How great is it to have a full slate of NFL action again? Especially with stadiums full of fans. It was brutal last year with the networks pumping in fake crowd noise. I would have rather listened to the silence. Nothing can match the energy provided by a live crowd.
Here are the different thoughts and opinions I have on various things I witnessed this past weekend. It was a typical Week One, some upsets, some expected beat downs and fans across the country are either getting over-hyped after a win or falling into depression after a loss. Relax, we have 16 more games to go.
Just remember I am a Dallas Cowboys fan and I'm extremely biased. Feel free to agree or disagree about anything mentioned here. All comments are welcome.
Game of the Week
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The Cleveland Browns were determined to prove they need to be taken seriously as Super Bowl contenders. For three quarters they were convincing the Kansas City Chiefs. But in the end the Chiefs showed they are still the team to beat in the AFC with a come from behind 33-29 victory.
Kansas City was missing a few key players on defense in Frank Clarke and Tyrann Mathieu. The Browns took advantage early and came out swinging. Cleveland scored a TD on their first possession (and made a two-point conversion) and added two more TDs in the second quarter to take a 22-10 lead into the half.
The Chiefs began to wake up in the second half. They took the opening kickoff in the 3rd quarter and proceeded to grind out a 14 play drive that ended in a Mahomes TD pass to Travis Kelce.
The Chiefs kept the momentum going by forcing a Nick Chubb fumble at midfield and converting the turnover into a FG. At the end of three quarters the Browns lead was cut to two, 22-20.
The Browns weren’t done competing. They started the 4th quarter with a 75-yard TD drive to increase their lead to 29-20. At that point Patrick Mahomes had seen enough. On the Chiefs first play after taking the kickoff, Mahomes uncorked a 75-yard TD bomb to Tyreek Hill to once again cut the Browns lead to two.
Then disaster struck for the Browns. The Browns prepared to punt after facing a 4th & 12 when punter Jamie Gillan fumbled the snap. The Chiefs tackled Gillan on the Cleveland 15 and three plays later scored a go-ahead TD.
The teams traded punts after that before the Browns got one last shot with 5 minutes left. The Browns made it to midfield before Baker Mayfield threw an interception. The Chiefs ran out the clock to ice a 33-29 win.
Like they did a lot last year, the Chiefs got off to a slow start on offense but when Patrick Mahomes began to heat up the offense took off. Mahomes (27/36, 337 yards, 3 TDs, 1 rushing TD) had a typical great game. He did most of his damage with his two favorite targets Tyreek Hill (11 receptons, 197 yards, 1 TD) and Travis Kelce (6 receptions, 76 yards, 2 TDs). He got little help from his running backs who only gained 55 yards on 19 carries. In the end it didn’t matter because Mahomes is a rare QB who can carry a team. The Chiefs showed they are still the top dogs in the AFC.
The Browns put up a helluva fight, but a few critical mistakes with turnovers hurt them. You can’t make those mistakes in Kansas City if you want to win. Baker Mayfield (21/28, 321 yard, 1 INT) was sharp. His only bad throw was the interception and that occurred when he got hit trying to throw the ball away. Cleveland is a run first team and their rushing game delivered. They piled up 153 yards on the ground with Nick Chubb (15 rushes, 83 yards, 2 TDs) and Kareem Hunt (6 rushes, 33 yards, 1 TD) leading the way.
Maybe the Browns are simply destined for failure on opening day. Cleveland hasn’t won their first game of the season since 2004. Even worse they haven’t won an opening game on the road since 1994. That was so long ago Bill Belichick was their head coach.
Maybe Defense Isn't Dead Yet
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In an era where offense rules, it is nice to see a defensive battle. That’s what we got in Buffalo as the Steelers slugged out a 23-16 win over the Bills.
In the first half it was the Bills defense that dominated. The Steelers could only muster a paltry 54 yards in the first two quarters. The Bills offense fared a little better. A long return on the opening kickoff set up a FG and in the second quarter Buffalo put together their longest drive of the game which culminated in a Josh Allen TD pass. Buffalo led 10-0 at the half.
The Steelers changed their plan of attack in the second half, using short, quick passes by Ben Roethlisberger to finally put some drives together. The result was two FGs in the 3rd quarter. Buffalo still led 10-6.
The 4th quarter is where the Steelers took over. After stopping the Bills on downs around midfield, Pittsburgh took advantage of the short field and a long pass interference penalty to finally find the endzone and take their first lead of the game.
Things went from bad to worse for Buffalo. Being stonewalled by the Steelers defense on their next possession and facing a 4th and 12, the Bills had their punt blocked. Pittsburgh returned the blocked kick for another TD and a 20-10 lead. The two teams traded FGs back and forth after that as neither team could get close to the endzone. Eventually the clock hit zero with the Steelers winning 23-16.
Big win for Pittsburgh on the road against a tough opponent. The offense needed a lot of help from defense and special teams to pull this one out. Roethlisberger (18/32, 188 yards, 1 TD) didn’t do much and rookie running back Najee Harris (16 rushes, 45 yards) did even less. 250 yards of total offense won’t cut it most weeks. However with the way the Steelers defense played on Sunday it doesn’t look like teams will be able to run away from them.
The Bills offense put up a good amount of yards (371), but they had trouble translating them into points. A pitiful 1-4 execution in the red zone combined with going 1-3 on fourth downs didn’t help. Josh Allen (30/51, 270 yards, 1 TD) got a weak return for 51 pass attempts. The Bills seemed to forget about their running game even though Devin Singletary (11 rushes, 72 yards) did a fine job with his limited opportunities. A lack of balance on offense certainly hurt Buffalo, especially since Allen couldn’t make any explosive passing plays against the tough Steelers defense.
They Can't All Be Winners
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The Week One schedule was a real treat this year because there was a lot of intriguing matchups between potential Super Bowl contenders. Two games I thought should be really interesting was Packers at the Saints and Cardinals at the Titans. I expected great games. I was disappointed. Both games were blowouts won by the underdogs.
Let’s start with Green Bay vs New Orleans. The Saints had a lot of issues heading into this game. With the retirement of Drew Brees, they now had to rely on Jameis Winston at quarterback. Winston had to play without his top target, the injured all-pro wide receiver Michael Thomas. If that wasn’t enough to worry about, New Orleans got wiped out in the hurricane and the Saints lost the home field advantage of the Super Dome. The games was played in Jacksonville. Since most Saints fans were still dealing with flooding, the stadium was loaded with Packers fans.
That’s a lot of adversity to face in Week One, let alone the fact the Packers pretty much returned the same squad that has been to two consecutive NFC title games. How would the Saints respond?
Simple answer: by completely and totally kicking the Packers ass. Final score 38-3.
This “game” was a joke. If the Packers have any sense they’ll destroy this game film and just pretend it didn’t happen. The Saints did whatever they wanted, wherever they wanted all over the field. The Packers couldn’t pass, couldn’t run, couldn’t even slow down the Saints on defense.
While the Saints ran up a big score, their offensive stats are rather modest since they had short fields to work with all game. Jameis Winston (14/20, 148 yards, 5 TDs) was excellent in his first start for the Saints. Running backs Alvin Kamara and Tony Jones Jr. combined for 133 yards on 33 carries. The New Orleans defense forced three turnovers and only permitted the Packers to convert one of their ten third down situations. I’m still not sure how good the Saints will be this year because Green Bay was so awful it’s hard to judge.
No sense in even talking about the Packers. Everything they did was shit. The good news for Green Bay fans is it can’t possibly get worse.
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The other dud of the week occurred in Tennessee, where the Cardinals stomped all over the Titans, took the 4th quarter off and still won 38-14.
The Titans have been a threat in the AFC since Ryan Tannehill took over at quarterback, but the Cardinals took them to the woodshed. Linebacker Chandler Jones was a one man wrecking crew, sacking Tannehill five times and forcing a fumble.
The Cardinals brought a one man wrecking crew on offense as well: quarterback Kyler Murray. Murray (21/32, 289 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT, 1 rushing TD) torched the Tennessee secondary, doing most of his damage with DeAndre Hopkins (6 receptions, 83 yards, 2 TDs) and Christian Kirk (5 receptions, 70 yards, 2 TDs). The running back committee chipped in with 136 yards on 33 carries.
Much like the Packers, the Titans should just pretend this game never happened. Even worse for Tennessee this disaster occurred at home. Ouch. Breathe deep Titans fans. It can only get better.
Around the League
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Texans 37 Jaguars 21
It sure was nice of the NFL to schedule a game between the two worst teams in the league for Week One so somebody could get a win. Trevor Lawrence and Urban Meyer had all the hype, but the Houston Texans got the win.
Lawrence (28/51, 332 yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs) had a rough start in his pro debut yet recovered some in the second half. Those turnovers however came early and let Houston run away with this one right away. I wonder how long Urban Meyer will last in the NFL. My guess is a season or two at best. These high profile college coaches learn real fast pro football is an entirely different game. Ask Nick Saban.
Surprisingly the NFL hasn’t suspended Texans QB Deshaun Watson with all his legal difficulties. The Texans have him on the roster, but won’t activate him. Watson is going to get paid ten million dollars this year to watch football. Nice work if you can get it.
Tyrod Taylor (21/33, 291, 2 TDs) will instead lead the Texans and he had a good day against a bad defense. Taylor was aided by a running attack that piled up 160 yards on 41 rushes.
Funniest take away from Week One: The Texans sit atop the AFC South standings by themselves with their 1-0 record.
Eagles 32 Falcons 6
In a battle of the birds (or maybe for the birds but who am I to judge) the Eagles embarrassed the Falcons in Atlanta.
This past offseason the Eagles decided to move on from injury prone Carson Wentz and go with Jalen Hurts at quarterback. For Week One at least it looks like they made the right move. Hurts had a big day in the air (27/35, 264 yards, 3 TDs) and on the ground (7 rushes, 62 yards). Of course Philadelphia won’t play a lousy defense like the Falcons every week, but none the less it was an impressive start for Hurts. It didn’t hurt that for the first time in several years Philadelphia entered the season with a very healthy roster.
It sure isn’t a good sign for the Falcons to get housed like this in their own stadium against a team that is mediocre at their very best. New head coach Arthur Smith was the offensive mastermind behind the Titans very good offense the past few seasons. He doesn’t have nearly the same talent to work with in Atlanta. The Falcons traded away Julio Jones, but didn’t go into full rebuild mode. I foresee a long, bad season for Atlanta.
Seahawks 28 Colts 16
There was a lot of noise around Seattle in the offseason from Russell Wilson. Wilson wanted better protection (what QB doesn’t?) and more passing in the offensive game plan. Head coach Pete Carroll likes to run the ball. New offensive coordinator Shane Waldron found the right balance between the two in Week One to lead Seattle to a convincing win over the Colts.
Indianapolis has a good defense yet the Seahawks did whatever they wanted on offense. Wilson (18/23, 254 yards, 4 TDs) spread the ball around to seven different receivers and Chris Carson (16 rushes, 91 yards) led a rushing attack that pummeled Indy for 140 yards by averaging more than five yards per carry.
Carson Wentz had little support from his teammates in Philly last year and might have felt some déjà vu in this game. He has a better offensive line in front of him (although they played like garbage in this game), but with wide receiver T.Y. Hilton out he lacks quality targets. The rushing attack was flat with RBs Jonathon Taylor and Nyheim Hines only gaining 90 yards on 26 carries. Wentz himself wasn’t bad (25/38, 251 yards, 2 TDs) but he’ll need more help in the future if Indianapolis wants to contend this year.
Then again maybe Wentz’s problem was simply his opponent. After Sunday’s loss Wentz is now 0-6 vs the Seahawks in his career.
Chargers 20 Washington 16
New Chargers head coach Brandon Staley thinks his team is ready to take a big step forward this year and they certainly got off to a good start by defeating a team from Washington D.C. that still can’t figure out what to call themselves more than a year after dropping the old nickname.
The Chargers moved the ball up and down the field with ease against a stout No-Names defense, but just squeaked out the win due to a terrible red zone performance. The Bolts made it into the red zone six times yet only came away with 20 points. Not good. Justin Herbert (31/47, 337 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) was mostly good, an interception and a fumble in the red zone prevented him from having a great day.
Still it was a good win for the Chargers, especially considering how west coast teams generally struggle with early games on the east coast.
The No-Names lost Ryan Fitzpatrick early in the second quarter with a hip injury. They still made this game competitive with a good showing by back-up QB Taylor Heinicke (1/15, 122 yards, 1 TD) and strong running attack led by Abe Gibson (20 rushes, 90 yards). Yet Gibson gave the game away with a fumble on his own four yard line that set up an easy game winning TD for the Bolts. If Fitzpatrick is out for any significant amount of time the defense better get its act together in a hurry.
Also the front office should pull their heads out of their asses already and pick a new name.
Bengals 27 Vikings 24 in OT
The Cincinnati Bengals got off to a rare good start with an overtime win over the Minnesota Vikings. Sure the Bengals almost pissed this one away but hey, a win is a win for Cincy.
Joe Burrow (20/27, 261 yards, 2 TDs) looked real good coming back from last season’s horrendous knee injury. Although he did take five sacks on the day. The Bengals better learn how to protect him quick or another season will spiral down the drain.
Rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase couldn’t catch a ball during the preseason, but he found his groove at the right time with five receptions for 101 yard and a TD. Running back Joe Mixon (29 rushes, 127 yards, 1 TD) also had a good game. If the Bengals can keep Burrow healthy, and that is a big if, they should win some games this year.
The Vikings may have beaten themselves as penalties kept killing their drives. Over all the Vikings racked up 12 penalties for 116 yards. Hard to win with that kind of performance, even against the Bengals. Kirk Cousins (36/49, 351 yards, 2 TDs) carried the teams as the running attack was M.I.A. Minnesota will need more out of Dalvin Cook (20 rushes, 61 yards) if they want to contend this season.
Maybe the Vikings will get better if head coach Mike Zimmer puts more time into his team’s performance and spends less time worrying who does or doesn’t take shots of magical cure. Funny how Cousins was the only Viking to have a real good game.
49ers 41 Lions 33
The 49ers came out of the gate strong and were coasting to an easy win before the Lions made a furious comeback late in the 4th quarter that fell just short. It is what the Lions do you know.
The Niners had last season ruined by a plague of injuries. Healthy once again they did what good teams are supposed to, slaughter bad teams. Jimmy Garoppolo (17/25,314 yards, 1 TD) showed he isn’t ready to give up his gig at quarterback. Rookie Trey Lance did make an appearance and threw a five yard TD in his only pass attempt. The injury bug did bite again when running back Raheem Mostert went down early, but Eli Mitchell (19 rushes, 104 yards, 1 TD) stepped up and filled in nicely. If they can stay relatively healthy the Niners are a serious threat in the NFC. As long as their defense remembers NFL games are 60 minutes long, not 57 minutes.
The Lions have a new head coach in Dan Campbell who is electric in his intensity. The problem for Detroit is he was handed a roster full of crap. New QB Jared Goff (38/57, 338 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) had a sweet debut on the stat sheet, but the results were still the same. The running game is weak and Goff doesn’t have the targets available to put up those kinds of numbers with consistency. The defense is baaaad. Yet they never quit fighting despite being down huge late in the game. That’s the fire Campbell was supposed to bring. Unfortunately for Detroit fans it probably won’t translate into many wins. This team needs a complete overhaul.
Panthers 19 Jets 14
Some people felt this was a so-called “revenge” game for Sam Darnold. I doubt it, he probably couldn’t care less since he should be thrilled to far away from Adam Gase and the Jets. If Gase was still the head coach in New York then he might have sought revenge by “accidently” hitting him in the face with a fastball.
Darnold (24/35, 279 yards, 1 TD, 1 rushing TD) had a strong first half as the Panthers took a 16-0 lead into halftime. From there Carolina was happy to use running back Christian McCaffrey to run out the clock. Per usual McCaffrey was a threat on the ground (21 rushes, 98 yards) and in the air (9 receptions, 89 yards). The Panthers season will depend on how Darnold continues to develop, at least he is off to a good start.
Jets rookie QB Zach Wilson (20/37, 258 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) had a dud of a first-half, but rebounded in garbage time to put up some decent stats. He got little help from a rushing attack that only gained 45 yards on 17 carries. The Jets are banking on Wilson to be their savior, just like they have with every quarterback they drafted since Joe Namath retired. Too bad the Jets don’t have any talent on the roster to help him.
Broncos 27 Giants 13
I thought this was going to be a good game. I was wrong. It happens every once in a while. The Broncos came to New York and kicked the Giants butt.
Cast aside by several franchises, Teddy Bridgewater may have found a home in Denver. Bridgewater (28/36, 264 yards, 2 TDs) looked sharp in his Broncos debut, completing passes to eight different receivers. Melvin Gordon (11 rushes, 101 yards, 1 TD) made big plays as well to balance the offense. The defense shut down the Giants running game, which put the ball in the hands of Daniel Jones. That is always a good outcome when you play the Giants. The Broncos were a dark horse pick for many prognosticators last year and they stunk. Maybe everyone was just a season too early. We’ll see, the Broncos are in a tough division.
The Giants spent big money in the offseason and welcomed the return of a healthy Saquon Barkley. It sure didn’t help in Week One. Same old crap we saw from the Giants last year. Barkley (10 rushes, 26 yards) couldn’t find any lanes to run through. Daniel Jones (22/37, 267 yards, 1 TD, 1 fumble) had some bright spots, but still manages to turn the ball over in crucial situations. This is a make or break for Jones (and possibly head coach Joe Judge) and it is off to a bad start.
Dolphins 17 Patriots 16
I’m assuming both teams wanted to win this game even though neither played like they did. In another clear example that the Patriots dynasty is dead the Pats blew an excellent opportunity late in the game to steal a win by fumbling the ball away.
A win for the Dolphins in New England is a big deal, but they weren’t overly impressive. Tua Tagovailoa (16/27, 202 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 rushing TD) made enough plays to lead two TD drives, otherwise he wasn’t that good. Judging by all the offers Miami made for Deshaun Watson, the Dolphins still aren’t sold on Tua. This game won’t change their minds.
Of course it would have been helpful if Miami could have supported him with a stellar rushing game but the Dolphins RB committee could only muster 74 yards on 23 carries. Woof. At least the defense showed up by only surrendering one TD. Lots of room for improvement if the Dolphins want to make any noise this year.
I imagine Bill Belichick will be pretty grumpy this week. Then again I imagine he is pretty grumpy every week. But the Patriots sure as hell didn’t play a Patriots type game. 8 penalties, two critical fumbles and a weak 1-4 performance in the red zone is enough to piss off any coach.
Mac Jones (29/39, 281 yards, 1 TD) didn’t have a bad debut. Yet not even cracking 300 yards with that many passes and completions won’t cut it in today’s NFL. Running Back Damien Harris (23 rushes, 100 yards) was good when he held onto the ball. New England spent a lot of money in the offseason, they are going to need a better effort than this if they want to return to the playoffs.
Rams 34 Bears 14
Matthew Stafford spent a long time in the NFL hell known as the Detroit Lions. He celebrated his new freedom with the Rams by torching the Chicago Bears.
Stafford (20/26, 321 yards, 3 TDs) showed no issues in learning Sean McVay’s offense. He hit Van Jefferson (2 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD) with two bombs and wasted no time in forming a connection with top receiver Cooper Kupp (7 receptions, 108 yards, 1 TD). Darrell Henderson (16 rushes, 70 yards, 1 TD) provided ground support.
With the upgrade at QB the new Rams offense looked very dangerous against a solid defense. Combined with their very good defense, the Rams are once again looking like a Super Bowl contender.
Bears Quarterback Andy Dalton (27/38, 206 yards, 1 INT) didn’t exactly set the night on fire. With Chicago’s coaching staff sitting on some of the hottest seats in the league, I exepct rookie Justin Fields to take over real quick. Running Back David Montgomery (16 rushes, 108 yards, 1 TD) picked up right where he left of last season. The Bears need the defense to keep scores closer so they can take more advantage of Montgomery.
All that's left for Week One is a Monday Night matchup between the Raiders and Ravens in Las Vegas that is getting ready to kickoff shortly. Hopefully it's a good game.
So how did your team do in Week One? Are you already planning a Super Bowl party? Or are you already looking forward to next year's draft? Maybe somewhere in the middle?
Whatever the case feel free to leave a comment and as always thanks for reading.