At long last, the NFL season is upon us. The days of boring Sundays will be put on hold for the next few months, as football fans around the country will be glued to their TVs to make the anxiety of the coming weeks a little more tolerable. With week one over, let’s dive into the winners and losers as well as what was seen from this weekend’s action.
Ravens at Chiefs (20-27)
An underwhelming debut for two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, the kickoff game between the two AFC powerhouses was still an exciting game to start off week one. Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely had an excellent showing, going for 111 yards, nine receptions and a touchdown, almost tying score to take the game into overtime. On the Chiefs side, rookie receiver Xavier Worthy proved to be another weapon for Patrick Mahomes to utilize, going for both, a touchdown in the air and on the ground. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, though putting down a solid stat line, was seen missing many targets late in the game that ultimately led to the Ravens losing in the final minutes.
Packers at Eagles (29-34)
Perhaps a dream come true for Saquon Barkley, the Eagles and the All-Pro running back were victorious against the Green Bay Packers in the NFL’s first game south of the equator. Barkley dominated the ground, rushing for over 100 yards with two scores for the Eagles. On the Packers side, Sophomore receiver Jayden Reed showed out in the pass-
ing game, putting up 13 yards and a touchdown to go along with it. Unfortunately for the Packers, newly signed quarterback Jordan Love was injured late in the game, and will be out for the next few weeks.
Vikings at Giants (28-6)
It is not quite time to say the Vikings will be the same under new quarterback Sam Darnold, but Sunday’s performance definitely helped the case. The veteran “bridge” QB threw for over 200 in the air and two touchdowns with one interception, connecting with star receiver Justin Jefferson and Jalen Nailor for the scores. The defense dominated the Giants, forcing QB Daniel Jones into throwing two interceptions, one for a touchdown, and for under 200 yards passing. Giants fans are likely disappointed after the performance, as Daniel Jones is under a new contract worth considerably more than how he has performed. The situations will be interesting for both teams going forward this season.
Titans at Bears (17-24)
After falling on the wrong side of a 3-17 deficit at half, the Bears defense and special teams picked up the effort to come out on top against the Titans last Sunday. Highly touted first overall pick Caleb Williams had a subpar debut, not even passing the 100 yard threshold for passing yards and a less than 50% completion rate. Though it is only the first game, expectations are still high for the young Williams as he looks to improve throughout the season. For the Titans, Tony Pollard was perhaps the only bright light on a very underwhelming offense, rushing for 82 yards on the ground with a score to go along with it.
Rams at Lions (20-26)
One of the more exciting games of Sunday’s action, the Detroit Lions toppled the Los Angeles Rams in overtime on Sunday Night Football. For the Lions, running back David Montgomery sealed the game on the last drive, almost single-handedly moving the ball down the field and scoring a touchdown to end the game. Receiver Jameson Williams had a career game, overshadowing star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, with Williams catching five passes for 121 yards and a touchdown for the Lions. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, now 36 years old, proved he still has it with 317 yards and a touchdown to go along with it. Expectations are high for both teams this year as they get the first games of the season out of the way.
