Why Week 1 Really Matters With Andrew Whitworth

0:00Welcome to the Ringer NFL show. Football season is officially here. Eagles, Cowboys kick it off tonight. I'm your host, Sheil Kapadia. Excited for our guest today. He had a distinguished 16-year NFL career, two-time All-Pro Super Bowl champ. But you know what? Most importantly, a fellow bald man like myself. That's right, baby. Yeah, I like to welcome in the fellow bald, and he's showing it, and it looks nice and clean. His name is Andrew Whitworth. You can listen to him on Fitz and Wit, a Wave original podcast with new episodes available every Wednesday on YouTube or wherever you get your pods.

0:38Thank you for joining us today, my friend. I appreciate it, brother. I'm happy to be on here, man. I'm excited. We're getting started week one, baby. Let's go. We're getting started. Here we go. Now we go, what, four months, five months? I don't know what it is. We'll count the weeks when we need to count the weeks, but we're going to talk week one storylines today. And so I'm going to give Andrew week one storylines. I'm going to give him a couple and say, hey, these are headlines that we could hear on Monday, on Tuesday. You know, some of those talking head shows, maybe. You're going to see these headlines.

1:08Here they come. Here they come. Which one do you agree with? And then we'll just talk about the games, talk about the team. So it'll be a lot of fun. So let's take a quick break. We come back and we get to it. Week one storylines. This is the Ringer NFL show presented by FanDuel and the NFL is officially back. So if you're going to be in it, be in it with FanDuel. They've got the goods, futures, live betting, SGPs, your way bets, all of it. The app's clean, it's fast. And yeah, when you win, you get paid instantly, which is nice because Sunday patience doesn't exist. So get your bets in, build something bold and make every game feel bigger.

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3:36All right, here we go. We're back on the Ringer NFL show. Here's the first one for you, okay? Lions go to Lambeau Field, in my opinion, one of the juiciest matchups in week one. Now, which headline is more likely here? Micah Parsons makes instant impact in Packers dominating win or Lions prove they're still the team to beat in the NFC North, Andrew. So when you look at those two Parsons instant impact, it's a tough game. I mean, this one could go in a number of directions. I'm curious to hear what you think about this game. But which of those headlines sounds like, hey, that one maybe feels just a little bit more likely next week?

4:17Well, I think really for me, I think the energy of Micah Parsons being in Green Bay, that is obviously something that's going to carry a lot of momentum. You're going to be in Lambeau. The energy will be at an all time high. You know, that place will be loud and all those things. But we all know this. Any of us that have played eight to ten snaps into that game, none of that's going to matter anymore. It's going to come down to executing football. And I think sometimes we take teams at the end of the season, and that's the picture we have of them. And I think we forget when this Lions defense was healthy, when this Lions team had all their guys, just how dominant they were last year.

4:50Yeah, they lost some coordinators, but they still got the man Dan Campbell leading the way. They still got a lot of really freaking good football players. And so I look for them really to kind of be the right mix of a team that if you think of how they're built, they can run it with multiple people. They can play action. You they can play defense. They get a bunch who can change the game themselves. Like, I think they can withstand the storm a little bit of there's going to be some big energy to start this game. And then it's going to come down to who out executes who. And we can't forget, Micah Parsons coming in, but Kenny Clark went out.

5:20Is Green Bay's run defense going to be good enough to stop the Detroit Lions? And also, you know, when you think about this game, the Green Bay Packers have really struggled in their division. They haven't been able to prove it. So this is a game for them. As we always say in the locker room, there's this little inkling of doubt, right? We didn't play well last year. We got dominated in our division. Can the Lions create some doubt to the Packers' mindset? So I think for right now, do I think this Green Bay team will reach where they're supposed to go? Sure. But I think Micah Parsons hasn't practiced much.

5:49He's still going to have an effect, but there's going to be a little bit of running out of gas at some point in this game. And I think the same thing is going to happen to this team. There'll be some big energy to start it. But I think the Lions are built to withstand it. I think they win this game. I'm with you. You know, I like the Packers a lot this year. But I was thinking about that Lions team and they're looking over at Green Bay and now Green Bay is a very buzzy Super Bowl team. And I even think back to two years. Remember when Dan Campbell, they lose that crushing game in the NFC Championship.

6:15And he comes out and says, we might not ever get back here. The next year they go 15 and two. So I think there's like an infrastructure there in Detroit that probably gets underrated. I mean, they're 27 and seven the last two years, best record in the NFL. I did want to ask you, though, that Lions offense specifically, we're going to find out some things, I think, right away because they lose Ben Johnson. They have some changes on the offensive line. Kevin Zeitler leaves. Zeitler leaves. Frank Ragnow retires. You sound like you're relatively confident that they can keep the train moving here, or are you more, hey, let's see how this looks with those moving parts?

6:51I think there's definitely some questions. I do think them being healthier on defense, that as a total team, we're going to see a better version of them even than we saw at the end of the season last year. But I do think there's going to be some growing pains. I think there's this clip on the quarterback Netflix show that I go back to every time somebody asks that question about this game. And if you remember, Goff's talking about the game where they're really struggling and he's had a bad day. He's throwing picks and he's sitting there in the huddle and he's like, man, I hope Ben Johnson calls this play.

7:18And he does call it. And he's like, man, we were thinking alike. Like those are what it's like when you've got a coordinator and a quarterback and a vision for an offense where we're on the same page. We got a feel for how games are going and it takes time to develop that. And it takes a play caller who's got a really good feel for his team and what it needs in the moment. And so I think when you think about that, it's not about whether the job can get done and whether this is the best Lions team we're going to see week one. It's this will be a process for them as well and getting to know each other.

7:46What's their style? What are they going to lean on in crunch time moments? So I think there will be a little bit of, hey, a lull in these first few weeks of just maybe not optimal as good as we've seen them. But they're going to be a really good football team because they have too many good players and too many guys that have been in the moment. And that's the other big part to me. This Packers team has yet to prove in the big division games that it can find a way to win them. The Lions have continually done it and they've shown in big games they can win. And I think a healthy defense is going to be the factor that's going to set the difference for them.

8:17Yeah, most injured defense in the NFL last year. I mean, what Aaron Glenn did with that group, given the guys who went down, was incredible last year. I'm excited for this one. I mean, this could be NFC Championship. These are two teams that could legitimately get to the Super Bowl. We get it in week one. Packers are two and a half point favorites in that game. All right, let's move on to the next one here. It is a time for a special part of today's episode brought to you by NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV. There's no such thing as too much NFL. But how can you handle it all when it's 1 p.m. on a Sunday?

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9:36Requires base plan, excludes digital-only games and commercial use. Terms, embargoes, and restrictions apply. No refunds. Sorry, one game I'm going to have on my Sunday ticket, Andrew. In the late window, Seahawks 49ers. I mean, this NFC West. A lot of questions in that one. Yeah, it looks very intriguing, wide open decision. So let me ask you this. What's a more likely headline? Kyle Shanahan has his fastball back as Niners roll or Sam Darnold lights it up in his Seahawks debut. 49ers go to Seattle. What do you think? man you know what as a ram i am really torn about this game i'm stressing out because i don't know who i want to see come out and be the best in this game because i obviously we've seen when the niners are healthy when they're rolling and shanahan's got his fastball they've proven what they'll do they'll end up in super bowls right and that's how good of a football team they are with the seahawks there's just so many questions like what does it look like now cooper cup being a seahawk and how is he involved in that offense how does that work with jason smith and jigba and and really Sam Darnold and his blend of where the targets are going and really how this offense is going to come alive.

10:49Because we saw last year, it was really run-oriented at first, and it was a lot of play actions, that kind of game. And is that the style that really Cooper and Jackson are built for? And so it's really going to be interesting to see what is this Seattle offense because defensively, I think we all think this should be a really good defense. And so I just think this game is one of those to me that it may not be the every fan's question, you know, big built-up game of the week type situation, but it's going to really tell a story, I think, for the rest of the season of what these two teams look like and is Sam Darnold for real after having an awesome year in Minnesota and then San Francisco, are they back?

11:25And is this the Niners that we've had to deal with? I think for me, I think the likely answer is I think in a week one game, I go to the play callers and I think that when you have a chance to have Robert Sala in the house, You got a chance to have Kyle Shanahan in the house and they're back together. They know how it was made. They made the magic potion before of what got them to play championship style football. So I just think the Seahawks, it's a tough week one matchup for them because I think there's going to be a storm coming from the Niners. My question for the Niners is just who's the playmaker outside of Christian McCaffrey at the wide receiver spot who's really who they're going to be able to lean on.

12:01Yeah, it sounds like Kyle Shanahan told reporters Jawan Jennings expected to play. So you see how he looks there coming off the injury, Ricky Pearsall. But I'm with you. I am bullish on the 49ers in July, Andrew. And then every time I looked up, another guy was going down and training. I know. I thought I might need to change this take by the time we come around. But I kind of don't want Seattle to start building momentum. That's my problem. I think this defense could be a big story for them. And if Sam Darnold's for real, I think they could be trouble. We all know Seattle's a tough place to go win.

12:30And if they're playing great on defense, it is loud. It is a tough environment to go and win in. And if they really get it together on offense, this is going to be a team that people might sleep on how good they really could be. Because week one might tell us that story. You're the perfect person to ask this question because I used to, I worked in Seattle for two years. And, you know, in my preseason projections, I had their defense, I think, can be the best in the NFL. I'm with you. That could be a story of the season. Their offense, I am not as bullish on. And so some of my old friends in Seattle, they're telling me Clint Kubiak can mask some of the deficiencies on the offensive line with the under center, the play action, the boots.

13:09This is going to be easier than it's been previously. How much can his scheme, because that offensive line has been an issue for them for what, a decade? Maybe what we're talking about every year. Is that something that you say, no, he actually can go in there and make that offensive line maybe look a lot better than it looks like on paper? or is that a little bit overblown? I think he can. I think he can go in there for sure. You look at what the Saints were last year. I mean, shoot, I'll never forget. Tony Gonzalez on our show picked the Saints to go to the Super Bowl after the first couple of weeks in our pick-em deal because it was like, that's how good they looked on offense, right?

13:42And we thought, man, this team looked unbelievable. But the reality of it is to me, and this is where I come back to, is what you know about your opponent, right? And you always say, hey, man, you need to know your opponent better than know yourself. I look at Robert Sala, and I look, what did he used to have to face all the time when he was with the Niners? Sean McVay and an offense that loved to play action when we first had golf in 17 and 18. That's what we did. The boots, the actions. And what did he do? He came up with adjustments because Kyle Shanahan's wired the same way. They're sickos and they sit around and they think, how could you stop me?

14:12How could I stop you? All those good things. And he came up with an adjustment with his ends to really take away the boot game against us and force us to have to run the football and play drop back pass. I think the Niners are going to take an approach where they're going to say, hey, we're going to force these guys to stay out of the boot game. If they're going to beat us. They're going to sit in the pocket and throw the football, and we're going to keep him in that pocket and not let him get out. I think that will be their plan going into the game, and I think that's why it's going to be tough because you're going to put Sam Darnold, Cooper Cup, and Jackson Smith and Jigba in this situation where we got to be on to start.

14:42The first week one of the season, live bullets, here we go. We've got to be firing on all cylinders, and they've got to run the football well. Robert Sala has great adjustments to that. For them to stunt, one gap slants, all those good things to try and take away some of that zone game. It's a lot of the same things that drove me freaking crazy when I was a Ram and we'd go play the San Francisco 49ers because Shanahan's over there telling Salah, this is what would kill these plays if you did this. Those two together, it's going to be a problem. I love that. Salah's got like a PhD in this type of scheme that the Seahawks are trying to incorporate this year with Clint Kubiak.

15:17That's a fun matchup. Salah versus the New Look Seahawks. And then the other side of the ball, I mean, McDonald versus Shanahan, two of the best in the NFL. They had some back and forths last year. What does it look like this year? So that's going to be a lot of fun as well. All right. With NFL Sunday ticket on YouTube TV, 1 p.m. is actually the best part of your Sunday. You're in the driver's seat of your viewing experience. You have your pick from every game, every Sunday, all in one place. And you're controlling the chaos like a champ. New users, grab it for eight payments at just$34.50 per month.

15:51Go to youtube.com, ringer NFL to sign up now. New users pay$276 or eight non-cancelable payments of$34.50 per month with first payment charged at purchase. Payment plans not available everywhere with NFL Sunday ticket for out-of-market games and YouTube TV base plan for local and national games. Requires base plan, excludes digital only games and commercial use, terms, embargoes, and restrictions apply. No refunds. All right, let's take a break. I got two more for you. Andrew, we'll get to two more of these games in week one. The Ringer NFL show is brought to you by FanDuel. Football fans, the wait is over.

16:28The NFL is back and the best place to kick off the season is on FanDuel because every game day during week one, FanDuel is giving all customers a no sweat NFL bet. From the money line to player props to same game parlays. Your no sweat bet can be used on any NFL wager type. And if it doesn't win, you'll get bonus bets back. I'm looking at the Browns plus five and a half at home against the Bengals. I know the Browns aren't going to be great, but I think their defense can be a little feisty. The Bengals offensive line, the Bengals defense, I'm not sure about those. So that's what I've got. You can go with that.

17:03You can go with whatever you want. But remember this season, make FanDuel your go-to app for any snap. Just visit FanDuel.com slash Ringer NFL to kick off the NFL season with a no-sweat bet every game day during week one. Play your game with FanDuel, an official sports betting partner of the NFL. Must be 21 plus and present in select states or 18 plus and present in DC, Kentucky, or Wyoming. Opt-in required, refund issued as a non-withdrawable bonus bet that expires seven days after receipt. Max refund$5 unless otherwise specified. Restrictions apply, including token expiration. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com.

17:43Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit rg-help.com. Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org slash chat in Connecticut. For adults with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis symptoms, every choice matters. Tremphaya offers self-injection or intravenous infusion from the start. Tremphaya is administered as injections under the skin or infusions through a vein every four weeks, followed by injections under the skin every four or eight weeks. If your doctor decides that you can self-inject Tremphaya, proper training is required. Tremphaya is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease and adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis, Serious allergic reactions, increased risk of infections or lower ability to fight them, and liver problems may occur.

18:37Before treatment, get checked for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, or need a vaccine. Explore what's possible. Ask your doctor about Tremphaya today. Call 1-800-526-7736 to learn more or visit TremphayaRadio.com. All right, we are back on the Ringer NFL show Sunday night. I mean, if you're not juiced for this game, I don't know why you watch football, honestly, but we got one of the matchups of the year. Two teams that can legitimately win the Super Bowl. Which storyline is more likely? Bill's secondary gets exposed in week one loss or self-inflicted mistakes doom Ravens in loss at Buffalo.

19:22And let me explain to you where I'm coming from here. So again, two Super Bowl contenders. The Bills have a glaring weakness on paper. That's cornerback. Christian Benford limited in practice. Tredavious White did not practice. Wednesday, first round pick. Maxwell Hairston on injured reserve. So this feels like something we might be talking about for a while this season. So, you know, you can pick their kryptonite if you think they're not going to get to the Super Bowl. For the Ravens, I had trouble picking that kryptonite. Like, what is the weakness on the roster? But there does seem to be this thing in big games where they're not at their best, maybe, in big spots and John Harbaugh is up there saying, well, we made mistakes here and Lamar saying, I can't believe we did that.

20:04So I don't know if you agree or disagree with that, but that's where I'm coming from with the headlines. What do you think? Listen, I go back to, we're talking about our Fitz and Whit podcast. Fitz told this story last year. He goes to the playoffs. He gets to do the intro of the Bills game. He rips his shirt off. He gets the whole place going crazy. The Ravens take the opening drive down the field just easily get seven points to start the game off. He's like, I'll never take my shirt off again. That's literally where you're at, right? I think when I think about this game, the reason I say that is the Ravens, when they have energy, they believe in themselves, and they've got the talent they have.

20:43They are a really tough beat. And that's why when you get into the playoffs and it's like, man, the year has gone on, and now it's about just this three-hour window that you try to find a way to have an answer for Lamar and Derrick Henry, and you win your ops on offense, you can win the game. But when you look in the regular season and it's like we've put game plans together and here we come out and you don't know what we're going to run, it is going to be a freight train of Derrick Henry, Lamar Jackson, this offense taking chances over the top with this receivers, and then this defense, how they've upgraded it.

21:12I just think to me the Ravens are the kind of team you don't want to have early in the season because when they're rolling and they're healthy, it is an extremely big ask to stop them offensively. and the Bills being beat up, this is going to be a challenge. So I don't think this is a game that, to me, tells the story of the whole season, although I'm a component that we – I'm one of those people. I believe week one matters a ton. Okay. But I'm not one of those that thinks this is the end of the Bills season but lose this game or this is where they stand. I think this is one of those games that, to me, a beat-up Bills secondary, some things that you go, all right, I could see where maybe they take advantage of them in this game.

21:47And then I'll also look at Josh Allen and this Bills offense. to me a little similar to Burrow and the Bengals offense that early in the year when there's so much on Josh Allen's plate to make this whole thing go and there's so much on Burrow's plate to make their thing go that if they're just not all the way on, it's a little slow and you're facing the wrong kind of team to come out and be in any way slow on offense. I'm curious, you said that you believe week one really does because you know what's going to happen next week. Either there will be like overreactions or there will be, you know, like everyone settled down.

22:22They're going to be fine. Is that from your playing days? You feel like you could maybe notice some things or tell some things? Or why do you think week one maybe matters more than other people might think? Because we're in that locker room. Other than it's 1-17, I guess. You lose week one, you're in that locker room saying, it's okay, guys. It was just week one. We got another one. But here's the reality. All right? We say it's one game, but history tells us otherwise. You win week one, you got a better than 50-50 shot of making the playoffs. That's what history says. You start 0-1, it's less than 25%, right?

22:51You start 0-2, you're basically cooked. So the numbers in NFL history say that that's just the reality of what your season goes like. We can say it doesn't matter, but even last year of all the playoff teams, right, four out of the five teams that did lose in week one lost to a playoff team. So to me, does week one matter? Heck yeah, it does. Your loss better come to one of the teams that you think is the best in the NFL that season because if it doesn't, it probably tells the reality of what your season's going to be like that you may end up coming up short because week one does matter. Now, having said that, my LSU Tigers got a victory this past week over the Clemson Tigers, right?

23:30Now, listen, here's this. I thought Brian Kelly's comments were hilarious, right? He says, basically, listen, our fan base is supposed to be eroding. We're not able to stop the run. We can't run the football. The head coach is supposed to be on the hot seat. And now all you same talking heads that said that on Wednesday last week think we're one of the top teams in the country. That is the beauty of football, baby. We might be off their trail after week one and think, hey, man, this team's done and cooked. The Buffalo Bills are bad. The Ravens beat the snot out of them. And then week two, they have a big win and everybody's going to be back on the train.