After we wrap up the first week of the NFL regular season, let’s take a look at some major takeaways from the opening week.
San Francisco Is For Real
Brock Purdy showed the world that he is indeed back. After recovering from an elbow injury this offseason, the Iowa State product threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns.
The receiver of those two scores? Brandon Aiyuk, who paced the team with his 129 receiving yards on eight catches. It may be too early to say, but he looks like the clear number one receiver over Deebo Samuel (5 catches, 63 yards). Samuel will continue to act as a gadget weapon that can catch and carry the football. But, Aiyuk looks to be a weapon Purdy will trust to move the chains this season.
Christian McCaffrey (22 carries, 152 yards, one touchdown) was phenomenal, showing the world he remains the best dual-threat running back in the league.
400 yards of offense? Outstanding. Holding Pittsburgh to 200 total yards? Even better. San Francisco held the Steelers to just 14 first downs, and forced two turnovers.
The Steelers only amassed 41 rushing yards, 189 passing yards, and were held to 4/15 on third down. Overall, a miserable day for the Pittsburgh and Kenny Pickett, who lost wideout Diontae Johnson during the game with a hamstring injury. Regardless, Pickett must make better decisions (two interceptions).
In the end, it was a complete performance by the 49ers. They clearly looked like the best team in the NFC after week one.
Dolphins vs. Chargers Was Fun
969 yards of offense combined. Yeah, defense was not really a factor in this one.
Starting with the victorious Dolphins, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receiver Tyreek Hill had a monster day together. The signal-caller had 466 passing yards and three touchdowns. Two of those were to Hill, who had 215 receiving yards on 11 catches. Holy cow.
Jaylen Waddle had some fun too, catching four balls for 78 yards. But, this game was clearly all about Tua and Tyreek.
As for the Chargers, Justin Herbert had 228 yards through the air, but did throw a touchdown to Donald Parham Jr in the first half. But, the team’s running game takes the spotlight. Austin Ekeler had 117 rushing yards on 16 carries, while Joshua Kelley had 16 carries for 91 yards of his own. Both had a rushing touchdown. Heck, even Herbert had a rushing touchdown too!
It was a great game to watch, and it came down to a late drive by the Chargers which ended thanks to a key sack by Jaelan Phillips on fourth down. So, I guess defense did play a minor role in this game, but only at the end of the game. Overall, it was a shootout and I loved every minute of it.
The Jordan Love Era Begins With A Bang
Despite being without wide receiver Christian Watson, quarterback Jordan Love didn’t make any excuses.
He found wideout Romeo Doubs for two of his three passing touchdowns against Chicago. Running back Aaron Jones also got into the action, grabbing a 35-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
But, this is about Love. Sure, Jones had 127 all-purpose yards. But, Love looked comfortable against a Bears defense that thought they had an easy day heading into this game.
Whenever Watson does return, it’ll add to the number of weapons Love can depend on to move the ball. Doubs looked good, Luke Musgrave was a pleasant surprise at tight end (three receptions, 50 yards), and of course the catching ability of Aaron Jones.
In the end, Love finished with 245 yards through the air, and adding 12 yards on the ground. Oh, and the Packers still own the Bears.
Dallas Destroys The G-Men
Oh, this was painful to write. A recap of the Giants vs. Cowboys will be released soon.
But, the Cowboys made a statement on Sunday night. From blocking a field goal to getting to the quarterback time after time to scoring on most of their drives, it was all breezy for Dallas.
Despite losing the time of possession and only having 265 total yards, the Cowboys shut out their division rival and caused havoc at all three facets of the game. The defense sacked quarterback Daniel Jones seven times, caused a fumble, and had two interceptions.
New York’s run game was actually the best facet of the offense, acquiring 108 yards on the ground. But, when you were tackled behind the line of scrimmage ten times? There’s no positives here.
Seven sacks? The Giants’ offensive line should be ashamed. From Andrew Thomas to Evan Neal, every single one of them played like practice squad players. Jones had no time to throw back there, always having to scramble with every snap just to escape the pressure.
Dak Prescott didn’t have to do much, as he only threw for 143 yards. Tony Pollard carried the offense with his 82 rushing yards and two touchdowns. CeeDee Lamb continues to be the “Giant Killer”, recording four catches for 77 yards.
Dallas will have the Jets next week, while the Giants look to bounce back in Arizona against the Cardinals.
Jets Lose Rodgers, Win In Dramatic Fashion
There’s not much to say about the Aaron Rodgers situation, other than this has to be the worst debut for a player in NFL history. He only played four snaps before going down with an Achilles injury. He’ll likely be out for the season, which means it’s going to be Zach Wilson at starting quarterback for the rest of the season.
It’s an unfortunate situation for New York, who gave up a massive haul to bring the future Hall of Famer in via trade with the Packers. Now, questions arise as to whether Wilson will be able to handle leading the Jets to a playoff appearance this year.
As for the Monday night game versus the Buffalo Bills, it was an exciting game that went into overtime. The Bills got the ball first and failed to do anything, which led to a punt.
An undrafted free agent who made the team last week? Gipson deserved what he did last night after all of the hard work he’s put in. Congratulations to him and the Jets for pulling out a win against a tough Buffalo Bills team.
Speaking of Buffalo, quarterback Josh Allen had 236 passing yards and a touchdown. But, the three interceptions are concerning and the turnovers from him must be cut down as the season goes on.
Other Takeaways From Week One
- Jimmy Garoppolo barely escapes Denver with a win
- New England Patriots’ defense is no joke despite losing to the Eagles 25-20
- Seattle’s defense allowing 30 points to a below average Rams team? Concerning.
- Bijan Robinson played extremely well against Carolina (56 rushing yards, 27 receiving yards + TD)
- Browns defense is for real. Three points allowed against a loaded Bengals offense? NICE.
- Trevor Lawrence to Calvin Ridley is going to be fun this year in Jacksonville (W against Indianapolis)
- Justin Jefferson had 150 yards receiving, and the Vikings still lost to Tampa Bay
- Ryan Tannehill (three interceptions vs. Saints) needs to be benched immediately,
- The Cardinals still suck after losing to the Commanders (hey at least they scored 16 points!)
- J.K Dobbins tearing his Achilles hurts for the Ravens. Who will be the starting RB for them now?
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Featured Image: Michael Owens/Getty Images
