Copied!
Week 1 kept us on our toes, that’s for sure.
It began with the bizarre Jalen Carter incident prior to the first snap from scrimmage in the Kickoff Game, which the defending champion Eagles ultimately won — barely — over the Micah Parsons-less Cowboys. Speaking of Parsons, he helped the Packers thump the Lions in statement fashion. In a week of mostly close games, that one stood out — but perhaps not as much, in a negative way, as the Dolphins getting smooshed in Indy.
Steelers-Jets totaled 66 points. Texans-Rams only got to 23. Defenses seemed to be ahead of the offenses in most games. Most, but not all .
The marquee event of the weekend lived up to its billing, with the Bills nipping the Ravens, 41-40, in an instant classic. Josh Allen vs. Lamar Jackson was about as good as it gets, Week 1 or otherwise.
Monday night wasn’t as visually appealing, but J.J. McCarthy’s fourth-quarter comeback in his hometown could be the stuff of legend one day. (Related: Yikes, Bears!)
There’s a lot to process from the NFL’s opening week. Let’s do our best to re-sort the order.
NOTE: Up/down arrows below reflect movement from the Week 1 Power Rankings.
It’s Week 2, and some 2024 contenders had shaky moments in recent days, so by the end of Week 1, nothing that had happened to the Eagles in the Kickoff Game ultimately felt all that shocking. Philadelphia took care of business, dealing with adversity the way a defending Super Bowl champion should, and finished off the Cowboys. The defensive questions won’t go away, especially with the second cornerback spot. The Eagles had to make several in-game adjustments to deal with the coverage issues, and that was on top of having to scrap the original game plan after Jalen Carter was ejected prior to the first play from scrimmage. Teams that don’t have Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley might be a tad more concerned, even with Philly about to embark on a trip to Kansas City. They’re still the Eagles for now.
Josh Allen had to hear the MVP chants for Lamar Jackson in his own stadium. Then he got up off the mat and led three scoring drives in the final seven-plus minutes to pull off the most improbable comeback imaginable. Allen was MVP-level good; in the fourth quarter alone, he completed 16 of 21 passes for 251 yards (all three figures higher than what Jackson produced in the entire game ) and a touchdown, while also running for two scores. For three-plus quarters, the Ravens looked to be the better team, as Jackson and Derrick Henryran roughshod over the Bills. Buffalo’s defense rallied late, but Baltimore had scored on seven of eight possessions to start the game. And therein lies the one thing holding me back with the Bills: their difficulty, year over year, slowing down top-tier offenses. Of course, in the here and now, that only means so much. The Jets and Patriots lost at home, and the Dolphins were obliterated in Indianapolis. This is all about the march to January and whether the Bills can solve their defensive issues before tournament time.
