NFL Game Recaps of previous weeks and seasons can be found via links at the bottom of the page.
Bills 31, Rams 10
This score is not indicative of how these teams performed. And no, this game is not closer than what the final count indicates. It was even more lopsided than the 31-10 result.
Though the Bills prevailed by three touchdowns, this was a tie game at halftime. The Bills had outgained the Rams, 179-106, at intermission, but didn’t have a lead because of three turnovers. Two were Josh Allen interceptions. The first wasn’t his fault, as the ball popped out of Isaiah McKenzie’s hands. The second pick was a great read and break on the ball by Troy Hill. The third Buffalo turnover was a lost fumble by James Cook on his very first touch.
Given that the Rams were gifted three free possessions, they should have blown open this game with a large lead, but they scored just three points off those turnovers. This was a clear indicator that the Bills would dominate in the second half if they could hang on to the ball, and that’s exactly what happened. They committed just one turnover following intermission, and that was a Zack Moss fumble when the score was already 31-10.
The Rams, quite simply, couldn’t stop Allen. Except for Allen’s second interception, he was flawless. He was deadly accurate, all while reading the Rams’ defense masterfully. He was in full command of the offense, operating like Peyton Manning in the pocket. He was also clutch while running. He misfired on just five occasions, going 26-of-31 for 297 yards, three touchdowns and the two interceptions. He also scrambled nine times for 57 rushing yards and another score.
On the other side of the ball, Von Miller made a huge impact. The Rams really missed him, as their pass rush looked lackluster in this game. The Bills, meanwhile, put tons of pressure on Matthew Stafford. Miller sacked Stafford twice, as he abused Andrew Whitworth’s replacement.
Stafford, as a consequence, struggled mightily. The final stats don’t look terrible outside of the picks – 29-of-41, 240 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions – but much of that occurred in garbage time. Stafford had just 95 passing yards by intermission. All he could do was throw to Cooper Kupp, who had a big game with 13 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown.
Stafford’s other weapons really let him down. Allen Robinson belongs on a milk carton, as he hauled in just one ball for 12 yards. Tyler Higbee was second on the team in receiving with five grabs for 39 yards, but he dropped two passes. And then there was Ben Skowronek (4-25), who was a poor replacement for Van Jefferson.
Allen, conversely, had great performances from his weapons. Stefon Diggs, who caught eight passes for 122 yards and a touchdown, hauled in a 53-yard score in the second half. Gabriel Davis (4-88-1) also found the end zone. McKenzie (2-19-1) bounced back from his mistake to find the end zone as well.
As for the running games, they were never featured very much. Devin Singletary (8-48) edged out Darrell Henderson (13-47) by a single yard. Cam Akers was nowhere to be seen, as his three rushes went for no yards. Charlie Campbell told us that Akers was in Sean McVay’s dog house, and he turned out to be right, as always:
Saints 27, Falcons 26
The Falcons have to feel nauseated by this loss. They had control of this game for the entire afternoon. They led 16-7 at halftime and 26-10 several minutes into the fourth quarter. The only offensive touchdown New Orleans produced entering the final frame was the result of a 57-yard Taysom Hill run out of the Wildcat. The Saints, otherwise, had nothing going for them, and it looked like a complete disaster when Jameis Winston limped off the field in the third quarter.
Winston remained in the game, which helped spark the Saints. He was incredible to close out this battle, going 13-of-16 for 212 yards and two touchdowns in the final quarter. He didn’t just dump off passes; he took deep shots that were deadly accurate. This includes a 40-yard bomb to Jarvis Landry on the final offensive drive. Thanks to Winston’s heroics, New Orleans scored the final 17 points in regulation, with the last three coming via a Wil Lutz 51-yard field goal.
Of course, Lutz’s field goal may never have happened if the Falcons didn’t completely choke under pressure. On its penultimate drive, Atlanta botched a snap on a third-and-1. The team had a fourth-and-1 on New Orleans’ 43-yard line, and converting that one yard would have ended the game. Instead of trying to win, Arthur Smith inexplicably punted. Thanks to a holding penalty, the Saints would end up taking over on their own 20, so Smith effectively exchanged a great chance to clinch a victory in exchange for 23 measly yards.
Despite the incompetence of the defense and the coaching staff, the Falcons had one more chance after that because Marshon Lattimore punched Drake London with two seconds remaining. This set up Younghoe Koo with a 63-yard kick, but the attempt was blocked, giving New Orleans the improbable victory.
Winston, as mentioned, was terrific in the fourth quarter. This was in stark contrast to the rest of the game, as he was 10-of-18 for 56 yards in the first three quarters. For those who don’t want to do the math, Winston finished 23-of-34 for 269 yards and two touchdowns. It’s important to note that he didn’t commit any turnovers, though he had a hilarious gaffe in the final minute when he was flagged for intentional grounding because he spiked the ball when the clock wasn’t moving.
Both of Winston’s touchdowns went to Michael Thomas, who hauled in five of his eight targets for 57 yards. He was second on the team in receiving, trailing Landry, who snatched seven of his nine targets for 114 yards, including the aforementioned 40-yard leaping grab. Chris Olave (3-41) was a minor disappointment.
Speaking of disappointments, Alvin Kamara let down his fantasy owners, rushing for only 39 yards on nine carries. He also caught three passes, but for only seven receiving yards.
Remarkably, Cordarrelle Patterson was far more productive than Kamara. He rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Like Kamara, he caught three passes, but for more receiving yards (16). Patterson saw so many touches because Damien Williams was knocked out with a rib injury.
Marcus Mariota had a nice debut for the Falcons, at least as a runner. He scrambled 12 times for 72 rushing yards and a touchdown. As a passer, Mariota went 20-of-33 for 215 yards.
Speaking of strong debuts, London had a great performance in his first NFL game. He caught five passes for 74 yards. He also drew a penalty on Lattimore in crunch time. Olamide Zaccheaus was next in receiving (4-49), but he lost a fumble near midfield in the first half. Kyle Pitts (2-19) struggled in a tough matchup.
Bears 19, 49ers 10
The Bears won this game, but their offense was absolutely dreadful against the 49ers. They produced just 68 net yards of offense in the first half, as Justin Fields didn’t have any time in the pocket. It was so bleak for Chicago that the coaching staff called for a run on a third-and-9 in the second quarter. The 49ers had more than double the number of yards Chicago accumulated for most of the afternoon, but everything changed on a broken play in the third frame. Fields, once again scrambling for his life, moved around long enough to see a wide-open Dante Pettis downfield. The two connected for a 51-yard touchdown, and just like that, Chicago was in the game, down only 10-7.
It still seemed as though the 49ers were in control of this game, but the offense couldn’t do anything in the second half. Trey Lance had lots of pressure in his face, and he telegraphed an interception, giving the Bears the opportunity to establish a two-score lead. They did so via a Khalil Herbert touchdown, putting Chicago up 19-10. The 49ers had no answers with their young quarterback.
Lance had a miserable game as a passer. He did well while scrambling, running 13 times for 54 yards, but he failed to complete half of his passes, going 13-of-28 for 164 yards and the interception. Granted, there was heavy rain falling in Chicago, but Lance blew opportunities. For example, he overshot Tyler Kroft for a touchdown in the opening half, and his pick was absolutely hideous. He was also way off the mark on many of his fourth-quarter throws, as both the heavy rain and suffocating pressure caused him to have a meltdown. It may not take much more for Kyle Shanahan to go back to Jimmy Garoppolo.
Lance wasn’t the only 49er who crushed his team with mistakes. Deebo Samuel lost a fumble at the Chicago 12-yard line on the opening drive. Samuel had to carry more of a workload than initially anticipated because Elijah Mitchell (6-41) suffered an injury. Samuel rushed eight times for 52 yards and a touchdown, but couldn’t quite connect with Lance; he caught only two of his eight targets for 14 yards. He was guilty of a drop.
Elsewhere in the receiving corps, Jauan Jennings topped the box score with four grabs for 62 yards. Brandon Aiyuk (2-40) didn’t meet expectations, though he had a 14-yard reception negated by offensive pass interference.
Like Lance, Fields couldn’t complete half of his passes, though he didn’t have the superior talent surrounding him. Fields was just 8-of-17 for 121 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, which was a heave into heavy traffic. Lance was lucky a potential second pick of his was dropped by Tashaun Gipson.
The Bears may have a change in their backfield soon enough. David Montgomery was incredibly sluggish, mustering only 26 yards on 17 carries. Khalil Herbert was much better with 45 yards and a touchdown on nine attempts. Montgomery was at least more productive as a receiver out of the backfield with three catches for 24 receiving yards, with much of that coming on a 16-yard gain where he broke a Dre Greenlaw tackle. Greenlaw, by the way, had a rough afternoon, getting slapped with a crucial penalty on Fields late in the game. Montgomery was Chicago’s leading receiver, excluding Pettis and his fluky touchdown. Darnell Mooney caught only one pass.
There was a strange penalty in this game where Chicago’s holder was flagged for bringing a towel onto the field and wiping down the ball prior to an attempted field goal. This occurred just prior to halftime, and it negated a field goal try by the Bears.
Steelers 23, Bengals 20
This battle was so long that it felt like two games in one. The first featured some horrible struggles by Joe Burrow, who didn’t look quite right immediately in the wake of his appendectomy. This was apparent when his first pass was a pick-six by Minkah Fitzpatrick. The interception was the first of five turnovers by Burrow on the afternoon. Some of the picks weren’t really Burrow’s fault, as T.J. Watt and Cameron Sutton made some amazing plays. Still, it was an ugly showing, as Ja’Marr Chase’s dropped touchdown didn’t help matters. Pittsburgh held a 17-6 lead heading into the second half.
Burrow engineered a terrific comeback following intermission, though for a while, it seemed as though the Bengals would find a way to lose in regulation. Chase appeared to score late in the fourth quarter, but the officials ruled him shy of the goal line. Zac Taylor didn’t challenge for some reason, but that backfired because his team came away with no points deep in Pittsburgh territory. Cincinnati had one more chance after that, which wasn’t going well when Mike Thomas, playing for a concussed Tee Higgins, dropped a touchdown. However, Chase made what seemed like the game-winning catch after that, but Evan McPherson’s extra point was blocked.
This game went to overtime as a consequence, yet the blocked extra point was just the beginning of some adventurous special teams play. McPherson was set up with a chip-shot field goal in the extra session, but a high snap resulted in a horrible whiff. Chris Boswell then had an opportunity from 55 yards, but doinked the ball off the upright. The Bengals appeared to move into kicking range after that when Samaje Perine made a heady play after picking up a Burrow fumble, but the officials correctly ruled that he couldn’t advance the ball. Cincinnati then seemed to accept the tie when they punted the ball with barely any time remaining in overtime.
The Steelers, however, had other ideas. Thanks to a terrific, sideline catch by Diontae Johnson, they were able to once again give Boswell an opportunity. Boswell connected this time, drilling a 53-yard field goal to give Pittsburgh the win.
This was a terrific triumph for the Steelers, but it may have been a Pyrrhic victory. It was announced afterward that Watt, who left the game in overtime, may have suffered a torn pectoral.
If Watt is out for a while, Mitchell Trubisky will have to put together some big performances for the team to earn other victories. He went 21-of-38 for 194 yards and a touchdown in this contest. It wasn’t pretty, but Trubisky didn’t make any mistakes.
Trubisky’s top target was Pat Freirmuth, who hauled in five balls for 75 yards. Johnson was next with seven grabs for 55 yards. Chase Claypool (4-18) saw six carries on end-arounds. Those six attempts were effective, as Claypool picked up 36 yards in the process. George Pickens caught only one pass, but drew an interference flag in the end zone.
Remarkably, Claypool led the Steelers in rushing. Najee Harris had no room at all, as he was limited to 23 yards on 10 attempts. He was at least able to salvage his fantasy day with a receiving touchdown on one his two catches.
The top rusher in this game was Joe Mixon, who gained 82 yards on 27 carries. He also caught seven passes for 63 receiving yards. However, it was a disappointment that Mixon didn’t have more of an opportunity at the goal line, given how bad Pittsburgh’s run defense was last year.
Burrow ended up 33-of-53 for 338 yards, two touchdowns, four interceptions and a lost fumble. Four of his five give-aways came in the opening half, as Burrow played better as the game progressed, despite Higgins’ concussion. Burrow also scrambled six times for 47 rushing yards. He’ll continue to improve as he recovers from his appendectomy.
With Higgins (2-27) out for most of this game, Chase easily led the team in receiving with 10 grabs for 129 yards and a touchdown. He easily could have scored three times if it wasn’t for a drop and a non-challenge by Taylor. Hayden Hurst (5-46) was third on the team in receiving, as he made a nice sideline catch in overtime. Tyler Boyd (4-33) scored a touchdown.
Eagles 38, Lions 35
The Lions looked primed to pull the upset following their opening drive. D’Andre Swift broke a 50-yard run on the second play, setting up a Jamaal Williams touchdown run. Detroit looked strong, but that quickly changed. The Eagles outscored them, 38-14, until the start of the fourth quarter.
Jalen Hurts had an incredible performance to begin his season. He had a strong connection with A.J. Brown, and the Lions had no answer for him when he scrambled. Hurts’ passing numbers weren’t great – 18-of-32, 243 yards – but he ran 17 times for 90 yards and a touchdown. He even picked up 16 yards on a third-and-15 run. Hurts had the makings of a tremendous fantasy performance, but he was continuously vultured at the goal line by his running backs. Nevertheless, this was an impressive showing against an underrated opponent.
As mentioned, Hurts’ rapport with Brown was quite apparent. The two failed to connect in their lone preseason game together, but that was irrelevant in this contest, as Brown logged more than half of Hurts’ passing yards. Brown caught 10 of his 13 targets for 155 yards. He made circus catches, including one instance where he reached down and scooped up the ball when it was inches away from hitting the ground, and he also rumbled through Detroit’s beleaguered defenders.
Elsewhere in Hurts’ receiving corps, Dallas Goedert (3-60) also had a nice game, while Devonta Smith failed to log a single reception. Smith had an 11-yard catch negated by a hold.
All three of Philadelphia’s running backs scored. Miles Sanders led the way with 96 yards on 13 carries, while Kenneth Gainwell (5-20) and Boston Scott (4-10) made Hurts and Sanders’ fantasy owners very frustrated. Sanders’ fantasy owners may not care, but Sanders showed incredible vision during a key fourth-down run to help seal the victory after the Lions charged back in what initially seemed like garbage time.
The top back in this game was Swift, who dashed for 144 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. He was also vultured, as Williams scored twice despite mustering only 28 yards on 11 attempts. Swift also caught three passes for 31 receiving yards. Williams dropped a pass.
Jared Goff had a pedestrian game in a difficult matchup. The stats don’t look so bad – he was 21-of-37 for 215 yards, two touchdowns and an interception – but he logged just 53 yards on 7-of-15 passing in the opening half. Goff’s interception was a pick-six on a tipped pass, and he had another potential interception dropped by Darius Slay. It wasn’t all Goff’s fault, as he endured several drops and saw lots of pressure from Philadelphia’s ferocious front.
Thanks to garbage time, Amon-Ra St. Brown and D.J. Chark had solid fantasy performances. St. Brown caught eight of his 12 targets for 64 yards and a touchdown, while Chark (4-52) also scored. Chark was guilty of a drop on the opening drive, while St. Brown was guilty of two drops later in the afternoon.
Dolphins 20, Patriots 7
There was plenty of concern for the Patriots’ offense heading into the season. They don’t have a real offensive coordinator in the wake of losing Josh McDaniels to the Raiders, and their pass protection issues were prevalent in the preseason – even against backups. It was unclear if this would translate into regular-season action, but after a half, it was clear that New England’s offensive struggles were real. They produced zero points heading into intermission, as Miami outgained them, 184-104, at that stage of the game.
With the Patriots struggling to pass protect, mainly due to assignment busts, they opted to go to a quick, up-tempo offense in the second half. That worked for one drive, with New England finally finding the end zone, but that was it for the team’s offensive production. The Dolphins continued to dominate this game otherwise, once again defeating the Patriots in a season opener.
While the Patriots struggled to advance the ball, the Dolphins did a solid job of keeping the chains moving throughout the afternoon. Tua Tagovailoa was sharp for the most part, going 23-of-33 for 270 yards and a touchdown. Tagovailoa didn’t make any mistakes on paper, which has always been an issue for him in his young, pro career. However, he was very close to a pair of turnovers. The first was a fumble of his on a strip-sack that his teammate recovered. The second was a horrible throw into double coverage that was nearly picked. Tagovailoa made this pass while up 20-7 with nine minutes remaining. There was no excuse for such a horrible decision, and the CBS announcers chided him for it.
Tagovailoa had some nice connections with both of his primary receivers. Tyreek Hill had a terrific debut for his new team, catching eight of his 12 targets for 94 yards. Jaylen Waddle wasn’t as productive (4-69), but caught a touchdown on a fourth-and-7 to put this game out of reach.
The one negative for Miami’s offense is that it didn’t run the ball very well. Chase Edmonds had a nice receiving game with four catches for 40 yards, but was limited to 25 yards on the ground on 12 carries. Raheem Mostert (5-16) should have gotten more of an opportunity.
Jones didn’t have a bad game overall, going 21-of-30 for 213 yards, one touchdown and an interception, which occurred via a fluky tipped pass on the opening drive. He also lost a fumble on a strip-sack when a defender ran free on the blind side. Jones had no idea he was there, resulting in a jarred ball on the hard hit. The problem for Jones was the relentless pressure he saw, which prevented him from testing Miami’s secondary. Jones also whiffed on a deep shot to an open Nelson Agholor. Jones received X-rays on his hand after the game, but he appears to be fine.
Jones continued to have a strong rapport with Jakobi Meyers and no one else. Meyers caught four passes for 55 yards, but no one else was very productive. This includes DeVante Parker, who hauled in only one pass for nine yards. Parker was expected to be a nice upgrade for Jones, but the early returns are not promising.
We needed more clarity about the Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson situation, and that’s still the case. The two backs split touches, even on the initial drive, with Harris getting nine carries compared to Stevenson’s eight. Harris outgained Stevenson, 48-25.
Ravens 24, Jets 9
Despite the final score of this game, the Ravens looked like they would struggle to come away with a win in New York for a while. They made some early mistakes, including a horrible drop by Isaiah Likely on a third down. Lamar Jackson, meanwhile, couldn’t quite establish a strong connection with his receivers. Making matters worse, right tackle JaWuan James suffered an injury in the second quarter. The Ravens went into intermission up just 10-3.
Things completely changed in the second half. Despite James’ absence, Jackson erupted following halftime. He found Devin Duvernay and Rashod Bateman for deep gains, quickly opening up a 24-3 lead by the time the fourth quarter began.
Jackson finished with a fine passing stat line, going 17-of-30 for 213 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. It wasn’t a pretty game, but Jackson played without both of his starting tackles for most of the afternoon. Thus, it was a surprise that he scrambled only six times for 17 rushing yards. It’s worth wondering if he was preserving his health as a result of not signing his contract quite yet.
Bateman ended up being Jackson’s leading receiver with two catches for 59 yards. Duvernay was right behind him with four grabs for 54 yards. He also scored twice. Mark Andrews logged five receptions for 52 yards.
With J.K. Dobbins sidelined, and two offensive tackles out of commission, the Ravens got nothing out of their running game. Kenyan Drake led the team with 31 yards on 11 carries.
As for the Jets, they are barely worth discussing because Joe Flacco is not a functional NFL starting quarterback at this stage of his career. His final stat line may say otherwise – 37-of-59, 307 yards, one touchdown, one interception – but much of that came in garbage time when the Ravens held a 24-3 lead. Flacco was just 12-of-20 for 102 yards and a pick by halftime. His interception occurred when he didn’t see Marcus Williams over the middle of the field. Flacco spent most of the afternoon missing receivers and throwing off his back foot. The Jets should consider a different option until Zach Wilson returns.
Thanks to garbage time, Corey Davis (6-77), Garrett Wilson (4-52) and Elijah moore (5-49) were all seemingly productive, but did nothing in the first half. Davis dropped an early pass. Wilson showed off some deadly juke moves during a first-quarter reception to nearly pick up an unlikely first down. Moore had a very late touchdown nullified by penalty.
Michael Carter and Breece Hall both had big PPR days with seven and six catches for 40 and 38 receiving yards, respectively. Carter was the better runner with 60 yards on 10 carries, compared to Hall’s stat line of six attempts for 23 yards, but he dropped a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Redskins 28, Jaguars 22
The Jaguars constantly shot themselves in the foot last year, making dumb mistakes like dropped passes, missed routine throws and poorly run routes. That was under Urban Meyer, however, so there was more reason for optimism with Doug Pederson coaching a team with more talent. Instead, it was more of the same.
The Jaguars constantly killed themselves with blunders, especially in the first half. Trevor Lawrence overthrew Travis Etienne for a potential touchdown. The defense set up a Washington score because of a roughing-the-passer penalty. Lawrence then missed Zay Jones for a touchdown, and Etienne followed that up with an easy dropped touchdown. A missed 37-yard field goal occurred shortly later. All of this happened in the first half!
Jacksonville was able to mount a comeback and eventually take the lead, as the Redskins began making mistakes. That was mostly on Carson Wentz, who was responsible for two interceptions. The first was a horrible pass, as Wentz telegraphed a throw toward the sideline. The second pick was a tremendous play by Travon Walker. It appeared as though Wentz would ruin another potential victory for his new team, but he persevered and threw the game-winning score to rookie receiver Jahan Dotson in the final minutes.
Wentz went 27-of-41 for 313 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. It wasn’t pretty, but Wentz deserves credit for coming through in the clutch. Still, this came against one of the worst defenses in the NFL, so Wentz will need to do a better job against better opponents in the future.
Wentz’s top receiver was his running back, Antonio Gibson, who caught seven passes for 72 receiving yards. Gibson also rushed for 58 yards on 14 carries. None of this was surprising, as Wentz spent most of the preseason targeting his running backs and tight ends.
Aside from Gibson, Terry McLaurin was the leading receiver despite catching only two passes for 58 yards and a touchdown. He had one catch for most of the afternoon, but broke free for a 49-yard score. Dotson, as mentioned, scored twice on his three grabs for 40 yards. However, Curtis Samuel saw the most targets, snatching eight of the 11 balls thrown his way for 55 yards and a touchdown.
Like Wentz, Lawrence had an up-and-down day. He missed those potential touchdowns in the first half, but came out strong following intermission. He went 24-of-42 for 275 yards, one touchdown and a late interception that he heaved in desperation. Lawrence was battling a bad Redskins secondary, so this was highly disappointing.
Lawrence had a nice rapport with Christian Kirk, with the former Cardinal catching six of his 12 targets for 117 yards. Zay Jones also hauled in six balls for 65 yards.
Etienne had a very disappointing showing. Not only did he drop a touchdown; he saw seven fewer carries than James Robinson, who gained 66 yards and a touchdown on his 11 attempts. Robinson also caught a touchdown. Etienne tallied 47 yards on four rushes.
Browns 26, Panthers 24
Despite the final score, this game was a dreadful offensive showcase from both teams for much of the afternoon. Baker Mayfield saw relentless pressure and couldn’t sustain drives. Jacoby Brissett, meanwhile, was so bad that the coaching staff asked backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs to warm up on the sideline.
Dobbs never entered the game, as Cleveland’s offense improved because of the two running backs. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt absolutely dominated this game. Chubb did so more on the ground with 141 yards on 22 carries, while Hunt was more of a factor as a receiver out of the backfield. Hunt rushed for 46 yards and a touchdown on 11 attempts, and he also caught four balls for 24 receiving yards and a second score.
With the two Cleveland backs taking control of this game, Brissett didn’t have to do much until the final drive. This was for the best, as Brissett was a miserable 18-of-34 for 147 yards and a touchdown. Consider that all of this occurred in the first quarter alone:
– Brissett missed Amari Cooper on a third down.
– Brissett threw wide of Donovan Peoples-Jones on fourth down.
– Brissett overshot Hunt for a potential deep touchdown.
– Brissett had a dropped interception when he threw into double coverage.
Again, all of this occurred in the opening quarter alone! To be fair, Brissett made a couple of clutch throws on the final drive to move into field goal range. Rookie Cade York drilled a 58-yarder to prevail.
Mayfield, meanwhile, ended up 16-of-27 for 235 yards, one touchdown and an interception, which was an abysmal overthrow. Far too many of his passes were deflected, and his offensive line couldn’t pass protect against Myles Garrett and the rest of Cleveland’s defensive front. Rookie tackle Ikem Ekwonu was especially brutal. He was beaten on countless occasions. He had a particularly dreadful sequence when Garrett embarrassed him on consecutive plays. Garrett recorded sacks on both instances despite Ekwonu getting help with a double team on Garrett, who forced a strip-sack that the Panthers miraculously recovered.
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Carolina’s poor offensive line play also affected Christian McCaffrey, who couldn’t do anything versus the Browns. Then again, it didn’t help that McCaffrey saw only three touches in the first 25 minutes of the contest in what was a very curious game plan. McCaffrey mustered only 33 yards on 10 carries, though he managed to score once. He also caught four passes for 24 receiving yards. He had a 20-yard reception negated by a hold.
One receiver went off for the Panthers, yet it wasn’t D.J. Moore, who was limited to three grabs for 43 yards. Robbie Anderson was the top performer with five grabs for 102 yards and a deep touchdown.
As for the Cleveland wideouts, Amari Cooper was a big disappointment with three grabs for 17 yards. Brissett’s favorite weapon was Donovan Peoples-Jones, who snatched six of his 11 targets for 60 yards. Many of Peoples-Jones’ receptions were contested catches.
Colts 20, Texans 20 By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell
EDITOR’S NOTE: Ah, if only I had the balls to go higher than three units on the Texans. I liked them a lot, but was a bit scared off by the chance that they would potentially be the worst team in the NFL. The Colts, however, were incredibly overrated heading into Week 1.
Week 1 of the NFL season always has some shocking upsets, and this year, the Texans almost pulled off a surprising win over Indianapolis. For three quarters, the Colts tried to give this game away with sloppy play, including a Matt Ryan interception, a fumbled snap for a turnover, and a dropped touchdown by Alec Pierce. The Colts, however, came back from 17 points down to force overtime and nearly had the game won but missed a 42-yard field goal. The Texans could have gone for the win in overtime, but Lovie Smith decided to protect the tie. At least both teams can say they’re undefeated entering Week 2.
After trading punts early on, the Colts put together a field goal drive on which Ryan drilled a 17-yard completion to Michael Pittman Jr. before using his legs to convert a critical third down. The next Colts possession should have resulted in a touchdown, but rookie Alec Pierce dropped an easy pass, and on fourth-and-goal, Jon Greenard ate up a wild-cat run in the backfield for a loss. The Texans responded with a field goal drive that tied the game at three.
Indianapolis got moving with a 28-yard completion to Pittman, but then Jerry Hughes read a screen and intercepted Ryan to set up Houston near midfield. Kenny Moore was then flagged for a ticky-tack pass interference that netted the Texans 33 yards. On the next play, Davis Mills connected with O.J. Howard for a touchdown to take the lead. Just before halftime, the Colts moved into Houston territory, but a Jerry Hughes strip-sack led to a punt, giving the Texans a 10-3 halftime lead.
At the start of the third quarter, Houston ran a flea flicker, and Mills found Brandin Cooks wide open in busted coverage for a gain of 42 yards that led to a field goal for a 13-3 lead. Indianapolis had a drive cross midfield, but Ryan fumbled a snap that Houston recovered. A few plays later, Mills found O.J. Howard down the seam for a 22-yard touchdown.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Colts offense finally got going, with Ryan using his receivers to move the ball downfield. Texans rookie Derek Stingley made a key pass breakup on third-and-goal, forcing Indianapolis to settle for a field goal that made it 20-6 with just under 11 minutes remaining. E.J. Speed strip-sacked Mills from the blindside, and DeForest Bucker recovered the ball near the Texans 20. A few plays later, Jonathan Taylor powered into the end zone from a couple of yards out to make it 20-13 midway through the fourth quarter.
After a three-and-out, the Colts got the ball back and started ramming it down the throat of the Texans, with Taylor ripping off yards in chunks and bringing them inside the 20 at the 2-minute warning. Ryan then hit Pittman, who had an excellent run after the catch to get into the end zone with a 15-yard touchdown to tie the game at 20. The Indianapolis defense forced a punt, but the Houston defense came up with a stop to force overtime.
In overtime, Kwity Paye had two sacks, which forced a Texans punt. Ryan then used his legs to run for a first down and some completions to get into Houston territory. Rodrigo Blankenship was set up for a 42-yard field goal, but he missed it wide right. The Texans were at midfield and fourth-and-3 with 20 seconds remaining, but Lovie Smith decided to punt and ensure the tie rather than go for the win.
In his Colts debut, Ryan completed 32-of-50 passes for 352 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also lost a fumble. Aside from the two turnovers, Ryan had a solid performance.
Taylor churned out 161 yards and a touchdown over 31 carries on the ground. He had four receptions for 14 yards as well.
Pittman Jr. caught nine passes for 121 yards and a touchdown.
Mills completed 23-of-37 passes for 240 yards with two touchdowns.
The Texans foolishly gave Rex Burkhead (14-40 rushing, 5-30 receiving) more touches than Dameon Pierce (11-33 rushing, 1-6 receiving).
Cooks had seven receptions for 82 yards and Howard (2-38-2) made two big plays, but Houston did not use Howard enough.
Giants 21, Titans 20 By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell
EDITOR’S NOTE: I nearly threw my TV out the window when Daniel Jones threw an interception in the red zone in the fourth quarter. Thankfully, for mental health, the Giants were able to score on the next drive.
In the competitive AFC, the Titans don’t have much room for error, and losing this winnable season-opener could prove to be painful later in the year. Conversely, the NFC is wide open, so the Giants can be proud they stole a road win in Tennessee. Most importantly for the long-term ramifications of this season, the Titans clearly missed A.J. Brown, while the Giants finally got to see a healthy Saquon Barkley showing his 2018 form in leading them to this win.
After forcing a Giants punt, Titans rookie Kyle Phillips returned a punt 46 yards to start Ryan Tannehill in New York territory. Tannehill connected with Robert Woods (1-13) and Treylon Burks (3-55) before hitting Dontrell Hillard for a touchdown. Midway through the first quarter, Tannehill led Tennessee to a field goal drive, spreading the ball around to his targets. On the ensuing Giants possession, Jeffrey Simmons strip-sacked Daniel Jones and Bud Dupree recovered at the New York 42. That led to another Titans field goal and a 13-0 lead for Tennessee at halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Barkley exploded down the field for a 68-yard run, and to finish the drive, Barkley scored from four yards. The extra point snap was botched, so the Titans maintained a seven-point lead. On the next possession, Kristian Fulton was torched by Sterling Shepard for a 65-yard touchdown to tie the game at 13. Tannehill responded by connecting with Phillips and then Burks for a gain of 27. To retake the lead, Hilliard leaked out of the backfield and Tannehill lofted in a pass for a 23-yard touchdown.
Early in the fourth quarter, Phillips muffed a punt and the Giants recovered at the Tennessee 11-yard line. A few plays later though, Amani Hooker picked off a terrible pass from Jones in the end zone to protect the Titans’ lead.
With four minutes remaining, Barkley exploded down the field before getting stripped by Fulton. Fortunately for New York, the ball rolled out of bounds, which set up the Giants at the Tennessee 26. After the 2-minute warning, Jones ran a bootleg to convert a fourth-and-1. Barkley then ran it inside the five. On second-and-goal, Jones tossed a short touchdown to fullback/tight end Chris Myrick. Down 20-19, the Giants decided to go for two, and Jones hit a shovel pass to Barkley for the conversion and a 21-19 lead.
With just over a minute remaining, the Titans were aided by two holding penalties on New York, and Tannehill hit Phillips for a gain of 21 yards. On the final play of the game, however, Randy Bullock missed a 47-yard field goal to give the Giants a win.
Jones was 17-of-21 for 188 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Barkley ran 18 times for 164 yards and a touchdown. He also scored a two-point conversion and made six receptions for 30 yards.
Shepard (2-71) was New York’s leading receiver.
Tannehill was 20-of-33 for 266 yards and two touchdowns.
Henry totaled 82 yards on 21 carries.
Phillips was Tennessee’s leading receiver with six catches for 66 yards.
Vikings 23, Packers 7
The Packers were favored for most of the week, so a 23-7 victory for Minnesota would be considered a surprise. No one should be shocked by the result, however, based on the final injury report, which saw both of Green Bay’s starting tackles sidelined. With David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins unavailable, the Packers couldn’t pass protect for Aaron Rodgers at all, as Rodgers struggled to connect with his receivers.
Of course, it didn’t help that the Packers had a major fundamental issue on the other side of the ball. This was Green Bay’s tendency to leave Justin Jefferson wide open. It’s not like Jefferson was beating the Packers’ cornerbacks; the Green Bay defensive scheme allowed Jefferson to be wide open on way too many occasions. Jefferson, as a consequence, had a monstrous afternoon with nine catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns.
It was all Jefferson for the Vikings, as he accumulated all but 93 of Kirk Cousins’ passing yardage. Cousins played well, going 23-of-32 for 277 yards and two touchdowns.
Aside from Jefferson, only one Viking wideout logged more than 18 receiving yards. That was Adam Thielen, who hauled in three balls for 36 yards. Thielen appeared to catch a touchdown at one point, but was ruled out of bounds.
Dalvin Cook had a fine performance, but Jefferson did all the work. Cook rushed for 90 yards on 20 carries. He also caught three passes for 18 receiving yards.
By contrast, both Green Bay running backs were the focal point of the offense. A.J. Dillon did most of the work on the ground, rumbling for 45 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, while Aaron Jones dashed for 49 yards on five attempts. Jones caught three passes for 27 receiving yards, while Dillon led the team in receiving with five grabs for 46 yards.
Rodgers had to throw the ball to his running backs often because of the horrible pass protection. He took four sacks, as he went 22-of-34 for 195 yards and an interception, which was a desperate shot downfield to close out the opening half. He should have launched a deep touchdown to Christian Watson, but the electric rookie dropped a ball after scorching the cornerback covering him.
Aside from Dillon, Green Bay’s leading receiver was Romeo Doubs, who caught four balls for 37 yards. Doubs had some nice moments, but he had some miscommunications with Rodgers. Watson reeled in two passes for 34 yards, doing so in garbage time.
Chiefs 44, Cardinals 21
So much for the downfall of Kansas City’s offense. The consensus opinion was that the Chiefs’ scoring unit would regress in the wake of losing Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins. Patrick Mahomes proved the world wrong once again, as he completely abused an Arizona defense missing J.J. Watt and some members of the secondary. Mahomes misfired on just nine occasions, cruising to an easy victory that could have been even more lopsided if the Chiefs didn’t take their foot off the gas in the fourth quarter.
Mahomes finished 30-of-39 for 360 yards and five touchdowns. The Cardinals had no answer for him, as Kansas City punted just once in meaningful action. Mahomes may have had a chance at another touchdown had JuJu Smith-Schuster not fumbled prior to halftime.
Speaking of Smith-Schuster, the former Steeler looked revitalized with his new team. He was second on the team in receiving with six catches for 79 yards. He trailed only Travis Kelce, who might have his best year yet with Hill gone. Kelce reeled in eight of his nine targets for 121 yards and a touchdown. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was next in the box score with four grabs for 44 yards. He drew an interference flag in the end zone.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire also had a huge fantasy day despite carrying the ball just seven times. He gained 42 yards on those touches, but did most of his damage as a receiver. He caught three passes for 32 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Isiah Pacheco (12-62) found the end zone in garbage time.
Moving on to the Cardinals, their pass protection issues prevented Kyler Murray from sustaining drives until late when the game was out of hand. Murray finished 22-of-34 for 193 yards and two touchdowns, both of which occurred late when the Chiefs stopped trying. Murray accumulated only 88 passing yards in the opening half.
Murray’s favorite receiver with DeAndre Hopkins and Rondale Moore sidelined was someone named Greg Dortch, who caught seven passes for 63 yards. Marquise Brown (4-43) finished second in yardage, but caught a touchdown.
Murray ended up leading his team in rushing with five scrambles for 29 yards. James Conner was limited to 26 yards on 10 attempts, but he scored a touchdown. He also caught five balls for 29 receiving yards. Conner appeared to lose a fumble in the second quarter, but was lucky that his team retained possession.
Chargers 24, Raiders 19
The Raiders came into this season with great optimism in the wake of the Davante Adams acquisition. Adams was terrific in his debut with the Raiders. He and Carr clicked instantly, as Carr converted a third-and-16 on a pass to Adams while on the move. Carr then located Adams for a 22-yard gain to set up the team’s first goal-to-go situation. However, all of this didn’t matter because of the greatest hole on Las Vegas’ roster, which is the offensive line.
Carr had no chance at times in this game because of the poor blocking. Constantly swarmed by defenders, Carr took five sacks and had to rush some throws. He was great when targeting Adams, who caught 10 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown, but the offense was limited otherwise. This was apparent on the final drive when he took a pair of sacks. The final blow was delivered by former Raider Khalil Mack.
Carr finished 22-of-37 for 295 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. All three picks were his fault. He didn’t see linebacker Drue Tranquill in the middle of the field on his first miscue. The second pick was a reckless deep shot into triple coverage, while the third was a telegraphed pass thrown right to Bryce Callahan, who made a great read.
The Chargers, conversely, were much better offensively despite scoring just five more points than the Raiders. There’s some concern with Keenan Allen suffering an injury, but it doesn’t sound very serious. Allen led the team in receiving with four catches for 66 yards.
Aside from Allen, Deandre Carter paced the Chargers with three grabs for 64 yards and a touchdown. Gerald Everett (3-54) also scored, while Mike Williams was a huge disappointment with only two grabs for 10 yards. Williams didn’t even log a reception until there were 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
Austin Ekeler also let down his fantasy owners. He was restricted to just 36 yards on 14 carries. He also caught four passes for 36 receiving yards.
Ekeler trailed Josh Jacobs as the leading rusher in this game. Jacobs carried the ball only 10 times because of the constant deficit, and yet he still accumulated 57 rushing yards.
Excluding Adams, only one Raider accumulated more than 21 receiving yards. That was Darren Waller, who reeled in four of his six targets for 79 yards. Waller should’ve caught a touchdown, but Carr fired behind him.
Buccaneers 19, Cowboys 3
This game was a highly anticipated affair between two playoff teams from a year ago, but it turned into a brutal, defensive struggle that featured way too many injuries. Both teams were already ravaged by injuries, so the last thing they needed to see was more players leaving the game with an injury.
The blood bath began with Cowboys guard Connor McGovern getting knocked out in the first quarter. This hurt a Dallas team already down three offensive linemen from a year ago. Buccaneers left tackle Donovan Smith was the next to exit. The Buccaneers, effectively missing two starters from 2021, didn’t block nearly as well after Smith hurt his hand. Things got worse for Tampa after that when Chris Godwin was knocked out with a hamstring. Coming off a torn ACL, Godwin returned to action way too early, so this injury was not a surprise.
The most impactful injury occurred in the fourth quarter when Dak Prescott injured his hand on the helmet of Shaq Barrett. He told the training staff that he thought it was broken then jogged to the locker room shortly after that, forcing Cooper Rush into action. The game was already decided by that point, but Prescott missing action in the near future would give the Cowboys almost no chance to win with Rush being one of the worst backup quarterbacks in the NFL.
The Buccaneers were the far better team in this contest, despite their blocking woes. They moved the chains well in between the 20s, but repeatedly bogged down in the red zone, due to the pressure provided by Micah Parsons and company. Tom Brady went 18-of-27 for 212 yards, one touchdown and an interception where he didn’t see safety Donovan Wilson when trying to squeeze in a pass to Mike Evans.
Speaking of Evans, he led the Buccaneers in receiving with five catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. He barely edged out Julio Jones (3-69), who made a terrific, downfield grab for a 48-yard gain.
Leonard Fournette was the best aspect of Tampa’s offense. He trampled over the Cowboys’ defense, rumbling for 127 yards on 21 carries.
Ezekiel Elliott was vastly outgained by Fournette, but he looked good in the early stages of the game. Elliott gained 52 yards on 10 attempts, but Dallas abandoned the run way too early.
Elliott couldn’t do anything to save Prescott, who failed to complete half of his passes. Prescott got hurt by the end of the night, but he was horrendous beforehand. He was horribly inaccurate, constantly missing wide-open receivers. He finished 14-of-29 for 134 yards and an ugly interception.
Only two Cowboys recorded more than 29 receiving yards. Ceedee Lamb (2-29) didn’t make the cut, as he converted only two of his 11 targets for 29 yards. Noah Brown led the way with five grabs for 68 yards, while Dalton Schultz (7-62) wasn’t too far behind.
Seahawks 17, Broncos 16
Sometimes, the better NFL team doesn’t win. And sometimes, the better NFL team makes idiotic mistakes. We saw both occur in this emotional affair, as Russell Wilson made his return to Seattle.
The Seahawks maintained a lead throughout the evening. This initially occurred because Geno Smith was on fire to begin the game. Smith completed the first 13 passes he attempted. He went into halftime 17-of-18 for 164 yards and two touchdowns. He looked like the quarterback for whom teams were willing to surrender multiple first-round picks.
Smith, naturally, came back down to Earth in the second half. He completed just six passes after intermission for just 31 yards. Meanwhile, Rashaad Penny (12-60), who was trampling the Broncos in the opening half, was given just four carries following the break. The Seahawks were unraveling, as their emotional edge evaporated. The Broncos, who eventually led in yardage, 433-253, were completely dominating this game in the second half. The Seahawks were hanging on by a thread.
And yet, the Broncos failed to pull through with a victory because of some major incompetence. Two of their drives ended at the Seattle 1-yard line with no points, thanks to fumbles by Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams. Even worse, new head coach Nathaniel Hackett made some of the worst late-game coaching blunders you’ll ever see. The Broncos had a fourth-and-5 just over midfield with less than a minute remaining, but Hackett let the time drain off the clock. He finally called the first of his three timeouts with 20 seconds left. Rather than ask Wilson to convert a fourth-and-5, Hackett wanted Brandon McManus to drill a 64-yard field goal. McManus’ kick was predictably short, allowing the Seahawks to come away with a victory. And if that wasn’t enough, Hackett finally used his remaining two timeouts when the Seahawks were kneeling down to drain the clock.
If this contest were to be played on numerous occasions, Denver would win more often than not. However, Hackett’s abysmal coaching was exposed for the world to see. When the Broncos are in big-game moments down the road, no one should have any confidence in Hackett’s ability to navigate his team to a victory.
Wilson had a solid performance, especially considering that he had to overcome abysmal coaching. He went 29-of-42 for 340 yards and a touchdown, which was a 67-yard bomb to Jerry Jeudy. He probably should have been given more of an opportunity to operate at the goal line, though that’s hindsight. Wilson’s one mistake was a potential interception that was dropped by Quandre Diggs in the end zone. He performed well otherwise, and he certainly was not responsible for this defeat.
It took Wilson a while to find one of his top two receivers, but he eventually located Jeudy and Courtland Sutton four times out of seven targets each. Jeudy’s 102 yards and a touchdown outclassed Sutton’s 72 yards. Sutton also drew a deep pass interference, while Jeudy dropped a pass on the final drive.
Aside from the lost fumble, Williams had a terrific evening. He rushed for 43 yards on seven carries, but was amazing as a receiver out of the backfield, catching 11 of his 12 targets for 65 receiving yards. Despite this, Melvin Gordon was the primary ball-carrier, gaining 58 yards on 12 tries. It’s unclear why Hackett believed Gordon should have nearly double the number of attempts as Williams, but based on Hackett’s late-game coaching, Denver fans should consider it a miracle that he didn’t give the ball to Olandis Gary and Mike Anderson.
Moving back to the Seahawks, Smith’s final numbers were 23-of-28 for 195 yards and two touchdowns. One of the scores was a thing of beauty, as he moved up in the pocket and kept his eyes downfield, sucking the defenders closer to the line of scrimmage. This allowed him to float a 38-yard touchdown to Will Dissly (3-43). Smith’s pass protection was great for the opening half, which was surprising, considering that he was protected by two rookie tackles. The pass protection broke down in the second half, however.
This was the best football game of Smith’s pro career, considering the opponent and situation. As mentioned, however, Smith didn’t do much in the second half, as his magical carriage appeared to be turning back into a pumpkin. Fortunately for Smith, his fairy godmother forgot to use all of her timeouts.
D.K. Metcalf was Seattle’s only productive wide receiver. He caught all seven of his targets for 36 yards, but lost a fumble in the second half. Tyler Lockett predictably struggled with three catches for 28 yards.
For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.
