Some Good, Some Bad, Some Not So Good But That's Okay

Detroit Lions @ Kansas City Chiefs

Huh. The Detroit Lions might be good now, and you should pay attention. Sure, the Chiefs were without Chris Jones, who's holding out for a new contract. Sure, Travis Kelce was out this game with an injury. Sure, its only the first week of the season. But the Lions looked competent against a good Kansas City squad. Jared Goff was clean, with 253 passing yards and a TD. The WR group looks fine for now with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Josh Reynolds combining for 151 and a TD. Just wait until Jameson Williams returns from suspension (if he's actually good, I have no idea). Did you see that pick-6 by Brian Branch? That was cool. They might have the pieces to take the division this year, something they haven't done since 1993... in the NFC Central, when the Buccaneers were still in the division.

This game, the Chiefs looked... vulnerable. Human even. Granted, it took their top pass-catching target and top defensive tackle being out of the game to lose to the Lions, but still. That WR depth behind Kelce is... pretty thin. I love MVS, but other than him, who else would I trust to get big yards? Heck, Mahomes nearly doubled Isaiah Pacheco's rushing yards. The only reason they had 90 yards on the ground was because Mahomes contributed 45 of them! Once Kelce returns, the offense will be back in form as defenses will have to double cover him. If he goes down this season for a few games though... yikes.

Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens win 25-9 in Houston, the 1,076th unique scorigami! Despite the offense creating only 265 yards and QB Lamar Jackson turning the ball over twice, the Raven’s defense held up their end of the bargain and kept the C.J. Stroud-led Texans out of the endzone. Rookie QB Stroud threw for 242 yards, but was sacked 5 times and did not score.

The Ravens had to deal with injured players before and during the game with Mark Andrews and Marlon Humphrey on the Injury Report. RB J.K. Dobbins tore his achilles tendon and will be out for the season. S Marcus Williams left the game with a shoulder problem. LT Ronnie Stanley and C Tyler Linderbaum also left with injury.

Arizona Cardinals @ Washington Commanders

This game was closer than expected, with second year-QB Sam Howell doing just enough to allow the Commanders to win 20-16. Surprisingly, Arizona led Washington through the end of the 3rd quarter, with rookie LB Cameron Thomas securing a fumble-6 at the end of the first half. The Arizona offense sputtered, only putting up 3 points in the second half.

The Commanders are expected to win through their defense this season. Per Robert Griffin III’s assessment before the game, “It has to start with defense. Shut down the run and get the ball back to Sam Howell, give him opportunities to continue to grow. You don’t want to be down in a game 21-0 and then ask Sam Howell to throw the ball 45 times.” The Cardinals, who are projected to be the worst team, were only allowed 210 yards total and lost 2 fumbles this game. Both teams played fairly sloppy as well, with 191 combined penalty yards on 17 total penalties on the day.

San Francisco 49ers @ Pittsburgh Steelers

The 49ers continue to show that they have a Purdy good Mr. Irrelevant at QB, beating the Steelers on the road 30-7. QB Brock Purdy, who spent months rehabbing his surgically repaired right elbow this offseason, threw for 220 yards, ran for 20 and served a pair of TDs to WR Brandon Aiyuk. RB Christian McCaffery had a fantastic day on the ground - 152 rushing yards and a TD on 22 attempts. The 49ers defense gave Kenny Pickett and the Steelers fits all day, with 8 TFLs, 5 sacks and 2 interceptions. One of those interceptions came early in the 4th quarter as the Steelers trail by 20, with Fred Warner tipping a pass and Talanoa Hufanga securing the catch.

The Steelers offense struggled mightily, which accumulated a whopping 1 net yard on offense with 1:35 left in the first half. Pittsburgh only had 15 1st downs on the day and were ineffective on converting 3rd/4th downs. The 49ers were much more effective and possessed the ball for 62.3% of the game. For the Steelers to find success this season, they’ll need to find ways to get their ground game involved lest they put too much on Kenny Pickett’s plate.

Tennessee Titans @ New Orleans Saints

Derek Carr, new starting QB for the Saints, secures his first win at home against the Tennessee Titans 16-15. The game featured 8 total field goals and only one touchdown (by Carr), but it could have gone much worse for the Saints. The Titans made numerous mistakes throughout the entire game, whether it was a blocking gaffe that led to a blocked punt which turned into a field goal, numerous flags on the offensive line, or giving up big plays on key downs. Pushing aside those mistakes, you still leave QB Ryan Tannehill with a miserable performance: 198 yards on 47.0% completion, 2 conversions on 3rd down, and 0-for-3 in the red zone. If Tannehill can’t show that the Titans can make a push for playoffs, I would be expected to see them give Malik Willis for a spin or potentially Will Levis if they want to play for better draft position.

Derek Carr played well enough in his debut but leaves some room for improvement - not a bad place to be after a win. 23-for-33 on the day, 305 yards and a TD to RB Rashid Shaheed. Chris Olave reeled in 112 of those yards on 8 receptions. If Carr can improve and the defense continues to hold up its end of the bargain, the Saints will be front runners for a weak NFC South division title.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Minnesota Vikings

Well would you look at that? Baker Mayfield is still a quarterback that can sling it, beating the Vikings on the road 20-17. With 2 minutes remaining in the game, the Vikings felt comfortable despite trailing and only needing to stop Baker Mayfield on third down. However, as the Vikings are ought to do, they allow Chis Godwin to get open and secure the first down with 1:55 to go. After an unlikely 11-0 record in one-score games last year, the Vikings weren’t able to replicate that magic today. The Vikings also coughed up the ball 3 times today, while the Buccaneers stayed clean.

While Baker’s performance still left Buccaneers fans wanting, he did just enough to put them up by 3. 173 passing yards and only 1 TD, but remained turnover free the entire day. The Buccaneers were 6-17 on third down today as well, with that key reception late in the 4th quarter icing the game.

Kirk Cousins is no slouch either: 344 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT. With your quarterback putting up those numbers and only putting up 17 points however… not what you want to see. With Justin Jefferson putting up 150 yards no less! The loss of Dalvin Cook was visible today, as RB1 Alexander Mattison only put up 34 yards of the team’s 41 total yards on the ground. The Vikings will have to find ways into the endzone with a weaker skill room than last year.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts

Are we now in that phase of the league where the Jaguars are good again for a little bit? The Jags beat the Colts in Indianapolis 31-21, with both quarterbacks making some noise in their own right. The top story of the game, however, would be the return of WR Calvin Ridley, who notched 101 yards, a career-high 7 first-half receptions and a touchdown today. Ridley returns to the field after a season-long suspension for betting on NFL games. He was traded last off-season by the Falcons to the Jaguars, clearly finding early rapport with Trevor Lawrence.

Anthony Richardson showed some grit last night despite going down late in the fourth quarter with a knee bruise. The fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft, Richardson completed 64.8% of his passes for 223 yards, rushing for a team leading 40 yards, scoring a TD and getting picked off. He was leading the Colts on a 4th quarter drive to attempt to bring his team within 3 when he was injured deep in the Jacksonville red zone. The Colts could have used RB Jonathan Taylor, who is currently on the PUP list and is actively looking for a trade this season.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns make some noise in the rain, upsetting the Cincinnati Bengals with a 24-3 win. Star QB Joe Burrow was only held to 82 yards in the air and the Cleveland defense kept Joe Mixon to an alright 56 yards on the ground. Despite committing no turnovers, the Bengals struggled everywhere else, converting for third down twice the entire game. 

The cog of this Browns offense, Nick Chubb, rushed for 106 yards on the day and chipped in another 21 yards receiving. While he did not score, QB Deshaun Watson rumbled in for a rushing TD. Watson did not perform incredibly well (only 154 passing yards, 1 TD and 1 INT). K Dustin Hopkins scored 10 of the Browns points today, with his longest attempt at 43 yards. With the Bengals consistently coming out flat against the Browns in the past few seasons, both teams will have to find additional wins elsewhere throughout the season. With their uncharacteristic play this game, the Bengals should still be able to find their form and remain favorites to contend for the Super Bowl.

Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons

An interesting matchup between 2 young offenses, the Falcons win at home 24-10. Running was the name of the game today, as both teams had over 120 yards rushing today. The Falcons running duo of Tyler Allgeier and rookie Bijan Robinson combined for 131 yards, with Allgeier securing 2 TDs. Robinson got his first TD through the air, courtesy of QB Desmond Ridder. Ridder contributed a pedestrian performance, 115 passing yards at an 83.3% completion rate but committing no turnovers. The star of the Falcons defense was Jessie Bates III, who forced 3 turnovers (2 of which were INTs) and earned 10 tackles.

Rookie QB Bryce Young did not have the kind of first game you’d like to see out of a no. 1 pick, throwing for only 146 yards and getting picked off twice by the same player. Young is still a great talent, but there will definitely be growing pains for him. Following Young’s debut, Panthers receiver Laviska Shenault had this to say - “Welcome to the league. It ain’t easy. It’s hard. I think he’ll bounce back strong. He’s a very talented quarterback and he’s got it in him. It’s [his] first game. It’s a long season.”

Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears

Arguably my game of the week, the Green Bay Packers are still receiving dividends from the ownership of the Chicago Bears, coasting to a 38-20 win on the road. With nobody really sure about what to expect from this game, the Packers showed they were capable of a well-rounded game, with all three phases going well. QB1 Jordan Love shined in his debut, throwing for 245 yards and scoring 3 TDs. While his stats look great, there were a handful of passes that could have been a bit more accurate. Good start for the young gun, but I’d like to see more from him next week before getting high on hopium. Aaron Jones shined, contributing 127 total yards and 2 TDs. 

The Bears looked flat the entire game and didn’t appear to make any real improvements despite being very active this past offseason. While Justin Fields did put up 216 yards through the “air”, many of those receptions came from behind the line of scrimmage. He was pressured all day and threw a Pick-6 to LB Quay Walker, but did make some great runs as the pocket broke down, finishing with an additional 59 rushing yards. There was very little life in the Bears by the third quarter, so one could only hope that this is where the bottom is at… right?

Los Angeles Rams @ Seattle Seahawks

The Los Angeles Rams beating the Seattle Seahawks without star WR Cooper Kupp was not something I expected to see, but hey, week one can be a little nuts sometimes. To replace the production of Kupp, Matt Stafford threw 238 of his 334 passing yards to Tutu Atwell and rookie Puka Nacua, who will promptly be picked up in every fantasy league this year. RBs Kyren Williams and Cam Akers scored 3 total TDs combined and K Brett Maher did almost enough to beat the Seahawks by himself. The Rams played strong defense all day, despite not forcing any turnovers. A pleasant surprise, and one that teams who play the Rams this year should take note of. Imagine this team when Kupp returns.

After Geno Smith’s best season of his career last year, he looked more like he normally has. Throwing for only 112 yards and 1 TD is not what you’d like to see, and the Seahawks couldn’t click at all on offense, going for 2-9 on third downs and settling for FGs in the first half when they needed touchdowns. In the second half, things were much worse: only 12 yards of offense and 1 first down. WR D.K. Metcalf summed up the game best: “You never want to see another team or the opposing team, especially somebody in your own division, play harder than you. I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of mistakes that we have to clean up.” Seattle also lost both of its starting tackles in the third quarter, as well as WR Tyler Lockett.

Miami Dolphins @ San Diego Chargers

Tyreek Hill is still that guy, as the Miami Dolphins come back in a high-flying 36-34 duel against the Chargers. Hill, who’s aiming for 2,000 receiving yards this year, is on pace to blow past that mark by achieving 215 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. QB Tua Tagovailoa surprised many, including myself, as he threw for 466 yards, 3 TDs and only 1 INT. His last throw was a 4-yard completion to Tyreek Hill with 1:45 remaining to put the Dolphins up for good. Miami’s 536 yards of total offense is the most the franchise has ever yielded in an opener. 

Despite the loss, the Chargers performed well. QB Justin Herbert only threw for 229 yards and 1 TD, but didn’t turn the ball over and stayed fairly upright. The rushing game of the Chargers contributed 233 yards and 3 touchdowns. If your run game does that, I’m okay with a modest aerial showing. J.C. Jackson was able to pick off Tua too, but the Chargers weren’t able to come back with 1:45 in the game. Chargers LB Khalil Mack blamed the defense for the loss, but praised the play of Tagovailoa and Hill. “I feel like it’s a rare occasion when you’ve got two guys like that on the field at the same time, blazing up and down the field,” said Mack. “We’ve just got to look at it and get better, make sure we get better on the back end and the front end.” The Chargers will be visiting the Tennessee Titans this week.

Philadelphia Eagles @ New England Patriots

The Philadelphia Eagles picked up where they left off last season, after appearing in the Super Bowl. Sure the Eagles have a handful of new faces and sure, this was a rocky start, but the Eagles still put the game away thanks to contributions on both sides of the ball and they have the talent to show they are still the top team in the NFC. QB Jalen Hurts was 22-33 for 170 and 1 TD, but fumbled the ball late in the fourth quarter and enabled the Patriots to have a chance to comeback. Most of today’s points came from K Jake Elliot, who made 4 FG for Philadelphia. They’ll have plenty of time throughout the season to figure out their identity.

New England couldn’t have had a rougher start than this one, but Mac Jones recovered as the game went on. After being in the hole 16-0 at the end of the first quarter, Mac Jones delivered a 316-yard-and-3-TD performance. The receiving core of the Patriots had 8 different players catch at least 2 passes, with Kendrick Bourne snagging two of Jones’s 3 touchdowns. The Patriots even outgained the Eagles 382-251. It’s not the result they wanted, but there’s something there and they might not be dead in the water in their division, especially since…

Las Vegas Raiders @ Denver Broncos

The Italian Stallion versus Chef Russ. These two teams are playing most likely for second or third in the division. Russell Wilson actually played fairly decently, going for 177 yards and 2 TDs on the day. The Broncos led going into the half, and a Will Lutz FG in the 4th quarter put the Broncos in prime position to win the game. Was it a great game from the Broncos? No, but it was still a large step up from last year. Special teams needs to be improved (Lutz missed 2 big kicks, a hold negated a return, and a botched onside kick to start the game aren’t great to see), but there’s still plenty of time left this season to see if Russ can still actually cook. Broncos Country, Let’s Ride.

Jimmy Jesus is still beautiful and Jimmy Jesus can still quarterback teams to wins somehow. 200 passing yards and a touchdown is just enough to beat the Broncos by 17-16 late, but it’s his willingness to make the tough play that is impressing the Raiders. The final score of the game came after Garoppolo threw a pick to Kareem Jackson. “That’s Jimmy, he’s got great mental toughness. Love his grit. Love his toughness,” said Raiders coach Josh McDaniel. 

Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants

The beatings shall continue until the game runs out of clock. The Giants weren’t expected to be world beaters but holy crap, did the Cowboys beat the world out of them. As much as folks might want to blame Daniel Jones (although he does deserve some blame), he was sacked 7 times and was pressured all game. Saquon Barkley ran for 51 yards, but barely saw any backfield action in the second half of the game. Their best receiver, TE Darren Waller, only caught 3 passes for 36 yards. This team died in the rain today, hopefully this is the worst it gets and not an indicator for the season.

Speaking of world beating, I didn’t expect the Dallas Cowboys to make the Giants their whipping post. QB Dak Prescott only needed to go 13/24 for 143 yards today as the RBs Tony Pollard and KaVontae Turpin chipped in 3 TDs. The other 22 points? A pick-6 by DaRon Bland and a nearly perfect day from rookie K Brandon Aubrey. The defense made this game look like the Giants offense showed up to a pre-season game. On to the next.

Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets

Pain. Nothing but pain. That is the way of the New York Jets. Even in victory, they still lose. Sure, they beat the Josh Allen-led Buffalo Bills to start the season 1-0. Heck, they even picked him off 4 times! This meager victory was the sugar that made the medicine go down, knowing that they’ll be without 4-time MVP QB Aaron Rodgers for the rest of the year. I’ll always remember where I was today, when I turned on the radio just moments before this tragedy struck. This has got to be (looks at the date carefully and decides not to over exaggerate) one of the worst things to happen in New York that day. On the bright side, Breece Hall looked like nothing was ever wrong with him as he went for 127 rushing yards tonight.

Buffalo, get your poop in a group. Josh Allen was doing his Brett Farve impression, and not the good kind. This was the second worst thing I saw tonight. You lost on a punt return for a TD in overtime. Stefon Diggs balled out with 102 yards and a TD, and that’s the nicest thing I can say about this game. You had a chance to beat the Jets without Aaron Rodgers and still blew it. Good luck in Las Vegas. You’ll probably win there, but you could still use the luck. Don’t turn it over.