The Hammer's Monday Newsletter - Takeaways, Injuries and Early Leans

Suuma's Takeaways from Week 1
By: Suuma, NFL Originator

1. Jets flip the script

I was flat-out wrong about the Jets’ offense. What they did to a Steelers defense that’s built to handle Baltimore’s ground-heavy looks can’t be faked. Fields made throws from the pocket, the line carved real holes, and Tanner Engstrand might already be showing his Ben Johnson lineage. This was supposed to be the worst offense in football—yet it looked functional, creative, even threatening. And Armand Membou? That’s not just a rookie flash; that looked like a building block.

2. Steelers quietly reinvent themselves

Don’t get fooled by the box score—the 34 points weren’t the headline. The story is how Pittsburgh played. This was Arthur Smith’s system in full bloom: under-center play-action, condensed formations, hard play sequencing. And Rodgers, two years removed from the Achilles, finally trusted his legs and his pocket again. Last year he wouldn’t have attempted half those throws. This year, he did—and it changes the ceiling of this offense.

3. Seattle confirms the nightmare

This offense is likely going to be a bottom-10 unit. Klint Kubiak plus Sam Darnold behind a bad line is exactly what it sounds like—a punt on relevance. Darnold sat under 100 yards until the final drive, his lone touchdown coming off a DPI bailout on a hopeless fourth-down heave. The “fun” formation packages mean nothing when the personnel is this poor and the run game nonexistent. San Francisco didn’t even play clean (two missed FGs, 60+ penalty yards) and still dominated the game by every measure. This isn’t a slump. It’s structural.

4. AFC South check-in

Houston looked exactly like the scouting report: defense legit, offense stuck in the mud. Stroud handled pressure fine, but behind the league’s worst line and with no weapons beyond Nico Collins, “fine” only gets you nine points. Jacksonville didn’t light fireworks, but as a four-point favorite they dismantled Carolina without ever sweating—Coen’s run game looks sharp, and Lawrence delivered the handful of plays you expect. The Colts are trickier: if Daniel Jones can carve up Miami’s secondary like Peyton Manning, then Richardson must have been epically bad to make the same defense look competent. That’s the real takeaway. And Tennessee? Hard to hold Ward’s debut against him—Denver is as brutal as it gets for a first start, and the coaching staff looked completely unprepared.

Bottom line: give it another week. If the Jags hang with the Bengals and Indy shows anything in Denver, the AFC South could be more open than anyone thought.

________________________________________

Rob and Clive's Early Leans for Week 2

Rob:
LA Rams -4.5 (-110) vs. Tennessee
Seattle +3 (-115) vs. Pittsburgh
Washington +4 (-110) vs. Green Bay

Clive:
New Orleans Team Total Under 18.5 (-110)

Both:
LA Chargers/Las Vegas Over 44.5 (-115)
Tampa Bay/Houston Under 44.5 (-115)

To watch their game by game analysis of Week 2 Click Here: 

________________________________________

Injuries We are Watching for Week 2

Arizona - EDGE Zaven Collins (Left the Game), OL Will Hernandez (Injured Inactive)
Atlanta - WR Drake London (Left the Game), WR Darnell Mooney (Injured Inactive)
Baltimore - TE Isaiah Likely (Injured Inactive), FB Patrick Ricard (Injured Inactive)
Buffalo - CB Tre'Davious White (Injured Inactive)
Carolina - OT Ikem Ekwonu (Injured Inactive)
Chicago - TBD (Playing Tonight)
Cincinnati - OG Lucas Patrick (Left the Game), LB Logan Wilson (Left the Game)
Cleveland - OT Jack Conklin (Left the Game)
Dallas - IDL Perrion Winfrey (Injured Inactive)
Denver - TE Evan Engram (Left the Game), LB Dre Greenlaw (Injured Inactive)
Detroit - CB Terrion Arnold (Left the Game)
Green Bay - OT Zach Tom (Left the Game), OG Aaron Banks (Left the Game), CB Nate Hobbs (Injured Inactive), CB Bo Melton (Left the Game)
Houston - CB Derek Stingley Jr. (Came Back In but looked ineffective), WR Christian Kirk (Injured Inactive), OG Ed Ingram (Injured Inactive), C Jake Andrews (Left the Game)
Indianapolis - No major concerns
Jacksonville - CB Montaric Brown (Injured Inactive)
Kansas City - WR Xavier Worthy (Left the Game), WR Jaylen Royals (Injured Inactive)
Las Vegas - TE Brock Bowers (Left the Game), LB Elandon Roberts (Left the Game)
L.A Chargers - No major concerns
L.A Rams - OG Kevin Dotson (Left the Game)
Miami - OG James Daniels (Left the Game), OT Austin Jackson (Left the Game), CB Storm Duck (Left the Game), TE Darren Waller (Injured Inactive), RB Jaylen Wright (Injured Inactive)
Minnesota - TBD (Playing Tonight)
New England - CB Christian Gonzalez (Injured Inactive)
New Orleans - OT Taliese Fuaga (Left the Game), OG Trevor Penning (Injured Inactive), EDGE Chase Young (Injured Inactive)
New York Giants - OT Andrew Thomas (Injured Inactive)
New York Jets - No major concerns
Philadelphia - OG Landon Dickerson (Left the Game)
Pittsburgh - S DeShon Elliot (Left the Game), CB Joey Porter Jr. (Left the Game), EDGE Nick Herbig (Injured Inactive), IDL Derrick Harmon, (Injured Inactive)
San Francisco - TE George Kittle (Left the Game), WR Jauan Jennings (Left the Game)
Seattle - EDGE Uchenna Nwosu (Injured Inactive)
Tampa Bay - OT Tristan Wirfs (Injured Inactive), WR Chris Godwin (Injured Inactive)
Tennessee - OT JC Latham (Left the Game)
Washington - No major concerns
 

________________________________________
 

Check out Kalshi and get signed up today: https://kalshi.onelink.me/1r91/hammer