Breaking down scenarios for NFL's first game
Mike Florio and Chris Simms analyze the current games that have been made public and discuss the potential matchups fans could see to kick off the 2026 NFL season.
Video Transcript
Coming June 2- June 2- AJ Brown- to a theater near you will be a member of the Patriots.
And, and coming tomorrow we will find out, 'cause right now, Chris, there is a, I guess, 25% chance.
I guess that's how we should phrase it, because the Seahawks had nine home opponents as potential visitors for the week one Wednesday night game.
Five of them have other arrangements that we know about for week one.
Cowboys, Giants, those were two of the possibilities, they're tied up.
Rams, 49ers, two of the possibilities, they're tied up.
The Chiefs, playing the first Monday night of the season, they're off the board.
The only four left, Patriots, Chargers, Cardinals, Bears.
So there's a 25% chance they gotta get AJ Brown ready to go- Bears or Chargers, please for a week one Wednesday night visit.
Bears or Chargers, please.
And that would be, I mean, at least that would be an upgrade over what they had last year.
I'm looking for reasons, if in theory, because we'll find out tomorrow night, if in theory it's a rematch of Super Bowl 60 right out of the gates, how have the Patriots gotten better and where have the Seahawks gotten worse?
Oh, and they're playing that game at home, but AJ Brown could be a guy who gives them a boost and changes everything, and allows the Patriots to get the ball down the field.
If, if that ends up being.
We'll find out tomorrow night at 8:00 Eastern, unless in the Yeah, and there's been plenty of leaks out there.
Plenty of leaks about the schedule.
It's come out in dribs and drabs.
Dr- That's how we started- Dribs and drabs down this path today.
Yep.
Yeah.
Dribs and drabs.
Well, as we talked about Monday, I certainly don't wanna see that.
I, I, I That would be disappointing if it was Seahawks-Patriots.
It, it really would be.
I'd be more excited, yeah, the Chargers to go up there.
John, you know, and then Jim Harbaugh of course has a relationship with Mike McDonald, and there's some crossover there, so that would be cool.
But you- as we said Monday, the one I really wanna see is the Chicago Bears and Caleb Williams.
Caleb Williams, for me right here sitting now, what is it, May 2nd.
Okay, what the hell day is it?
May 13th, 14th?
I've lost track of what the hell day it is.
May 13th.
May 13th, okay.
You got the right month.
Yeah, right month.
That Caleb Williams is an MVP candidate.
He's a short list MVP candidate.
Like you just heard me say with Drake May and year two in the Josh McDaniel offense, th- that holds true for Caleb Williams, who's more talented than Drake May.
I mean, Caleb Williams has a chance to be Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes.
He's a phenom.
It's a phenom.
He can do things that only a few people in the history of the sport can do.
He can make throws like we talked about.
I mean, how many weeks last year did we go, "Holy crap"?
I mean, it, it was five, six weeks we spent two or three days, segments, going, "Look at this freaking play and throw."
He had the most unbelievable plays and moments.
Iceman.
Right.
Exactly.
So to me, that's why- Iceman I would be excited for it because yeah, it's year two in the Ben Johnson offense.
That's gonna expand, and you're gonna see more and more there.
And if you to- and if, you know, if you told me at the end of the year Dra- Caleb Williams was the MVP, led the s- the league in passing yards and touchdowns, I'd go, "I'm not surprised at all."
And so that's another reason I'd wanna see them go up to Chic- Seattle in week one.
And if he does all those things, you wait and see.
And I'm not being critical, I'm just trying to get people ready for what's coming.
If he ends up being the NFL MVP and having incredible stats this year, get ready for the money that he's gonna try to get.
As he should.
As he should in free agency.
Not free agency, he'll have two years left on his- Yeah deal.
Right.
He'll be eligible for his second contract.
Right.
I misspoke on free agency.
So anyway, that's all to be determined, but again, it's gonna be the Chargers or the Cardinals or the Bears or the Patriots.
We know that by process of elimination.
We mentioned that yesterday, and we will know at the latest in about 36 hours who everyone will be playing, and we'll get to go look at all the schedule release videos and search for any and all clues of the story of the year so far, that the AJ Brown acquisition will maybe allow the Patriots to turn the page on- Yeah if only for a little while.
Well, yeah, that Yeah.
Okay.
So the next- I was- straw- I was like, wait- try to the New York Post are you saying the AJ Brown story is the story of the year?
Have you forgotten something- No, I'm saying- that dominated your traffic for a few weeks?
And still, to a certain extent, does.
Yeah.
But- Yeah you know, something we said yesterday, and then we got a break.
I got two things to say real quick.
Oh, yep.
One, if in theory, if it turns out that the 1 in 25% chance of the Patriots being the opponent for the Seahawks that Wednesday night, my next question is, does someone have a sit-down with Oprah Winfrey the night before?
Is that when the tell-all happens?
The night after Labor Day.
The night sandwiched between Monday, Labor Day, and Wednesday night, first game of the season.
I'm just throwing that out there as a possibility.
'Cause we know it's, it's likely coming.
I mean, I don't know, we don't know anything about when, where, how, or if, but if it happens, man, that would be a hell of a time for it to happen.
That would throw a wrench into the final plans of the Patriots as they get ready to play the Seahawks.
If that 1 in 24 or 25% chance, or 25% chance, 1 in 4 chance, I'm sorry.
1 in 4 chance works out that they are the team that plays the Seahawks-
