the Broncos @ Chargers game? How bad is Carson Wentz? Find out all that and more in this week’s Five for Friday!

Battle of the back up Quarterbacks: Bengals @ Vikings

Shockingly to no one, Joe Burrow is hurt…again. The offensive line is not good. So in steps Jake Browning. It’s not his first rodeo as he went 4-3 as a starter back in 2023. Of course the defense was a little more competitive back then and surely the offensive line wasn’t worse. But despite throwing 3 interceptions last week, he still led a comeback victory. The Bengals are 2-0 but it’s been a very shaky 2-0. Meanwhile the Vikings have a great team with a great coach. But they have a glaring issue at the Quarterback position. JJ McCarthy has played one really good quarter and 7 terrible quarters in 2 games. Now he is hurt I guess. But it is hard to think that a back up quarterback will be a step down. Enter Carson Wentz to prove me wrong. Wentz hasn’t been great since like 2018. He hasn’t been good since 2020 and he hasn’t started a meaningful game since 2021. But here he is. Playing for a great team and a great coach. I trust Jake Browning more than I trust Wentz. But I trust the rest of the Vikings way more than I do the rest of the Bengals. Plus the Vikings are at home.

Vikings 24 Bengals 20

Rematch of the last hard game the Eagles played: Rams @ Eagles

The Eagles squeaked by the Chiefs last week so we could call that a hard game, I guess. But they were in control most of the game thanks to a Travis Kelce drop. The Eagles sailed through the playoffs last year except for the game against the Rams. The Rams were able to match their physicality and are able to grind out games themselves. Matt Stafford is an experienced quarterback who can read defenses and make smart decisions. The Rams are a couple of bad plays from making the NFC championship. The Eagles on the other hand haven’t looked great through 2 weeks but have found ways to win and certainly have the talent to go 3-0. The other story here is the tush push that fell under heavy scrutiny when Tom Brady pointed out multiple false starts and illegal alignments on the play. If the GOAT says it, people listen. I think they will get a couple of penalties on that play this week. Both these teams are going to be in the hunt in the end but give me the Rams in an upset on the road.

Rams 27 Eagles 24

Battle of the preseason AFC West Champs: Broncos @ Chargers

All the talking heads were picking one of these two teams to win the AFC West. Right now they are all gloating saying the Chiefs are done. While I am not so sure about that, their bad start has certainly made things more interesting. The Chargers beat the Chiefs and then dominated a bad Raiders team. The Broncos beat a bad Titans team with a rookie quarterback starting for the first time and then lost to a Colts team no one saw coming because of an odd and silly penalty on a 60 yard field goal. While we can debate whether it should have been called or not, we should also be asking why the heck you are using the center for leverage on a 60 yard field goal to begin with. The great news for the Broncos is that this will basically be a home game for them. The Chargers may be good but they still don’t have any fans and Broncos fans tend to travel well. Bo Nix played better last week but still made a few crucial errors. Meanwhile Justin Herbert has been playing at an MVP level. I’m sure he will choke when it matters but week 3 isn’t that time. Give me the Chargers to pull off the sweep of AFC West opponents to start the season. Also, who made this schedule? I’ve never seen one team play all of their divisional opponents in a row to start a season.

Chargers 20 Broncos 12

Curtain Closing On Broadway?: Chiefs @ Giants

The Chiefs are 0-2 and have lost 3 in a row dating back to the Super Bowl. They haven’t looked especially great on either side of the ball. The Suspension to Rice and injury to Worthy have not helped things. But regardless, we cannot run the ball at all, Kelce keeps dropping touchdowns and Pat can’t hit wide open guys running deep. The defense performed better last week but that may have had more to do with the Eagles refusal to throw the ball down the field. We will find out if we fixed the secondary this week because we know Russ will chuck it down there. It would also be nice if the Chiefs could get pressure without blitzing everyone and if our quarterback wasn’t our leading rusher. There are lots of people that are calling it the end of the dynasty and that the Chiefs are done. Losing to the Giants would sure make that seem true. The Giants will be ready and excited to play at home for the first time hoping to throw the knock out punch. I started to even doubt myself. I thought maybe this is the curtain call on my beloved Chiefs. But then I thought of something last night, and I fell fast asleep. And that thought was this. The Giants suck. They didn’t score a td against the Commanders and lost to the Cowboys who aren’t good either. Also, Broadway is in New York and the Giants are in New Jersey.

Chiefs 31 Giants 17

Dirty D vs Bloody B: Lions @ Ravens

These are two pretty terrible towns. I mean there are some nice areas around both places and the stadium isn’t actually in Baltimore but these are some dangerous cities. They are also some dangerous offenses as both of these teams can put up some points. This one will be outside where Jared Goff is historically not as good. It’s hard to get a read on the Lions in general as they blew out the Bears who are terrible but couldn’t do anything against the Packers who are good. The Ravens beat themselves against the Bills and then took care of the Browns at home. If the Lions can keep it close, I like their chances because the Ravens can find a way to lose. But that pesky Lamar Jackson is hard to stop. This should be a fun, back and forth shoot out. I think the Lions are good but not great so give me the Ravens by a td.

Ravens 38 Lions 31

We are two weeks into fantasy football season and all my teams are 1-1. I still feel good about two of them but I think my family league team is in trouble. Many of you may be 2-0, 0-2 or 1-1 like me. It’s still early but here are some signs that your fantasy team probably sucks. And even if they don’t suck now, here are some signs to look out for.

10. More players landed on IR than scored points for you last week.

We’ve all had that team over the seasons that no matter what you do everyone keeps getting hurt. If your fantasy team resembles the 49ers you are probably in trouble.

9. You seem to play everyone on their best week.

I put up 140 points in one league and still lost by 20. A couple of years ago I was second in points but finished 9th. We don’t really have much control in fantasy football but sometimes you have no control.

8. Your number 1 receiver is AJ Brown.

AJ is a talented guy but they refuse to throw him the ball and when they do, they don’t throw it farther than 5 or 10 yards. He doesn’t even get to be apart of the tush push. Poor guy.

7. You drafted Joe Burrow and forgot he was made of glass.

Burrow is an awesome fantasy quarterback…when he plays. The problem is he only plays every other year.

6. All your running backs are handcuffs.

For those of you who don’t know the fantasy football lingo, a handcuff is when you draft or pick up a player who won’t score you a lot of fantasy points unless the starter gets hurt. The handcuff is you are prepared for this injury or prepared to take advantage of the injury with a solid player who doesn’t start. You typically want to have 2 or 3 good starting running backs and then maybe 1 or 2 handcuff running backs. Some examples of a good handcuff at running back are Zach Charbonnet, Treyvon Henderson, Trey Benson and Ollie Gordon. These also happen to be 4 of my 5 running backs in my family league.

5. You drafted too many rookies.

The saying goes, every year a rookie or two will win you a championship. You took this too serious and now have 10 rookies on your team. It is not going well.

4. You have multiple kickers.

If there is a kicker on your bench, this might not be the game for you.

3. You thought auto drafting continued with the waiver wire throughout the season.

Auto drafting is not a terrible strategy. The problem is that most auto drafters are also not active during the season. If you roll with the 15 or so players that the system told you to draft then you are likely not to have a good year. Joe Mixon and Justin Tucker are not going to help you win much this year.

2. You’re a homer but your home team stinks.

You just couldn’t turn down drafting that 3rd string running back or 4th receiver from your favorite team in the 8th round and you nabbed your teams kicker and defense in the 5th and 6th round. So now you have extra reasons to be upset because not only does your favorite team suck but so does your fantasy team.

1. It’s week 3 and you are just now realizing you are in a fantasy league.

You ignored the multiple texts and emails about the draft. Your commissioner asked for your payment via PayPal back in July and you are just now realizing that you are 0-2 and basically out $50 and your only goal now is to avoid the last place punishment.

Joking aside, I wish you all the best of luck in your leagues this year. Unless you play in my leagues then I hope your team is made up of injuries, handcuffs and homer picks.

2 weeks down, 16 to go. Here are the always serious and accurate Fifth-Down rankings going into week 3.

Our Coach is getting fired countdown: Dolphins

This team is a disaster. I have enjoyed having Mike McDaniel in my football life if nothing else for his press conferences. But it is obviously even he has given up after he dropped this quote after the game this week. “To win games you have to win the game, not lose the game, honestly. And that is how you lose the game.” I mean it’s like he isn’t even trying which I think at this point is accurate.

Rookie QB the least of their worries: Titans

Cam Ward has been far from awesome. But they also aren’t good at running with the ball or catching it or playing defense.

Not good but occasionally fun: Browns, Saints, Giants, Panthers, Bears and Jets

I have low expectations for all of these teams but I think that we are going to see some weeks where they get blown out and some occasions were they are competitive. But none of them are especially good.

Have issues that probably won’t get worked out: Raiders, Vikings, Cowboys and Steelers

Raiders are still gonna Raider. The Vikings don’t have a quarterback after all, the Cowboys can’t play defense and surprisingly the Steelers can’t play defense either.

Have issues that might get worked out: Patriots, Jaguars, Bengals and Seahawks

The Patriots are young but might get better. The Jags are competitive but have a Trevor Lawrence turnover problem. The Bengals can’t block and don’t have a quarterback. The Seahawks have a quarterback but it is Sam Darnold.

Have issues but will probably get them worked out: Chiefs and Texans

Both these teams are 0-2 so I can’t rank them any higher. But they have both lost to two good teams and both losses were close. I know the history of teams that started 0-2 is not good when it comes to making the playoffs but I am not giving up on these two teams yet. I think they still make the playoffs and win their divisions.

Might be good but I’m still skeptical: Cardinals, Colts, Falcons and 49ers

These 4 teams have all looked good at times but I need to see more before I am a believer. Plus it is only a matter of time before the rest of the 49ers get hurt.

Are good but not sure how good yet: Lions, Broncos, and Commanders

The Lions got blown out and then blew out a really bad team. The Broncos looked good on D in week 1 and Offense in week 2. One could assume they will probably put the two together at some point. The Commanders seem kind of shaky and Jayden Daniels is already banged up. Something seems a little off.

Real good…so far: Rams, Bucs and Chargers

All 3 teams have done great but…the Rams are a Matt Stafford injury away from being bad. The Bucs are running out of offensive lineman. And the Chargers are well…the Chargers so you figure they are going to screw this up at some point.

Super Bowl Contender until the games matter: Ravens

The Ravens are good, real good. Except when the games matter.

Actually Super Bowl Contenders: Packers and Bills

These two teams seem like the best teams in their conferences. But it is week 3, so who knows.

Still the false start champs: Eagles

Eagles are still real good and they are getting a “head start” on the new season. They aren’t afraid to cross the line to get a victory. They will push their way to victory even if it means breaking a few rules. I’m not making excuses for my Chiefs. The Eagles won the game. They are still the champs until they get beat.

I try to keep this blog and all my social media light and fun. Obviously this past week was tough in our country. There was another school shooting 13 miles from my house. Charlie Kirk was sadly murdered. Whether you agreed with him or not, free speech is important to our country and no one deserves to die for speaking their mind. And then we remembered 9/11. I was not in the mood to write funny things so it took me a few days to get here. But I also think laughter and thinking about meaningless things like football can be a healthy break from the tragedies of our world. If you aren’t ready for that, I understand but if you are, then read on as I present this week’s 6 for Saturday.

Battle of disappointing Cats: Jaguars @ Bengals

I am more of a dog person myself. If you have ever owned a cat, you know they are crazy. Most of them could care less about your existence and they can be staring at a wall and all of the sudden freak out and take off running. They can be rather disappointing pets. But that is not the cats I am talking about here. Back in the 2022 season, these cat teams were on the rise. The Jaguars one a playoff game and challenge the Chiefs in the second round. The Bengals went to the Super Bowl and had beaten the Chiefs 3 times in a row. But then they lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. Since then, the Bengals have not made it to the playoffs and have lost to the Chiefs 3 straight times. The Jaguars have been even worse and missed the playoffs both years as well and fired their coach. The Jags won their opening game against another disappointing cat team in the Panthers. The Bengals squeaked by an awful Browns team. Now these two teams with pretty boy quarterbacks face off in week 2. The Jags looked good but again they were playing the Panthers. The Bengals made a lot of changes to make sure they didn’t suck at the beginning of the season but still sucked in week 1. I don’t trust either of these teams at this point but give me the Jags since it is week 2 and the Bengals typically don’t start playing good ball until October.

Jaguars 24 Bengals 21

The Replacements: Browns @ the Former Browns (also known as the Ravens)

If you have been reading my blog over the past few years, you know I love to bring up the fact that the Ravens are actually the Browns and the current Browns are the expansion team. The Ravens were more than happy to give the Browns their old crappy history. But as of late, the Ravens look like the Browns I remember from the late 80s, a very good team that finds a way to rip defeat from the jaws of victory. This was evident this past week when they blew a big lead against the Bills. The Browns meanwhile had their own heartbreaking loss to the Bengals when their kicker missed an extra point and a field goal and lost by a point. The Browns are lead by their replacement quarterback, Shane Falco…I mean Joe Flacco. He’s been in the league for a while now and can still chuck it around the field. The Browns defense is pretty dang good and I think the Browns might not be quite as bad as I expected which doesn’t take a lot. But they are still the Browns and have a lot of self inflicted wounds. Meanwhile, the Ravens lost in heartbreaking fashion in week 1 last year and turned around and lost a terrible Raiders team at home in week 2. Will history repeat itself this week? Vegas doesn’t think so as it is the biggest spread of the week. I can’t see the Ravens losing this one, but I will laugh if they do. But if it is close, either of these teams could find a way to lose.

Ravens 31 Browns 17

Bo knows turnovers: Broncos @ Colts

Both these teams are 1-0 after the Broncos edged out the Titans lead by a rookie quarterback and the Colts blew out a bad Dolphins team. This will be a bigger challenge for both teams. The Colts led by Daniel Jones of all people looked awesome. The Colts d is solid and their offensive weapons are solid. They just need some pretty good play at the quarterback position. Danny Dimes led them to scores on every single drive last week. However, he faces a much bigger challenge this week against a very good Broncos defense. The Broncos D basically won the game as they shut down every attempt the Titans made to make a come back. However, Bo Nix did not look good. I expected much more from him to start season 2 but he made a lot of mistakes and forced balls where he didn’t need to and threw to the wrong people often. Will he bounce back this week? I predicted the Broncos would go undefeated in September so I am rolling with them but if Bo plays like he did last week, it will be tough for them to pull it off. But also don’t expect Daniel Jones to play as well as he did last week against this Broncos defense.

Broncos 23 Colts 16

Super Bowl Rematch…minus some guys: Eagles @ Chiefs

As a Chiefs fan, I am just trying to forget last season’s Super Bowl. Unfortunately this week that has been hard to do. To make matters worse, Rashee Rice is suspended and Xavier Worthy is hurt. However, I am more worried about the defense after Justin Herbert carved them up last week. The Eagles will be without one of their offensive lineman and their tight end, Dallas Goedert. That evens the playing field a little but the Eagles are still the better team. We are going to need Mahomes magic to pull this one off. If anyone can do it, it is Pat. He has literally never lost 3 games in a row and never started the season 0-2. I will be doing my part to try to help by busting out my Mahomes jersey that I only wear for special and big games. But I fear it won’t be enough. But don’t fret fellow Chiefs fans, I told you it was going to be a rough start to the year but things will get better. Just not this week.

Eagles 31 Chiefs 20

The future is bright game: Falcons @ Vikings

Both these teams have quarterbacks that the franchises have a lot of hope in. Michael Pennix played a heck of game last week and got the Falcons in position to win the game until their kicker missed the game winner. The coach is so upset about it that the kicker is now benched and they got a new one. JJ McCarthy played fairly awful for 3 quarters but then turned it on in the 4th and led the Vikings back to victory. You can tell his team and his coach, quarterback whisperer Kevin O’Connell believe in him. JJ’s wife also had a kid this week so he has had a busy few days. This should be a fun one. I like what the Falcons are building and I think they will have some success offensively. I’m interested to see if we will get a little more 4th quarter JJ this week and a little less of the JJ we saw for the first 3 quarters last week. Ultimately I’m going with the home team with the better defense to pull off a close victory.

Vikings 24 Falcons 20

Battle of the lack of fan bases: Chargers @ Raiders

The winner of this one will be a top the AFC West division. The Chargers can move to 2-0 in the division. It has to be some sort of oddity to start the season with 3 divisional opponents in the first 3 weeks. But if they can win all 3 they can take a strong hold on the division. The Raiders kicked off their season with a win against the Patriots but we don’t really know if the Patriots are any good. Typically the Raiders home games are filled with a bunch of fans from the other team. But luckily for the Raiders, the Chargers don’t have any fans. The Raiders don’t have a ton either but this should be a mostly home game for them. Unfortunately, I just don’t think the Raiders are actually that good. The Chargers impressed me last week and I think they will keep it rolling. I am sure the Chargers will fold at some point this season because you know…they are the Chargers but I think they will pull off the victory here.

Chargers 31 Raiders 21

Week 1 is in the books and now we move on to week 2. To get you ready for the week, here are Fifth-Down’s very official and technical rankings.

Dumpster Fire: Dolphins

Woof, they looked bad. I mean I was higher on the Colts coming in to the season than most people but when you can’t stop Daniel Jones from scoring one time and you have Achane, Hill and Waddle and only score 8 points, you got problems.

Suck a little less than I thought: Saints and Browns

Both of these teams put up more of a fight than I thought they would. Although this could just be because the teams they were playing aren’t that good either.

Suck more than I thought they would: Giants and Panthers

Both of these teams couldn’t do anything offensively and they weren’t playing the toughest defenses in the league either.

Not the start they were hoping for: Titans, Seahawks, Patriots, Texans and Bears

These teams had high hopes coming into the season but all fell short. The Titans couldn’t move the ball at all. Sam Darnold looked like Sam Darnold from 2022 instead of 2024. And the Patriots were competitive but also didn’t look great for most of the game. I’m sure the Texans will move up the list soon but they looked pretty awful scoring only 9 points yesterday. And finally the Bears gave up a 11 point lead in the fourth quarter to a QB making his first start on the road who had only thrown for 56 yards and a pick 6 in the first 3 quarters.

Happy they won a game….any game: Raiders, Cardinals, Bengals, Colts, Jags

The Raiders and Cardinals have been perennial losers so they are just happy to beat anyone. The Bengals never win in September and almost always lose the first game. They did things differently this preseason to try and get off to a fast start but it didn’t seem to help as they needed to get bailed out by just some awful kicking by the Browns kicker. The Colts should be happy anytime they win a game with Daniel Jones at quarterback. And the Jags have been a disaster for a while but looked like a functional football team again.

Good looking losers: Cowboys, Jets and Falcons

Dallas looked way better than I thought they would. Sure they were helped out by the best Eagles defensive player getting kicked out for spitting but still. If Cedee Lamb had put on some new gloves they might have won that game. The Jets tore it up offensively but just couldn’t stop some old guy from slinging it around. And the Falcons had a chance to tie to send the game to over time and got in position but the kicker just missed the kick. But certainly all of these teams enter into next week with some hope.

Bad looking winners: Broncos, Rams, 49ers

All 3 looked good defensively but offensively they were up and down at best. Bo Nix and Brock Purdy didn’t look great. Bo especially looked pretty shaky. Stafford and the Rams did just enough which is fine. A win is a win and stuff. I think all 3 will be fine but they still got work to do.

Old, Bitter man gets revenge: Steelers

While the defense looked shaky, old man Rodgers looked great going 22 for 30 for 244 yards and 4 touchdowns. Aaron after the game said he was happy to beat anyone associated with the Jets. I guess they don’t teach you not to be petty in that cave.

Lost but they’ll be fine: Lions and Chiefs

The Chiefs looked better than the Lions but both teams have some defensive issues. I suspect the Lions will bounce back offensively this week but I think both teams are in for a rough few weeks. They have the culture and coaching to figure it out and be competitive when it matters most though.

A win is a win…even against the Giants: Commanders

The Commanders looked fine. They weren’t spectacular but they didn’t have to be. It’s encouraging that the defense only gave up 6 points but Russ was playing quarterback for the opposing team so hard to read too much into it.

I mean…: Ravens

Only the Ravens could lose that game. I saw this interesting fact on twitter last night. Teams that score 40 or more points and rush for 235 yards or more were 277-0 in the history of the NFL. They are now 277-1.

Cardiac kids: Bucs, Bills and Vikings

These teams had to come back to win. The Bucs scored the winning td with less than a minute to go but then went on to miss the extra point to keep a 3 point game. They needed the Falcons to miss a fg to win. The Bills needed a fg as time expired to complete their insane comeback. Both games were fun to watch…unless you are Falcons or Ravens fan. And finally the Vikings. It took them a while to get going but at this point I think Kevin O’Connell could have me play quarterback and win some games.

Super Bowl Pretenders: Chargers and Packers

These two teams looked great beating teams that many thought would be in the hunt for a championship. I’m not saying they aren’t both good and actual contenders, but they are going to be so massively hyped this week that we should probably just put the brakes on a little and see where they are in a few weeks.

Still the Champs: Eagles

The Eagles took the Cowboys best shots and survived. They are still the team to beat. Either that or some Philly fans threatened Cedee Lamb’s life. My guess is a little of both.

Well, I had high hopes to get Five for Friday done but alas, my job and real life got in the way. Plus I had to watch my Chiefs lose in a foreign country while our second best receiver got hurt and is out indefinitely. You remember that time that Mahomes had all his weapons available at the same time? Me neither. But in good news for you, now you get predictions for six games instead of 5. Let’s do this.

Breaking up is hard to do: Steelers @ Jets

While I don’t think this will be an enjoyable game to watch, it is an interesting storyline with the teams trading quarterbacks. Last year, Aaron Rodgers was the great hope that didn’t come through in New York…well really New Jersey. Meanwhile, Justin Fields went 4-2 in 6 starts for the Steelers and his reward was getting benched. Now Fields is in New Jersey and Aaron is in Pittsburgh. All reports say that Fields still can’t throw but the team is less of a disaster overall. And in Pitt, it seems that if anyone can deal with Rodgers shenanigans it would be Mike Tomlin who is hell bent on winning 9-10 games for the next 20 years. I expect lots of throws to DK Metcalf by Rodgers as he typically only throws to one guy and the Steelers set him up for success by literally not giving him anyone else to throw to. And I expect Fields to scramble a lot when he probably shouldn’t scramble. While the game is in New Jersey, I still put my money on the Steelers in this one. Rodgers does enough along with a good Steelers defense and their kicker coming through with a game winner.

Steelers 20 Jets 17

Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane: Raiders @ Patriots

These two teams have been struggling. For the Patriots, the struggle has been since Tom Brady left. For the Raiders the struggle has been since 1984. But they now both have new hope with new coaches and new quarterbacks. Pete Carroll who hasn’t not won 10 games in forever (except he has) and Geno Smith join the Raiders. Meanwhile, Mike Vrabel joins second year Drake Maye in New England. The Raiders were terrible on both sides of the ball last year despite having the “recipe to beat the Chiefs” last year. They didn’t have the recipe to beat anyone and were terrible. But now they have Carroll and Geno and a great rookie Jeanty at running back. They can’t be worse so they should be better. Meanwhile, Vrablel brought Josh McDaniels back to be the offensive coordinator of the Patriots after a couple dumpster fire attempts as a head coach. It should be a fun and entertaining game but I trust Vrable and McDaniels to get their crap together sooner than whatever the Raiders are trying to do. I mean Armani Cooper just retired so he didn’t have to play for the Raiders so that should tell you everything you need to know. Plus, Raiders gonna raider.

Patriots 30 Raiders 20

Bo knows beating bad teams: Titans @ Broncos

Last year, rookie quarterbacks took the league by storm. Jayden Daniels lead his team to the NFC Championship and Bo Nix lead his team to the playoffs after beating a lot of bad teams and the Bucs. And then they lost to the Bills 31-7. But all the rookie quarterbacks struggled in game 1 last year. And the Broncos were great at beating bad teams. The Titans are a bad team with a rookie quarterback starting. Joking aside, I do think the Broncos will be good this year. And their defense was already great and somehow got better at least on paper. Bo is good and even better against subpar defenses which I am pretty sure the Titans are. I like Cam Ward and I think he will be good but even Jayden struggled in week 1 against an average Bucs D. So I do not like Cam’s chances against a top 5 defense like the Broncos on the road. I’m just hoping he completes enough passes to my boy Calvin Ridley to make him fantasy relevant since I have him on all three of my teams.

Broncos 34 Titans 17

What’s Love got to do with it? Lions @ Packers

This should be a great game between two great teams. Oddly enough the Lions have owned the Packers lately. Detroit owning anything besides high crime levels and rap battles definitely feels odd but yet here they are. The Packers were already a team some where high on and then they traded for Micah Parsons to really make some noise. In case you didn’t know, Micah is not great against the run but the Packers have sucked in pass rush for a while so I have heard he is pretty handy at that. The Lions have all their players back but lost both coordinators so that is their challenge. This game is at Lambeau and Jared Goff is not as good outside. He is much better inside except for key moments like the divisional round and the Super Bowl. But hey, we can’t all be perfect. Even though his season didn’t end great on the field he did marry and impregnate a model so he has that going for him…which is nice. I think both these teams are going to be great and Super Bowl contenders and this should be a fun game but early on, I trust the Lions and their massive amount of weapons in this one. I get it is a new coordinator but how hard is it to call plays to get the ball in the hands of Gibbs, St. Brown, Williams and Laporta. I still believe the Packers win the division but I think the Lions win game one.

Lions 31 packers 27

Battle of teams who can’t beat the Chiefs when it matters: Ravens @ Bills

The first Sunday night football game is a doozy. The divisional round opponents from last year face off right away after Mark Andrews dropped a key two point conversion last year. The Ravens are arguably the most talented team in the league and winners of the media award for “best roster” every year. They have Lamar who statistically should basically be the MVP every year since it is basically a QB award now based upon only the regular season. Meanwhile, Josh Allen had one of his worst statistical seasons of his career last year and won MVP because, you know…he hadn’t won yet and it was his turn. Both teams are really good and I think they could easily meet again in the playoffs. I think Josh is the better quarterback but Lamar has the better team. Since it is a regular season game, I’ll take the Ravens in this one. Plus, I have Lamar in one of my fantasy leagues and need him to not suck.

Ravens 31 Bills 24

Sophomore sensation or slump? Vikings @ Bears

In the Monday night battle, we have two divisional rivals with sophomore quarterbacks trying to change the path of their stories. JJ McCarthy missed all of last year due to an injury and Caleb Williams wished he missed more of last year due to playing for a coach who didn’t know what a timeout was. JJ has a great defense, great established weapons and a coach that has proven they can be competitive with just about any quarterback. Meanwhile, Caleb has a new head coach, a new offensive line and weapons that are supposed to be good. I find Ben Johnson nerdy and annoying. I find Caleb overrated. I don’t have any feelings about JJ McCarthy although I am no fan of Michigan. I do love Kevin O’Connell although he is going to have to win a playoff game at some point to stay relevant. But considering that the Chiefs defense who we just saw got worked on Friday confused Caleb in a preseason game, I’m confident that Brian Flores and the Vikings D can frustrate Caleb in this one. I sort of feel like it is only a matter of time before Ben Johnson moves on from Caleb for Tyler Bagent.

Vikings 27 Bears 17

Yesterday I ranked the teams for the first time. Today I give you my top 10 predictions for this season including all rounds of the post season. Here we go.

10. The Saints get the number 1 pick.

Name one thing you like about the Saints going into this season. I’ll wait. They are starting Spencer Rattler at quarterback. Their best offensive player is a 30 year old running back who beats up dudes with his friends. Their top two receivers are both injury prone. And their defense is all older than their running back. Add in a new head coach that really only had great success as an offensive coordinator for a team that had the best running back and offensive line in the league, two great receivers and an unstoppable play. I’m guessing he will miss them more than the Eagles miss him.

9. The Broncos don’t lose in September.

While I have given the Broncos a hard time for only beating one team with a winning record last year, they obviously have a good roster and a likely hall of fame coach. So they don’t suck. And the NFL hooked them up with a good first month of games. The start off at home against a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start. Then in week 2 they head to Indy to face Daniel Jones. They stay on the road in week 3 but not really because they play the Chargers which will basically be a home game away from home. And then wrap up the month at home on Monday night in a revenge game against the Bengals who barely beat them last year and are historically bad in September. All of this adds up to the Broncos being 4-0 and my wife being very happy during her birthday month. Sadly, things will not go quite as well after that.

8. Aiden Hutchinson wins comeback player of the year.

Hutchinson is by far the best player on the Lions defense. He got hurt early last year. He will be awesome and I am sure dominate once again. He’ll be in the running for defensive player of the year but ultimately they will give him this reward so they can give the defensive player of the year to someone else.

7. Micah Parsons wins defensive player of the year.

After a slow start due to his back issues, Micah goes on a tear the second half of the season helping to lead the Packers to their first division title since Aaron Rodgers was somewhat normal.

6. Christian McCaffrey wins offensive player of the year.

McCaffrey stays healthy and has over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and is a big reason the 49ers are in the playoffs again. I have him on one of my fantasy teams…so please stay healthy! Please!

5. Joe Burrow wins MVP.

The only way the Bengals make the playoffs is if Macauley Culkin plays lights out like he did last year. If he pulls that off and they make the playoffs, he will be MVP.

4. The Chiefs start 3-3 but still win the division.

The Chiefs have a tough first 6 games and won’t have Rashee Rice as well as they will be breaking in some young and new players in the secondary. So they start out 3-3 to the delight of all the haters and all the click bait media people who said the Chiefs weren’t going to be good say I told you so. Meanwhile they also crown the Chargers and Broncos the new champs of the west. Then the Chiefs go 9-2 to finish the year, win the division and those same media idiots say the Chiefs are the most dangerous team in the playoffs.

3. Most divisional winners repeat.

There used to be a lot of changes when it came to who made the playoffs from year to year. But each year that seems to be less than less true. I think 7 of the divisional winners win again this year and all of them will make the playoffs assuming Matt Stafford’s back holds up.

2. Final Playoff predictions and seeding

AFC

1. Bills
2. Ravens
3. Chiefs
4. Texans
5. Broncos
6. Bengals
7. Patriots

NFC

1. Eagles
2. Packers
3. Bucs
4. Rams
5. Lions
6. Commanders
7. 49ers

Wild Card Round:

Ravens take care of the Patriots with ease. Broncos upset the Texans. The Chiefs beat the Bengals but people still talk about that one time that Burrow was 3-0 against Mahomes.

Packers finally beat the 49ers in the playoffs to the delight of my son. Baker and the Bucs beat the Commanders this time. Sadly, Jared Goff crumbles in the playoffs again and the Rams get the win.

Divisional Round:

Chiefs go to Baltimore and win a close one. The Bills crush the Broncos but after the game, Sean Payton says he felt real good about their match up in the next round if they had won.

Eagles beat the Rams again. Packers defeat the Bucs in close one. Micah Parsons sacks Baker to seal the deal. Jerry Jones says good for Micah but can he stop the run?

Championship week:

Sean McDermott said that no one would go to 4 super bowls in a row but all that stands between the Chiefs doing it his Bills who are 0-4 against the Chiefs in the playoffs. No one can lose to the same team in the playoffs 5 times in a row, right? Right? The Bills finally get over the hump as Josh Allen finally comes through with the ball in his hands at the end of the game. Collin Cowherd immediately picks the Chargers to win the AFC West in 2026.

Eagles host the Packers in an epic battle. My son is on the edge of his seat. My daughter doesn’t really care that much but as somewhat of an Eagles fan she hopes the Eagles win so she can kick Walker while he is down. The Eagles tush push their way to victory. My son is upset, my daughter sarcastically says good game. Nick Sirianni heads to the locker room and Erin Andrews says you have to stay out for the ceremony. Nick says “is that tonight? We won’t be out there for that.”

1. Super Bowl Prediction

The Eagles have a chance to repeat. The Bills finally got over the hump and beat the Chiefs. So what happens next, well they do the most Bills thing ever and become the first team to be 0-5 in Super Bowls. Josh Allen finds solace with his hot actress wife. Dion Dawkins says the game would have been more competitive if we would have showed up to play…and the Eagles had stayed home. Most of the Eagles celebrate. Jalen Hurts puts on a blindfold so he can’t see any of it. Nick Siranni skips out on the ceremony again saying he is focused on the 2026 season and goes and gets in a fight with Dawson Knox. Then he yells at Bills fans. Then he yells at Eagles fans. After making a huge scene he brings his cute kid to the press conference and the media weep.

Eagles 38 Bills 20

The journey starts tonight! Let’s do this.

And so it begins. After a long wait, Football is back and will be here for the next 5 and half months. I’ve spent the last 6 and half months trying to forget how last season ended. And finally we can start a new season and watch football that is hopefully less painful. Every week, I rank all 32 teams from worst to best and it starts today. Let’s get the party started!

Trying to decide who they will draft with the first pick in the 2026 draft: Saints

Any team that is starting Spencer Rattler has basically given up.

Down to 3 quarterbacks that no one else wants instead of 4: Browns

The Browns are rolling with Joe Flacco which is good for my Shane Falco jokes but not good for the Browns hopes this season.

Young quarterbacked teams that are hard to believe in: Panthers, Bears, Titans

These teams could be good but I’m not buying it…yet.

Dallas without the D: Cowboys

The Cowboys are not good and they are especially not good on defense.

Quarterbacked teams of players who we know who they are and don’t believe in: Jaguars, Jets, Colts, Cardinals

I think all of these teams can be competitive but I’m not buying any of their quarterbacks can lead them to any major success.

Good teams with questions at quarterback: Steelers, Giants, Falcons, Vikings, Seahawks, Dolphins, Patriots

All these teams could make the playoffs but it will depend if their quarterback can do enough, stay healthy or in Sam Darnold’s case not play like they did every year of their career besides last year.

Will probably be better…but also raiders gonna raider: Raiders

Geno and Pete Carroll definitely make them better but they are still the Raiders.

If they can stop anyone, they will be good: Bengals

Self explanatory.

If they can stay healthy, they will be good: 49ers

Self explanatory.

If they can block someone, they will be good: Texans

Self explanatory.

Got blown out in the wild card round but for some reason they are contenders now: Chargers and Broncos

The Chiefs now suck because they got blown out in the Super Bowl. But the two teams that are supposed to beat the Chiefs to win the AFC west got blown out in the wild card round. Oh and they won a combined 4 games against teams with a winning record last year. But hey, maybe they will be better.

If Matt Stafford’s back doesn’t go out, the will be good: Rams

Self explanatory.

Time to get to the next level: Packers, Bucs, Commanders

All these teams are good and made moves this offseason to make a run. It’s time to see if their bets paid off.

Super Bowl or bust: Lions, Bills, Ravens

This has got to be their year, right…right???

AFC Playoff champions: Chiefs

The Chiefs have won their division 9 years in a row and gone to 7 straight AFC championship games and have never lost an AFC playoff game in regulation during that stretch. I’m not putting teams that they always beat ahead of them just because they got their butt kicked in the Super Bowl.

The Champs: Eagles

The Eagles were the best team in the league last year and on paper they are the best team this year. So they keep the title until proven otherwise.

Tune in tomorrow for my top 10 predictions for the season.

It’s a big week here at Fifth Down as the season finally kicks off. Today we cover my predictions for the East. Tomorrow is my first official rankings of the year. Thursday is my top 10 predictions for the season including my official playoff and Super Bowl picks and finally on Friday we have our first 5 for Friday of the season. Let’s do this thing!

NFC East

First Place: Philadelphia Eagles (13-4)

Every part of me wanted to pick someone besides the Eagles to win this division. But not for the reason you might think. Sure the Eagles gave my Chiefs a forgettable beat down in the Super Bowl which could obviously lead to some hurt feelings and perhaps lead to me picking a different team. But I am above such childish behavior. You might think that I wanted to pick against them because Eagles fans tend to be obnoxious and annoying. But that’s not it either. Maybe you think I hate Bradley Cooper. But nothing could be farther from the truth. I’m a Bradley Cooper fan. So why do I want to pick against the Eagles so bad? It’s simple. No one has one this division two years in a row in the last 20 years and I think that is hilarious. I also hardly ever pick against streaks. And this is a streak of all streaks. But I am not an emotional predictor. My predictions are based in logic. The Eagles defense is awesome. They have the best offensive line and running back in the league. They have a top 2 or 3 duo at wide receiver. Their tight end is solid and their quarterback is very good and tends to play his best football in the biggest moments. Oh, and they also have a play that no one can stop even if it does have a stupid name. All of those facts have me picking the Eagles to break the 20 year streak. Ironically enough, the last team to win back to back divisional titles was the Eagles led by Andy Reid.

Second Place: Washington Commanders (11-6)

While I do like the Commanders, I am nervous about them. Jayden could have a sophomore slump and he seems like he is an injury waiting to happen. They had kind of a bumpy pre season with Scary Terry holding out and the trade of Brian Robinson Jr. But they are really good team with a very talented quarterback. They got better on paper at the offensive line and on defense. Jayden is fun to watch and plays big in big games. Their schedule will be much harder since they won’t be playing a last place schedule. But I think they will rise above it and still make the playoffs. I’m not sure how Deebo will work out but I like their young running backs and they have Zach Ertz at tight end who I like. All and all they are just a very solid team with a very talented quarterback. I wouldn’t be shocked if they win the division and I’ll be cheering for that because that is one funny streak.

Third Place: New York Giants (8-9)

The Giants seem to be in great spirits. I’m not exactly sure why. But it makes me want to pick them 3rd so I did. They have a talented front four on defense and some fun young weapons on offense. But they have a hit and miss coach and Russell Wilson starting at quarterback. Nothing against Russ but I think we are all just waiting for the day that Jaxson Dart takes over. First off all, he has an awesome football name. Also, he literally throws darts on the field. He looked great in the preseason. I think they are making the right decision to wait to play him. Give him a year to watch and learn and then add a few more weapons in the off season and look out, the Giants could be real contenders. The question is will they win enough this year for their coach to be around to see it?

Fourth Place: Dallas Cowboys (6-11)

Dallas is a dumpster fire led by Geriatric Jones. That guy is old and it is showing. The guy needs to hand over the reins but that would mean he would actually want to win which I am convinced he actually doesn’t care about. He only cares about getting attention for himself. And the media is happy to oblige. He got his money’s worth with the Micah Parsons saga. My favorite part was after the trade when he acted like he planned it all along. The only thing he planned was to get a bunch of attention from it. Anyway, the defense was bad with Micah and will be awful without him. But hey, it should be a good fantasy year for Dak and the Dallas receivers because they are going to be throwing a lot because they are going to be behind…a lot.

AFC East

First Place: Buffalo Bills (13-4)

This one’s pretty simple. The rest of the east isn’t very good. The Bills are good. The Bills also get to play the NFC South which besides the Bucs, isn’t very good. Bottom line, the Bills have lots of winnable games and they are good anyway. So the odds are definitely in their favor. They have the best coach in the division. By far the best quarterback in the division. Their defense is good against everyone but the Ravens and Chiefs. Their receivers are young and hopefully will be better this year. They have solid running backs and a very good offensive line. All in all, they are a real good football team that just can’t seem to get over the hump but will continue to dominate the division. Will they finally get to the Super Bowl? You’ll have to tune in on Thursday for my predictions to find out.

Second Place: New England Patriots (10-7)

My surprise pick isn’t that surprising as many other people are picking them to make the playoffs too. But my reasoning is solid. First, they got a massive upgrade at head coach. Secondly, although Josh McDaniels is arguably the worst head coach of my lifetime, he is also an excellent offensive coordinator that helped Tom Brady rise to stardom and more recently helped Mac Jones of all people have a pro bowl season. I am banking on him being able to help Drake Maye since he is way more talented than Jones was. They got better weapons and their defense will improve under Vrabel. And they play a last place schedule which is the 3rd easiest in the league. Put all that together, and you got 9-10 wins and a shot at a wild card.

Third Place: Miami Dolphins (8-9)

I’m not sure what to do with the Dolphins. I feel like they will either be a playoff team or a complete disaster. So I’m splitting the difference by making them go 8-9. I don’t have any more faith in their defense than I did a year ago. Tyreek is a head case who said he wanted to leave and everyone is saying they have moved forward…sort of. Tua always get hurt and without Tua they are a bad team. Devon Achane already has an injury. And I think the fun of having a video game like coach has played out. Still, they do have some talent. Their division isn’t that good besides the Bills and they play the AFC south. So I would not be shocked if the switch places with the Patriots. I also wouldn’t be shocked if the wheels fall off and they go 4-13.

Fourth Place: New York Jets (6-11)

I like Aaron Glenn. He might be the right guy for the Jets if the owner stays out of the way and actually lets him build something. But I don’t like this Jets team. The defense should be solid but the offense is murky at best. Breece Hall who was awesome a couple of years ago is now supposed to split carries for some reason. I can’t name one of their receivers after Garrett Wilson. Who knows who is playing tight end for them. And Justin Fields isn’t good at throwing the football. He is good at running but always gets hurt. So I think they will play hard and be competitive at times but ultimately finish last this year and hopefully Glenn gets a few years to fix things before the owner meddles in and screws everything up again.

Tune in tomorrow for my first official rankings headed into week 1!

I’m a little behind with back to school stuff and a work trip so this week I’m playing catch up with my Pre Season rankings. Today we cover the South starting with the AFC South. Let’s dive in.

AFC South

First Place: Houston Texans (11-6)

The Texans had a rough go of it last year with a ton of injuries and a terrible offensive line. I’d like to say this year is off to a better start, but they traded away their best offensive lineman and their starting running back is out indefinitely. Still despite their issues last year they still won the division and a playoff game. I don’t love their offensive personnel but I do think they have the best Quarterback in the division and Nico Collins is real good. Their defense is quite good and they have a good coach. At the end of the day I have the Texans first because I believe in the other teams less. When I don’t think there is a big gap in teams, I go with the best QB and Coach combo and that is clearly the Texans.

Second Place: Indianapolis Colts (9-8)

I like a lot of things about the Colts. Jonathan Taylor is real good. They have solid receivers and an awesome new rookie tight end. Their O-Line is pretty good and I think their defense will be improved under the tutelage of their new coordinator Lou Anuramo. Lou took the blame for a terrible Bengals defense that was decimated by the Bengals being cheap and not paying good defensive players. I also like their head coach and think he is doing a good job. The issue here is at quarterback. Anthony Richardson has been a bust so they have handed over the job to Daniel Jones. I think Jones will make them more competitive than Richardson does but he doesn’t have the upside to lead this team to the playoffs. Think the Giants a couple of years ago without the playoff appearance.

Third Place: Jacksonville Jaguars (8-9)

I am done believing in Trevor Lawrence and the Jags. Maybe the new coach will turn them around but I am skeptical. Despite Trevor’s great hair, it has not helped him play any better and last year he added injury to his issues. They went all in on Travis Hunter which feels more gimmicky than a team trying to win. I don’t think they will be awful but my guess is they will have an up and down season. Brian Thomas Jr is real good and their other skill guys are pretty good so they should be able to put up some points. But the defense has a lot of holes and I am done buying into the Golden Locks. So they will probably win the division since I have given up on them.

Fourth Place: Tennessee Titans (7-10)

I think the Titans will be much improved and will get better as the year goes on. I think Cam Ward will be good but they will have some growing pains along the way. It will be an up and down season but it will give them hope going into next year. And hey 7 wins is a pretty big improvement over last year. I just don’t think they have enough on either side of the ball yet to truly compete. But they finish the year against the Saints and Jaguars so that should give them some hope going into next year.

NFC South

First Place: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-6)

Three teams have won their division 4 or more years in a row. The Chiefs are at 9 in a row, the Bills are at 5 in a row and then the Bucs are at 4. Yet every year they get doubted. But people forget they got the Bake Show. I love Baker. And I think he is much better than people give him credit for. Their receivers are a little banged up but that happened last year and Baker still threw the ball all over the yard. They have good running backs and I think their defense will be improved. When push comes to shove I go with the known commodity over speculation that teams will be better like the Falcons and Panthers. So give me the Bake show for 5 in a row.

Second Place: Atlanta Falcons (9-8)

I think the Falcons will be a solid team and in the playoff hunt. I like their coach and they have one of the best running backs in the league and a great receiver in Drake London and another solid receiver in Mooney. They also have a solid in real life Tight end who every fantasy football owner hates, Kyle Pitts. Pennix is still unproven but played well last year. However, him playing well didn’t equal wins. The defense is improved on paper due to the draft but I still think it is pretty shaky. Ultimately they just have to many unknowns for me to confidently pick them to win their division or make the playoffs. So they will be a pretty good but not good enough team.

Third Place: Carolina Panthers (7-10)

The Panthers are basically the Falcons with less talent on offense and a little more talent on defense. They improved a lot the second half of last year but I don’t think they made any massive moves to move them up the list. The Panthers do have an easier schedule than the other two teams. So I think that will help them. Bryce Young got better but he still isn’t great. And they are still the Panthers and are perennial losers so I expect them to be more competitive through out the season this year but end up with a similar record.

Fourth Place: New Orleans Saints (3-14)

Any team that is starting Spencer Rattler is not going to do well. They have a first year head coach with a bad quarterback, an old defense and a so so offensive roster. Not exactly a strong resume. This team hasn’t been good for a while and probably won’t be good for a while longer. In good news they could win something significant. The first pick in next year’s draft.

At the Campbell house, every Sunday is an event as we and by we I mean me and sometimes my family watches every NFL game. We also watch Monday night football. And of course Thursday night football. My daughter doesn’t particularly like football so we decided it would be fun to create a top 10 list of things she looks forward to when it comes to football season. Without further ado, let’s dive in.

10. Playing card and board games with Dad during the games

Her chances of winning are drastically improved due to my lack of paying attention to what we are playing.

9. When we watch college football on Saturdays, too.

Just kidding, she hates that.

8. Our family backyard football challenge

We have a net to throw footballs at. We take turns throwing all our footballs at the net and try to beat our family score at halftime and in between games. Apparently she would rather play football than watch it. I know, weird, right.

7. The Eagles being good.

Even though she isn’t a big football fan, she has a team mostly because we all have a team. She picked hers as they were winning the Super Bowl against the Patriots a few years back. She picked a good team and is definitely one of the nicer Eagles fans I know.

6. Asking about the same things every football game of the season because she still doesn’t understand.

Football can be a complicated and confusing game especially when you only slightly care about it.

5. Fantasy Football

She won our family fantasy league the first year of its existence back in 2021 and has been competitive every year. She thinks the draft and preparation is fun.

4. Sunday snacks

Typically we do something fun food wise each Sunday. So that gives her something to look forward to assuming we make time in between games to make something.

3. When Mom says “lets turn this off and take a break from Football for a little bit.”

Finally, she has an ally.

2. When Aunt Ruth comes over on Sundays.

Ruth also doesn’t care about football so usually they hang out and bake something and do artistic stuff and chit chat. Which is much more enjoyable for both of them than actually watching football.

1. The season being over.

Her favorite part is the ending. Then she gets 6 months of a football free Campbell house. Well, actually it is more like 3 because by late May or Early June I am already talking about the upcoming season.