NFL Week 1: Super Bowl or Bust?

If you ain’t first, you’re last! With only one game down, there’s not much to report on rankings. We think it’s safe to say it’s still anybody’s season.

🏈 Key Matchups

Kansas City Chiefs 27 - 20 Baltimore Ravens (TNF)

Thursday Night Football did not disappoint this week. The Ravens marched into Arrowhead and duked it out with the Chiefs until the very last play. A last second touchdown pass to TE Isaiah Likely was overruled with no time left on the clock.

If Isaiah Likely was one shoe size smaller, this game might have gone the other way. Especially with Ravens head coach John Harbaugh signaling they would go for 2 before the touchdown was overturned. Calling the ending to this game a rollercoaster doesn’t do it justice.

Lamar’s performance was spectacular for fantasy, for the stat sheet, and for the audience. However, it’s hard to look past the two back-to-back open receivers he missed prior to the overturned Likely TD. Had he connected with either of them from the 10-yard line, the game wouldn’t have come down to a booth review.

That being said, 273 pass yards, 122 rush yards, and 1 TD is a phenomenal outing for a quarterback and Lamar was as sensational as ever.

Yet, the Chiefs did what the Chiefs do. Find ways to win.

One of the most exciting parts of this game was watching Xavier Worthy’s NFL debut. He took a jet sweep 21 yards to the house for the Chiefs first TD of the season. Then in the 4th quarter, he doubled up with a 35-yard TD reception to put the Chiefs up 10 and score their last TD.

To any fan out there who bet Worthy to score the Chiefs’ first and last TDs, we are respectfully requesting an invite onto your yacht next summer.

Jacksonville Jaguars 17 - Miami Dolphins 20

There is no such thing as an NFL opening Sunday without drama. And this year was no different.

During the Miami-Jacksonville pregame, star wide receiver Tyreek Hill was detained by police officers for a “traffic violation”, according to Hill’s agent Drew Rosenhaus.

But the detainment alone was not enough to stop Hill from slicing up the Jags defense. After a slow first half, Hill finished with 7 receptions for 130 yards. This included a huge 80-yard TD reception in the 3rd quarter to bring Miami to within 3 of the Jaguars’ lead.

Jacksonville dominated on defense in the first half, only allowing 7 points off a 1-yard TD run from De’Von Achane. Outside of that TD, the Jags rush defense was on their A game. They allowed just 29 rushing yards total in the first half.

After a Travis Etienne Jr. 1-yard TD run, a Brian Thomas Jr. receiving touchdown, and a field goal to end the 2nd quarter, the Jags were able to end the first half with a 17-7 lead over the Dolphins.

Then in the third quarter, a 63-yard reception by Jaylen Waddle and subsequent fumble by Jags RB Etienne Jr. on the 2-yard line shifted the momentum towards Miami. After the fumble, Miami capitalized with that huge 80-yard touchdown reception by Hill we mentioned earlier.

Once the momentum shifted, Jacksonville was fighting an uphill battle on the road in a loud Hard Rock Stadium. It was too much for them to handle

Miami kicker Jason Sanders would redeem himself after missing a field goal earlier in the 4th quarter, to eventually make the game winning 52-yard field goal as time expired.

New York Jets 19 - 32 San Francisco 49ers

A game that had so much promise for the New York Jets ended in a beat down by the San Francisco 49ers.

The game started out with back-to-back 3 and outs. But thanks to a Breece Hall fumble on the Jets second drive, San Francisco was able to capitalize with a field goal by K Jake Moody.

On the next Jets possession, they were able to drive 70 yards on 12 plays and score a touchdown off a Breece Hall 3-yard rush to take a 7-3 lead. A damn near perfect drive for Rodgers where he went 6-7 for 62 yards that breathed life into Jet fans around the world.

This lead was short lived as the 49ers went on to score on their next 7 consecutive drives. Two more field goals and a 2-yard touchdown run by WR Deebo Samuel allowed the 49ers to take a 16-7 lead at halftime.

The second half began with an 11 play, 70-yard drive from the 49ers, complete with a rushing touchdown from Jordan Mason.

The next Jets drive, which felt like a must score situation, saw a tipped pass from Aaron Rodgers intercepted by Deommodore Lenoir. Another field goal from Moody would follow to extend the 49ers lead to 26-7.

On the next drive, the Jets drove down the field in 5 plays. And thanks to a free play due to an offsides penalty, Aaron Rodgers connected with former Packers teammate Allen Lazard on a 36-yard touchdown pass. The Jets missed a 2-point conversion, only cutting the lead to 26-13.

Two more Moody field goals and a garbage time touchdown to Allen Lazard from Jets backup QB Tyrod Taylor later, the game ended with a final score of 32-19.

A hopeful Jets return for Aaron Rodgers ended in disaster for Jets fans as Rodgers ended 13-21 with 167 yards, 1 interception and 1 touchdown pass.

49ers QB Brock Purdy finished 19-29 and with 232 yards. This was a breakout game for 49ers RB Jordan Mason, who had 28 carries for 147 yards on the ground and 1 rushing touchdown.

The Jets travel to Tennessee to face the Titans Sunday. The 49ers will travel to Minnesota to play the Vikings.

🏈 Look Ahead to Next Week

Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins (TNF 8:15pm ET)

Huge divisional match up in week 2. Buffalo swept the season series last year. But with Miami’s explosive offense, and Buffalo’s performance against the Cardinals this week, expect a high scoring game in this one. This will be the first true test for a Buffalo team who traded star wide receiver Stefon Diggs this off season. Buffalo will be competing for their fifth straight AFC East Division title this year, and the first step in defending their crown starts this week.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Kansas City Chiefs (Sun 4:25pm ET)

The crown jewel of the weekend. For the past 3 years, a Bengals and Chiefs matchup has been must watch TV. In their last five meetings, the Chiefs have won three. And two of those last five games were the AFC Championship (2022 and 2023), where they are both 1-1. Bengals QB Joe Burrow is coming off a season ending injury in 2023. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is coming off of his third Super Bowl title and a huge win against the Ravens on TNF this week. Expect lots of fireworks in this match up.

Waiver Wire Watch

You know what they say: fantasy leagues are won on the waiver wire. And while we don’t want to overreact to Week 1 performances (we swear, we’re trying), we finally have some data to work with.

Here are some under the radar players who had good Week 1’s that might be worth a roster spot in some deeper leagues:

• BAL Ravens TE Isaiah Likely - 9 recs, 111 yards, 1 TD

• GB Packers WR Jayden Reed (when Love returns) - 4 recs, 138 rec yards, 33 rush yards, 2 TDs

• PIT Steelers K Chris Boswell - 6 for 6 on field goals, 3 of these were over 50 yards

• IND Colts WR Alec Pierce - 3 recs, 125 yards, 1 TD

• LA Rams WR Tyler Johnson (monitor Puka Nacua’s availability) - 5 recs, 79 yards

• DET Lions WR Jameson Williams - 5 recs, 121 yards, 1 TD

• WSH Commanders QB Jayden Daniels - 17 completions, 184 passing yards, 88 yards rushing, 2 rushing TDs

• TB Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield - 24 completions, 289 passing yards, 4 TDs

• LV Raiders RB Alexander Mattison - 5 carries, 19 rushing yards, 4 receptions, 43 yards receiving, 1 TD

• SF 49ers RB Jordan Mason (monitor McCaffrey’s availability) - 28 carries, 147 yards, 1 rushing TD

Shooting Our Shot

Join the Shootaround to see our picks here!

Injury Report

Jets fans are all too aware of the pain of a first week injury. Here are some players we’re hoping to see again soon:

• GB Packers QB Jordan Love - Out. MCL strain/tear. Sources say he’ll be back in 3-4 weeks.

• SF 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey - Questionable. Calf/Achilles sprain.

• LA Rams WR Puka Nacua - Out. Knee injury. Will miss at least 4 games.

• NY Jets CB Michael Carter II - Questionable. Ankle injury.

• DAL Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson - Questionable. Bone bruise and MCL sprain.

• CAR Panthers DT Derrick Brown - Out for the season. Meniscus injury.

• CHI Bears rookie WR Rome Odunze - Questionable. MCL injury.

If you ain’t first, you’re last (NFC edition)! Just like the AFC, we are doing our absolute best not to overreact to Week 1. It’s hard. Really hard.

Key Performances 🏈

Green Bay Packers 29 - 34 Philadelphia Eagles

The NFL premiered their first ever game in Brazil with a special Friday Night Football primetime game. To put it lightly, it could have gone better. Both teams started off looking shaky, with the Eagles turning the ball over twice in the first quarter.

And the field was a problem. Players on both teams could not find their footing. It felt like every play was impacted by a player’s inability to plant and drive in another direction.

To top it all off, GB QB Jordan Love hurt his MCL on a Hail Mary attempt at the end of the game and is expected to miss 3-4 weeks.

On the bright side, there was a lot of offense in this one. 423 yards for the Packers and 422 yards for the Birds. Jayden Reed led the Packers with 171 all-purpose yards and 2 TDs. Saquon led the Eagles with 132 all-purpose yards and 3 TDs. A couple of remarkable stat lines. Also remarkable is the fact that the Eagles:

• Threw an interception on their own 5-yard line

• Fumbled at their own 20

• Threw an interception in the endzone

And still won the game.

Los Angeles Rams 20 - Detroit Lions 26

The first Sunday Night Football matchup of the season was a highly anticipated rematch from last year’s NFC Wild Card Playoff game. The Lions won the playoff matchup 24-23.

And unfortunately for the Rams, history would repeat itself with the Lions claiming a 26-20 victory, this time in an overtime thriller.

Rams’ QB Matt Stafford was facing pressure all game from Lions star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. The stat sheet doesn’t do his performance justice, with only 5 total tackles and 1 sack recorded. 

But his presence was felt all game. In the fourth quarter, Hutchinson drew two huge holding penalties against the Rams, stifling their drive and forcing the Rams to settle for a field goal.

The most surprising aspect of the game was the lack of production from star Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. St. Brown finished the game with only 3 receptions for 13 yards.

His production was picked up by Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams, who finished the game with 5 receptions for 121 yards and a TD. After a shaky start to his NFL career that included an ACL tear and suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, Williams seems poised for a breakout this season.

Rams WR Cooper Kupp was looking like his old self with an outstanding game, tallying 14 receptions for 110 yards and a TD. Stafford played a great game in his own right, but did make a costly mistake throwing an interception on Detroit’s 8-yard line to close out the 1st half.

In overtime, the Lions received the ball first and drove 70 yards for a game winning TD on the back of RB David Montgomery. On the last drive of the game, Montgomery had 5 carries for 45 yards and the game ending TD. 

Both teams played great games all around, but Aidan Hutchinson and David Montgomery would lift the Lions to a 1-0 start to their season. 

Dallas Cowboys 33 - Cleveland Browns 17

News broke just before kickoff that the Cowboys signed QB Dak Prescott to a 4-year, $240 million extension, ending his looming free agency at the end of this season. This made Prescott the highest paid player in NFL history and will leave him with huge expectations for the 2024 season.

The game began with the Browns jumping out to an early 3-0 lead thanks to a field goal by K Dustin Hopkins. After that it was all Cowboys.

Touchdowns from WR Brandin Cooks and RB Ezekiel Elliot, paired with two field goals from K Brandon Aubrey, propelled them to a 20-3 lead at halftime.

In the second half, it only took the Cowboys two minutes to add another score. A punt return touchdown from KaVonte Turpin turned the score to 27-3.

The Browns finally got back on the board with a 6-yard touchdown pass from QB Deshaun Watson to WR Jerry Jeudy. This was Jeudy’s first touchdown reception as a member of the Browns.

The Cowboys added two more field goals and with a garbage time touchdown by Browns RB Jerome Ford, the Cowboys won the game 33-17.

Dak Prescott finished 19-32 with 179 yards passing and 1 TD. Ezekiel Elliot, in his first game back in a Cowboys uniform, had 40 yards rushing and 1 TD on 10 carries.

Deshaun Watson was 24-45 with 169 passing yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions. RB Jerome Ford had 44 yards on the ground and 1 TD. Cowboys superstar receiver Ceedee Lamb finished with only 5 receptions for 61 yards.

Next week, the Cowboys will travel back home and face the New Orleans Saints. The Browns will be on the road playing the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Look Ahead to Next Week 🏈

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Detroit Lions (Sun 1:00pm ET)

This’ll be a rematch of the 2023 NFC Divisional Round, when the Lions won 31-23 at Ford Field. The Lions will host again as they attempt to make it back to the NFC Championship and win the NFC North like they did last season (which was the first time since 1993).

Tampa Bay is looking to defend their NFC South crown with quarterback Baker Mayfield leading the way, who they gave a 3-year $100 million deal to this off season.

Atlanta Falcons @ Philadelphia Eagles (MNF 8:15pm ET)

The new look Falcons make a trip to Philadelphia here in Week 2. Atlanta’s off season included signing quarterback Kirk Cousins to a 4-year 180 million dollar deal and trading for star pass rusher Matthew Judon. This team finished 2 games out of a playoff spot a season ago, and they’re hoping these additions can propel them to an NFC South championship this season.

The Eagles shored up their receiving core this off season by signing both AJ Brown and Devonta Smith to new deals. They started last season 10-1, then lost 5 of their last 6. This culminated in a first round playoff exit after losing to Tampa Bay. The Birds will be looking to bounce back this season and make the Super Bowl like they did in 2022. And after their 34-29 win over the Packers in Brazil on Friday, they are one step closer to achieving that goal.