Six of the 13 games on today’s National Football League schedule are played under a dome, the remaining seven matchups will enjoy late summer conditions with no rain in the forecast.

Last week, the NFC East Division played their two games against each other. As would be the case, that meant two NFC East teams won and a pair lost. The two opening day losers meet today in Dallas when the Cowboys host the New York Giants. The two NFC East winners last week were the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders. On Thursday, the Commanders fell in Green Bay, which means the Eagles are already alone atop their division in their quest to win a second straight Super Bowl.

As for the two losers, one took it on the chin and looked horrible. The other loser is given credit for a more competitive battle. Let me point out something that has been true for as long as the league has played; teams that get credit for a loss are doomed to repeat.

It was the Cowboys that got credit for staying close to the Eagles in a game that had 41 points scored in the first half while all seven possessions resulted in scores for the teams. The Eagles had three touchdowns in the first half and the Cowboys countered with two touchdowns and a pair of field goals to trail by only one point, 21-20, when the teams headed for the halftime locker rooms.

In the second half, the Eagles kicked a field goal early in the third quarter and then, with just less than five minutes remaining in the quarter, lightning strikes forced a break in the action. For the remainder of the third and all the fourth quarter the Eagles and Cowboys hammered on each other near midfield without any further scoring. The eight-point underdog Cowboys got the money in a narrow loss on the scoreboard, 24-20.

In their opener, the Giants were absolutely pitiful on offense and new quarterback Russell Wilson showed his age without seemingly any benefit from his experience as the Commanders coasted to a 21-6 triumph. The loss didn’t allow the Giants the same kind of solace that the Cowboys got from their loss to Philadelphia.

What does that mean for their next game? The Cowboys get no motivational boost off a loss, and the Giants do. Can New York win in Dallas?

Maybe.

Will they win with the generous point spread?

Likely.

Last week, the Denver Broncos opened their third season under head coach Sean Payton with a home win over the suspect Tennessee Titans. Bo Nix looked like a sophomore slump could be in the offing and Denver failed to cover a bloated point spread.

This week, the Broncos look for a win on the road when they meet the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts had an easy time putting away the Miami Dolphins last week behind their new quarterback, one-time New York Giant Daniel Jones.

A year ago, the Colts met the Broncos in the Mile High City in December and had a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and a 13-7 advantage at half time. On the Broncos first possession of the third quarter the Colts intercepted the Broncos rookie signal caller and on first down, after a completion and penalty, Indianapolis running back Jonathan Taylor broke loose for a 41-yard romp into the endzone to apparently advance the Colts advantage to 20-7.

The problem was, Taylor spiked the ball inches short of crossing the goal line and it went out of bounds. Instead of an Indianapolis touchdown, it was a touchback that took the TD off the board and gave the ball to Denver. If ever there was a play that turned the tide of a game on its heels, it was that unforced error that erased the TD and a double-digit lead for the visitors.

The Broncos scored a field goal in the third quarter to cut their deficit to three, and tallied three unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter to glide to a 31-13 triumph and another step towards their eventual Wild Card berth.

Now, the Colts dominated in Week One, beating the Dolphins 33-8, and are getting a point or more at home today against a Broncos team that slipped by the suspect Titans last week at Mile High Stadium.

Sometimes, teams that have a big opening win can come up flat in second week action. But the Colts have a score to settle with the Broncos and I can hear the announcers on Sunday afternoon applauding the Colts and their new quarterback as a real threat in 2025.

Whether they are a real treat for the season is debatable, whether they are a real threat this week against the Broncos, is a near certainty.

The public has checked in with their three favorite plays of the week, they are the Dallas Cowboys (-5½) over the New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers (-3) over the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions (-6½) over the Chicago Bears.

As for Qoxhi Picks, our selections are now posted on this site and if a Bullet Play develops in the final hour before the day’s first kickoff, that game will be added to the list of recommendations by 9:45 a.m. Pacific Time.