Football season is upon on us and it’s about darn time. Living in the humidity of Houston the “dog-days of summer” is definitely something I’m happy to see pass us by.  I’m ready to sit on my couch and do nothing but watch football on Sundays, while making fun of my family shoveling snow back east.

There are many reasons to be excited about the Texans this year, exhibit A being DeShaun Watson. The 61% completion, 1,699 yards, 19 touchdowns and 8 interceptions while holding a quarterback rating of 103.0 in just 7 games last year before the injury. The 12 touchdowns thrown against the four playoff teams he faced last year.  That was the trailer for what is hopefully the very good movie that is DeShaun Watson’s long career in Houston. I know you’re going to watch the Texans game this week but here are four other games you need to keep your eye on.

Bengals at Colts

Andrew Luck’s best season was in 2014 when he threw for 4,761 yards and 40 touchdowns.   Will he get back to that form? That is one of the many fascinating questions that face the 2018 NFL season, another one being of course is DeShaun Watson the real deal?  Two quarterbacks in the same division who have shown us flashes of brilliance in their careers. Two quarterbacks that also have us thinking, is the injury bug going to haunt them for as long as they play in the league?  The Colts have made an effort this past offseason to keep Andrew Luck upright and give his shoulder a chance to relive the glory days Indy fans would love to see return. This is a franchise used to good quarterback play, this is a team historically that has given the Texans fits. Right now it is thought to be Jacksonville or Houston’s division, according to Vegas.  The Jags are +165 and Houston is +195 to win the South, however the Colts might be the sneaky “best bet.” They are the underdog at +550 odds. Sunday we get our first look at the rejuvenated Andrew Luck.

Jags at Giants

Not as easy test for Jacksonville right off the bat. This is the scariest defense in football by a long shot, and one thing to keep an eye on as a Texan fan is how the offensive line for New York handles the front seven for Jacksonville. New York, just like Houston, struggled protecting the quarterback last year and paving consistent holes for the running game. Jacksonville was the only team in the NFL last year to not give up 3,000 total passing yards on the season; they averaged 169 passing yards given up through the air.  The second lowest, Minnesota, gave up 192. That is a big difference from the top team to the second team, and a lot of that had to do with disrupting the quarterback. They also were second in the league in sacks last year. Watch and see how the Giants offensive line handles the pressure, because New York and Houston have similar struggles in that department.

Titans @ Dolphins

I’ll obviously list all the divisional opponent games Week 1. Tennessee's offense took a step back last year, Marcus Mariota in particular.  I think Miami will be horrible this year, and even decent teams beat up on horrible teams. If Tennessee hopes to compete this year, this is a game they win by 10 points even if it is on the road. We’ll get a good look here at possibly two bad teams.  If there is a blow out in this game, the Texans will know if there is competition in Nashville.

Chiefs @ Chargers

The one other division in the AFC that I think is very much up for grabs is the AFC West.  The goal is to make the playoffs this year and move past the first round for Houston. These are two legitimate foes that could stand in their way.  Will Patrick Mahomes’ first year be like DeShaun Watson’s? No, but he is a gunslinger with weapons and a brilliant offensive mind for a head coach in Andy Reid. The Chargers have at least one stud at every positional level on both sides of the ball.  These two teams will compete for the division title out west.