Adversarial Sports Hate is in our blood in Boston; Akin to road rage on 93 and 128. You can sit in traffic for forty minutes without saying a word, but let one asshole come flying up the breakdown lane and suddenly getting home matters less than making sure he doesn’t get there first.
That’s about where I’m at with the rest of the football schedule.
The Patriots already lost 13-10 in Seattle on Wednesday, blowing a 10-0 lead and giving us several extra days to be aggravated about it. An interesting scheduling decision by the NFL. Usually, I don’t have time to get sick of discussing a loss before Sunday even arrives. ([AP News][1])
And yes, I know it’s only Week 1. You can understand that perfectly well and still be pissed about a game your team should have won.
Fortunately, there’s other football to watch. Buffalo can lose. Philadelphia can have a miserable afternoon. And Kayshon Boutte has a chance to make the people who loved that trade a little less comfortable explaining it.
That last part has my attention.
Bills at Texans
*Sunday, 1 p.m. ET. Root for Houston.* ([Buffalo Bills][2])
Normally, I’m not particular about how the Bills lose. A missed kick, a bad fourth-down decision, three hours of getting pushed around—I’ll take whatever’s available.
This week, I want Boutte involved.
I thought trading him was a mistake. I still do. And I’m not going to sit here pretending I’m simply curious to see how it works out for everybody. I want him to play well, I want Buffalo to lose, and I want a little vindication.
The Patriots sent a receiver who caught six touchdowns last season to Houston for safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round pick. That wasn’t a return that made me think they had no choice but to take it. ([New England Patriots][3])
We watched Boutte make that one-handed touchdown catch against Derek Stingley Jr. in the playoffs. Maye gave him a chance in a huge spot, and Boutte came through. That’s the kind of connection I’d be reluctant to break up, particularly when the quarterback is still building his career. ([New England Patriots][4])
I understand the other side. Boutte was heading into the last year of his rookie deal, the receiver room was crowded, and he was projected to back up A.J. Brown. There were reasons to consider moving him. ([New England Patriots][5])
I just don’t think those reasons were good enough.
A receiver who can play but doesn’t fit neatly into your opening-day lineup isn’t necessarily a problem you need to solve. Sometimes you keep him because football has a way of making that depth chart look ridiculous by October.
We didn’t even get that far. Brown is already on injured reserve and will miss at least four games. Nobody needed to predict his particular injury to understand why keeping another proven receiver might be useful. That’s what depth is for. ([New England Patriots][6])
And this is where the *trust the trade* crowd is going to be tested.
You can like the coaching staff and still think they got one wrong. You can want Reed to become a good player and still believe New England should have kept Boutte. Being a Patriots fan doesn’t require finding a way to agree with everything the Patriots do.
I want the team to win. I also want them to keep players who help them win. Those aren’t competing positions.
So give me Boutte getting behind Buffalo’s secondary. Give me a third-down catch that keeps Josh Allen on the sideline. A touchdown would be especially helpful, both to Houston and to several conversations I expect to be having.
One afternoon won’t settle the trade. But the people who were so certain Boutte was expendable don’t get to tell everybody to stop watching him now.
And don’t tell me rooting for him is somehow rooting against New England. He’s playing the Bills. This could be a very productive afternoon for all of us.
Commanders at Eagles
*Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET. Root for Washington.* ([Philadelphia Eagles][7])
Then we get Stefon Diggs.
Diggs is in Washington now, coming off a season in which he caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards for the Patriots. Whatever your opinion of moving on from him, that was real production. We didn’t imagine it because we liked seeing his name on the roster. ([Washington Commanders][8])
I’d enjoy watching him put some of it to use against Philadelphia.
Preferably on third down. There’s something particularly satisfying about a home crowd getting itself worked up for a stop, only for the visiting offense to move the chains and make everybody sit back down.
Let Diggs do that a few times. Nothing complicated. Find a little room, catch the ball, and be an enormous pain in the ass for the next three hours.
Philadelphia doesn’t need a special reason to make this guide. I’m not looking for an AFC tiebreaker that gives me permission to enjoy an Eagles loss. I’d like them to lose because I don’t like them.
But the receiver situation does make it more interesting. The Eagles traded Brown to New England this offseason. If their passing game struggles while Diggs is helping Washington stay on the field, I’d be happy to let Philadelphia spend Monday arguing about its own decisions at the position. ([Philadelphia Eagles][9])
We’ve done enough of that around here this week.
And there’s something worth remembering while Boutte and Diggs are playing: replacing a receiver isn’t the same as replacing what he gave your offense. The new plan has to work on the field. It doesn’t become an improvement just because somebody explained it confidently in August.
I hope New England’s plan works. I’m also not going to stop appreciating the guys who caught passes here because it makes the offseason easier to defend.
A Washington win with Diggs heavily involved would suit me fine. Let Eagles fans handle the postgame analysis. I’ll enjoy checking in on how that’s going.
Cowboys at Giants
*Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET. Root for Dallas, unfortunately.* ([Giants][10])
I don’t enjoy rooting for the Cowboys. But this really isn’t that difficult.
Dallas is annoying. The Giants gave us David Tyree’s helmet catch and Mario Manningham down the sideline in two Super Bowl losses. I’m willing to tolerate some Cowboys nonsense for one evening rather than reward that. ([Giants][11])
Some of you have made peace with those games. Good for you. I haven’t, and I don’t feel any obligation to catch up.
I want a dull Dallas win. Get ahead, stay ahead, and make Giants fans start looking at what else is on. No dramatic comeback, no uplifting finish, and no reason for the broadcast to start rummaging through the old Super Bowl footage.
I know what’s in there. Leave it alone.
The downside is that Dallas fans might spend the next week getting carried away about their team. Fine. That’s a problem for another Sunday.
Nobody’s asking you to become a Cowboys fan. You’re watching a football game and hoping the Giants lose. You’ve done it before. You’ll remember how.
Broncos at Chiefs
*Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET. Root for Denver.* ([Denver Broncos][12])
I’m taking Denver, but I’m not about to talk myself into Patrick Mahomes being finished because that would make the season more enjoyable.
He’s returning from torn ACL and LCL ligaments in his left knee. That’s a serious injury, and getting back for the opener doesn’t answer every question about how he’ll look. ([Reuters][13])
But if there’s anybody I’d expect to come back from something like that and make people regret counting him out, it’s Mahomes. At his peak, Brady is the only quarterback I put in that company. I can hate watching him win without pretending I don’t know how good he is.
That’s part of what makes the guy so aggravating.
You can spend the whole week making perfectly reasonable points about why Kansas City should lose. You can be right about the protection and right about the coverage. Then it’s third-and-nine, Mahomes makes a throw you didn’t think was available, and the defense has to start over.
We loved being on the other side of that with Brady. It’s considerably less enjoyable now.
Still, Kansas City isn’t giving Mahomes the most comfortable situation to come back to. Josh Simmons is out with a back injury, and **undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson is expected to start at left tackle**. Benson spent most of training camp on the right side. Now he’s being asked to protect Mahomes’ blind side in his first NFL game. ([ESPN Africa][14])
Denver, meanwhile, recorded 68 sacks last season, with Nik Bonitto leading the team. That’s a hell of a first assignment. ([Denver Broncos][15])
Nothing against Benson. Making the roster as an undrafted player is something to be proud of. I hope he has a good career. I’d just prefer Monday not be the night everybody discovers Kansas City found itself another answer.
That’s the matchup I’ll be watching. How much help does Benson need? Can Denver get pressure without sending everybody? Does Reid have to keep a tight end in to block when he’d rather have him running a route?
Those are actual reasons to like Denver here. If the Broncos can make Kansas City spend the night adjusting its protection, they’ve got something to work with.
Assuming Mahomes can’t overcome any of it is where you get yourself in trouble.
I want him healthy, and I want him to lose. Cover his receivers, make him get rid of the ball, and get the defense off the field. I don’t need to spend Monday watching replays of somebody’s knee. I’d rather watch the Chiefs punt.
And if Denver has a lead late, please finish the job. Don’t give us three quarters of encouraging football and then start playing like the game’s already over.
Because if Mahomes gets the ball back with a chance to win, I’m not going to be sitting there admiring Denver’s sack total.
I’ll be wondering why they left him so much time.
Check on the Jets and Dolphins, Too
The Jets are at Tennessee, and Miami is at Las Vegas. That makes us Titans and Raiders fans for the afternoon. These decisions don’t require the same soul-searching as rooting for Dallas. ([Tennessee Titans][16])
You don’t have to devote three hours to the Jets. Checking the score and being pleased when it’s bad will cover your responsibilities.
None of this fixes Wednesday. We’ll still have plenty to discuss before the Patriots play again. But there’s no rule saying we have to spend the entire weekend going through our own mistakes when other teams are perfectly capable of making some.
I’d like Buffalo to lose. I’d like Philadelphia and the Giants to give their fans something to complain about. And I’d like Denver to make all that justified respect for Mahomes unnecessary for one night.
Mostly, though, I’m looking forward to watching Boutte and Diggs unleash their quiet eyes under pressure.
If one of them goes for a hundred yards and a touchdown while Buffalo and Philly loses, don’t expect me to be gracious about it.
SOURCES
[1] AP News
apnews.com
[2] Buffalo Bills
buffalobills.com
[3] New England Patriots — Patriots trade WR Kayshon Boutte to the Texans
patriots.com
[4] New England Patriots — Game observations: Divisional-round victory over the Texans
patriots.com
[5] New England Patriots — Analysis of the Kayshon Boutte trade
patriots.com
[6] New England Patriots — A.J. Brown placed on injured reserve
patriots.com
[7] Philadelphia Eagles — Schedule
philadelphiaeagles.com
[8] Washington Commanders — Commanders sign WR Stefon Diggs
commanders.com
[9] Philadelphia Eagles — Eagles trade A.J. Brown to the Patriots
philadelphiaeagles.com
[10] New York Giants
giants.com
[11] New York Giants — Morning debate: Tyree vs. Manningham
giants.com
[12] Denver Broncos — Broncos at Chiefs: How to watch, listen and live stream
denverbroncos.com
[13] Reuters — Andy Reid: Patrick Mahomes likely to start
reuters.com
[14] ESPN — Chiefs set to use undrafted rookie at left tackle with Josh Simmons out
africa.espn.com
[15] Denver Broncos — Camp preview: Nik Bonitto leads Denver’s pass rushers
denverbroncos.com
[16] Tennessee Titans
tennesseetitans.com