The List: Who made the biggest impact during Week 1 of the NFL season?
The List: Who made the biggest impact during Week 1 of the NFL season?
After all the offseason hype surrounding the Draft, free agency and cutdown day, the NFL’s 100th season kicked off this past weekend. While all the games except one featured winners and losers, several players and teams made their mark, whether for good or not so good reasons. Here is a look at the winners and losers from Week 1.
WINNERS
High Drama on Monday Night - When Drew Brees led his team into position for a Will Lutz field goal that put the Saints up 27-21 with 50 seconds left, some people might have turned off their televisions, but that would have been a mistake. Deshaun Watson took just two plays and 13 seconds to give his team the lead, hitting DeAndre Hopkins with a 38-yard pass to get into New Orleans territory, then throwing a strike to former Dolphin Kenny Stills in the end zone. If Houston thought 37 seconds was not enough time for Brees, they would have been wrong as well. Clutch passes to Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn Jr. put the Saints on the outside edge of Lutz’s range, and he nailed a 58-yard field goal as time expired for the win in an early Game of the Year candidate.
The Ravens - Baltimore has never really been known as an offensive-minded team, but that didn’t stop Lamar Jackson and his cohorts from running up the score against the Dolphins. Jackson threw for 324 yards and five touchdowns, ex-Saint Mark Ingram ran for 107 yards and two scores, and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Mark Andrews each posted more than 100 yards receiving in the 59-10 victory. The Baltimore defense held Miami to 211 yards overall and just 21 on the ground. Up next for the Ravens will be the Cardinals and their new quarterback.
Comebacks - Speaking of Kyler Murray, he was a part of one of the many double-digit deficit rallies in Week 1. With his team trailing 24-6 entering the fourth quarter, Murray threw two touchdown passes, including a strike to Arizona legend Larry Fitzgerald with 43 seconds left. A two-point conversion pass from Murray to Christian Kirk sent the game into overtime. The teams traded field goals in the extra session and the game ended in a tie, but the Draft’s top pick showed he belonged. Also, the visiting Bills came from 16-0 down for a 17-16 win over the Jets, thanks to one touchdown running and another passing from Josh Allen. Indianapolis came back from 24-9 down to force overtime, but the Chargers beat the Colts on an Austin Ekeler scoring run. Finally, Washington held a 20-7 halftime lead, but Philadelphia stormed back for a 32-27 victory.
The “Injury Bug” - Who would have thought that one little bug could cause so much damage? Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles is the most notable, and he will go on Injured Reserve and miss at least eight weeks after suffering a broken left clavicle. Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill and Colts receiver Devin Funchess each injured their collarbones and will be off the field for several weeks. New 49ers running back Tevin Coleman suffered a high ankle sprain and could be out up to six weeks. After missing all of last season with a torn ACL, Redskins back Derrius Guice suffered a torn meniscus and will miss several weeks after having surgery. Finally, Giants receiver is in concussion protocol and might be forced to sit out in Week 2.
Rookie receivers - The usual rule in fantasy football is to avoid wide receivers until their third season in the league so they have time to learn their pro offenses. You can throw that out the window if this offensive explosion continues. In addition to “Hollywood” Brown (four catches, 147 yards), Tennessee’s A. J. Brown (3-100) and Washington’s Terry McLaurin (5-125) all went over the 100-yard mark, as did T. J. Hockenson, the first tight end chosen in the Draft, who had six receptions and 131 yards for Detroit.
Sammy Watkins - The former Buffalo Bill became the first player in league history to record 175 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the first half of a game. He finished with 198 yards and three scores in Kansas City’s 40-26 win over Jacksonville.
The NFL - With this being the league’s 100th season, the celebrations will continue throughout the year. Appearances by Joe Namath and Rob Gronkowski highlighted the festivities in Week 1.
LOSERS
Antonio Brown/The Patriots/The NFL - Just to recap, Antonio Brown did not like his role in the Steelers’ offense, so he publicly argued with Ben Roethlisberger and skipped practices. After being benched for the final week, he requested a trade, which happened in early March, when Pittsburgh traded him to Oakland for third and fifth-round picks. The Raiders gave him a three-year, $50-million contract and Brown vowed to “elevate everything” around him. He proceeded to show up with frostbitten feet after failing to wear proper shoes during a cryotherapy session, fight with the NFL over the league’s new helmet guidelines (which, somehow, everyone else could handle with little to no issue), threaten to punch new general manager Mike Mayock and finally ask for, and receive, his release from the team after less than six months and a total of zero regular-season snaps.
Less than four hours later, Brown signed a one-year deal with the Patriots that could be worth up to $15 million with incentives. New England eventually added a $20 million option for a second year. However, a few days after signing, Brown was accused of rape by a former trainer.
This entire story is just ridiculous. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s quite obvious that this whole scenario was orchestrated by Brown and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus (who is no stranger to working the system - see Terrell Owens holding a press conference in his driveway and performing sit ups while shirtless for gathered reporters). I’m sure he knew what he had around him in Oakland, and if he purposely tried to get himself cut by the Raiders so he could end up in a better situation, that sets a bad precedent for the league. The Patriots don’t seem to care about questionable attitudes as long as they win, but if Roger Goodell allows this to happen without punishment, he is sending the message to the fans that star players can use whatever antics they want in order to get moved to a favorable situation. The tactic will only further drive a wedge between players and fans, none of whom could do the same thing to get out of jobs they find unpleasant or not in their best interest. Rant over.The Dolphins - Miami traded left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills to Houston for several draft picks just days before the season began, and that pretty much was the end of any chance the team had of being competitive this season. After the blowout loss to the Ravens, several Dolphins players asked for a trade because they could see the writing on the wall that the team was tanking. A quick glance at message boards reveals that some fans are of the opinion that this could be the third team in NFL history to record an 0-16 season. Not a good time to be a fan of this once-proud organization.
The Giants - Speaking of franchises that have taken a tumble, New York just doesn’t seem to get that you have to play defense. The Giants allowed 494 yards, including 405 passing from Dak Prescott, who looked more like Brees, Brady or Favre in a 35-17 win. Many of Dallas’ drives were just like military marches down the field with little to no opposition. The Giants will face the Bills this week, and Buffalo is looking for a second straight victory over a New York team.
Rookie running backs - The backs did not have the same success as their receiving counterparts in Week 1. Raiders first-round pick Josh Jacobs led the way with 23 carries for 85 yards in Oakland’s 24-16 win over Broncos in Monday’s late game. The only other rookie runner to have any sort of success was Buffalo third-rounder Devin Singletary, who gained 70 yards on four carries against the Jets.
The Steelers - While the Raiders were successful in showing they could live without Antonio Brown, the Steelers laid down for Brown’s new team, the Patriots, on Sunday night. JuJu Smith-Schuster was solid, but James Conner (the replacement for another former Pittsburgh malcontent, Le’Veon Bell) was held to just 21 yards on 10 carries in the 33-3 loss in New England. Things don’t get any easier for the Steelers, as they will host the Seahawks in Week 2.
The Browns and Odell Beckham Jr. - Cleveland had more hype than any other heading into the 2019 season, and they fell flatter than all but the Steelers (at least the Dolphins and Giants had few expectations before their bad losses). The 43-13 home loss to the Titans included left tackle Greg Robinson getting ejected and his backup Kendall Lamm getting injured soon after. Also, Beckham got attention for the wrong reason, wearing a $350,000 luxury watch during the game in violation of league rules. These are the types of things that need to be avoided if you want to reach the playoffs.
-By: Kevin Rakas