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“NFL Schedule-No Place for Timid”

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The NFL isn’t afraid of anything.

In two bold moves on Thursday night, they released the 2020 schedule, that screams “Corona Virus Be Damned”…..and we will play in our new Stadiums on opening day.

The NFL went ahead and scheduled marquee-shootout games, including the Chiefs-Texans…Tom Brady-vs-Drew Brees….the Packers-vs-Vikings…Browns-Ravens…and Tua Tagovailoa-vs-Bill Belicheck’s defense, plus the Cowboys-Rams, as if there was no threat those games would have to be played in empty stadiums. Talk about firing your best shot right out of the gate.

They also changed their mind after running some 230,000-combinations of the schedule thru computers, and decided to go ahead and start the season with divisional games, spurning the idea you could cancel inter-divisional games in September, if you had to move the start of the season back to October.

And despite delays and virus outbreaks in Las Vegas and Los Angeles at the construction sights, the Rams and Raiders will open up their seasons with big home games.  The Rams meet Dak Prescott and the Cowboys on opening night in LA.  The Raiders will have Jon Gruden glaring and staring at Drew Brees and the Saints in their Allegient Stadium opener in week two.

Take that Corona-Virus-Crisis.

Teams of interest, lots of storylines to talk about.

CHARGERS….Open on the road in Cincinnati as the top pick in the draft, QB-Joe Burrow will lead the Bengals on the field.  The Bolts have an easy schedule at home.  The road kill could be bad when you consider they have to face Tom Brady-Drew Brees-Tua Tagovailoa-Josh Allen and Burrow on the road.  There is a Monday Night game and a Thursday night game for the Powder Blues.  But they also have to play at Tampa Bay and at New Orleans in consecutive weeks…in weeks 4-and-5.  Add to that, they face Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady and Drew Brees in a 4-week window early in the season.  Season could be in trouble before they ever get to mid-October.  Tyrod Taylor, it’s your team, show us what you can do.  If this does not go well, 1st round pick Justin Herbert could be your starter in mid-October, when they faces the Jets-Miami-Jacksonville in back to back to back games.  The end of the year, cold weather games in Buffalo and at Arrowhead.

RAIDERS…What a great home schedule, with Philip Rivers, Tom Brady, Tua, Brees and Josh Allen all coming into the shiny new ‘Black Hole’.  Jon Gruden’s rebuilt defense better be ready because they face Patrick Mahomes-Brees-Brady in a 4-week span right at the start of the schedule.  The Silver and Black play 5-of-8 on the road to start.  They finish with 5-of-7 at home, including 3-straight Sundays in December.

CHIEFS…Everybody will be gunning for the Super Bowl champs right from the start.  That is Deshaun Watson and JJ Watt coming to town with Houston on opening day.  The road schedule is rugged, facing Lamar Jackson-Brady-Brees-Tua and Josh Allen.  The schedule is strange because the computer spit out back to back road trips…3-times for the Chiefs.  They also get 4-road games in a 6-week window late in the season.

BRONCOS…A banner home schedule with all the big throwers coming into Mile High Stadium.  A relatively easy road schedule against teams with QB-issues.  Denver faces Brees-Mahomes on back to back weekends.  They also play 3-of-final-5 away from home.

RAMS…The league must still really believe in LA’s talent level, despite an off season that saw them purge 10-established players off the roster.  A very rugged road schedule dots the slate.  They have to face Carson Wentz..Jimmy Garoppolo early.  Then look at the final 8-games, Russell Wilson-twice…Kyler Murray twice…Brady and the 49ers again.  They get 5-primetime games on TV, but who knows if they are even a playoff team by the time the calendar turns to November.

Gonna be fun for the fans in the stands, or in the worst case scenario, the fans watching games on TV.

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