As we’ve just started to gear back up for football season, there’s already so much to debrief. Whether it’s Myles Garrett’s apparent injury or the Jets taking the initial lead in the AFC East, these are just some of the shocking twists that have occurred during the first week back.
To open the 107th season of the National Football League (NFL) on Wednesday, the Patriots and Seahawks went head-to-head in a Super Bowl rematch. The Hawks were able to maintain their winning title in the 13-10 game. This surprisingly low-scoring game can be partially attributed to Drake Maye’s ongoing interception streak. On Seattle’s side, Sam Darnold was forced to leave the game in the first quarter due to a likely hip injury. Overall, there were offensive mistakes from both sides that led to a low-scoring conclusion.
Juxtaposed with the highly defensive rematch, the Bears vs. Panthers game finished with a score of 59-37. This record-breaking score became the highest season opener in NFL history, with the Bears coming away with the win. Both quarterbacks, Caleb Williams (Bears) and Bryce Young (Panthers), had excellent days, but the Bears’ running game set them apart, nearly tripling the Panthers’ rushing yards.
Moving on to the NFC West game on Thursday, the 49ers and Rams duked it out for a divisional win. Ultimately, the 49ers came out on top in a shocking 27-7 final. During the preseason, the Rams were a popular Super Bowl contender, but it seems many people will be reconsidering their picks after this game. The most devastating loss on the Rams’ part, however, was Myles Garrett, who suffered an arthroscopic knee injury, causing swelling that will require him to miss the next four games due to surgery. While the Rams may suffer from this temporary loss, they still have Aaron Donald leading their defense for future games.
The next divisional game was the Packers vs. Vikings, ending in a 39-22 score in favor of Minnesota. Both teams were postseason contenders for much of the season last year, although only Green Bay made it. Despite Kyler Murray’s early injury, Carson Wentz was able to carry the Vikings to the finish line. This is perhaps the most notable aspect of the game, as Wentz has shown that he has the potential to work alongside Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones when he’s forced to clutch. Ignoring the score, the Packers played well as far as their passing game, with Jordan Love only having one interception.
Kirk Cousins was also able to lead the Raiders to a victory over the Dolphins in a 27-13 game, in spite of some poor performance. However, Cousins’ connection with Ashton Jeanty was a massive strength in their first game together. Jeanty was a weapon in both the pass and run game, where he essentially led Las Vegas to their first win of the season. Malik Willis had a decent debut as the Dolphins’ new quarterback, managing to score a rushing touchdown and pass of 220 yards, yet also took five sacks over the course of the game.
As always, the Bills have proven to be strong contenders for the postseason and even the Super Bowl. This past week, they snuck by the Texans in a 36-31 win. Josh Allen has continued to heavily rely on his tight ends, especially Dalton Kincaid, who led the team with 130 receiving yards last week. On Houston’s side, C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins seem to be off to a great start after they have both suffered on and off injuries for the past couple of seasons. Picking up David Montgomery from the Lions has already paid off as well, and he even has two touchdowns to prove it.
Monday also featured an AFC West showdown between the Chiefs and Broncos. Despite the Chiefs’ rough season last year, they appeared dominant over the Broncos with a final score of 31-10. Although Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) and Bo Nix (Broncos) appear to have similar statistics, the difference in their scores can be traced back to the run game. Kenneth Walker III’s rushing yards almost matched Mahomes’ passing yards (173 vs. 184). This postseason pickup by the Chiefs might be the difference they needed to make to return to their former glory. The Broncos apparently struggled against the Chiefs’ defense as well, only making 17% of third down conversions and generating a meager 176 yards.
To summarize this week, we seem to already have some early-season injuries that may impact teams for the rest of the season, and divisional rivalries are stronger than ever. It will be important to keep an eye out for upcoming games!
I’m looking forward to this NFL season.
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