Week 1 is the strangest of all NFL schedules. Every team has either high or low expectations, and that scenario changes immediately after the first results of the game.
- “Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix? This class of over-hyped rookie QBs sucks!”
- “The Cowboys appear to be the beaten team in the NFC, with no more distractions and a better defense”
- “Jim Harbaugh has already made the Chargers a threat to take the AFC West from the Chiefs”
- “The Falcons really botched their QB this offseason by signing Kirk Cousins before drafting and benching Michael Penix Jr.”
- “Joe Burrow and the Bengals still appear to have a football hangover after their Super Bowl loss”
- “Like Burrow, Trevor Lawrence continues to prove he is another overrated No. 1 pick.”
- “Josh Allen looks set to win NFL MVP this season”
The same will happen in 2024, when all the positive events that have happened will be magnified into the best things ever. The hyperbole is equal and opposite with negative developments of players or teams failing after much anticipation for their season debuts.
One week doesn’t make a trend, a season or a career, but talk show sports pundits all need something to blow way out of proportion for impulsive stances. It’s shocking, but more often than not, those stances are misguided. Here are the best of the worst overreactions from the final show of Sunday’s Week 1.
NFL Rankings: Cowboys, Steelers in good shape; Packers, Browns struggling; Patriots on the rise for Week 2
Joe Nicholson, USA TODAY NETWORK
“Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix? This class of over-hyped rookie QBs sucks!”
Williams was the only one of those three first-round starters to win his first game, thanks to the Bears’ defense and special teams scoring all the points. Daniels’ Commanders and Nix’s Broncos were doomed by compressed passing games and struggling defenses. Williams passed for just 93 yards against the Titans. Williams and Nix averaged about 3.0 yards per pass attempt. Williams missed a lot of receivers, and Nix threw two INTS against the Seahawks, including an interception.
Nix scored a late TD, while Daniels scored twice on the ground in Tampa. Overall, Daniels had the best numbers without a turnover (184 yards passing, 88 yards rushing), but he didn’t put his long arm to good use, instead settling for short passes to running backs Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr. Williams, Daniels and Nix all struggled to push the ball downfield to connect with their top receivers consistently.
With JJ McCarthy (knee) sidelined for the Vikings, Drake Maye waiting to start for the Patriots and Michael Penix Jr. set to leave the field for his rookie season, Williams and Daniels are trying to carry the torch as the Heisman headliners. Nix’s debut was also disappointing as he played very well in Sean Payton’s system in the preseason. He made a few mistakes and seemed hesitant to throw downfield.
That said, they all have unique traits with their combinations of arms and athleticism. All are experienced and have played through adversity before. They should continue to grow and develop nicely throughout the season. Williams, Daniels, and Nix are also all in favorable systems that fit well with their skill sets. None of them will be busts in the NFL.
“The Cowboys appear to be the beaten team in the NFC, with no more distractions and a better defense”
Dak Prescott got paid. CeeDee Lamb got paid before him. Micah Parsons will get paid after both of them. Parsons and the Cowboys defense were without top cornerback DaRon Bland (foot) and were facing a Browns team on the road with their own elite defense from last season.
The result was a 33-17 road domination, with Prescott having a pretty easy day at the office with special teams (hello Brandon Aubrey and KaVontae Tupin) doing a lot to win the game. The Cowboys found ways to spread the play better with Prescott on more than Lamb. Dan Quinn was a tough defensive coordinator to lose, but Parsons and the rest of Dallas’ defenses should be commended for settling in and responding with the same intensity they had for Quinn under Mike Zimmer.
The offense still needs to find more consistency and balance around Prescott behind a new, unstable line. The defense will face tougher tests against more explosive and diverse opponents. The Cowboys are in the running to stay in the playoffs behind the 49ers and Lions. Their two most important games will still come against the NFC East rival Eagles, who have been able to go toe-to-toe with the Cowboys to win the division in recent seasons.
The NFC is filled with teams that have a good playoff record. Whatever the Cowboys do means nothing unless they make the playoffs and back up their performance much later. They are on the right track, though, because they won’t let their last playoff loss linger.
MORE COWBOYS: Brandon Aubrey’s record-breaking kick that wasn’t onside | Jake Ferguson injury update
“Jim Harbaugh has already made the Chargers a threat to take the AFC West from the Chiefs”
Harbaugh’s return to the NFL initially looked rocky against the Raiders, but the running game took over thanks to a duo of former Ravens in JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards. Justin Herbert was a bit off, but playing in a much more run-oriented attack, he redeemed himself by throwing a game-winning TD pass late in the fourth quarter.
The 22-10 score was impressive and telling, but it came after facing a weak Raiders offense led by Gardner Minshew and running on an overmatched defense for 176 yards. Herbert returned from his foot injury, but he wasn’t called upon to let the ball crash down the Raiders’ field without a fight after the first half.
The Chargers will need a lot more from Herbert and a more efficient passing game to have any hope of pushing the Chiefs, but they’ll continue their torrid start to the season with the Panthers next week.
“The Falcons really botched their QB this offseason by signing Kirk Cousins before drafting and benching Michael Penix Jr.”
Kirk Cousins looked unsettled in his Atlanta debut after a final season in Minnesota that was cut short by a torn Achilles tendon. Cousins didn’t have the time or mobility to stretch the field with his arm as T.J. Watt and the Steelers remained relentless.
Cousins threw for just 155 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per attempt, and also had two interceptions and lost a fumble on one of his two sacks. Some will argue that the Falcons shouldn’t have spent so much money on a 36-year-old returning from a major injury, only to take a promising rookie in the first round of the draft. Others will say they should just try to get Penix on the field to replace Cousins as soon as possible.
The Steelers and Watt have been a tough defensive target in this state. But so are the Eagles with Vic Fangio in full swing in Week 2. Then it’s Steve Spagnuolo and the Chiefs in Week 3. Ouch. The slump will likely continue before things get much better for a healed and comfortable Cousins again.
It was still a veteran move worth taking after all the mess between Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, and Taylor Heinicke. If Cousins continues to look elsewhere, they may as well make the tough decision to turn to Penix early on. Hopefully, Cousins will settle into a good system full of great weapons soon, while Penix continues to absorb the losses on the bench.
IYER: Steelers QB decision for Week 2 should be easy
“Joe Burrow and the Bengals still appear to have a football hangover after their Super Bowl loss”
Burrow is 1-4 in NFL openers. The team has a tendency to get off to a slow start under coach Zac Taylor, Weeks 1 and 2 combined. They were in a good position to beat the Patriots on offense and defense with Burrow back healthy for a home game.
However, they haven’t recovered from the dramatic distractions of the weekend, with No. 2 receiver Tee Higgins, unsigned in 2025, not playing at all and top receiver Ja’Marr Chase making the decision to play until pregame warmups. Burrow had to try to find chemistry with underperforming receivers and the new running game fizzled as Joe Mixon crushed the Texans.
The Patriots surprised the Bengals with a more inspired and team-oriented game. They worked to expose both the offensive and defensive fronts, and Burrow has a history of getting them out of their holes. He can do it immediately against the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, against whom he is 3-1 in the regular season.
“Like Burrow, Trevor Lawrence continues to prove he is another overrated No. 1 pick.”
Burrow had another rough start to the season, while Lawrence, the other No. 1 overall pick and a $55 million-a-year player, had a rough outing in a home loss to the Dolphins. Lawrence joined Burrow in throwing for about 160 yards and was sacked three times while completing just 12 of 21 passes.
While Burrow was part of an offense that was underwhelming overall, Lawrence was effective in throwing deep passes against the Dolphins when needed, hitting rookie receivers Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr. Thomas, who caught Lawrence’s only pass, was able to get the ball rolling. The Jaguars did a good job of relieving Lawrence, with both Travis Etienne and backup Tank Bigsby.
Burrow and Lawrence are both 0-1 to start the season, but both teams seem to be at their best by getting going in the second half instead of coming out strong. The Jaguars’ defense can lead Cleveland to a Week 2 bounce-back, but the Jaguars’ offense needs to start exploding with a Bills road shootout looming in Week 3.
“Josh Allen looks set to win NFL MVP this season”
Allen is playing in a different offense than he did at the start of last season. He lost former star player Stefon Diggs to the Texans and playoff hero Davis to the Jaguars. Yet he was unstoppable as the weekend’s top QB.
Allen (18 of 23, 232 yards, two TDs) didn’t miss a beat on his accurate deep passes. He also ran for 39 yards and two TDs. He passed the ball to his new weapons Keon Coleman and Mack Hollins, who scored alongside Khalil Shakir. James Cook ran well in support, and Allen got the job done passing despite a quiet day from tight end Dalton Kincaid (one reception, 11 yards).
WEEK 2 FANTASY RANKINGS:
QB | RB | WR | YOU | D/ST | Kickers
Allen has been a freight train with high potential as a durable threat, much to the delight of fantasy football and the Bills faithful year after year. To continue to contain Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, CJ Stroud and other preseason contenders, Allen must remain consistent and continue to avoid the turnovers that have plagued him in some seasons. After watching the Bills defense become a shadow of its former self against the Cardinals, Allen will be under increased pressure to put up big numbers. MVP picks tend to change weekly, so Allen’s goal is to solidify that status with each game.
