NFL Recap: Week one

Week one of the NFL regular season did not disappoint! There were some crazy catches, unexpected defeats, and some ridiculous mistakes. If you missed any of the games, here’s a recap of each one.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS 33, BALTIMORE RAVENS 27

Raiders QB Derek Carr had a great game after the first half. The Ravens had a 14-0 lead and Carr was predictably targeting his tight end Darren Waller more than anyone. In the second half, he picked up his game and found his receivers and ended up with 24 drives in the 4th quarter and eventually overtime to win the game 33-27. Lamar Jackson had a tough time doing his job well considering his o-line did very little to protect him. Due to lack of protection, he had two fumbles which were costly for the Ravens. He needs his teammates to step it up if he is expected to perform well. Not only that, but the Ravens’ defense was looking weaker than usual. Receivers were wide open and the Ravens allowed Carr to throw for more than 400 yards.

Next week:

Raiders at Steelers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Ravens vs. Chiefs (Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET)

LOS ANGELES RAMS 34, CHICAGO BEARS 14

Matt Stafford threw for 321 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Bears. The Rams have no problem passing on offense. Their rush game, however, could use improvement. They only rushed 18 yards in the first three quarters. They recently lost RB Cam Akers to an Achilles injury, and they barely ran the ball. As for the Bears, their defense was incredibly weak on coverage and allowed several Rams touchdowns.

Next week:

Rams at Colts (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Bears vs. Bengals (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 33, CLEVELAND BROWNS 29

The Chiefs looked pretty weak defensively. They came back to win it, but their defense allowed the Browns to push them around for the first three quarters. They will need to improve on defense if they want to make it as far as they did last year. There was way too much pressure on the offense to get the W. The Browns offense looked good and put them on the map as possible contenders.

Next week:

Chiefs at Ravens (Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET)

Browns vs. Texans (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 38, GREEN BAY PACKERS 3

Did ANYONE see this coming? I certainly didn’t. The Saints had newly signed Jameis Winston on the team and had been dealing with the repercussions of Hurricane Ida, having to play a “home” game in Jacksonville. They were dealing with several injuries, too. And yet, they completely annihilated the Packers. Winston threw for five touchdowns (and no turnovers), while Aaron Rodgers threw two interceptions. The Packers had a few rookies starting on offense, but even still, I would have expected a better performance from the Green Bay o-line. The fact that this beating happened on neutral territory makes it all the more surprising, and concerning if you’re a Packers fan.

Next week:

Saints at Panthers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Packers vs. Lions (Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET)

MIAMI DOLPHINS 17, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 16

Too Tagovailoa looked like he knows how to take control of the game and connected well with his receivers. The game was a bit too close for comfort, though, to be too confident in the Dolphins defense, though they showed improvement with forced turnovers. Patriots QB Mac Jones didn’t look too bad out there. He fit right in with Belichick’s style and showed a lot of promise as a consistent and tough QB.

Next week:

Dolphins vs. Bills (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Patriots at Jets (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

DENVER BRONCOS 27, NEW YORK GIANTS 13

Way to go, Teddy Bridgewater! The Broncos QB made his debut by handling himself well under pressure and keeping the ball moving down the field. Bridgewater had two touchdowns by the fourth quarter and zero turnovers in the game. The Giants offense have the misfortune of being coached by former Cowboys coach Jason Garrett. Quarterback Daniel Jones had one costly fumble and the offense only managed to get a total of 13 points on Denver. The defense wasn’t much more impressive as they allowed the Broncos to convert on third down seven times out of 15.

Next week:

Broncos at Jaguars (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Giants at Washington (Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET)

CINCINNATI BENGALS 27, MINNESOTA VIKINGS 24

A close game, the Bengals barely won it in overtime when QB Joe Burrow unexpectedly threw a pass to tight end C.J. Uzomah to set up the field goal that won them the game. Thanks to safety Jessie Bates, the Bengals even had a chance, when he forced a Vikings fumble in field goal range. Typically, preseason issues don’t bleed much into the regular season. But for the Vikings, the offensive issues continued with costly mistakes. Any hope of salvaging those mistakes was lost on penalties.

Next week:

Bengals at Bears (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Vikings at Cardinals (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET)

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 41, DETROIT LIONS 33

The Lions continue to disappoint and the 49ers had nearly a 28-point lead at one point. Trey Lance played sparingly throughout the game as the Niners clearly had the win in the bag. The Niners dominated the Lions, but a few injuries kept them from being even more dominant. Lions QB Jared Goff got off to a rocky start with one of five for 12 yards as well as an interception. By the end of the game, however, he had 338 yards and three touchdowns, completing 38 of 57 attempts.

Next week:

49ers at Eagles (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Lions at Packers (Monday, Sept. 20, 8:15 p.m. ET)

PITTSBURGH STEELERS 23, BUFFALO BILLS 16

The battle of these two AFC teams ended with a Steelers win, and it was their defense which really kept them afloat. 17 of their 20 points were due to Bills turnovers. T.J. Watt had two sacks and was a force to be reckoned with for the poor Bills offense. Thank goodness for them because the offense struggled a bit. Big Ben was also sacked twice just in the first half. The Bills defense, on the other hand, could use some work. Josh Allen and the o-line will need to work on their connection as well, as there were penalties galore.

Next week:

Steelers vs. Raiders (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Bills at Miami (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

CAROLINA PANTHERS 19, NEW YORK JETS 14

Another close game between the Jets and Panthers. Panthers QB Sam Darnold played well, but the Jets played pretty bad, so it’s not exactly telling of his skills. Poor Jets QB Zach Wilson took several beatings. The Jets offense needs to protect him more, but he also needs to work on his ability to perform under pressure. Six sacks in one game is a bit excessive.

Next week:

Panthers vs. Saints (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Jets vs. Patriots (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 32, ATLANTA FALCONS 6

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts looked better than Falcons veteran QB Matt Ryan. Hurts had three touchdowns and two other Eagles rookies DeVonta Smith and Kenny Gainwell found their way into the end zone as well. The defense kept the Falcons at bay the whole game. The Eagles looked good on both sides of the ball. Atlanta’s offense and defense struggled against Philadelphia. The offense didn’t see a single touchdown, settling only for two field goals, while the defense allowed the Eagles 32 points.

Next week:

Eagles vs. 49ers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Falcons at Buccaneers (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET)

HOUSTON TEXANS 37, JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 21

The Texans defense looked good, allowing just 14 points to the Jaguars. But keep in mind the Jaguars have rookie QB Trevor Lawrence, who struggled in the beginning. He is a confident and determined player and shouldn’t be dismissed yet. He made some good throws, but missed his targets on several others. He’s looking like the rookie he is, but this is just game one.

Next week:

Texans at Browns (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Jaguars vs. Broncos (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 28, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 16

The Colts defense is strong, but the Seahawks have QB Russel Wilson, who threw four touchdown passes and made no mistakes against Indiana. Their defense sacked Indy’s QB and put pressure on him more often than not. Colts QB Carson Wentz was not protected at all by his o-line. The Colts defense, too, is too inconsistent to be trusted.

Next week:

Seahawks vs. Titans (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)

Colts vs. Rams (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET)

ARIZONA CARDINALS 38, TENNESSEE TITANS 13

The Cardinals defense saw five sacks on the Titans. The Titans were a top team last year, and the Arizona defense held their own against them. Kyler Murray showed out with five touchdowns. The Titans offense was dominated by Arizona and the defense didn’t do much to help

Next week:

Cardinals vs. Vikings (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET)

Titans at Seahawks (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS 20, WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM 16

This game was a little too close and the Chargers made several silly mistakes. They managed to squeeze out a win, thanks to QB Justin Herbert who threw the game-winning touchdown pass ti Mike Williams in the third quarter. The Chargers had two end zone fumbles - costly mistakes against more challenging opponents. Washington also dealt with major errors, including third down defense. They allowed third down conversions 14 out of 18 times.

Next week:

Chargers vs. Cowboys (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)

Washington vs. Giants (Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET)

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 31, DALLAS COWBOYS 29

This was admittedly not the game I was expecting to see, but I was pleasantly surprised. The Buccaneers defense didn’t look like the same defense who won the Super Bowl last year. It was the Bucks offense who carried the team. Bucs QB Tom Brady threw for four TDs and two interceptions and the Bucs defense surrender 403 passing yards and three TDs to Cowboys QB Dak Prescott. If the Cowboys had only been able to count on their kicker Greg Zuerlin, they could have actually defeated the reigning champs. The Bucs looked good on offense, but the defense was quite the opposite. The Cowboys offense was also impressive, but the mistakes on special teams and defense are cause for concern. Perhaps they also should consider a new kicker.

Next week:

Buccaneers vs. Falcons (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET)

Cowboys at Chargers (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)