NFL Week 1 breakdown: Patrick Mahomes is magic. Rams look good with Matthew Stafford.
Week 1 is (almost) in the books, and it has provided some expected as well as wildly unexpected results.
While Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs still appear to be the class of the AFC, a projected Super Bowl contender in the NFC got clobbered as the post-Drew Brees era got underway for the Saints.
The Urban Meyer era in Jacksonville got off to a rough start, but the Eagles had an impressive opener for the Nick Sirianni era.
Matthew Stafford's first game with the Rams was a success, as coach Sean McVay's team looked like an offensive juggernaut.
Sunday's biggest moments
- Cardinals QB Kyler Murray produced one of the most ridiculous plays we'll see this season.
- Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes had some must-see plays in the come-from-behind win against the Browns.
- 49ers rookie QB Trey Lance scored a touchdown on his first NFL throw.
- Jameis Winston launched the Saints into a new era with his five-TD performance against the Packers.
- Washington Football Team QB Ryan Fitzpatrick left Sunday's loss to the Chargers with a hip injury.
- Browns safety Ronnie Harrison Jr. was ejected after shoving a Chiefs assistant coach during a sideline dust-up. Myles Garrett thought the Chiefs assistant should have been ejected, too.
Key NFL Week 1 storylines
- Week 1 winners and losers: Two expected Super Bowl contenders — the Bills and Packers — endured humbling defeats Sunday. Meanwhile, the Eagles had an impressive start to the Nick Sirianni era.
- 32 things we learned in Week 1: The first Sunday of the regular season featured plenty of strong debuts and surprising results, some of which could shape the rest of the year.
- Chiefs show they're still a cut above AFC: The Chiefs showed that aspiring AFC contenders have their work cut out for them in catching Patrick Mahomes and Co., Mike Jones writes.
- Don't feel bad for Urban Meyer: The Jaguars' season-opening debacle against the Texans should show Meyer that he can’t operate as he did in college, Nancy Armour writes.
- Colts got their '(butt) kicked': The Colts didn't provide many reasons for optimism on Sunday, when they were outclassed in multiple phases by the Seahawks, Gregg Doyel writes.
- No 'same old' in these Detroit Lions: The Lions weren't competitive for most of Sunday's loss to the 49ers, but they also didn't show any fear, and that fueled the comeback, Shawn Windsor writes.
NFL Week 1 rundown
- Rams 34, Bears 14: Matthew Stafford got off to a fast start in his Rams debut.
- Saints 38, Packers 3: This loss marked the worst margin of defeat in Aaron Rodgers' NFL career.
- Chiefs 33, Browns 29: While Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs orchestrated a fourth-quarter comeback, the Browns did their part, too.
- Dolphins 17, Patriots 16: Xavien Howard made a key defensive play as the Dolphins held on to prevail.
- Broncos 27, Giants 13: The sloppy Giants lost a season opener for the fifth straight year.
- Texans 37, Jaguars 21: The long-awaited NFL debuts for Urban Meyer and Trevor Lawrence was one to forget.
- Chargers 20, Football Team 16: A Chargers team notorious for losing close games found a way to win on the road.
- Seahawks 28, Colts 16: This is the eighth consecutive year that the Colts opened the season with a loss.
- Panthers 19, Jets 14: Rookie Zach Wilson got roughed up in his debut, and Sam Darnold was a winner against his former team.
- Eagles 32, Falcons 6: Jalen Hurts and rookie DeVonta Smith were too much to handle for the overmatched Falcons.
- Bengals 27, Vikings 24 (OT): Joe Burrow returned from his knee injury to have the best game of his NFL career, making a crucial throw in overtime to make the Bengals winners.
- Cardinals 38, Titans 13: Chandler Jones was a one-man wrecking crew, tying a franchise record with five sacks.
- 49ers 41, Lions 33: What appeared at first to be a blowout got interesting late.
- Steelers 23, Bills 16: It might be time for BillsMafia to pump the brakes on making those Super Bowl reservations.
- Buccaneers 31, Cowboys 29 (Thursday): It wasn't pretty - one might say it was Buc-Ugly - but Tampa Bay prevailed in the NFL kickoff game despite four turnovers.
Eyes on the (fantasy) prize
There are always a few surprising performances in the NFL’s opening week, and for fantasy football managers, they frequently turn to tempting waiver pickups for Week 2.
In San Francisco, starting running back Raheem Mostert left with a knee injury after just two carries, opening the door for Elijah Mitchell to rush for 104 yards on 19 carries, one of them a 38-yard touchdown. Mitchell — and not fellow rookie Trey Sermon — is in line for significant action if the oft-injured Mostert is slow to return.
Running back Jamaal Williams was a surprise starter ahead of D’Andre Swift for the Lions, though both ended up getting an almost equal share of the workload. Williams ran nine times for 54 yards and a TD, plus he caught eight of nine targets for 56 more yards.
And in Houston, Mark Ingram looks like the Texans’ main ball-carrier. He had 26 carries for 85 yards and a score. Phillip Lindsay and David Johnson had just 11 rushes combined.
Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams caught eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown at Washington. This just might be the start of his long-awaited breakout season.
The Cardinals’ Christian Kirk and the Colts’ Zach Pascal each caught a pair of TD passes and could be excellent No. 2 receivers on their teams.
Jameis Winston wasn’t among the top 20 quarterbacks in average draft position, but he threw for five TDs against Green Bay in his first start for the Saints. (Two of them to tight end Juwan Johnson.) Winston probably has a higher ceiling than your current backup quarterback.
Coming this week
Monday: Week 1 wraps up when the Las Vegas Raiders host the Baltimore Ravens at Allegiant Stadium (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN). The Ravens have won five consecutive season openers.
Tuesday: Paste BN Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 1.
Thursday: Week 2 kicks off with an NFC East showdown between the New York Giants and Washington Football Team (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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