Joe Burrow and Caleb Williams struggle, Lions beat Rams in overtime
Mackenzie Salmon of Sports Seriously “overreacts” to the biggest headlines of Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season.
Sport in Seriousness
Week 1 of the NFL season is over. Now it’s time to hype up.
Will Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets be able to do this?
Is Deshaun Watson’s $230 million deal the worst in NFL history?
Are the Cincinnati Bengals in trouble this year?
The NFL’s new kickoff rule remains, but do teams even care?
The Dallas Cowboys will win the Super Bowl. No question, just a statement.
Here’s more about these overreactions from Week 1:
The same old Jets? Yes, in Week 1. But give them some time.
If you thought the Jets would beat the 49ers on opening night, that’s your problem.
Rodgers’ highly anticipated return didn’t end in a win, but the Jets deserve some leniency after Week 1. Let’s face it, they’re a team that’s finally starting to rebuild, as Rodgers fortunately lasted a full game. They faced a superior force, the 49ers, who reached the NFC title game three times in the last five years.
Rodgers’ arm is still top-notch and his free kick touchdown against Allen Lazard was top-notch and everything you appreciate about him as an aggressive quarterback. The Jets still have plenty of time to find their feet and turn themselves into a playoff contender. Perhaps they have the patience to do that after enduring Rodgers’ injury absence last year.
The Browns have a quarterback problem
Watson’s descent from one of the league’s most promising quarterbacks to one of the worst has been sad to watch. Watson has failed to regain his form after his long hiatus from the sport in 2021-22 due to his off-field misdeeds, which led to another lawsuit this week.
When you think back to how Joe Flacco did enough to help Cleveland make the playoffs last season, it shows that there is no problem with the coaching or play-calling. Just the Browns’ $230 million player. And yes, it might be the worst deal in all of sports.
Watson was abysmal in the Browns’ opening game (24 of 45, 169 yards, two INTs), although he did show flashes of excitement with a 6-yard touchdown pass. Watson did not play in the preseason, which is disappointing for a quarterback who hasth Game in three years, Sunday.
This could be the core of the Bengals from their last season together
The Bengals could be in trouble this season, and a loss to the New England Patriots should set off alarm bells in Cincinnati.
Sure, Ja’Marr Chase caught all six balls he was targeting. But this was the kind of game where Chase should have been in double-digit passing numbers, and where he and quarterback Joe Burrow could have won with their combined star talent. Instead, Chase’s contract refusal took effect. Tee Higgins, who is also seeking a new contract but was sidelined with a hamstring injury, was also missing.
The Bengals’ offense was too focused on dink-and-dunks in the opening game and failed to establish a real running game in the 16-10 home loss (16 carries, 70 yards despite a touchdown). The Bengals need to get things under control quickly, or this Burrow-Chase-Higgins era with Zac Taylor as coach could be entering its final season.
The NFL’s kickoffs weren’t that dynamic in Week 1. That’s an understatement.
The NFL’s new kickoff rule will not be dynamic if teams are content to kick touchbacks and start their offense at the 30-yard line.
NFL teams returned 54 of 159 kickoffs (33.9%) before Monday night’s game, which is above the league average of 20.5% last year. That’s a slight improvement just a week into the season, but it would be nice to see more kickers attempt to get a kick into the landing zone for more returns or worse starting position.
A big thank you from Michael Scott to Cardinals returner Deejay Dallas for the first touchdown in dynamic kickoff history against the Bills and to the Saints and Panthers for their real effort: Together they were responsible for 11 of 54 returns.
The Cowboys will win the Super Bowl
Come on, guys. I was just kidding.
Kudos to Dak Prescott and the Cowboys for their 33-17 win over the Browns in Week 1. The Cowboys defense was outstanding against Watson, while Prescott and the offense did enough to pull out an easy win. But look above, it was just the Browns.
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