NFL: Week One Re-Cap
East Rutherford, NJ — Football is back! The first week ended with an exclamation mark at the MetLife Stadium, with Aaron Rodger’s debut as a New York Jet ending short with an injury. The Jets battled the Buffalo Bills on a humid Monday night. But it only took four snaps for Rodgers to go down with an Achilles tendon injury. The MetLife crowd stood silently, watching their QB1 be carted off the field. Backup quarterback, Zach Wilson came in wrapping up an eventful first week of NFL action. The final score at MetLife was 22-16, and the Jets have begun their season 1-0. As for Buffalo, the anticipated battle against Aaron Rodgers on Monday Night Football ended with haste as the Jets’ offensive line couldn’t protect their quarterback. Quarterback Josh Allen did not have his best night, throwing three interceptions. After undergoing x-rays on Rodgers’ fate to return grew slim, Jets coach Robert Saleh spoke to an ESPN reporter, emphasizing he still has confidence in his team.
“We still have a helluva group of guys,” said Saleh.
Luckily, the Jets got the job done by ending the game in overtime last night!
PHOTO CREDIT:ESPN
For some teams, they are glad the first week is over! In fact, heading into Week 2, putting Week 1 behind them is arguably good news for the Giants, Bengals, and Steelers, three teams who should probably do their best to forget that Week 1 ever happened. The Giants were completely dominated by the Dallas Cowboys, losing by 40 points. Yes, you read that right. In fact, the last time the Giants defeated the Cowboys was back in 2016. While it wasn’t a shocking win, the shutout was certainly unexpected. This win was like putting salt in a wound that won’t heal.
PHOTO CREDIT: CBS SPORTS
Fortunately, not all the teams went scoreless. The Cincinnati Bengals scored a whopping 3 points against the Cleveland Browns, who scored 24. While it wasn’t a nail-biting finish, the Browns have a 6-1 record against the Bengals in the last seven games they faced.
On the contrary, some games did have us on the edge of our seats up to the last second. The Philadelphia Eagles certainly did, as they defeated the New England Patriots 25-20. What looked like almost a runaway win for the Eagles, Patriots’ quarterback Mac Jones readjusted and came back with one last chance to win it late in the fourth, but the Eagles’ defense answered.
Las Vegas Raiders’ Jimmy Garopollo certainly had us nervous following a concussion scare early in the game against the Denver Broncos. Garoppollo’s debut didn’t come without an injury scare as the quarterback took an illegal hit that sent him into the locker room for a concussion check. Fret not, the former 49ers quarterback was cleared and returned to the field to win the game 17-16.
PHOTO CREDIT: ESPN
Returning Superbowl Champs, the Kansas City Chiefs kicked off the season but did not have the start they hoped for after losing to the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday. The final score was 20-21. Despite not having TE Travis Kelce, quarterback Patrick Mahomes had trouble connecting as his receivers kept dropping passes from the MVP star. It was a sloppy start for the champs, as they suffered from penalties as well. But the Lions stunned the crowd, as their quarterback, Jared Goff, scored a touchdown and passed for 253 yards, ultimately beating the defending Superbowl champs.
Atlanta Falcons defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10. On a day where the Falcons put up just 221 yards of offense, Bijan Robinson provided nearly 40% of that with 83 total yards and a touchdown. Newly signed, safety Jessie Bates, had two key interceptions that helped Atlanta secure the win. The Falcons’ offense wasn't pristine, but it was unstoppable in the red zone, with Atlanta making three trips and coming away with a touchdown on all three occasions.
Jacksonville Jaguars beat Indianapolis Colts 31-21. Thank goodness for the Jags; their wide receiver, Calvin Ridley, is back. The Jaguars receiver caught eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown and ended up being a big reason why Jacksonville won. It’s safe to say, Ridley is back.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Minnesota Vikings 20-17. It was a Justin Jefferson show in the first half, but then the Buccs clamped down on him in the second half. But it was Mike Evans who truly stole the show. The veteran receiver was a big reason why Tampa Bay pulled the upset in this game. Evans caught six passes for 66 yards, including a 28-yard TD pass in the second quarter that tied the game.
Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints? Well, not the Titans. New Orleans Saints defeated Tennesse Titans 16-15. While the Titans kept this match close, the Saints swept in and defeated the Titans on Derrick Carr’s debut as quarterback. The real star of this game was the Saints defense that shut down running back Derrick Henry while also picking off quarterback Ryan Tannehill three times.
Baltimore Ravens beat the Houston Texans 25-9. Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud didn’t stand a chance against Baltimore’s defense. The Ravens sacked Stroud five times and held Houston to under 75 rushing yards. The Raven’s defense certainly can take credit for the win, as quarterback Lamar Jackson turned the ball over twice. Luckily, things got better for Jackson in the third. It wasn’t a pretty win, but a win is a win!
Washington Commanders defeated the Arizona Cardinals 20-16. It was a messy win, but a win nonetheless. Commanders’ offensive line may have some work to do, as quarterback Sam Howell was sacked five times. It’s the one time the loser’s performance on defense was the highlight of the game, with five sacks from the Cardinals. Ultimately, the Commanders won but had a lot of cleaning up to do with their O-line.
The L.A. Rams were 30-13 over the Seattle Seahawks this weekend. It appears Matthew Stafford silenced his doubters with a 334-yard performance, proving that he still seems to have it. The Rams’ defense also put a wall between Seattle and the endzone, as they didn't allow them a single drive that went longer than 10 yards during the second half. Nicely done, L.A.
Well, one L.A. team won, but it wasn’t the Chargers. Miami Dolphins defeated the L.A. Chargers 36-34 over the weekend. This match was a nail-biter that came down to defense. Quarterback TuaTagovailoa threw for 466 yards, and accumulated 3 Touchdowns, with one interception. The Chargers’ secondary couldn’t keep up as they were torched repeatedly, ultimately leading the Dolphins to a game-winning touchdown.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES
1) Dallas Cowboys’ Defense put on an all-time performance against the Giants on primetime. We are almost positive New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is still seeing stars after getting sacked seven times on his home turf. Ouch. Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, Stephon Gillmore, and DaRon Bland made game-changing defensive plays, leading their team to victory. So, Doomsday Defense is back?! That’s what Parsons confirmed to the press after the game. Doomsday's Defense ended the game with some electrifying results.
7 SACKS
2 INTerceptions
1 PICK-6
1 Blocked Field Goal Touchdown
5 Forced Fumbles
0 Points Allowed
2) Green Bay Packers QB, Jordan Love. Many doubters were silenced after Jordan Love led the Packers to their first win of the season, and having a phenomenal debut against the Chicago Bears. The final score was 38-20. Impressive for the quarterback’s first game. Many questioned Love’s performance as the new Quarterback 1 as Aaron Rodgers parted ways with the organization earlier this year. But Love showed out, and check out his stats:
245 Yards
3 Touch Downs
0 Interceptions
QBR 73.4
3) 49ers QB, Brock Purdy. If there is one thing about Brock Purdy, he is consistent. The 49ers jumped all over Pittsburgh early and never allowed the Steelers to make a serious threat at getting back into the game. The 49ers dominated in the trenches on both sides of the ball while being the far more physical team. Purdy started with 10 of 12 completions on Sunday while showing that his success last season was anything but a fluke, finishing the game 30-7.
220 YARDS
2 Touchdowns
0 interceptions
QBR 91.3
