Week 1 is nearly done, highlighted by the Lions’ thrilling overtime win against the Rams late last night. The outcome wasn’t a surprise; the way it occurred, with Detroit surviving an incredible performance from Matt Stafford late in the fourth, was.
It capped a day full of surprises. The five that stood out to me most:
5. Caleb Williams was meh … but the Bears won
Expectations were high for the No. 1 draft pick coming into this, so his performance — 14-of-29 for just 93 yards — left us wanting. Yet the Chicago defense took the game over, giving us this incredible picture of Titans quarterback Will Levis hitting a surrender cobra during an interception return:
Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TodayThat Chicago is 1-0 despite a bad outing from the franchise QB is promising.
4. The Saints!
Call me a homer, but I was shocked by how good New Orleans looked in a 47-10 rout of Carolina. The Panthers are technically an NFL opponent, and no one expected this level of execution by a new offense. Derek Carr looked like an MVP, and Bryce Young looked lost. Remember the Hope-O-Meter ranking? I bet it’s changed today.
The team that was supposed to break out in the NFC South, Atlanta, managed just 10 points against Justin Fields and the Steelers. Hm.Â
3. Dallas’ mettle and Cleveland’s despair
I fully expected a Browns win, and that was erased shortly after kickoff. Dak Prescott, just hours after agreeing to become the NFL’s highest-paid player, carved the Browns’ elite defense. Meanwhile, it’s still jarring to see Deshaun Watson play like a bad QB. This is who Cleveland mortgaged everything for, and it’s worth wondering if Jameis Winston would look better out there. Big, big woof.
2. Cincinnati’s bad day
Did you pick the Bengals to beat the Patriots in your survivor pool? You’re one of very many. No one saw a Jacoby Brissett-led Week 1 upset coming, but a solid run game and an excellent defense — Joe Burrow and the Bengals only scored 10 points — gave us the first shocker of the season. Remember that Cincy also started slowly last year.
1. Sam Darnold, baby
Each offseason, it’s easy to imagine this scenario: A talented QB who’s started for some dismal teams is finally set up for success. It doesn’t usually happen. Exception? Darnold was awesome in Minnesota’s 28-6 rout of the Giants on the road. New York is bad, but Darnold dropped dimes all over the field. If he can play this way with any consistency (and if Justin Jefferson can stay healthy), the NFC North is going to be a delight.
Honorable mention eye-poppers from yesterday:Â
Did we miss your team? Check out our full Week 1 roundup here.
