Ravens, Packers, Seahawks impressive. Tom Brady stumbles in Bucs debut. Here's our Week 1 breakdown
Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season is (almost) in the books.
In a year that's been so unusual, Sunday's season openers provided some familiarity (big wins for perennial contenders such as the Ravens, Packers, Patriots, Seahawks) and some things not-so familiar (Tom Brady's debut as a Buccaneer; New England with a new QB for the first time in nearly two decades).
We don't mean to over-emphasize the importance of starting the season with a victory, but we're going to over-emphasize how vital it is to win in Week 1. Since the NFL expanded to a 16-game schedule in 1978 (the strike-shortened 1982 season not included), teams losing their opener only had a 24% chance to reach the playoffs. This season, of course, the playoff field expands from 12 to 14 teams.
Quick hits: Catch up on Sunday's best
- 32 things we learned in Week 1: From comebacks and upsets to standout performances from stars, the opening week had no shortage of significant moments.
- Week 1 winners and losers: The first NFL Sunday is in the books, and several fan bases are feeling either agony or joy after some surprising results.
- Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy defended a crucial fourth-down decision in Sunday's loss to the Rams.
- Dontari Poe kneeled for the anthem, marking a first for the Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones, who previously demanded players stand.
- Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott showed off his new "FEED ME" stomach tattoo after a touchdown vs. the Rams.
- NFL fans were ripping the refs after a game-changing offensive pass interference call in the Rams-Cowboys game. Even the Cowboys were not too happy.
- Cam Newton said Dolphins players were trying to grab his chain after the Patriots' season-opening win.
- Bengals kicker Randy Bullock got hurt in the middle of a potential game-tying field goal attempt.
- Apparently, the Chargers' glorious new uniforms drew mixed reviews from people on Twitter.
- The Lions' Matt Patricia defended his late-game coaching acumen by pointing to the Patriots' Super Bowl XLIX win over the Seahawks.
- There was an exorbitant amount of fake crowd noise for the Buccaneers-Saints game on FOX.
- Lions LB Jamie Collins was ejected after made contact with an official during Sunday's loss to the Bears.
- Several NFL teams opted to not be on the field during the playing of the national anthem. Colts head coach Frank Reich and Ravens QB Lamar Jackson were among those who knelt during the anthem.
Key Week 1 story lines
- Tom Brady isn't yet the QB the Buccaneers need: Brady's first game with Tampa Bay didn't go as planned. Now, the Bucs need Brady to settle into his role, Jarrett Bell writes.
- MVP encore? With his quietly strong performance against the Browns in the Ravens' season-opening rout, Lamar Jackson demonstrated he can build on his MVP form, Tom Schad writes.
- Washington Football Team gets needed resiliency: Washington suddenly looks like a team capable of competing thanks to Ron Rivera's presence as a stabilizing force for the franchise, Mike Jones writes.
- Why Frank Reich decided to kneel during anthem: The Colts found a unique way to protest social injustice on Sunday.
- 'Clear and obvious'? Cowboys WR Michael Gallup's offensive pass interference penalty sparks controversy.
Week 1 rundown
- Rams 20, Cowboys 17: Rams spoil Mike McCarthy's debut at Dallas coach and get win in their first game at new SoFi Stadium.
- Saints 34, Buccaneers 23: As the high-octane Saints proved, this Tom Brady-Buccaneers thing is going to take some time to get going.
- Cardinals 24, 49ers 20: Newly acquired WR DeAndre Hopkins made an immediate impact in Arizona's upset of the defending NFC champs.
- Chargers 16, Bengals 13: Joe Burrow very nearly rebounded from his first big NFL mistake, but a missed field goal spoiled the rookie's debut.
- Patriots 21, Dolphins 11: Cam Newton looked like his old self (minus the new uniform), rushing for two touchdowns in the Patriots' new-look offense.
- Seahawks 38, Falcons 25: The Seahawks "Let Russ Cook," as Russell Wilson burned the Falcons secondary for four touchdown passes.
- Bears 27, Lions 23: The Lions Lions'd (again), giving up 21 unanswered fourth-quarter points before dropping a potential winning touchdown.
- Raiders 34, Panthers 30: After his three-touchdown performance, Josh Jacobs earned a lofty Hall-of-Fame comparison from his head coach.
- Jaguars 27, Colts 20: Jacksonville certainly didn't look like a team tanking for a top 2021 draft pick.
- Ravens 38, Browns 6: If you're looking for a sense of normalcy in 2020, then look no further than the Browns, who still appear lost.
- Washington Football Team 27, Eagles 17: Washington made new coach Ron Rivera a winner in spectacular fashion, rally from 17-0 behind for the big opening day win.
- Packers 43, Vikings 34: En route to scorigami, Aaron Rodgers threw for four touchdowns and Davante Adams tied a 78-year-old Packers record.
- Bills 27, Jets 17: The Bills easily dispatched a hapless Jets team in a game not nearly as close as the final score would indicate.
- Chiefs 34, Texans 20 (Thurs.): Kansas City looked like a team ready to defend its Super Bowl title.
Eyes on the (fantasy) prize
Week 1 usually provides the widest variety of waiver-wire pickups in fantasy football leagues. Without the benefit of preseason games, there are even more options this year.
The top priority could very well be Colts running back Nyheim Hines, who led the team in rushes and receptions – and scored a touchdown each way. The extra usage will likely continue going forward with starter Marlon Mack suffering a potentially serious foot injury.
In Miami, Myles Gaskin – not Jordan Howard or Matt Brieda – emerged as the Dolphins’ lead running back. Howard had a short TD run, but Gaskin led the way with 66 total yards.
Washington didn’t have much success running the ball, but Peyton Barber was definitely the short-yardage option. He had 17 carries and a pair of scores.
Wide receiver Robby Anderson had an impressive debut in Carolina with six catches for 115 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown. He also had a two-point conversion.
And don’t count out former All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham. Now with the Bears, Graham was a menacing threat in the red zone with seven targets, three catches and a TD. He also nearly had a second score, but it was overturned on replay.
Trivia time!
On Sunday, Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander became the fifth player since 2000 to register a sack, interception and safety in the same game. Can you name the other four players? If so, let the author of this newsletter know!
Coming this week
Monday: Week 1 wraps up with a Monday night doubleheader. The action kicks off at MetLife Stadium where the New York Giants host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Ben Roethlisberger's return after missing the 2019 season (7:10 p.m. ET, ESPN). Later, the Denver Broncos host the Tennessee Titans (10:20 p.m. ET).
Tuesday: Paste BN Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 1.
Thursday: Week 2 kicks off with an AFC North showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns (8:20 p.m. ET, NFL Network). Before the game, make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 2 game.
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