The first Sunday of the NFL season in the rearview mirror. After we saw a couple of slogs in the primetime windows Wednesday and Thursday, where just one of the four teams that took the field score more than 13 points, the offenses were back with a vengeance. Ten teams scored at least 30 points while three others put at least 26 points on the board. Will Week 2 be another bonanza for offenses around the league?
It’s too soon to tell but let’s take a look at what transpired on the opening Sunday.
Chicago at Carolina: This one was a game where defense was optional in the contest. Caleb Williams did his best Josh Allen impression, throwing for two scores and adding a pair of scores on the ground. The Bears ran for 291 yards with D’Andre Swift (three scores) and Kyle Monangai (TD) cracking the century mark. Kalif Raymond was impressive as the #3 receiver with eight catches. You have to expect more than the nothing burger Colston Loveland posted going forward. Bryce Young had a big game but didn’t get any help from the defense. Jalen Coker (eight grabs, two TD) impressed and provides a solid receiving option alongside Tetairoa McMillan.
Tampa Bay at Cincinnati: One has to think that Baker Mayfield turns in a better showing than we saw in the opener. He fumbled three times in the game as the Buccaneers committed four turnovers in the contest. Kenneth Gainwell didn’t get as much activity as expected with five carries and one reception compared to Bucky Irving’s eight carries and seven catches. For Cincinnati, better days are coming for Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who combined to catch just five balls on 10 targets. At least Evan McPherson was back in form, hitting all four field goal attempts, including from 58 and 55.
New Orleans at Detroit: Give Tyler Shough credit, rallying the Saints from a 21-0 hole to force overtime. He cracked the 400-yard mark in the game. Chris Olave showed he can be effective if he’s healthy and Devaughn Vele stepped up as the #2 option right now with Jordyn Tyson hurt. Jahmyr Gibbs showed why he was a top-three pick in most leagues, racking up 186 total yards and two scores. Jared Goff was a short passing attack QB as he didn’t have a pass play longer than 22 yards. Jameson Williams (four catches on nine targets) has to be better.
Buffalo at Houston: When you talk about Buffalo, everything starts with Josh Allen. He tied a career-high by hitting 11 throws that were at least 10 yards downfield en route to a 334-yard, two TD performance. He added two more scores on the ground, moving him into the top 20 all-time for rushing scores. Dalton Kincaid had a career-high 130 receiving yards and played 73% of the snaps while DJ Moore added 100 yards. After Detroit just gave up 400+ yards to Shough, you have to think Allen is going to be amped for this one. For Houton, David Montgomery didn’t have a great day running the ball but three scores is nothing to sneeze at either. One shouldn’t expect Houston’s defense to struggle like this on a weekly basis.
Baltimore at Indianapolis: Big showing by the Ravens’ offense in the first game with Declan Doyle as offensive coordinator. Lamar Jackson looked like a two-time MVP, throwing for more than 300 yards. Derrick Henry continues to bulldoze opposing defenses. The concern for the Ravens is their receiver depth as Zay Flowers was off to a blistering start before leaving with a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, #3 receiver Ja’Kobi Lane suffered a wrist injury. If one or both those guys are missing, the passing game may struggle. For the Colts, Jonathan Taylor had more than 100 total yards and two scores but Daniel Jones was hit nine times and under duress constantly. He needs time to throw.
Cleveland at Jacksonville: This game was never in doubt as the Jaguars were up 24-0 at the half. Index favorite Trevor Lawrence had four scoring passes on 23 attempts, which is a pretty nice ratio. Parker Washington may have supplanted Brian Thomas Jr. and Jakobi Meyers as the #1 receiver in the passing attack for the Jaguars. Bhayshul Tuten got the lion’s share of the run game work, finishing with 15 carries to Chris Rodriguezl’s six. Cleveland did Cleveland type stuff, which is play miserable football and get kicked around. Deshaun Watson threw a TD to Denzel Boston in garbage time but was sacked five times and threw a pick. There’s simply not much to be excited about from a fantasy perspective with the Browns right now.
Atlanta at Pittsburgh: Not sure what you can take away from this one for the Falcons, who played an injured third-string QB in week 1. Cooper Rush, predictably, wasn’t good and it impacted things. Bijan Robinson lived up to his draft billing, finishing with 173 total yards and a score. Meenwhile, Drake London was held in check as he was targeted just four times. Kyle Pitts was targeted just once and put up a donut. For Pittsburgh, Jaylen Warren (10 attempts, five catches) got more of a workload than Rico Dowdle (eight carries, two catches) in the run game. Tight end Pat Freiermuth had a solid game while D.K. Metcalf caught just four of 10 targets.
New York Jets at Tennessee: The Saleh Bowl didn’t live up to the billing, unless being bored was the goal. Sure, the Jets looked almost competent at times offensively as Breece Hall cracked the century mark on the ground. Garrett Wilson caught six balls on seven targets and Geno Smith hit seven different guys in the game. For Tennessee, there was no pass rush to speak of defensively as they failed to record a sack. Cam Ward was rather pedestrian though he did extend the Jets’ misery of not picking off a pass. Carnell Tate and Wan’Dale Robinson are clearly the top two targets in the passing game for Tennessee.
Arizona at LA Chargers: So much for that Mike McDaniel was going to get the Chargers’ offensive attack fired up, at least in the opener. The Bolts were 9.5-point favorites, the biggest favorite to go down outright in week 1 since 2018. Tyler Allgeier had a 17-11 advantage in carries over Jeremiah Love though Love did find the end zone. Is Marvin Harrison Jr. suddenly the #4 option in the passing game for the Cardinals? Just three targets (one catch) while Trey McBride, Kendrick Bourne and Michael Wilson all had at least seven targets. Justin Herbert failed to live up to the buzz and neither did Omarion Hampton. I wonder if David Njoku is going to be the #1 option at TE or if Oronde Gadsden Jr. gets a chance to reclaim his role.
Miami at Las Vegas: This game was not for the faint of heart as neither team is expected to be good this season. Miami got an encouraging debut from Caleb Douglas but that was the high note offensively. Malik Willis didn’t look great and led the team in rushing. De’Von Achane was stifled by the Raiders’ defense, averaging just 3.2 yards per carry. For the Raiders, Ashton Jeanty cracked the 100-yard mark and caught six balls while scoring twice. Michael Mayer, filling in for the injured Brock Bowers, put up a solid showing, as did rookie running back Mike Washington. Whether Mayer continues to perform when Bowers returns is something to watch.
Green Bay at Minnesota: Green Bay jumped in front early but, much like we saw late last season, fell apart in crunch time. Jordan Love threw for 387 yards and two scores, including a handful of huge plays. He also threw a pick, took four sacks and fumbled twice, losing one. Christian Watson and Matthew Golden seem to have surpassed Jayden Reed in the pecking order. The run game is spotty. Marshawn Lloyd owned a 13-7 advantage in carries over Chris Brooks Jr. but Brooks Jr. had the better YPC (4.1 to 2.8) in the game. Kyler Murray was knocked out with a concussion in the first quarter. Carson Wentz came in and led the Vikings to victory. Justin Jefferson was the top target with nine of the 24 targets in the game. Jordan Addison had just two targets and no catches. Expect that to change next week against the Bears.
Washington at Philadelphia: This was another typical showing by Philadelphia, where the offense wasn’t overly impressive. Jalen Hurts had three TD passes but completed just 14 of 25 balls in the game. Hollywood Brown didn’t play so Dontayvion Wicks was the other starting receiver for the Eagles. Dallas Goedert was the best option in the passing game with a couple scores. For Washington, Jayden Daniels looked…well, rusty. Terry McLaurin wasn’t as big a factor as you’d think and while Stefon Diggs caught a touchdown in his debut, he also took a personal foul for unsportsmanlike conduct that prevented the Commanders for going for two that could have tied the game. He also caught only four of nine targets. With the game on the line, rather than do it himself on a RPO or target his top two receivers, Daniels threw to…backup tight end John Bates?
Dallas at New York Giants: The Dallas defense didn’t miss a beat from last season. Of course, that’s not good news, as the Giants ran for 165 yards, threw for 230 and put 28 points on the board. The Cowboys forced four fumbles but recovered just one and their offense was out of sync most of the night. George Pickens finished with just three catches for 28 yards while CeeDee Lamb had five for 44 and a score. Javonte Williams had two scores but struggled to find holes in the run game. For the Giants, Jaxson Dart was sharp with three scoring tosses against six incompletions. Cam Skattebo had 81 yards and a score in his return from injury. Tyrone Tracy Jr. fell out of the rotation after he fumbled as Devin Singletary moved into the #2 role. Something to monitor going forward. Isaiah Likely was sharp in his Giants’ debut, catching all eight balls thrown his way for 78 yards and two scores.
Week 1 comes to a close with an AFC West clash Monday night when the Broncos and Kansas City square off at Arrowhead Stadium. We tend to predict the MNF score; let's go with Denver 23, Kansas City 20.
--Chris Kubala
