Here we go, season 2024 for the NFL is underway and there was plenty of drama across an action packed weekend to kick things off.
The opening game was decided by a toe, a couple of strong teams faced off in Brazil and we had the usual Monday morning RedZone madness.
If that wasn’t enough then we got the year’s first overtime contest in Detroit and the 49ers had their way with the Jets to wrap up Week 1.
Now comes the time where we try to recap our big takeaways in five concise points called 5 Lessons Learned.
1: The Chiefs Are a Different Problem This Year
Thanks to a productive offseason, the rich have managed to get richer this offseason and it was evident right from the outset that the Kansas City Chiefs have improved on offence.
It feels odd to say they were kind of pedestrian the last couple of seasons, but the reality is Patrick Mahomes was able to get by with checkdowns and a couple of key throws to Travis Kelce.
However now that the tight end is in his mid-30’s, his usage during the regular season is going to drop with an eye on preserving their best pass catcher for the post season.
To offset that, Kansas City has restocked its receiver room with some serious speed and it was on display Friday morning as rookie Xavier Worthy torched the Ravens defence for two scores, including this on his first touch.
Worthy and sports car enthusiast Rashee Rice are going to be a problem for defences this season as they will allow Travis Kelce to operate on a snap count to keep himself fresh for when the Chiefs have to start trying.
Not to mention it makes Patrick Mahomes a pain to face in fantasy when you’re up against the guy who showed up to the draft with a “Dummies Guide to NFL” in hand.
2: Green Bay is About to Learn the Value of a Good Backup Plan
All things considered, Saturday morning’s game in Brazil could have been a whole lot worse for the Packers.
Sure they lost a close game against the Eagles but that would have been a tough contest if it was in Philadelphia and no matter where it fell on the schedule.
But the real relief would have come in the days following the game when Jordan Love was cleared of a serious injury after this tackle late in the game.
For the next couple of weeks, until Love is good to go it will be former Titans draft pick Malik Willis starting after he arrived via trade not that long ago.
It’s going to create an awkward situation though, because Willis is not going to have the full playbook available to him with less than three weeks to learn the offence, but he also does not have to do anything crazy like this preseason play from 2022.
He just has to play within the limits Matt LaFleur is going to put on him and let his teammates do all of the heavy lifting.
3: Alarm Bells in Carolina and New Jersey
The big either/or debate to come out of Week 1 is asking which fan base would feel worse about their team’s miserable performance, the Panthers or Giants.
They combined for 16 points, 347 passing yards and just looked flat out rubbish.
Let’s start with Carolina and the 2023 first overall pick Bryce Young…
While there was some home he might be able to turn the page after a rough rookie season, it sure looks like the Panthers might have made the worst top pick in the draft since JaMarcus Russell.
Although in fairness to Young, he at least looks like he’s trying to get better.
Meanwhile, Daniel Jones is coming back from some major injuries last year having signed a big money deal with the Giants… who are probably suffering buyer’s remorse.
This was his only touchdown pass of the game yesterday.
It is too early to be thinking about draft positioning but the red flags are there for all to see on both of these teams and it sure looks like they will be picking very high up in April’s draft and looking to address their quarterback position.
4: Chicago’s Flashback Win
Some say that “remember when” is the lowest form of communication, but in certain cases it is appropriate.
Remember when the Bears historically good defence and special teams pretty much carried them to a Super Bowl appearance?
Well we’re not saying that is what will happen this year, but the Bears win over Tennessee was reminiscent of that era.
Specifically a Monday Night Football comeback win in Arizona where Devin Hester and company sparked a comeback win from 23-3 down.
On debut, Caleb Williams looked like Rex Grossman throwing for just 93 yards as the Titans rushed out to a 17-0 lead this week.
However Chicago scored a field goal just before halftime and then they got back within one score thanks to this blocked punt.
A couple more Cairo Santos field goals made it a one point game before Will Levis literally threw the game to Tyrique Stevenson.
The job wasn’t done yet though, with the Titans threatening to score and send the game into overtime before the defence came through once more.
So for those of you scoring at home, that was 22 points for the Bears defence and special teams with the offence contributing the lone two-point conversion.
Chances are they will want Williams to do a little bit more as the season goes on, but as a starting point, it’s at least something to build on.
5: Rough Starts Overall for the Rookie QBs
All three rookies who started Week 1 for their respective teams had rough outings with Williams battling through the early window game before being helped to a win.
Second pick Jayden Daniels posted a solid stat line on debut for the Washington Commanders but he still had to battle while his team was outclassed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
However there were some encouraging signs as the rookie was left in during the blowout loss and he ran for a pair of touchdowns in the second half.
Meanwhile Bo Nix got the call for the Broncos in Seattle to start the season and it was not the best start for him.
This call from Adam Archuleta sums it up better than any description could.
All up Nix finished up 26/48 for a miserly 138 yard and two touchdowns, although he did add a rushing touchdown it was a harsh reminder that no matter how many college starts you make, the NFL is on a very different level.
Having spent the last couple of points highlighting the struggles of the rookie quarterbacks, it feels like a contractual obligation to also say that Peyton Manning had a whopping 28 interceptions as a rookie so first year struggles are not the be all, end all.