The first week of the NFL regular season is in the books. As with every year, there were plenty of surprises, close games and injuries. Unique to this year was a newfound focus on the national anthem and the actions of individual players during that symbolic exercise. I’m not one to tell people how to act or feel, but I’d like to make one point about the anthem protests that I have not heard anywhere else. To me, the varied and nuanced opinions being discussed as a result of the protests are a clear sign that the pendulum of public sentiment in the US has officially swung away from the period of extreme nationalism that came about following the attacks of September 11, 2001.

If a player in 2001 or 2002 or 2003 sat during the national anthem like Kaepernick recently did, I don’t think there would have been much of a discussion then. I think most people would have defaulted to yelling and ostracizing. Sure, a lot of people are pissed now, but many, including some vocal veterans, support his right to protest and embrace the debate he has ignited.Growing up, one of my favorite bands was Rage Against the Machine. They often performed while displaying an upside down American flag. That act is an officially recognized sign of distress intended for instances of extreme danger. Its use on stage could be interpreted as either symbolic of a nation in distress or simply anti-American. The band broke up in 2000 and didn’t perform together again until 2007. In the few years after the September 11th attacks, I often wondered if they would be able to play a similar show in America during that time. When patriotic stickers and flags were on more cars than not, would venues even book an act that would seemingly disrespect the flag? As a staunch supporter of free speech, I’d want their concerts to continue on like before, but as a realist, I know that the environment in America changed drastically during that time, and dissenting opinions about our government or military and its symbols were on shakier ground.

I love the US and I like to be patriotic. But I also become uneasy when unified hostility is aimed at people who happen to think differently, or were born on the other side on an invisible line drawn by previous generations. I am glad that our national dialogue has evolved, because for a while it seemed like we were stuck in a more primitive default setting of yelling and chest thumping.

Sorry for that diversion, the rest of the article will be about actual football, I promise.

Denver and Carolina kicked things off on Thursday night with an exciting Super Bowl rematch that came down to the last play. The Broncos once again won as the underdog and they continue to show that an elite quarterback is not necessary to win in the NFL. Don’t get me wrong, the quarterback is the most important position on the team and the best qb’s are worth their weight in gold, but it is still just a single position, and most teams can’t get an elite quarterback.

In a salary cap league with big rosters, many teams are willing to commit a large percentage of their payroll to inexperienced and unproven quarterbacks. Broncos’ general manager John Elway went against the grain this offseason by refusing to pay Brock Osweiler big money and eventually rolling with the 250th pick in the 2015 draft, Trevor Siemian. Osweiler signed with the Texans for an average annual salary of $18 million, Trevor Siemian will make a little more than $500,000 this year.

Siemian went 18 of 26 for 178 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 picks. Not that good, but it was enough for his team to get the win against a tough opponent. Maybe teams will stop paying so much for quarterbacks after seeing Denver’s success, but probably not. Brock Osweiler went 22 of 35 for 231 yards, 2 touchdowns and a pick for Houston in a win over Chicago. I’m sure teams will keep chasing young qb’s with talent in hopes that they hit the jackpot. I just think too many teams are paying too much money for qb’s that have shown themselves to be slightly above average at best.

The fact that the defending champions are at odds of around 20-1 to repeat despite keeping the Super Bowl MVP on their squad shows how reluctant bettors are to back a team without a known quarterback. The Oakland Raiders have taken a majority of the public’s money to win their division over the Broncos because people project improvement from their young and talented skill position players. Maybe I’m missing something, but I’ll take a championship team that has won at least 12 regular season games in each of the last 4 seasons over a team that hasn’t finished above .500 in that time but consistently leads the league in penalties. The Raiders look like they are improving while the Broncos don’t project to be as good as they were last year, but I think the gap between the two teams is too large to close in one season.

The two teams that came within a game of the Super Bowl last year also squared off in week one. The Patriots managed to beat the Cardinals on the road, despite missing Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. The Pats started the season as the Super Bowl favorite, but with their top two players out, they were six point underdogs in the season opener. With an unlikely win to start the year, they are now a stronger favorite to win it all.

The Patriots look solid, and Vegas thinks their chances are boosted by being in the weaker conference. They seem likely to win their division, as usual. And their playoff path to the Super Bowl does not include other top contenders like the Packers, Seahawks, Panthers or Cardinals. The Steelers and the Broncos are the AFC teams with the next best chance at winning it all according to Vegas. If the Patriots can gain home field advantage in the playoffs, they will be favored in every post-season game.

The Steelers were taking a lot of betting action in the playoffs last year before losing to the Broncos. After a convincing win in week 1, they are now bettors third choice to win the Super Bowl this year. One of the more anticipated early season games will be when the Steelers and the Pats square off in late October. I’ll bet that every major network’s pregame analysis will include the term “AFC championship preview.” I respect both teams and I always give them a chance to win it all. They have head coaches that are smart, aggressive, secure in their job and willing to do whatever they think gives their team the best chance to win, regardless of what people will say if things don’t work out.

The Detroit Lions were 1-6 last year when Jim Bob Cooter was named their offensive coordinator. Since then, they have gone 7-3, including a win in this season’s opener. The Lions were 11-5 in 2014 and had high hopes before their awful season start last year. It’s likely just because of the name, but I believe that Jim Bob Cooter is the secret sauce that will get the Lions to the playoffs this year. And I don’t think the betting public has recognized his genius yet, so I’ll ride Detroit early in the season with my football bets, including taking them giving up 6 points at home against Tennessee in week 2.

Jameis Winston threw for 4 touchdowns and led Tampa Bay to a win over the Falcons. The performance was impressive, especially considering Atlanta was one of the tougher teams against the pass last season. Coming into the league last year, his game was touted as one of the best fits for the NFL style of play since Andrew Luck. I wasn’t completely convinced, but now I’ve become a believer. I think he will be one of the qb studs worth breaking the bank for. I generally hate the, “If you could build a team around one player who would it be?” kind of questions, but if I played that game now, I would have a tough time choosing between Jameis Winston and Andrew Luck. I might lean towards Luck, because anyone that can get into Stanford has to be exceptionally bright and motivated. But he’s got that Amish look going with the neck beard, so I’m thinking Jameis is my guy.

Injuries

Robert Griffin III fractured his shoulder and will miss at least eight weeks. I don’t know if that is good or bad for Cleveland. Griffin went 12 of 26 for 190 yards, 0 td’s and 1 pick in the season opener. It’s hard to imagine backup Josh McCown being noticeably worse than that.

Keenan Allen is out for the season with an ACL injury. That is a tough blow to the Chargers. Allen is the standout talent in their receiving core and his production won’t be easily replaced.

Texans linebacker Brian Cushing tore his MCL and will miss at least 6 weeks. J.J Watt played for Houston in week 1 but was not much of a factor. He missed a lot of prep time due to back surgery in July. He should round into form soon but it may take another few weeks. In the meantime, the Texans defensive line may be vulnerable.

There are plenty more stories to touch on, but I respect your time too much to keep rambling. I’ll be back next week to cover some things I missed and write about what we learned after week 2. Week 1 is often a mirage. We all have made too much out of certain individual and team performances. But for now, that is all we have to go by. I can’t wait for the next few months to show us how wrong many of our current impressions are. Week 1 only gives a team 2 possible outcomes, and half the league is undefeated. The coming weeks have nearly unlimited possibilities. I’m excited to see what shakes out.