Buzz Break: 2023 Panini Absolute Football cards (blaster box)

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2023 Panini Absolute Football cards (blaster)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of highlights from this one.

Packs per box: 6
Cards per pack: 11
Cards per box: 66
Base set completion: 
58 of 200 (29 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Ja'Marr Chase, Mike Evans, Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Josh Allen, Justin Fields, Jonathan Taylor, Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, Derrick Henry, Brian Robinson Jr., DeVonta Smith, Mac Jones, Amari Cooper

Rookies (18) – Bijan Robinson, Marvin Mims, Stetson Bennett, Hendon Hooker, Michael Wilson, Jayden Reed, Garrett Williams, Dylan Horton, Darnell Wright, Steve Avila, Brenton Strange, Tre Tucker, Mekhi Blackmon, Tyler Scott, Emmanuel Forbes, Zach Harrison, Derick Hall, Adetomiwa Adebawore

Insert/short-print cards: 8 (all in gallery below with some base/rookies)
Green parallels (2) – Justin Herbert, Deshaun Watson
Green rookie parallels (1) – Broderick Jones
By Storm (1) – Marvin Mims
Draft Diamonds (1) – Keenan Allen
Introductions (1) – Jonathan Mingo
Rock Out (1) – Alexander Mattison
Star Gazing (1) – JuJu Smith-Schuster

Autographs/Memorabilia: None

What’s Buzz-worthy: Just like I said last year, for a long time this brand was one of my go-to boxes for NFL -- in its more-premium years where it was a multi-pack, hit-per-pack box made out of clear plastic to the years where these packs came in little pie boxes with a hit every time. In more recent years, the format moved toward all those hits in one box -- making the entry price higher for hobby -- and that meant that blasters perhaps got a bigger focus out of me for basics and then a hit ... or at least foilboarded Rookie Cards only found here with a nicer look than being just base. (Ripped a bunch in some past years.) Fast forward to the most-recent years and I don't think I ripped much at all -- too many flippers hoarding for Kaboom! cards and I wasn't paying a premium -- and then this year it's about the same. I don't mind it, but this one doesn't have as much oomph as it perhaps should unless you land a big one among the inserts or some kind of rarer hit. ... All in all, just not my kind of box just like last year -- I don't mind base cards if there's something more in store -- but this time around it was a bit underwhelming. There are parallels in play here as well as ink and inserts, too, but this one wasn't really delivering much beyond the basics. There are 100 rookies in play here and you'll get 18 every time so your one guy you might target in theory would land every five or six boxes or so, meanwhile you can land a base set in perhaps as few as two blasters ... these just feel like they need more. I'll explore more of what might be in this one if I rip more.

Product Grade: B+ (like design here)
Box Grade: B (too much base but that was packed with stars -- needs more variety, though)
Fun Grade: C (see above)

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