Wednesday night, the 2026 NFL season kicked off with a Super Bowl rematch, and our Seattle Seahawks came out swinging, handing the New England Patriots another L. Forget any slow starts, the Hawks showed up, sending a clear message across the league right out of the gate.
The Experts Are Betting Big on Baltimore
While we’re all still buzzing about that massive W for our Hawks, the rest of Week 1 is stacked, and the CBS Sports writers Jordan Dajani and Jared Dubin are already duking it out over who’s gonna win big. Take the Baltimore Ravens heading to Indianapolis to face the Colts, for example. Both Dajani and Dubin are riding with the Ravens to cover that 3.5 point spread, and honestly, it’s hard to argue. Dajani is absolutely hyped on Lamar Jackson, pointing out the dude averages a whopping 33.3 points in Week 1 starts alone. Jackson’s opening day numbers are just ridiculous: a 9.1 yards per attempt and a 120.1 passer rating in Week 1 starts since 1970. That’s *since 1970*! Meanwhile, the Colts? They’ve got some major red flags popping up. Daniel Jones is coming off a torn Achilles, and his new WR1, Alec Pierce, missed most of the offseason due to ankle surgery. Yeah, Jonathan Taylor’s ready to rock, but will that passing game sputter against a Jesse Minter-led defense that should be improved? Dajani’s calling it Ravens 27, Colts 23, and that sounds about right if those injuries keep dogging Indy.
Tampa Bay’s Week 1 Streak Is Real
Dubin backs up Dajani completely, saying he’s “extraordinarily high” on the Ravens this year and, yep, “comparatively low” on the Colts. He’s expecting the Ravens to be one of the AFC’s best if Jackson stays healthy through a full season, and with Minter at the helm, that defense is only getting better. Dubin’s prediction? A dominant Ravens 30, Colts 14 win. Ouch for Indy. Then we got the Tampa Bay Buccaneers heading into Cincinnati to face the Bengals, and this one’s got a juicy stat. Dajani is going for the Buccaneers +3.5 points here, and his logic is dead simple, but totally compelling: the Bucs have won AND covered in Week 1 for four straight seasons! That is the longest active streak in the entire NFL, folks, a seriously wild trend to ignore. On the flip side, Joe Burrow and the Bengals are a bizarre 1-5 against the spread in Week 1 when he starts. Think about it: they barely edged out the Browns 17-16 last year, lost to Jerod Mayo’s Patriots in 2024, and even fell to the Browns before that. Cincy just doesn’t seem to get going in their openers, and Dajani sees the Bucs cashing in on that.
So while the experts dive deep into the other matchups this weekend, for us, one thing is crystal clear: our Seattle Seahawks kicked off the 2026 season with a massive statement win. With 13 more games set for Sunday and that AFC West showdown on Monday Night Football between Patrick Mahomes and Bo Nix, Week 1 is just getting started. But for the Emerald City, the 2026 season is already looking bright after that Wednesday night performance. The Hawks are here, and they’re ready. Go Hawks!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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