There is nothing sweeter than a long-awaited day living up to expectations. A wedding on a perfect day. A concert that you’ll remember forever. Week 1 of the NFL season.
In all its glory, the shield couldn’t have asked for a better opening weekend. The chaos, the highlights, the narratives; it was the pilot to America’s greatest reality show.
With episode one in the books, save for an end-credits scene in Seattle, it’s time to figure out what the hell just happened.
Philadelphia Eagles 38 – Detroit Lions 35
I came into the year optimistic about the Philadelphia Eagles, but wary of their ceiling. They’re the best bet to win the NFC East and possess one of the most well-rounded rosters in football. Still, their offense has some big questions to answer. Is the passing offense sustainable? Can it perform without Jalen Hurts’ mobility? What about throws to guys not named A.J. Brown?
Four touchdowns later and I remain unconvinced. Brown is great, but saw 13 targets, the vast majority of which came on the boundary. No one else saw more than four. There wasn’t much to suggest they’d be able to create without him.
Additionally, Hurts once again strayed away from the middle of the field. There are inherent limitations on offenses that can’t consistently threaten each part of the field. Just look at the Eagles’ last playoff game. It was a strong performance overall, but until progress is made near the hash marks, there’s no reason to believe they’ll win a playoff game.
As for the Detroit Lions, they are who we thought they were. That’s okay. They’ll play good teams tough and keep games close. Sunday shouldn’t change their 6.5-win outlook.
Chicago Bears 19 – San Francisco 49ers 10
Speaking of not learning things…I wrote last week that I’d be done commenting on the San Francisco 49ers discourse. That was a lie.
If you’re pounding the table for Jimmy Garoppolo to start, please turn in your gun and badge. Your services in this discussion are no longer needed. The 49ers wouldn’t have drafted a quarterback third overall if they thought Garoppolo was the answer. It’s as simple as that. Maybe Trey Lance stinks. Maybe he’s great. I don’t care. We need to find out what he is.
Also, both of those young quarterbacks played in a midwestern monsoon. Give them a break.
Kansas City Chiefs 44 – Arizona Cardinals 21
Nothing like a Week 1 game to tell yourself you’ve been right all along. I called the Arizona Cardinals pretenders in just about every way possible and a week later, I can take my victory lap.
The offense looked bad. The defense looked worse. Patrick Mahomes went 30/39 for 360 yards and five scores. It was utterly embarrassing and we shouldn’t have expected anything else. The roster is top-heavy and more unbalanced than some European monuments. The coaching staff never seems to adjust. Arizona was out-executed in every sense of the word.
If this keeps up, Kliff Kingsbury may not survive the winter. Nor should he.
Minnesota Vikings 23 – Green Bay Packers 7
I’ve been around long enough to know calling Hall of Famers washed after Week 1 is a losing strategy. With that said, it’s hard not to be concerned about Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Without a fully healthy offensive line and any real threats at receiver, Rodgers looked lost. Almost “it’s Jordan Love time” lost.
Still, it’s too early to make any rash decisions. Green Bay could very well annihilate the Bears in a week and make Sunday a distant memory. Until then, get your jokes off, because they looked bad.
Give props to the Minnesota Vikings, too. They were able to overwhelm Rodgers, who looked lost without Davante Adams. Kirk Cousins played a good game and Justin Jefferson went nuclear. If this is what Cousins looks like in a Kevin O’Connell offense, sign me up. In a matter of four quarters, they’ve managed to make their division lead look larger than a single game.
The best wide receiver in football still resides in the NFC North.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19 – Dallas Cowboys 3
Yeah, the Dallas Cowboys are screwed.
It turns out the strategy to actively make the roster worse was a bad one. Dallas looked like a team that lost their two starting tackles and passed like a team with one real receiver. Dak Prescott was left on an island but didn’t do himself any favors. In a game where Tom Brady looked vulnerable, they simply couldn’t deliver.
Now, news has broken that Prescott needs surgery on his hand, missing multiple weeks.
A Cowboys season has never ended so quickly.