Raiders: 34
Panthers: 30
If you are a fan of amazing running backs carrying their team, then this game is for you. Both Christian McCaffrey of the Panthers and Josh Jacobs of the Raiders were stellar in their opening game for their respective teams. Both had at least 90 yards rushing and a touchdown each. Jacobs had three touchdowns. The quarterbacks were basically there to push the ball down the field and hand it off to their running backs; that’s how dominant the run game was in this game. The defense for both sides of the ball was something out of a horror movie, just horrible. They seemed unable to stop anything and let both offenses run all over them like they were paper. After seeing this game, I wouldn’t be surprised if the defenses were just paper. Overall, it was a good game between two somewhat bad teams, and it gave fans a lot of hope for the future.
Steelers: 26
Giants: 16
This game was difficult to understand from an analytics perspective. Neither team looked ready or good enough to compete, yet both teams had some really good moments that made the average fan have a somewhat good time watching this game. Both QBs seemed rusty, yet both made good and bad choices. Both starting running backs had pretty bad rushing games. The only key difference between the teams was the defense. The Steelers’ defense was great and truly went back to the type of defense that we expect from the Steel City. If you are trying to analyze this game, just don’t because there is no real worthwhile evidence for both teams. Both teams had their up and down moments with certain stand out players and backbreaking players on both sides. This game was ambivalent, and if you are a Steelers fan, just be glad you got the win.
