It's completely meaningless. I don't know who the favorite is and it doesn't matter ... it's very truly meaningless. Buffalo looks like a good team, but there are several others. Did we think Buffalo were favorites last season? Or as good as they appear now? Probably not, which is to say that how things have been in the past (which is the only way we judge the present/future) does not always continue to stay the same.
I just can't articulate how empty and hollow it is to draw any conclusions now. We lack so much data about the competition, team/season evolution, injuries, so forth. Again, to reiterate, we've played less than one full game, in a season that will see 272 total regular season games played.
If everything stayed the same, nothing changed, then yes, Buffalo would be considered one of the favorites at this exact point in time. But, things change over time, particularly in sports/athletics, so there will never be a static/fixed trajectory. It's twofold IMO: 1.) Playing really well in September doesn't really mean a thing (besides seeding/standings), 2.) We know teams will see their performance change/fluctuate/evolve over the course of a season for a variety of reasons.
Buffalo appears to be a very good team, yes. It is not a certainty that they will still be very good in several months, and even if they are, I am not convinced that the Patriots (or others) cannot compete with them.
Just bums me out to see people writing off the season based on tonight's game. Yes, we're not the ones playing, but imagine if the Patriots (or other NFL teams) had this despondent, 'throw in the towel' reaction based on watching other teams perform well. Hell no. They want to play the best and beat the best. Bring on the competition.
