NFL Week 1 roundup: winners, losers, comebacks, blowouts, injuries and doubts for next week

Let’s take a look at the winners, losers, must-knows and recaps of each game in Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season.

Buccaneers 19 vs Cowboys 3

The Buccaneers defense won ‘America’s team’ last weekend. Despite all the turmoil Tom Brady has had personally so far, the 45-year-old quarterback looked good enough on Sunday night, and especially after a chaotic offseason. But it was Tampa Bay’s defense that really won the Week 1 matchup against Dallas’s offense, which was the No. 1 offense in the league in 2021.

On the other hand, the Cowboys’ offensive line, and Dak Prescott’s status, raised concerns heading into the season after Sunday’s game. The quarterback, who is being replaced by Cooper Rush, will need surgery and miss multiple weeks after injuring his hand. Prescott had already been struggling, missing on 15 of his 29 attempts and finishing the night with a 47.2 rating. He and Rush were sacked a total of four times. And the new No. 1 wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had just two catches.

Chiefs 44 vs Cardinals 21

Patrick Mahomes threw for 360 yards and five touchdowns, chopping up the Arizona Cardinals defense in every way possible. By completing 76.9% of his passes for 360 yards, Mahomes led K.C. to an impressive road win over the Cards. Arizona, of course, tried to pressure Mahomes, but they had no luck. The JuJu Smith-Schuster (six receptions for 79 yards) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (4/44) duo won over the middle consistently.

Raiders 19 vs Chargers 24

Third-year quarterback Justin Herbert and Khalil Mack made Josh McDaniels’ first game as the Raiders’ coach a nightmare. Herbert threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns, while Mack had three sacks in his Chargers debut. Los Angeles’ offense was enough to seal the victory at the end, intercepting Derek Carr three times and winning an AFC West showdown in 2022.

Packers 7 vs Vikings 23

Aaron Rodgers’ first game without Davante Adams was not a good one. Rodgers went 22 for 34 for 195 yards, while the Packers struggled offensively, taking a conservative first approach in Week 1. Justin Jefferson, who started his third season with Minnesota, diced up Green Bay for six receptions for 158 yards and two TDs, in the first half. Four of those catches went for 20-plus yards. That’s an all-time receiving record for Minnesota. Jefferson has already accumulated the most receiving yards (3,016) in a player’s first two years in the league.

Giants 21 vs Titans 20

Tennessee was expected to go into Week 1 of the 2022 season wiping off memories of the 2021 season, but that wasn’t the case. The Titans let the Giants walk all over them after coming back from a 13-0 halftime deficit to tie the game in the third quarter. Of Tennessee’s six possessions in the second-half, one went for 95 yards, one touchdown, while the other five combined 80 yards, four punts, and a missed 47-yard field goal by Randy Bullock as time slipped away.

The Titans defensive line, however, did pressure the Giants and their quarterback Daniel Jones. Defensive end Rashad Weaver, who had only two total tackles in 2021, had two sacks, while defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons also had two, including a strip sack, and linebacker Bud Dupree added another.

Bears 19- vs 49ers 10

Sluggish day for both teams on a rain-soaked Sunday, but the Bears came out as the more disciplined team. Chicago’s Justin Fields struggled with accuracy, while he threw for two second-half touchdowns, and Eddie Jackson set up a touchdown with an interception. On the other side of the field, Trey Lance, who replaced Jimmy Garoppolo, also struggled, missing a good number of passes, and tossing an ugly interception when he stared down the wideout. The quarterback, who has proven to be up to standard prior to this game, completed just 13 of 28 passes for 164 yards on Sunday, and took two sacks. Of course, Lance’s performance allowed for many conversations about whether Jimmy Garoppolo would take over.

Related: Jimmy G trade speculation: Cowboys or Rams?

Dolphins 20 vs Patriots 7

All the struggles we’ve heard about the Patriots’ offensive line during the preseason transferred into Week 1 of the regular season. Their second-year quarterback Mac Jones threw for 213 yards with one touchdown and an interception. Running back Ty Montgomery caught New England’s only TD of the matchup. Damien Harris led the Patriots’ rushers with 48 yards on nine carries.

On the other hand, Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa passed for 270 yards and a touchdown. Tyreek Hill, who was making his Dolphins debut after the team traded for him during the offseason, led Miami’s receivers with eight receptions for 94 yards.

Miami gave us an early idea of their ability to be AFC East contenders as they beat Bill Belichick’s Patriots.

Ravens 24 vs Jets 9

Lamar Jackson proved he still got it, helping the Ravens offense look more lively on Sunday. This matchup was the quarterback’s first career game with three deep touchdown passes. In the entire 2021 season, he had only four such passes.

Joe Flacco looked like he struggled without Zach Wilson, and knowing that he will be without him for at least the next two games, the Jets have to find some solutions for their offense.

The Ravens snapped their second-longest losing streak in Baltimore’s history (six games) with their Sunday victory.

EAGLES 38, LIONS 35

Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown helped Philadelphia hold on for a victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. The quarterback accounted for 333 yards and a touchdown while Brown had a career-high-tying 155 yards receiving in his Eagles’ debut.

In the second quarter, Philadelphia scored 24 points, and in the fourth had a 17-point lead that was cut to three when Jared Goff threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to DJ Chark with 3:51 left.

Right before the two-minute warning,with 50 seconds left, the Eagles sealed the victory; Miles Sanders had a 24-yard run on third-and-2 from Philadelphia 27. Sanders finished with 96 yards rushing and was one of three Eagles RBs to score.

Browns 26 vs Panthers 24

For the first time since 2004, the Browns won their season opener. Rookie Cade York kicked a 58-yard field goal with 8 seconds left, Kareem Hunt scored two touchdowns, and Nick Chubb ran for 141 yards. York’s kick, which was the longest for the franchise since 1984, lifted Cleveland to victory, after a distracted offseason.

Jacoby Brissett, who’s stepping in for suspended Browns star Deshaun Watson, completed passes for 13 yards to Donovan Peoples-Jones and nine yards to Amari Cooper.

Saints 27 vs Falcons 26

The New Orleans Saints made an exciting 16-point comeback in the fourth quarter that was right about the same time the Atlanta Falcons started relaxing. Saints’ star wideout, Michael Tomas, scored both of the New Orleans’ TDs in the fourth quarter, making his presence indispensable in the Saints’ season opener.

The Falcons have blown three 15-plus-point leads since 2020, while the rest of the league has blown two 15-plus-point leads combined.

Steelers 23 vs Bengals 20

Not the start expected from the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2022 season.

Joe Burrow struggled greatly against the Steelers who were consistently after him, throwing four interceptions in the game, a career-worst. He was sacked seven times in front of what was supposedly an improved offensive line.

While this matchup was a sloppy one for both teams, Steelers’ Chris Boswell kicked a 53-yard field goal as time was disappearing in overtime and Pittsburgh overcame T.J. Watt’s injury in the fourth quarter to beat Cincinnati.

Watt, the Defensive Player of the Year, had left the game before it went to overtime with a pectoral injury, after which he was sloppy, with a sack and a pick.

Commanders 28 vs Jaguars 22

Carson Wentz had his first game with four touchdowns since he tore his ACL while with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017. Wentz carried the Commanders to their comeback victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, in good fashion. He finished 27 of 41 for 313 yards and generated enough points to make fans forget two bad choices on the interceptions.

Colts 20 vs Texans 20

In his Colts debut, Matt Ryan rallied Indianapolis in the fourth quarter to force overtime against the Houston Texans. But with two overtime possessions respectively, neither of the two teams could score.

After 14 seasons with Atlanta, Ryan’s first game for Indianapolis saw 352 yards passing and a touchdown. Rushing star Jonathan Taylor finished with 161 yards and a touchdown, while Davis Mills threw for 240 yards and two scores.

Houston made a few key plays to limit Indy’s ability to find the end zone early in the matchup, as well as put the offense in good field position for multiple possessions.