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NFL Week 1 Recap
It’s been a long seven months without football. The last time we saw NFL football, the Los Angeles Rams were hoisting up the Lombardi Trophy in their home stadium. The off-season had a ton of movement, with big-name players changing teams all over the NFL, and one big name who retired and unretired. Top draft picks made their debut as well as some first-time Head Coaches taking over their new team. Week 1 of the 2022-23 season gave fans plenty of thrills with multiple games that went down to the wire with some of the league’s best. Here is a full recap of Week 1 of the NFL season.
The Buffalo Bills traveled to SoFi Stadium to face the Los Angeles Rams during their ring ceremony. The vibes for the Rams were immaculate until Josh Allen and the Bills started to pour it on. The first half of the game was evenly matched, but in the second half, the Bills shut down the Rams’ offense and scored three unanswered touchdowns. Josh Allen threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns along with 56 rushing yards and a big rushing touchdown over Bobby Wagner. Stefon Diggs had his way with Jalen Ramsey and the Rams secondary as he finished with eight catches for 122 yards and one touchdown. For the Rams, Cooper Kupp picked up where he left off with 13 catches, 128 yards, and one touchdown, but was the only bright spot for the Rams offense. The Bills ran away with a 31-10 victory and proved that they are a huge threat to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
After a long off-season of contract negotiations, Lamar Jackson suited up for the Baltimore Ravens to take on the New York Jets. Jackson led the Ravens with 213 yards passing with three touchdowns on the day. Rashad Bateman showed off his ability to stretch the defense with speed, with a big 55-yard touchdown bomb. The Jet’s offense never gained traction and failed to put to complete drives throughout the game. The Ravens cruised to a 24-9 win to start their season 1-0.
The Indianapolis Colts hosted division rival Houston Texans in a game that went from, for a lack of better words, boring to a very exciting game. Through the first three quarters, The Texans maintained control of the game, but in the fourth quarter, the Colts turned it up and scored 17 unanswered points to tie the game. Matt Ryan led Colt’s offense with 352 yards through the air and one touchdown. Johnathan Taylor didn’t miss a beat from his 2021-22 season with 31 carries and 161 yards with one touchdown. Both teams failed to score in Overtime and squandered opportunities to win the game. The game ended in a tie and the final score was 20-20.
The New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons battled it out in an NFC South matchup. Marcus Mariota made a nice impression in his first start for the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons’ defense held the Saints down for the first three quarters but Jameis Winston and the Saints stormed back into the game late in the fourth. Taysom Hill gave the Saints some much-needed electricity on offense and newly acquired Jarvis Landry was a steady target for Winston, as he finished with seven catches for 114 yards. Michael Thomas scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to cut the lead deficit to just two after being down 16 in the fourth. Wil Lutz closed the game for the Saints as he nailed a 51-yard field goal to give New Orleans a 27-26 victory in the first game of the season.
Trey Lance and the 49ers played their first game of the season in a rainy and messy game vs. the Chicago Bears. Trey Lance was named the new starting QB for the 49ers, succeeding Jimmy Garapollo. Both teams struggled to get any sustained success in the first half, as both of the young QBs failed to move the chains. As the game progressed, the 49ers started to unfold and the rain steadily picked up, making it harder and harder to throw. In the third quarter, Fields made a pass across the field to an open Dante Pettis that ended with a 51-yard touchdown. The Bears then took the momentum of the game from that point and never looked back. Chicago won the game 19-10 and slid into the 1-0.
Fresh off their Hard Knocks feature this offseason, the Detroit Lions hosted the Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia dominated the rushing game as they had four different players score one rushing touchdown. Jalen Hurts ran 17 times and finished with 90 yards and Miles Sanders led the way with 96 yards. Cornerback James Bradberry joined the action as well, as the savvy veteran scored a touchdown on a 27-yard interception return. Even though things weren’t looking up for the Lions, they never gave up and cut the deficit to just three points. The effort was too little too late though and the Eagles escaped with a 38-35 win.
Tyreek Hill and the speedy Miami Dolphins hosted the New England Patriots in Week 1. The Dolphins showed off their weapons in many different ways as Head Coach Mike McDaniels called some very creative plays. Tyreek Hill led the Dolphin’s offense with 94 yards on eight catches. Jaylen Waddle also made a big splash in the game with a 42-yard catch that showed off his elite speed. The Dolphin’s defense kept the Patriots at bay the entire game, scoring just one touchdown. Miami defeated the Patriots 20-7.
The Washington Commanders made their home opener vs. The Jacksonville Jaguars. Their new quarterback Carson Wentz also made his first start in a roller-coaster ride of a football game. Trevor Lawrence looked to change the narrative from his tumultuous rookie year. With a new coach, new weapons, and his former college teammate Travis Etienne Jr. back from injury, Lawrence and the Jags looked to start on a good foot. Both teams went back and forth vying for solid momentum throughout the game. Carson Wentz threw a pair of interceptions that nearly cost the Commanders the game but they prevailed despite. Wentz finished the game with 313 yards and four touchdowns. The Commanders defense stopped the Jaguars on their final attempt to win the game to secure a 28-22 victory
In arguably the wildest finish this week, the Cincinnati Bengals hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers to open their season. The Steelers are transitioning into an Era without Big Ben who was the Steelers’ QB for the last 18 seasons. Mike Tomlin decided to go with Mitch Trubisky instead of rookie QB Kenny Pickett. TJ Watt and the Steelers’ defense kept the Bengals and their talented offense at bay in the first half as they jumped out to a 17-6 lead. Pittsburgh recovered a fumble and caught four interceptions, including one for a ‘Pick-6’ by Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Bengals clawed back and had a chance to tie the game at 20 with just seconds left in the game. Ja’Marr Chase scored a touchdown as time expired to tie the game at 20, but Minkah Fitzpatrick blocked the extra point and sent the game into overtime. Both teams missed field goals in overtime but the Steelers were the better team that day and they won the intense game 23-20. Unfortunately, though, 2021 Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt suffered a torn pectoral which will sideline them for at least six weeks.
Baker Mayfield led the Carolina Panthers against his former team the Cleveland Browns in what many considered a ‘Revenge Game” for the former Heisman winner. The Browns are without their newly acquired QB Deshaun Watson for the next 11 days, so they’re rolling with Jacoby Brissett. The Browns’ run game was effective all game, with Nick Chubb scurrying for 141 yards and Kareem Hunt pitching in another 46 yards, respectively. Jacoby Brissett did a good job of managing the Browns’ offense and limiting mistakes. In the fourth quarter though, Carolina stormed back and took the lead with one minute left. A roughing the passer penalty from the Panthers helped Cleveland move into field goal range and Browns’ kicker Cade York made a 58-yarder to win the game and his fourth field goal of the day. The Browns won the game 26-24.
The new-look Kansas City Chiefs made their debut vs. Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals. Many have talked about the Chiefs’ offense and how they won’t be as effective with the departure of Tyreek Hill, but Sunday they looked like a well-oiled machine. Patrick Mahomes carved Arizona’s defense for 360 yards and five touchdowns while not taking any sacks or throwing interceptions. Travis Kelce showed why he’s the best Tight End in football by catching eight passes for 121 yards and one touchdown. The Cardinals had no answer for the Chiefs all game and Kansas City steamrolled to a 44-21 victory.
Saquon Barkley and Derek Henry both made their much-anticipated returns after dealing with a string of injuries the last season. Saquon Barkley made easy work of the Tennessee Titans. Despite trailing in the first half, Daniel Jones, Barkley, and the Giants came back by outscoring the Titans 21-7 in the second half, including a touchdown and two-point conversion to take the lead. Saquon led the Giants with 164 yards and one rushing touchdown and six catches for 30 yards. The Giants won 21-20.
Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers played their first game of the season vs. Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings. Aaron Rodgers is starting this season without his former superstar WR Devante Adams or his new No.1 wideout Allen Lazard. On the first play of the game, rookie Christian Watson dropped an open pass from Rodgers that would’ve certainly resulted in a 75-yard touchdown. From that point on, the Packers could never gain any traction on offense. For the Vikings, Justin Jefferson had a spectacular day as he caught nine passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns. Dalvin Cook also rushed for 90 yards on the day to add to the Vikings’ offensive production. Minnesota’s defense made life tough for Rodgers, sacking him four times and forcing him into throwing a rare interception. The Vikings showed signs of possibly being the new team to beat in the NFC North as they won 23-7.
Young QB Justin Herbert took on the savvy veteran Derek Carr and his new favorite target Davante Adams in their Week 1 matchup. Both the Raiders and Chargers are vying to take over the AFC West and dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs. Derek Carr threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns on the day but also had three crucial interceptions that hurt the Raiders’ chances. Justin Herbert showed off immense talent by throwing for 279 yards and three touchdowns while completing passes to nine different receivers. Khalil Mack made his Chargers debut in a loud manner, sacking Carr three times on the day. Derwin James Jr. also showed why he’s arguably the best Safety in the NFL with six tackles and one sack. The Chargers outlasted the Raiders and walked away with a 24-19 win.
As they did last season, the Tampa Bay Bucs faced off against the Dallas Cowboys in the season opener. Both teams come into the season with a lot of new pieces on the offensive side, with Tampa Bay adding names like Julio Jones but Dallas losing key players due to trades, free agency, and injury. The Cowboy’s offense looked very stagnant and less creative than what they did as one of the best offenses in the NFL last year. The Bucs’ offense was charged by Leonard Fournette on the ground, as he rushed for 127 yards. The Bucs’ defense only allowed 3 points and held Prescott to just 134 yards while completing less than half of his passes. In the fourth quarter, the Bucs added salt to the wound as Shaq Barrett hit Dak Prescott’s hand and it resulted in a fractured bone that will sit Prescott out for at least 6-8 weeks. Tampa Bay won 19-3 to start their season 1-0.
The Denver Broncos started their season in by far the most toxic and hostile way imaginable. Denver traveled to Seattle to play the Seahawks, where their new franchise leader Russell Wilson played his first nine years. The Seattle crowd jolted their team with energy throughout the game and it also affected the Broncos, as Denver got flagged multiple times for delay of game. Wilson did have some success throwing the ball, finishing the game with 340 yards and one touchdown, but the Seahawks’ defense prevented goal line touchdowns by forcing two fumbles which they recovered. Geno Smith had a nice game vs. Denver’s tough secondary with 195 passes and completed 23/28 passes with two touchdowns. On the final drive of the game, Denver made some questionable decisions with their clock management, and they settled for a 64-yard field goal to win the game, but it went wide left. Seattle defeated the Denver Broncos 17-16 in a nail-biting game.