Week one of the 2022/23 National Football League (NFL) season is in the bag and there was a mixture of ups and downs, which is usual from week to week in the league. The opening week provided several wacky endings and notable individual performances, but, unfortunately, also included injuries to some of the league’s marquee players.

Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback (QB) Dak Prescott sustained an injury to his throwing hand last Sunday and reportedly underwent successful stabilisation surgery on a broken thumb on Monday. The injury came during the Cowboys’ 19-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and puts the season of the reigning National Football Conference (NFC) East Champions in jeopardy.

The other truly impactful injury was suffered by Pittsburgh Steelers’ linebacker T J Watt, who endured Watts, who tallied six tackles, a sack and an interception, has been ruled out for this weekend and a specific date for his return has not been confirmed.

Wide receivers Keenan Allen (Los Angeles Chargers) and Tee Higgins (Cincinnati Bengals) both sustained injuries but, reportedly, nothing long term. Allen suffered a pulled hamstring injury during the first half in a 24-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, but is only expected to miss a few weeks. Higgins is going through the concussion protocol due to a first-half injury during the Pittsburgh loss and his return will be determined by his progress through the league’s five-step process. He may likely miss this Sunday’s road game against the Cowboys.

Arguably, the lowest point of the week-old season was the news that the Indianapolis Colts have made the decision to cut ties with their kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, following their outing against the Houston Texans last Sunday. The Colts had a chance to score the go-ahead points with a 42-yard field goal on the first possession of overtime, but Blankenship sent the kick wide-right and the game ended in a 20-20 tie. Blankenship made two field goals (27 and 45 yards) on Sunday before his wayward attempt in overtime.

On a more positive note, the JustBet favourite Buffalo Bills visited the defending champion Los Angeles Rams for the opener last week Thursday and provided a glimpse of why they are being touted to take home the Lombardi Trophy next February. In a dominant performance, in which the Rams were only able to score in the second quarter, the Bills pulled off a 31-10 win to start their season on the right track.

Kansas City Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes went for 360 yards and five touchdowns last Sunday and muscled his Tyreek Hill-less team over the Arizona Cardinals with a 44-21 victory. The game was never close and, following that success, Mahomes has thrown 46 touchdown passes and three interceptions in 14 career September NFL games, and has won 12 of those games. This first act by the Chiefs has already seen them move higher up in the JustBet depth chart.

The feel-good story of the weekend must have been the return of running back Saquon Barkley for the New York Giants. Having spent the first four years of his NFL career frequently injured, his production in Nashville on Sunday signalled the kind of difference-maker many thought he could be when he entered the league — 18 carries, 164 yards and a touchdown, plus six catches for 30 yards. The fifth-year running back had a couple of long runs — a 68-yard scurry in the third quarter and then a 33-yard run in the fourth — but his game-winning, two-point conversion sealed the 21-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

The marquee game for Week 2 would have been played last night — Chiefs vs Chargers — but there is enough on offer this weekend to have NFL fans salivating. At the top of the list are the Green Bay Packers welcoming their NFC North rival Chicago Bears into Lambeau Field and the fire-hot Buffalo Bills inviting the Tennessee Titans into their house on Monday night.

The Packers and Bears are the two oldest teams in continuous operation in the NFL, with a rivalry spanning 203 games. No team has suffered more at the hands of Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers than the Bears, having won just five games against the league’s reigning Most Valuable Player and lost 24 times, including once in the postseason. However, despite Rodgers enjoying some of his finest performances against Chicago, this is not the same Green Bay team of past years and, without Devante Adams to target, the Packers looked miserable in last weekend’s 23-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

On the other hand, the Bears stunned the NFL world by beating the San Francisco 49ers last week in what must be considered a great upset. San Francisco are seen to have a Super Bowl-level roster, but the boys from Chicago didn’t get the memo and dispatched them 19-10 with a strong second-half performance. Last week may have been an anomaly for both teams but this one is expected to be good.

In the first half of a Monday night double-header, the Bills will be up against a team they haven’t beaten over the past two seasons, the Titans. Buffalo QB Josh Allen completed over 83 per cent of his passes last week at an average of 7.12 yards per play — which was the second best in Week 1 — and is expected to have a similar level of production if he can get protected from the pass rush of Jeffery Simmons and Rashad Weaver. The Buffalo defence will have their hands full with creating a plan to limit running back Derrick Henry, who has a combined 70 carries for 334 rushing yards (4.77 yards per rush) and has scored six rushing touchdowns in the last four games these teams played. This one should be really good.

Already, we’ve had multiple overtime games, a tie and upsets, and Week 2 promises to be action-packed from Thursday through to the second Monday night game. Are you ready for some football?

JustBet continues to offer attractive betting options on all popular sports and events (including virtual games) as soon as they become available. Please visit one of the over 100 locations (or visit mobile.justbetja.com) for details and place your bets on the prediction of your choice for maximum winnings…… Get in the GAME!

Super Bowl LVII Champion

Team Odds

Buffalo Bills 6.00

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8.00

Kansas City Chiefs 9.00

Los Angeles Chargers 14.00

Green Bay Packers 14.00

Philadelphia Eagles 15.00

Los Angeles Rams 16.00

Baltimore Ravens 17.00

Denver Broncos 21.00

San Francisco 49ers 21.00

*Only Top 10 odds shown (see website for full list)

Note: Odds are subject to change