NFL Week 1 Recap

There was a ton of action in the first week of NFL football.

Lions @ Chiefs

The 2023 NFL season started strong with two of the most high-powered offenses. The Chiefs were already facing challenges before the game when star tight end Travis Kelce was ruled out (knee injury), and star defensive tackle Chris Jones was also ruled out (holdout). Jones was in attendance on Thursday night, as he was spotted in the stadium inside of a suite. Kelce was ruled out only a few hours before kickoff, so he supported his teammates on the sideline.

Unfortunately for Kansas City, the absence of Kelce was noticeable early on, as the Chiefs offense was not in their usual rhythm. The Chiefs had to rely on other players, such as Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Rashee Rice.

Even though the Lions only won by one point, their offense looked pretty solid for Week 1 standards. Lions rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs put up 60 total yards in his NFL debut, but David Montgomery stole the show in his Lions debut, as he got over 60% of Detroit’s carries and ran for one touchdown. 23-year-old receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown started his third season on a strong note, scoring the first touchdown of the NFL season and catching for six receptions and 71 yards.

The Lions won 21-20, but that was just a preview of the action that would resume on Sunday afternoon.

Panthers @ Falcons

The Panthers vs. Falcons Week 1 matchup was one that many football fans had circled on their calendar. The Panthers and Falcons may be teams with below-average expectations; however, this game featured two exciting young talents. Bryce Young, Bijan Robinson, and Jonathan Mingo all made their NFL debut on Sunday. If you ask me, Bijan Robinson ran for only 56 yards but had six receptions for 27 yards and one receiving touchdown in what was a pretty successful debut. Atlanta’s backup, Tyler Allgeier, ran for 75 yards on 15 carries and scored two touchdowns. The Falcons most significant offseason acquisition, Jesse Bates III, forced three turnovers in his Falcons debut!

On the flip side of things, Carolina’s offense looked rusty on Sunday, as rookie quarterback Bryce Young threw for two interceptions and just 20 completions in his debut. The #1 overall draft pick has expectations from fans to be Carolina’s franchise cornerstone for many years to come. One of the only positives for Carolina during their 24-10 loss was that their run game looked solid. Former Eagles running back Miles Sanders ran for 72 yards on 18 carries in his Panthers debut, and backup running back Chubba Hubbard ran for 60 yards on just nine carries.

Bengals @ Browns

Joe Burrow opened his 2023-2024 campaign with one of his worst games ever. Burrow threw for a completion percentage below 50, going 14/31 in pass attempts. A lot of fans believe that the main reason why Burrow looked so bad was because he missed a lot of training camp due to an injury. Deshaun Watson was not much better, throwing for just 154 yards with one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown of his own. The MVP of this sloppy 24-3 Browns win may have been Dustin Hopkins, going 3/3 in field goals and 1/1 in extra points, accounting for over 40% of the Browns points.

It was a forgettable performance from Joe Burrow after signing a massive 7-year contract with the Bengals.

Jaguars @ Colts

Despite the Colts’ 10-point loss to the Jaguars on Sunday, Anthony Richardson showed off his elite athleticism in his NFL debut, rushing for 40 yards and scoring a touchdown. However, the biggest takeaway from this game must be Calvin Ridley’s 101-yard performance in his Jacksonville debut, catching eight receptions and one touchdown as the Jaguars took down the Colts 31-21.

Buccaneers @ Vikings

Despite Kirk Cousins’ 344 passing yard performance, the Vikings fell 20-17 in their opening game against Tampa. Promising rookie receiver Jordan Addison debuted on Sunday, catching 61 yards and one touchdown in the shadow of superstar Justin Jefferson. The Vikings stud had nine catches for 150 yards to start his fourth NFL season. Jefferson is looking for his third straight 1,600+ receiving yard season.

The Bucs managed to pull out a tight 3-point win, but there were many plays in the game where the Vikings failed to capitalize. Statistically, they should’ve scored at least 20 points in that game. One of the game's biggest plays was a 3rd & goal from the 7-yard line with 5:48 left in the second half after Justin Jefferson had a 15+ yard catch to get them into the red zone. Cousins looked for Jordan Addison in the back of the end zone, but the pass was incomplete, forcing the Vikings to settle for just three points. Later in that second quarter, Cousins also threw an interception on a second down play when Minnesota was inside the Tampa Bay 15-yard line.

Titans @ Saints

The Saints barely escaped the Titans by a final score of 16-15 in their home opener. Chris Olave got his sophomore campaign off to a hot start, catching for eight receptions and 112 yards. Derek Carr looked very solid in his Saints debut, throwing for 305 yards and one touchdown.

49ers @ Steelers

The 49ers defense reminded us why they’re one of the best at what they do on Sunday, with a 30-7 all-around team effort win in Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, on the offensive side, Brandon Aiyuk had two touchdowns and 129 receiving yards, and Christian McCaffery had 22 carries for 152 yards, as well as three catches for 17 yards.

The 49ers might be the team to beat in the NFC this season, even without an elite quarterback in Brock Purdy.

Cardinals @ Commanders

The Cardinals didn’t look too bad in their season opener, considering expectations, but they still fell to the Commanders 16-20 in a low-scoring battle. The Cardinals will face my New York Giants in Week 2.

Texans @ Ravens

The Ravens didn’t play as well as I think they’re capable of, but they still scored 25 points en route to a 25-9 win against a weak Texans team in their home opener. The main thing that happened in that game was J.K. Dobbins suffering a season-ending injury. Dobbins has always had trouble staying healthy, as he missed all of 2021 and only played in eight games during the 2022 season.

Packers @ Bears

The Chicago Bears hosted their arch-rival Green Bay Packers in their home opener on Sunday. Unfortunately for the home team, it was all Packers in this one. Jordan Love started off his first season as a starter on a strong note, throwing for three touchdowns and no interceptions. Love had a great feel for deep passes in this game, as he finished with 245 passing yards, despite only completing 15 passes. The Jordan Love era is underway in Green Bay, and it started with a 38-20 win on Sunday.

Aaron Jones had a great game, rushing for 41 yards on nine attempts and receiving for 86 yards on two catches. Unfortunately, Jones suffered a hamstring injury in the second half, and he’s still being evaluated at the moment.

Raiders @ Bronocs

Jimmy Garoppolo looked pretty efficient in his Raiders debut, completing 20 of his 26 pass attempts. Jakobi Meyers was used a lot in his Raiders debut, catching 9 of his ten targets for two touchdowns and 81 yards en route to a 17-16 Raiders win on the road in Colorado.

Eagles @ Patriots

The defending NFC champions did not play their best football against the Patriots on Sunday, but still escaped with a 25-20 road win. Jalen Hurts didn’t have his best game either, only throwing for 170 yards on 33 pass attempts. Kenneth Gainwell got most of the action at running back over D’Andre Swift, as Gainwell had 14 carries compared to Swift getting just one carry. The Eagles are loaded with running back depth, and it looks like Gainwell will be the starter over Scott, Swift, and Penny.

Dolphins @ Chargers

The Dolphins outlasted the Chargers 36-34 in arguably the most exciting of Week 1. Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill had career games, as Hill caught two touchdowns and an insane 215 yards! Meanwhile, Tua threw for 466 yards, and even Tua himself couldn’t believe his stat line when a reporter said it during a postgame interview. Everyone got involved on offense for the Dolphins, as River Cracraft caught for 40 yards and one touchdown. Tua, Tyreek, and the rest of the Phins offense looked great, but their secondary definitely has a ton of room for improvement.

Austin Ekler had another impressive performance, rushing for 117 yards and one touchdown while also catching four passes for 47 yards.

Rams @ Seahawks

The Rams had an impressive performance during their 30-13 win in Seattle. The Rams were a hot mess last season, missing the playoffs after winning the Super Bowl the year prior. However, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Rams have a bounce back season. The Rams did all this without their star receiver Cooper Kupp. Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua both caught for over 100 yards. Kyren Williams also scored his first two career rushing touchdowns. With a healthy Cooper Kupp, I think the Rams could have a very high ceiling and surprise a lot of fans.

Cowboys @ Giants

The Giants had a complete disaster of a first game, as the Cowboys shut them out 40-0 at MetLife Stadium. The Giants were moving the chains on their first drive, using Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones in the run game. New York was held to a field goal on their first drive, and the Cowboys blocked Graham Gano’s kick and returned it for a touchdown. The Giants were unable to get their momentum back, and it all went downhill from there. The Cowboys scored 26 points in the first half, and it was pretty much over before it began. The Giants offensive line was no match for the Cowboys defensive line, as Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn blitzed a lot.

The Giants have played 9 primetime games (TNF, Sat NF, SNF, MNF) at MetLife since 2017, and they’re 1-8.

Bills @ Jets

The Bills vs. Jets Monday Night Football game was by far the most dramatic game of Week 1. The drama started early when Aaron Rodgers ruptured his Achilles on his fourth offensive snap with the Jets. Rodgers is likely done for the season, and it could be challenging for Rodgers to come back from such a big injury at the age of 39.

With Zach Wilson stepping in at quarterback, the Jets offense struggled, but their defense kept the game within one possession. Garrett Wilson made an incredible catch in the endzone with 4:55 left in regulation to tie the game at 13 a piece. The Bills fumbled on their first play of the next drive, giving the Jets the ball with less than five minutes remaining. The Jets drove down the field and settled for a field goal with under two minutes remaining in the game. Josh Allen had one minute and 48 seconds with only one timeout remaining to drive down the field. Thanks to a few short completions to Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs, the Bills set up Tyler Bass for a 50-yard field goal. Bass hit the left upright, but the kick still went through. The Bills got a very lucky bounce off the post to send the game to overtime.

The Bills started overtime with the football, but they were forced to punt on 4th & 12. Undrafted rookie Xavier Gipson returned the punt 65 yards for a touchdown, and the Jets pulled off a wild 22-16 win over one of the best teams in the AFC!