Week 1 of the 2019 NFL season concludes with two Monday Night Football games, the first of which features two explosive offenses as the Houston Texans travel to Louisiana to take on the New Orleans Saints in the majestic Mercedes Benz Superdome.
The story of how the Saints season ended last season has been spoken about ad nauseam. There really isn’t much more to say about–the NFL instituted a rule change effective immediately in response. Moving past that uncalled pass interference is going to be necessary if they hope to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2009.
Having Drew Brees, Alvin Kamara, and Michael Thomas means that New Orleans should easily be one of the best offenses in the NFL once again. This is their first opportunity to remind the football world just how potent they can be and they’ll have the eyes of the nation in this primetime Monday night slot (with an earlier start, 7:10 PM EST).
As has been the case for the majority of Brees’ time in the Big Easy, if the defense can hold up its end of the bargain then New Orleans is easily one of the top teams in the league. The Saints defense has gotten better over the years and now includes names like Marshon Lattimore, Cam Jordan, and others that make up a very respectable group.
Testing that defense is the devastating tandem of Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins. A year ago, Hopkins did not drop a single catchable pass and some would rank him as the best wide receiver in the game–though Thomas just got paid as if it were him instead. That connection could be even better now that the Texans brought in a real left tackle from Miami in Laremy Tunsil to protect Watson’s blindside.
The team also brought in Duke Johnson Jr. from the Cleveland Browns and with Lamar Miller suffering a torn ACL in the preseason, Johnson is now the team’s primary runner. He’s been thirsting for the opportunity to prove he is more than just a third-down, change of pace running back and he gets his chance this season.
Changes were also made o the roster on the other side of the ball. Jadeveon Clowney is gone–for a package of draft picks and backup linebackers–after the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement on a long-term contract this offseason. However, J.J. Watt remains and he has been the face of the franchise long before a competent offense came along. They’ll need Watt at his best if they have any shot at slowing down the Saints from marching into the end zone.
In this game expect a lot of points, if you have any of the big five (Brees, Hopkins, Kamara, Thomas, and Watson) on your fantasy football team be prepared for some big scoring nights across the board. The shootout will likely be the highlight of the NFL’s opening week and we all should thank our lucky stars that we get to watch.
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