Biggest Winners and Losers in the NFL: Week 1

With Week 1 of the NFL season officially underway, it is time to start analyzing how teams played, who needs to play better, and who has surprised us so far. Even with only one week of games being played, I chose the week’s three biggest winners and biggest losers. Let us look at each team chosen, and see what direction their team is heading in.

Winners

Arizona Cardinals

By far the biggest winner from Week 1 is the Arizona Cardinals. After playing them tough in 2019, the Cardinals were finally able to knock off reigning NFC champion and division rival, the San Francisco 49ers. 2020 showed a ton of expectations for QB Kyler Murray and he got off to a great start, totaling for 321 yards (91 rushing) and finding the endzone twice, once on the ground and once through the air. Murray found his new favorite target, WR DeAndre Hopkins, 14 times for 151 yards in his team debut. Defensively, newly paid Budda Baker led the way with 12 tackles, while Chandler Jones, Zach Allen, and Angelo Blackson chipped in sacks. A lot of analysts were picking Arizona to be playoff contenders in 2020. Knocking off the 49ers in Week 1 is definitely a statement to be made and maybe the start of a lot of success.

Washington Football Team

Coming into their first game against the Eagles, almost nobody had the Washington Football Team winning this game, especially after they fell behind 17-0 in the second quarter. Despite this, Washington responded by sacking Carson Wentz eight times, forcing three turnovers, and scoring 27 unanswered points to get the win over a playoff favorite Philadelphia Eagles team. Offensively, the Football Team was methodical, but able to cash in on Philadelphia’s mistakes, scoring 21 of their 27 points off a turnover or a turnover on downs. Peyton Barber found the endzone twice, while Dwyane Haskins connected with Logan Thomas for their lone passing touchdown. The story of this game was Washington’s defensive line, which dominated the line of scrimmage. Washington should have more success than people think if this d-line can keep playing at the level they did in Week 1.

Pittsburgh Steelers

While they were heavy favorites in this game, the Pittsburgh Steelers were huge winners in Week 1. After losing Ben Roethlisberger for the season in 2019, the franchise QB made his return in 2020, leading his team to a 26-16 victory over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. Big Ben threw for 229 yards and three touchdowns, two to JuJu Smith-Schuster and one to James Washington. The reason why I consider the Steelers big winners here because, with a healthy Roethlisberger along with a top-notch defense, the Steelers can contend for possibly a Super Bowl. Now, the big key is keeping the veteran QB upright and healthy. If that stands, the Steelers can return back to form as one of the top teams in the AFC.

Losers

Indianapolis Colts

In a game where they played arguably the worst team in the NFL, the Colts came out on the losing end of a 27-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Indianapolis has high hopes of getting back to the playoffs in 2020 with Philip Rivers as their quarterback, but sloppy play on the offense cost them this game. Rivers threw two interceptions and T.Y. Hilton had a costly drop at the end of the game, sealing the deal for the Colts. Adding insult to injury, the Colts lost RB Marlon Mack for the season to a torn Achilles, making rookie Jonathan Taylor their full-time starter. Yes, it is only one game, but the Colts have to play cleaner football if they want to compete in the AFC South in 2020.

Philadelphia Eagles

Any loss is tough to swallow, but one where you have a 17-0 lead over a team that is projected to finish last in your division, that is even rougher. For the Eagles, everything started great. Carson Wentz had two touchdowns in the first half despite a surplus of injuries to the offense. The tight end tandem of Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert were the recipients of these touchdowns. After getting up to a 17-0 lead like mentioned before, the tides turned for the worse for the defending NFC East champions. Wentz threw two interceptions, both leading to points for Washington, while also getting sacked eight times. The Washington Football team went on to win 27-17. A crushing loss to start the season for the Eagles. The biggest thing for the Eagles is their health. RB Miles Sanders did not play, nor did WR Alshon Jeffery. Add to that a banged-up offensive line and the Eagles were depleted. The Eagles are too talented to not bounce back, but they need to get as healthy as they can for 2020 as fast as they could.

Cleveland Browns

It is not the loss that makes the Cleveland Browns a big loser, but the nature of it. Anytime you lose by a score of 38-6, there are little positives to take away. For the entire game, the Baltimore Ravens controlled the momentum and dominated a Cleveland Browns team that looked lost. Browns QB Baker Mayfield threw for 188 yards, scoring one touchdown and throwing one interception. Odell Beckham Jr. had a few key drops, totaling only 21 yards. The Nick Chubb-Kareem Hunt tandem ran the ball well but coughed up the ball a few times. The defense gave up 38 points, most of the time with bad field position because of the offensive struggles. A lot of people are going to be quick to say that this is the same deal as last season. While only one game, questions are going to rise too. Is Baker good enough? Can Odell be productive? Is Kevin Stefanski the right coach? Cleveland has a quick turnaround against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night. This game can be huge for the Browns if they can get a win, but a loss will add more pressure to the already rocky situation.

Stats and info from profootballreference.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas