Isn’t it great to have football back? Sure, it wasn’t the most competitive week of games and there was plenty of sloppy play (as most first weeks bring), but just to have the sport back that has us cheering on every play for every yard, it’s a beautiful thing. And to end it the way we did on Monday night? Amazing stuff. Unfortunately for several teams, the biggest storylines of the first weekend were for bad injuries or bad performances. There will be weeks with more positive moments and better games, but for now, let’s just appreciate that we were just able to watch our first weekend of 21 straight weekends of football.
Jets Night Starts with Lowest of Lows, Ends with Highest of Highs
For just over three minutes, New York Jets football was at its peak excitement level for the past 12 years. The trade for Aaron Rodgers, an offseason of full speculation, being featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks, Rodgers running out of the tunnel with an American flag on the anniversary of 9/11, and the Jets defense forcing the Buffalo Bills off the field in five plays on Monday Night Football all led to the moment where Rodgers took the field as the new starting quarterback.
First play: Breece Hall breaks off a 26 yard run to get the already crazed fans going bonkers.
Second play: Rodgers throws his first pass. Incomplete. Breathe.
Third play: Rodgers throws another incomplete pass. Flag on the field. Defensive holding. That’s a New York Jets first down.
Fourth play: Rodgers feels pressure right away and gets sacked. Looks pretty ordinary. Oh no, he went back to the ground. The medical staff is coming out. He can’t get up. This can’t be happening. He’s visibly limping and being helped off the field. No, no, no, no. Rodgers is in the blue tent. There’s a cart coming out. It must just be for precautionary reasons. Alright, Rodgers is coming out of the tent. What? He’s getting on the cart. On THE fucking cart?!?!
End scene.
As a football fan with no skin in the game for the Jets, this was like watching a fanbase burn in sports hell. Robert Saleh’s face said it all when Zach Wilson took the field for the Jets offense. It looked like the return to relevancy for the Jets had ended on their first offensive drive of the season.
New York didn’t roll over.
The Jets defense, the thing that kept them in so many games last year, did the same thing tonight. The Jets forced Josh Allen to turn the ball over four times in a game where Allen looked like he went back in time to the strong armed, inaccurate rookie he once was.
Despite the Jets defense stepping up, the offense still had their own struggles moving the ball. It wasn’t until just under five minutes in the fourth quarter where the Jets finally tied Buffalo on a miraculous bobble catch by Garrett Wilson. One more field goal for each team wold send the game to overtime at 16-16.
Once again the Jets would get a big stop on the opening drive of overtime. The New York Jets offensive struggles were solved thanks to Hard Knocks fan favorite Xavier Gipson receiving the punt and returning it 65 yards for a walk off touchdown. Pandemonium in “The City that Never Sleeps” that was as quiet as a funeral in the first quarter.
The New York Jets may have a dark day and potential season on the horizon depending on what the outcome of Aaron Rodgers’ injury is (early concerns being an Achilles injury), but the Jets deserve to appreciate this moment tonight. An unbelievable end to week one.
Chiefs and Bengals Trip Out of the Starting Gate
Last season’s top two AFC teams didn’t have the start they were hoping for in the opening weekend. The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs and one of the Super Bowl favorites, the Cincinnati Bengals, both experienced week one losses.
The Chiefs opened the 2023 season at home against the Detroit Lions on Thursday night. With Travis Kelce declared unable to play, the receiving game remained only a minor concern due to Detroit’s mediocre 2022 passing defense. Unfortunately due to multiple drops by Kadarius Toney and an inability for guys like Skyy Moore to get open, Patrick Mahomes struggled to push the offense down field like we are so familiar with seeing. One of Toney’s drops led to a pick six touchdown for Detroit.
Defensively, not having Chris Jones due to a contract holdout might have been the difference in the game. It wasn’t pretty, but Detroit’s offense which featured a lot of Jared Goff passes to Amon-Ra St. Brown, plus an overuse of David Montgomery instead of the quick boost rookie Jahmyr Gibbs that got the job done for the previously hyped up Detroit team. The Lions won 21-20 and that hype is only going to increase.
Cincinnati’s performance was much more abysmal than what Kansas City experienced. Inclement weather excuse aside, the talented Bengals offense produced only 142 yards of total offense. The NFL’s newest highest paid player, Joe Burrow, threw for only 82 yards after signing the largest contract in NFL history. The Cleveland Browns walked away with a dominant 24-3 win over their Ohio rivals.
The loss was reminiscent of Cincinnati’s week one loss to Pittsburgh last season after making the Super Bowl the previous season. Just a flat start for a team with unbelievably high expectations.
Clearly no one is going to overact to either Kansas City or Cincinnati losing in week one. If these teams aren’t in the playoffs and contenders, we will all be surprised. That being said, with teams like Jacksonville, Miami, and others expected to improve, these games that should’ve been won may matter come January.
Dallas Lassos the Giants and Takes Them to the Woodshed
The headline says it all. The Dallas Cowboys laid down a Sunday Night Football opening weekend beatdown on the New York Giants, 40-0.
This game was over in the first quarter when the Cowboys combined a 58 yard field goal block touchdown with a 22 yard interception touchdown as part of a 16-0 lead. The Dallas defense pummeled Daniel Jones all game for seven sacks. Hell, even Giants kicker Graham Gano missed the one kick that wasn’t blocked. With a big build up after winning a playoff game last season, the Giants looked more like a top five pick team in the 2024 NFL Draft.
From the Cowboys standpoint, it’s hard to know what to make of this game. They had great wins last season and are relatively the same team. The defense does have a chance to be elite with Dan Quinn still as defensive coordinator. Offensively, we didn’t get to or need to see much because the game was so out of hand.
It will be interesting to see how both the Cowboys and Giants respond after this game.
Niners Run Pittsburgh Hype Train Off the Tracks
Many people had high expectations for the Pittsburgh Steelers entering this season. With Mike Tomlin returning as coach, Kenny Pickett having some experience under his belt, a balanced offense, and a talented defense with arguably the best defensive player in the NFL, there’s a lot to like. The San Francisco 49ers took all of that, chewed it up, and spit it out like it was nobody’s business in their 30-7 road win.
Brock Purdy picked up right where he left off when he stepped in as the Niners third string quarterback last season with two touchdowns on 220 yards passing. Purdy looked as comfortable as a five year veteran in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Christian McCaffrey also provided a nice 152 yards rushing and a touchdown. Defensively, Nick Bosa and the 49ers defense made an argument they are the top defense with arguably the best defensive player in the NFL.
Many people entered this year viewing the NFC as a mostly two horse race between Philadelphia and San Francisco. Considering many people expected Pittsburgh to be good and they still could be, the 49ers made a big statement in week one that they are already in midseason form. It’s only week one, but few teams had as impressive a performance as San Francisco.
New Starting Veteran Quarterbacks Have a Winning Week
This offseason saw many quarterbacks move to new teams. Journeymen or veterans moving on from teams they had spent many years, this weekend saw a lot of players under center with new uniforms. Surprisingly, teams with new starting quarterbacks went 5-2 this weekend. New Orleans (Derek Carr), Tampa Bay (Baker Mayfield), Washington (Sam Howell), Las Vegas (Jimmy Garoppolo), and Green Bay (Jordan Love, *not on a new team, but a new full time starter) all earned victories in week one. The only two teams with new starters who lost? Arizona (Joshua Dobbs, who is technically just an injury replacement for Kyler Murray) and the New York Jets (We already know about that…). It’s only one week, but new homes were unexpectedly kind to many veteran quarterbacks.
Rookie Quarterbacks Go 0-3
Another group of quarterbacks did not have as much success when it came to wins and losses. The three rookie quarterbacks who made their debut went 0-3. Not entirely surprising as Anthony Richardson, C.J. Stroud, and Bryce Young become more and more accustomed to the talent and speed of the NFL. Their stat lines were as follows:
Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis): 24 of 37 passes completed, 223 yards passing, 1 Passing TD, 1 INT, 40 yards rushing, 1 Rushing TD
Bryce Young (Carolina): 20 of 38 passes completed, 146 yards passing, 1 Passing TD, 2 INT
C.J. Stroud (Houston): 28 of 44 passes completed 242 yards passing, 0 TD, 0 INT
Surprisingly, Richardson, who many thought was too raw to start in week one had the most impressive opening week against a final eight playoff team last season. Richardson showed the size and athleticism of Cam Newton, a common compared player.
Stroud and Young had a bit more difficult time with their limited weapons. With limited receivers open, Young only average 3.8 yards per completion.
These were the top three quarterbacks in the draft for a reason. Fortunately, a career is not made in their debut game.
The Brewball NFL Power Rankings
- San Francisco 49ers (1-0)
- Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
- Dallas Cowboys (1-0)
- Kansas City Chiefs (0-1)
- Miami Dolphins (1-0)
- Baltimore Ravens (1-0)
- Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)
- Detroit Lions (1-0)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0)
- New York Jets (1-0)
- Buffalo Bills (0-1)
- Green Bay Packers (1-0)
- Cleveland Browns (1-0)
- Los Angeles Chargers (0-1)
- New Orleans Saints (1-0)
- Washington Commanders (1-0)
- Los Angeles Rams (1-0)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1)
- Las Vegas Raiders (1-0)
- Seattle Seahawks (0-1)
- Minnesota Vikings (0-1)
- New York Giants (0-1)
- New England Patriots (0-1)
- Atlanta Falcons (1-0)
- Denver Broncos (0-1)
- Tennessee Titans (0-1)
- Chicago Bears (0-1)
- Indianapolis Colts (0-1)
- Carolina Panthers (0-1)
- Houston Texans (0-1)
- Arizona Cardinals (0-1)
Week Two Game Watchability Rankings
16. Giants vs Cardinals: It doesn’t really matter who is playing the Cardinals this year. Arizona will be one of the most unwatchable games week to week this season.
15. Colts vs Texans: The two rookie starting quarterbacks in the AFC South, Anthony Richardson and CJ Stroud, face off for the first time of what could end up being a long rivalry. More immediately, both will be looking for their first career win the in the NFL.
14. Saints vs Panthers: Bryce Young’s first game in the NFL was a struggle, throwing one touchdown and two interceptions for only 146 yards. Maybe the biggest concern was that his average yardage per pass was just 3.8 yards. Receiving options will be a problem for Young and the Panthers all season. New Orleans is off to a 1-0 start with new quarterback Derek Carr, who has already started building some chemistry with second year receiver Chris Olive. It won’t be easy, but a home win against the division rival Saints would be a big boost to Bryce Young’s confidence.
13. Bears vs Buccaneers: Tampa Bay earned a nice road victory against Minnesota in week one. Considering the NFC South is a wide open race, Baker Mayfield and the Bucs earning another victory over the NFC North to get to 2-0 would be huge. Chicago was feeling pretty good about Justin Fields and their team heading into the season, but the Windy City must be feeling pretty deflated after the Bears uncompetitive loss to the Packers. Fields is a phenomenal athlete, but the passing ability at the NFL level is still a big question mark.
12. Chargers vs Titans: Los Angeles’ fourth quarter loss to Miami was so “Chargers” in the Brandon Staley era. Even with Justin Herbert and plenty of talent, that team just can’t meet expectations. Tennessee lived up to expectations with a week one loss and three Ryan Tannehill interceptions. The Titans aren’t necessarily bad, but about as mediocre as a team can be and really feel like they are leading towards a big transition year. The Chargers are the better team, but there is a 50% chance they play like it.
11. Packers vs Falcons: Jordan Love looked decent in his first start as the Packers QB1, but looked great on third down. Love’s performance helped deliver another Packers win over the lowly Chicago Bears. Even without Aaron Rodgers, some things never change. Atlanta will enter week two as one of three NFC South teams with a 1-0 record. The Packers have more unknown upside with Love and starting 2-0 on the season with two road games would be a promising start for a new era in Green Bay.
10. Commanders vs Broncos: Sean Payton will be looking for his first victory as the head coach of the Denver Broncos. Despite the Broncos loss to the Raiders, Russell Wilson did look much better than how he performed in many games last season. It wasn’t pretty, but Washington did get a win over Arizona thanks to a rushing and passing touchdown by new quarterback Sam Howell. This should be a good, physical battle between two teams with good defenses and questions on offense.
9. 49ers vs Rams: An early season battle between the two 1-0 NFC West teams. The 49ers looked great on both sides of the ball and Brock Purdy looked just as comfortable as he did when he stepped in last season. The Rams dominant win over Seattle was a surprise. Beating this 49ers team will be an entirely different beast. A magically recovered Cooper Kupp returning would be a big help. That being said, I wouldn’t count on it.
8. Raiders vs Bills: I’d be very scared to be the the Las Vegas Raiders in this game. Few teams will be looking to rid their mind of week one more than the Bills. Traveling to Buffalo might be an ugly experience for the Raiders.
7. Browns vs Steelers: Two of the biggest surprises of week one was how dominant the Cleveland Browns played against the Cincinnati Bengals and how disappointing Pittsburgh’s performance against San Francisco was. In most people’s books, these were the two teams most people expected to find in the bottom half of the AFC North, but that’s mostly on the unknown of Deshaun Watson and Kenny Pickett. I’d still expect Pittsburgh to be better than they showed in week one. I think the Steelers just ran into the early season wrecking machine of the 49ers. If the Steelers get blown out again it might be time to be concerned about Pittsburgh and excited for Cleveland.
6. Vikings vs Eagles: We can all assume how this game will go. Philadelphia’s dominant line, Kirk Cousins in Thursday Night Football on national television, and the Eagles destroyed Minnesota on TNF during week two of last season. If Minnesota competes in this game, I’ll be surprised. Win? I’d be shocked. Nonetheless, the Eagles are must see football this year and the Vikings do have Justin Jefferson, one of the few players in the NFL you specifically tune in to watch.
5. Jets vs Cowboys: This game could’ve been a top three game if it weren’t for the Aaron Rodgers injury. This could’ve been really, really special. Rodgers returning to haunt the Cowboys in a new jersey? Man, it sucks we likely have this taken from us. Nonetheless, these defenses are two of the best in the NFL. This should be a PHYSICAL game.
4. Dolphins vs Patriots: New England gave the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles all they could handle in week one. Bill Belichick’s defense will get another big test in week two with the Miami Dolphins’ high flying offense. Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill picked up right where they left off last season, connecting for 215 yards and two touchdowns in route to a come-from-behind victory on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers.
3. Seahawks vs Lions: Detroit’s momentum from last season continued with their opening night win over the defending Super Bowl champions. It wasn’t necessarily the cleanest win, but any victory in Kansas City is a good one. The Lions hype is about to shoot to the moon if they can get off to a 4-1 or 5-0 start. Seattle will want to head to Detroit and rid themselves of the bad taste they have after their 17 point home loss to the Rams. Seattle also had no shortage of hype behind them entering the season, but that could change quickly if they start the season 0-2.
2. Chiefs vs Jaguars: A rematch of last season’s AFC Divisional Round, Jacksonville is looking to enter that next tier of AFC Contenders which Kansas City are kings of. The Jaguars will get a motivated Chiefs team after their home loss to the Lions. Whether Travis Kelce can play will be a big factor, but if he is unable to go, the Chiefs will need someone else to step up after bad games from Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney. In Jacksonville, Trevor Lawrence is having less of that problem with his shiny new toy, Calvin Ridley, who returned after a year away with a great performance against Indianapolis.
1. Ravens vs Bengals: Let’s not lessen this game because of Cincinnati’s awful week one performance. The Bengals will be fine. No matter, Baltimore-Cincinnati is a big rivalry game between the two favorites in the AFC North. A road win for the Ravens to take an early two game lead over the Bengals could be very beneficial over this long season, especially considering the injury bug already hitting Baltimore again. Mark Andrews missed the opening game and JK Dobbins is done for the season with a torn Achilles.