Week 1 is in the books of the new NFL season and it was a rollercoaster of a weekend for NFL fans. To kick off the season, the Lions made a statement by defeating the champs on Thursday Night and the week concluded with the Jets walking it off versus their rivals. Some teams looked really rusty while other teams were sharp. It was quite a Week 1 and there’s a lot to unwrap.
Thursday night was not the Chiefs we’re used to seeing. Usually they’re so crisp but on that night they looked out of sorts. They were missing Kelce and Chris Jones so that definitely seemed to have an effect on them. First off, I thought it was a horrible night for the Kansas City receivers, especially Kadarius Toney. His bobble on one catch led to a 50 yard pick six by Brian Branch, a throw which was not Mahomes’ fault at all. Toney dropped so many catches and it was just a horrendous night for him. The Chiefs need their receivers to show up this season and help out Mahomes. On the other hand, I thought the Lions played great and that’s a huge win for them. Beating the Super Bowl champs with their MVP QB on NFL Kickoff is a huge momentum builder for Detroit and I have a feeling they’ll be a really strong force in that NFC North division. The final score was 21-20 as the Lions stunned Arrowhead Stadium and all the Chiefs fans in primetime.
This next game was an absolute thriller and was probably the game of the week. There were two high scoring offenses going at it and we got an outcome of 70 points. The Miami Dolphins and the Los Angeles Chargers played a nail biting contest and it was a tremendous game. For the Dolphins, it was a dream start. Tua had an excellent game by throwing for a whopping 466 yards along with a trio of touchdown throws and one pick. Tyreek Hill had himself a day and was a nightmare for the Chargers defense with a 11 reception, 215 yards, and two touchdowns stat line. Every time you would look, he’d be open and he absolutely shredded the Bolts. The amazing thing with this Miami team is that one week it could be Hill carrying and then the next week it could be Waddle. They have such a great duo and it’s so tough as a defense. They’re so pass heavy that it’s so perfect to have two electrifying receivers on the team. It was a big win for the Fins on the road at Sofi and we’ll see if they can do it again on Sunday Night Football next week at the Patriots. On the Chargers side, they didn’t play a bad game. It went down to the wire and a lot of positives came out of this game for LA. Kelly and Ekeler combined for 208 rushing yards on 32 carries which is awesome. The only reason they lost is that the defense just couldn’t contain Tua and Tyreek. They have the Titans next week so they’ll be looking to bounce back from this close loss. The final score was 36-34 in this epic game.
The game on Sunday Night was the most one sided and lopsided football game I’ve ever seen. It was the Dallas Cowboys at their best while the New York Giants were at their lowest of lows. Dallas won this game because of their incredible defense and Daniel Jones just couldn’t get into a rhythm. On the first drive, things were looking good for New York until the bad snap and the blocked field goal which resulted in a touchdown. From there it only got worse for the Giants while it was a clinical display for the Dallas defense. The front line was all over Jones in a hurry and he had barely any time to throw the football. The Cowboys offense didn’t have to do much and it was a relatively easy night for Dak Prescott. Moving forward, the Giants need to be able to protect Daniel Jones and give him time. They were crushed by the Cowboys 40-0 on Sunday Night but it’s only Week 1 so they can fix a lot of things.
Week 1 concluded with Monday Night Football and it was a division battle in the AFC East between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets. This AFC East is tough and every game you win against a division team is huge. Pregame, there was so much hype with Aaron Rodgers coming in but it was a tough sight to see for Jets fans as Rodgers got injured in the 1st few plays of the game. He tore his Achilles and is out for the entire season so it looks like it’s up to Zach Wilson to lead this team. The story of this game was the Jets marvelous defense. They only allowed 16 points against an explosive Bills offense and got 4 turnovers out of Josh Allen. It was a gritty effort by the entire team to get the win and stun the Bills should’ve won that game. With Aaron Rodgers out, I expect the Jets to play on the ground more and give it to their terrific running back duo. Breece Hall had some big runs and with Dalvin Cook, they’re going to be an insane duo. Having Aaron Rodgers out is a tough blow but I know that Robert Saleh’s team is capable of adapting. The Jets finished the game in style with a punt return game winning TD in OT to please the fans in MetLife Stadium so I have a feeling it’ll be a good season for Jets fans.
It felt so good to have the NFL back and Week 2 is just a few days away as the Vikings and the Eagles kick off the second week of the season on Thursday Night. Can the Cowboys take down the Jets? Will the Fins win on SNF and become 2-0? Can the Chiefs and Giants bounce back from losses?
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