[sportscurmudgeon]

1. Week 1 matters exactlly as much as any other week does. Anyone who says otherwise is a fool.

2. In a 16-game season, each week equals 6.25% of a team's final record. In an 18-game season, each week equals 5.56% of a team's final record. So, the difference isn't all that much and an 18-game season would not make many of the weeks of the season into meaningless games - - - unless of course the team you follow sucks donkey balls and goes into December with a 3-9 record...