Hosting the Mistral Maulers: time to bank what Week 1 left on the table

Week 1 was a lesson in margins. We fell at the Flash Falcons, 107.3-118.6, and the snapshot says that same lineup, ordered better, was worth 121.5 points. Our core did not fail; our sequencing did, and fixing that is on us. The healthy core we advertised before the opener is intact: Jalen Hurts, Bijan Robinson, and Saquon Barkley anchor this team, with real depth behind it; Justin Herbert and Sam LaPorta are luxuries most rosters lack. Acquiring Khalil Shakir for Jake Ferguson tightened our receiving group behind George Pickens and Malik Nabers, and we carry no flagged starters. Now the unbeaten Mistral Maulers come to town behind Lamar Jackson and Jonathan Taylor. Projections lean our way at every position, but a forecast is not a score; Week 1 taught us the gap between paper points and banked ones. Thursday's 8:15 Eastern kickoff in Buffalo starts our clock, and if Jalen Hurts, Bijan Robinson, and Saquon Barkley control the early window while George Pickens and Malik Nabers hold serve, we like our side. The record says tenth of twelve; the roster says that undersells us. Week 2 is where we start proving it.