Table of Contents
I’m ready to rattle off a handful of hot takes, and there’s no better place to do that than in the return of NFL Fact or Fiction.
I’ll focus more on awards and stat leaders because there’s no point in discussing Super Bowl contenders after the NFL dropped off the Lombardi Trophy at the local UPS store to ship to Los Angeles after the Rams signed Aaron Donald on Sunday. I’m kidding, of course. I truly believe it hasn’t gotten to the point where we look at the Super Bowl betting odds and say it’s Rams or the field.
There’s a contender on the other side of the country that’s being slept on despite adding a notable wide receiver in the offseason. And it won’t be a cakewalk for the Rams in the NFC, not when the Lions have just as much firepower on the offensive side.
Let’s kick off this Week 0 edition of NFL Fact or Fiction with Jahmyr Gibbs’s chances of winning MVP this season.
Jahmyr Gibbs will end the 13-year streak of QBs winning MVP
Manzano’s view: Fact
It’s kinda funny how little coach Dan Campbell cares about the backup running back situation after spending the offseason raving about Gibbs.
Campbell should be somewhat worried about Isiah Pacheco possibly not being available for the start of the season due to injury, but when you have a healthy Gibbs, there’s really no point in stressing about the position, even knowing that Jacob Saylors, who only has two career carries, is in line to be the backup running back for next week’s season opener against the Saints.
With how much Campbell has hyped up Gibbs’s first season without splitting carries with David Montgomery, who’s now in Houston, there’s a real possibility Gibbs plays more than 80% of the offensive snaps this season. Last year, Gibbs saw a career-high 67% of the snaps and was on the field less than 60% of the time during his first two seasons. It’s wild how efficient he’s been in his career despite the limited work (at least 1,800 scrimmage yards in each of the past two seasons), and it makes you wonder whether he’s about to deliver a historic season.
I’ll be bold here and say Gibbs ends the 13-year streak of a quarterback winning MVP and becomes the first running to claim the prestigious award since Adrian Peterson in 2012. But he’s going to have to produce a historic season because just rushing for 2,000 yards is no longer enough to win the award—just ask Saquon Barkley, who did it in 2024 and finished third for MVP.
Perhaps Gibbs can flirt with the single-season yards from scrimmage record that currently belongs to Chris Johnson (2,509 yards in 2009).
Myles Garrett will break his sack record playing next to Aaron Donald
Manzano’s view: Fiction
If Garrett can rack up 23 sacks playing for a terrible Browns team that trailed most of last season, it’s certainly possible that he breaks his single-season sack record with all the help he has with the Rams, which now includesplaying next to Donald.
But I think the Rams will go with a less-is-more approach for their first season with Garrett and find creative ways to get the others more involved while keeping the star players fresh for when they are needed most. (Conor Orr laid that out perfectly here.)
Also, Garrett hasn’t practiced much this summer (we’ll know more about the injury when the first injury report comes out next week). The Rams will be cautious with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and jump on opportunities to rest him when possible. Maybe this won’t happen often because it’s still a grueling schedule for the Rams, but they might find themselves up big in a handful of games to allow the veterans to sit for long stretches.
L.A. is all about the Super Bowl this season, not setting records. Still, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Garrett generate at least 20 sacks in back-to-back seasons.
Not enough people are talking about the Bills adding DJ Moore
Manzano’s view: Fact
I didn’t realize how very little the addition of Moore has been talked about outside of Buffalo until I saw him available in the seventh round of my fantasy football draft last week.
The Bills trading for Moore has gone under-the-radar with the Rams stealing the bulk of the spotlight with all of their acquisitions. In the AFC, the Broncos have generated more hype with the trade for Jaylen Waddle. Even the Bengals have had more attention after the arrival of Dexter Lawrence II and he’s a defensive player.
Now, I’m not only saying this because Moore is now a member of my fantasy team, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Moore plays a key role in the Bills finally getting Josh Allen to a Super Bowl. Too many might be caught up in Moore’s critical mistake that ended the Bears’ playoff run where he appeared to not have gone full speed to prevent Caleb Williams’s costly overtime interception against the Rams.
However, Moore was instrumental in how much Williams improved in his second season. He was the go-to receiver in most clutch situations, and made some sensational touchdowns in the battles against the Packers. The 29-year-old Moore still has plenty to offer for a contender.
Commanders will be able to overcome offensive line challenges
Manzano’s view: Fiction
I try not to get too caught up in training camp storylines, but man, it’s hard not to think the Commanders could be in for a long season with all that has occurred to their offensive line.
Third-year player Brandon Coleman will start the year at left tackle after Laremy Tunsil sustained a torn triceps injury that could keep him out all of 2026. Coleman played guard last season. Meanwhile, the Commanders have limited options at center, perhaps turning to guard Nick Allegretti, who doesn’t have much experience playing the position. As for the cherry on top, reporters recently said the Commanders’ offensive line was a mess during a joint practice with the Ravens.
It’s probably time to panic in Washington. Asking Jayden Daniels to scramble more after dealing with injuries last season and only playing seven games seems like a recipe for disaster.
Anthony Richardson will make at least one start this season
Manzano’s view: Fact
I can’t believe I haven’t fully given up on Richardson and his enticing skill set, but he showed signs of improvement in the preseason and the Colts noticed it too after keeping him on the initial 53-man roster.
Richardson appeared composed in the pocket, displayed better accuracy and showed off his arm strength. With Daniel Jones’s injury history (he hasn’t played more than 13 games in a season since 2022), I’ll bet that Richardson makes at least one start this season.
However, I’ll give myself an out here and say that one start doesn’t have to be with the Colts. There’s a chance the team held on to the 2023 first-round pick in hopes of executing a trade for a quarterback-needy team down the line. And for Richardson to make a start in Indy, he’ll need to leapfrog second-year quarterback Riley Leonard on the depth chart. It seems competition has been good for Richardson this summer.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollowPublished | Modified 
GILBERTO MANZANO
Gilberto Manzano is a staff writer covering the NFL for Sports Illustrated. After starting off as a breaking news writer at NFL.com in 2014, he worked as the Raiders beat reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and covered the Chargers and Rams for the Orange County Register and Los Angeles Daily News. During his time as a combat sports reporter, he was awarded best sports spot story of 2018 by the Nevada Press Association for his coverage of the Conor McGregor-Khabib Nurmagomedov post-fight brawl. Manzano, a first-generation Mexican-American with parents from Nayarit, Mexico, is the cohost of Compas on the Beat, a sports and culture show featuring Mexican-American journalists. He has been a member of the Pro Football Writers of America since 2017.
Share on XFollow gmanzano24Share on FacebookShare on XHome/NFLOriginal Article
