Man, is it good to have football back! As is typically the case, Week 1 brought a whole bunch of surprises and maddening results from both good and bad players alike.
Let’s take a look at the results from Week 1.
Chiefs 27, Ravens 20: The defending champs opened the season with a victory over last year’s 1-seed. Lamar Jackson accumulated nearly 400 total yards, with 122 coming on the ground. Newcomer Derrick Henry was inefficient but scored a touchdown. Isaiah Likely overshadowed running mate Mark Andrews, racking up 111 yards and a score compared with Andrews’ 14 yards. It was all about the rookie speedster, Xavier Worthy, for the Chiefs. Worthy rushed for a 21-yard score and tacked on 2 catches for 47 yards and another touchdown. He’s going to be a boom-or-bust player all year. The hopefully one day to-be-suspended Rashee Rice led the way with 7 catches for 103 yards. Mr. Taylor Swift caught just three balls for 34 yards and no scores.
Eagles 34, Packers 29: The big story out of this game was the late injury to Packers quarterback Jordan Love. Before his injury, he threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns, but now he’s going to miss 3-6 weeks. Josh Jacobs had a slow start to his Packers career but finished with 104 total yards. Jayden Reed staked his claim to be the team’s number one receiver with a 33-yard rushing touchdown to go with 4 catches for 138 receiving yards and another touchdown. Christian Watson had just three catches but scored a touchdown. Romeo Doubs had an uninspiring day with 4 grabs for 50 yards. For the Eagles, Saquan Barkley had himself a great day with 109 rushing yards and two scores and added another two catches for 23 yards and another touchdown. A.J. Brown led the way with 5 catches for 119 yards and a touchdown while DeVonta Smith tallied 7 catches for 84 yards. Jalen Hurts notched 278 passing yards, 33 rushing yards, 2 passing touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
Steelers 18, Falcons 10: In a substitute appearance for Russell Wilson, Justin Fields recorded 213 total yards, Najee Harris dominated the touches with 20 carries for 70 yards, and George Pickens caught 6 balls for 85 yards. Chris Boswell kicked 6 field goals with a long of 57 yards. Kirk Cousins had a rocky first outing with the Falcons, throwing for just 155 yards, a touchdown and two picks. Bijan Robinson had five receptions and 111 all-purpose yards. Raise your hand if you had Ray-Ray McCloud leading the Falcons in receiving with 4 catches for 52 yards. Drake London continues to have a dismal career with just 2 catches for 15 yards. If not for a touchdown reception, Kyle Pitts’ 3 catches for 26 yards would have looked awful.
Bills 34, Cardinals 28: No Stefon Diggs or Gabe Davis? No problem. Josh Allen had 232 passing yards and two touchdowns to go with 39 rushing yards and another two rushing scores. James Cook had 103 all-purpose yards but no scores — ‘twas to be expected. Khalil Shakir and Mack Hollins had pedestrian days but each scored a touchdown. Rookie Keon Coleman had 4 catches for 51 yards. Hey, remember that “Dalton Kincaid will lead the Bills in targets” hot take from the fantasy community this offseason? Yeah, one catch for 11 yards. For the Cardinals, rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. was supposed to set the league on fire; instead, his 1-catch, 4-yard performance had his fantasy owners setting their hair on fire. Greg Dortch led the Cardinals with 6 catches for 47 yards. James Conner rushed for 50 yards and a score. Kyler Murray had an uninspiring 162 passing yards, but salvaged his fantasy day with 57 rushing yards and two total touchdowns.
Bears 24, Titans 17: Hey! The Bears finally got their long-awaited quarterback, right? … Right? Caleb Williams had a dismal career opener with 14 of 29 completions for 93 yards and no scores. D’Andre Swift had just 30 rushing yards. D.J. Moore caught 5 balls for 36 yards and Keenan Allen added 4 catches for 29 yards. The Bears’ special teams and defense had two touchdowns. For the Titans, Will Levis had a measly 127 passing yards with one touchdown and two ill-advised throws that were picked off. Tony Pollard had 82 rushing yards and a score in his Titans debut. Tyjae Spears was a bit of an afterthought with just 32 total yards. Chig Okonkwo salvaged his day with a touchdown after just two catches for 15 yards. Calvin Ridley finished with 3 grabs for 50 yards.
Patriots 16, Bengals 10: I suppose it’s a bigger deal that the Bengals lost than the Patriots won. The Patriots aren’t going anywhere anyway and they’re not bothering to start their possible future franchise quarterback. Rhamondre Stevenson racked up 120 yards on 25 carries and scored a touchdown. Jacoby Brissett completed just 15 pass attempts, so you know there was much to write home about in the receiving corps. It was a miserable day at the office for Joe Burrow, who had just 164 passing yards and no touchdowns. Zack Moss rushed 9 times for just 44 yards and a touchdown. Ja’Marr Chase played, but only recorded 6 catches for 62 yards.
Texans 29, Colts 27: The offenses were flying high in this AFC South battle. C.J. Stroud picked up 234 passing yards and 2 touchdowns while Joe Mixon rushed a whopping 30 times for 159 yards and a score. Nico Collins hauled in 6 passes for 117 yards while Stefon Diggs tallied 33 yards and two touchdowns on 6 catches. Tank Dell, the little man, caught just three balls for 40 yards. It was the Anthony Richardson show in Indianapolis as the second-year quarterback threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns on just 9 completed passes while also rushing for 56 yards and a touchdown. Alec Pierce was the beneficiary of a Richardson bomb, catching 3 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Something called an “Ashton Dulin” caught a 54-yard touchdown as well. Jonathan Taylor rushed 16 times for just 48 yards but saved his fantasy day with a touchdown.
Dolphins 20, Jaguars 17: Fresh off an arrest for a traffic incident Sunday morning, Tyreek Hill had a big day with 7 catches for 130 yards and a score. Jaylen Waddle added 109 yards on 5 receptions. De’Von Achane caught 7 passes for 76 yards and also rushed for 24 yards and a score on 10 attempts. Tua Tagovailoa had a big day with 338 yards and a touchdown. The rookie Brian Thomas Jr. caught 4 balls for 47 yards and a touchdown in the Jaguars’ loss. Gabe Davis tallied 62 yards on 3 receptions. Christian Kirk had one lousy catch of 30 yards. Tank Bigsby outpaced Travis Etienne with 73 yards on 12 carries while Etienne added 44 yards and a touchdown on the same number of rushing attempts.
Saints 47, Panthers 10: Boy, the Panthers are still in a world of hurt. They could be headed for that first overall pick again… this time maybe they can hold on to it and use it. Bryce Young picked up where he left off last year with just 161 yards and two interceptions. He did add 12 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. Miles Sanders — not Chuba Hubbard — was the leading rusher for the Panthers with — count ‘em — 22 rushing yards. Old man Adam Thielen caught three passes for 49 yards while Jonathan Mingo tallied 40 yards on 2 receptions. Diontae Johnson is just a shadow of his former self in Pittsburgh, finishing with just 2 receptions for 19 yards. The Saints, meanwhile, exploded on offense. Derek Carr through for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Alvin Kamara racked up 83 rushing yards and a touchdown while Jamaal Williams scored a touchdown with 38 rushing yards. Rashid Shaheed had 73 receiving yards and a touchdown, Foster Moreau added 43 yards and a score, and Juwan Johnson tallied 26 yards while reaching paydirt. Chris Olave, meanwhile, had a dud of a game with just 11 yards on 2 catches.
Vikings 28, Giants 6: The fears over what Sam Darnold would do to Justin Jefferson’s fantasy value might have been unwarranted. Jefferson caught 4 passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. Jalen Nailor — who? — caught one pass, a 21-yard touchdown. Aaron Jones put up decent numbers in his first season with the Vikings, tallying 94 yards and a touchdown. Darnold finished with 208 yards and two touchdowns. Somebody needs to kidnap Daniel Jones a la the movie Celtic Pride and keep him away from the Giants for the remainder of the season. He threw for just 186 yards and two interceptions. Devin Singletary had a mediocre start to his season with just 37 rushing yards. Malik Nabers led the team with 66 receiving yards on five receptions. Wan’Dale Robinson pitched in with 44 yards on 6 receptions.
Chargers 22, Raiders 10: Whoa! Where did this J.K. Dobbins come from? The oft-injured running back exploded for 135 rushing yards on 10 carries and notched a touchdown. Rookie receiver Ladd McConkey led the team with 39 yards and a touchdown on 5 receptions. Quentin Johnston was able to corral 3 passes for 38 yards. Raiders tight end Brock Bowers had a good first career game with 6 receptions for 58 yards. Davante Adams caught five passes for 59 yards and Jakobi Meyers added 3 catches for 61 yards. Backup running back Alexander Mattison caught a touchdown pass and finished with 43 receiving yards. Zamir White rushed 13 times for 44 yards.
Seahawks 26, Broncos 20: Big day for Geno Smith, who rushed for 30 yards and a touchdown and added 171 passing yards and a score through the air. Tyler Lockett, who had been battling injuries, caught 6 passes for 77 yards. Kenneth Walker rushed 20 times for 103 yards in a score. Backup running back Zach Charbonnet added a receiving touchdown. Rookie Bo Nix had a mixed day with 138 passing yards and two interceptions, but also leading the Broncos with 35 rushing yards and a score. Devaughn Vele caught 8 passes for 39 yards, Josh Reynolds tallied 5 receptions for 45 yards, and Courtland Sutton notched 38 yards on 4 receptions.
Cowboys 33, Browns 17: So much for the Browns being so good defensively at home. The Cowboys pounded the Browns, 33-17. Dak Prescott passed for 179 yards and a touchdown. CeeDee Lamb caught five balls for 61 yards. Brandin Cooks looked good catching four passes for 40 yards and a touchdown. Deshaun Watson’s continued fall from grace was even more pronounced in this one. He finished with 169 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Jerome Ford led the rushing attack with 44 yards and a score. Tight end David Njoku caught 4 balls for 44 yards. Jerry Jeudy — remember him? — tallied a touchdown and 25 yards receiving.
Buccaneers 37, Commanders 20: Baker Mayfield picked up where he left off last season, throwing for 289 yards and four touchdowns. Rookie Bucky Irving tallied 62 yards on 9 carries while Rachaad White finished with 31 yards on 15 carries. Chris Godwin proved he still has gas in the tank, catching 8 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. Mike Evans, meanwhile, hauled in 61 yards and two touchdowns on 5 receptions. Jayden Daniels had an impressive first game with 88 rushing yards and two touchdowns. His passing stats were far from stellar, though, finishing with just 184 yards through the air. Brian Robinson Jr. had 89 all-purpose yards and a touchdown while Austin Ekeler led the team with 52 yards on four receptions.
Lions 26, Rams 20: The dynamic duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs returns. Monty had 91 rushing yards and a touchdown while Gibbs tallied 74 all-purpose yards and a rushing touchdown. Jameson Williams — oh yeah, remember him? — caught 5 balls for 121 yards and a touchdown. Matthew Stafford threw for 317 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Cooper Kupp had 110 yards and a touchdown while Puka Nacua had a much tamer game with 4 catches for 35 yards. Kyren Williams led the team with 50 rushing yards and a score.
49ers 32, Jets 19: Aaron Rodgers didn’t exactly return to peak form in his return from injury, but at least he finished the game intact. Rodgers had 167 yards and a touchdown. Breece Hall rushed for 54 yards and a score. Allen Lazard and Garrett Wilson both caught six balls; Lazard finished with 89 yards and two touchdowns — dammit — and Wilson finished with just 60 yards. With Christian McCaffrey missing the game, Jordan Mason exploded for 147 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. Deebo Samuel also rushed 8 times for 23 yards and a score. Jauan Jennings caught 5 passes for 64 yards while Deebo added 5 receptions for 54 yards. Brandon Aiyuk — he of the holdout who wanted more money than he’s worth — caught only twoo balls for 28 yards.
