NFL Week 1 breakdown: Cowboys steamroll Giants, Packers still own Bears
Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season is (almost) in the books, and it was a great night to be a Dallas Cowboys fan.
Here are some of the most important developments from Sunday:
- The Giants made the Cowboys look like world-beaters on Sunday night.
- Somebody should remind Ja'Marr Chase of the Browns' recent dominance of the Bengals.
- Sunday was a rough one for Bears fans who were hoping the end of the Aaron Rodgers era in Green Bay would mean victories over their longtime rivals.
- Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill is on pace for more than 3,600 yards receiving this season.
- Bryce Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft, had a rough debut.
- This scoop-and-score by the Colts is an early candidate for wildest play of the year.
- How was your NFL Sunday Ticket experience on YouTube TV?
NFL Week 1 key storylines
- Winners and losers: While expected contenders such as the 49ers and Dolphins looked the part, the Bengals, Giants and Vikings might have regressed.
- 32 things we learned: How important is winning in Week 1? Let Paste BN Sports' Nate Davis explain.
- J.K. Dobbins has a torn Achilles: Bad news hit Baltimore on Sunday during the Ravens' season-opening win over the Texans.
- 'We just lost to some elves': Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase did not back down from his statement in the lead-up to the game when he referred to the Browns as "elves."
- Tyreek Hill carves up Chargers: Hill boldly claimed in July that he has his eyes set on a 2,000-yard receiving season. The Dolphins wide receiver is well on pace.
➤ PHOTOS: Fans, mascots, cheerleaders and celebrities at NFL games
NFL Week 1 results
- Dallas Cowboys 40, New York Giants 0: The Cowboys marched into the MetLife Stadium and let the Giants beat themselves over and over in this rout.
- Green Bay Packers 38, Chicago Bears 20: New quarterback, same familiar result against the division-rival Bears for the Packers.
- Miami Dolphins 36, Los Angeles Chargers 34: Tyreek Hill's quest for a 2,000-yard receiving season got off to a strong start.
- Los Angeles Rams 30, Seattle Seahawks 13: Maybe the Rams won't be as bad as some pigskin prognosticators had assumed.
- Philadelphia Eagles 25, New England Patriots 20: The Eagles weathered the rain and a late comeback attempt by the Patriots.
- Las Vegas Raiders 17, Denver Broncos 16: Jimmy Garoppolo and the visiting Raiders spoiled Sean Payton's debut at Broncos head coach.
- New Orleans Saints 16, Tennessee Titans 15: The Derek Carr era in New Orleans opened with a hard-fought victory.
- San Francisco 49ers 30, Pittsburgh Steelers 7: The 49ers came out of the gates quickly and reaffirmed why they are considered a Super Bowl favorite.
- Jacksonville Jaguars 31, Indianapolis Colts 21: The Jaguars overcame a bizarre fumble recovery for Colts touchdown play to prevail in Indianapolis.
- Washington Commanders 20, Arizona Cardinals 16: Defense prevented the Commanders from enduring an embarrassing opening day defeat to a Cardinals team expected to compete for the top pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
- Atlanta Falcons 24, Carolina Panthers 10: New Falcons safety Jessie Bates III stole the show (literally) with two interceptions and a forced fumble.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20, Minnesota Vikings 17: The Bucs sprung this upset by forcing three Vikings turnovers.
- Baltimore Ravens 25, Houston Texans 9: This victory came with a heavy cost as J.K. Dobbins suffered a torn Achilles.
- Cleveland Browns 24, Cincinnati Bengals 3: Despite Cleveland winning nine of the past 11 matchups between these longtime rivals, Ja'Marr Chase continued on his pregame trash talk.
- Detroit Lions 21, Kansas City Chiefs 20 (Thursday): Perhaps the Lions will be a force to be reckoned with this season.
Coming this week
Monday: Week 1 wraps up with the game of the week, when Aaron Rodgers makes his New York Jets debut against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on "Monday Night Football" (8:15 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN; ESPN2 for the ManningCast). The Bills have won five of the last six meetings against the Jets.
Tuesday: Paste BN Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 1.
Thursday: Week 2 kicks off with a showdown between 2022 NFC playoff teams at Lincoln Financial Field between the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles (8:20 p.m. ET, Prime Video). Before the game, make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 2 game.
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