Usually the first week of the NFL regular season is mild. It was anything but mild on Sunday. Week one is seen by some as a fluke week, while some see it as prelude on what’s to come when teams settle in. Here are the winners and losers from Sunday’s games.
Winners: Calvin Ridley
It was almost two years since receiver Calvin Ridley played in the NFL. After Atlanta traded him to Jacksonville, Ridley was suspended over gambling charges. The Jaguars were without one of their upgrades all of 2022. Not only will Jacksonville’s offense take a few steps forward, but Ridley’s picked up where he left off before the hiatus.
Ridley led the Jaguars with eight catches for 101 yards and the first touchdown of the game. His 29 yard catch and run deep into Colts territory with under six minutes remaining in the first half set up Zay Jones’ acrobatic touchdown grab, giving Jacksonville a 14-7 lead.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence targeted Jones, Christian Kirk and Evan Engram a lot last season. While many thought Kirk would be the favorite option heading into 2023, he doesn’t have the same skills as Calvin Ridley. It’ll be hard for any opposing defenses in the AFC South to stop or slow down all four receivers in one game, let alone two.
Green Bay Packers
Most analysts predicted with quarterback Aaron Rodgers traded to the Jets that Green Bay would struggle scoring in the NFC North. While it’s a valid concern, that wasn’t an issue week one in Chicago.
28 of the 38 points the Packers put up on the Bears came in the second half. New starting quarterback Jordan Love had a near perfect day completing 15 of 27 passes for 245 yards for a 123.2 quarterback rating and three touchdowns. Three players including Love averaged four yards per rush. Aaron Jones’ touchdown run added to the offensive barrage.
Green Bay played better whenever Chicago’s offense tried to put scoring drives together. Linebacker Quay Walker intercepted Bears quarterback Justin Fields and returned it for a touchdown. The Packers defense forced and recovered a Fields fumble and sacked the quarterback once.
While preseason doesn’t mean much, Green Bay came ready to play all three games and brutalized their opponents. The players have quickly bought into head coach Matt LaFleur’s changes, tactics and will to win. Hopefully this isn’t the last aggressive performance from the 2023 roster.
Brandon Aiyuk
San Francisco has a few All-Pro offensive players, yet receiver and specialist Brandon Aiyuk is one of the underrated names when it comes to his roles and physical advantages. He let Pittsburgh know who was in charge Sunday.
In a one-sided game against the Steelers, Aiyuk caught every pass thrown his way for 129 yards and two touchdowns. According to ESPN’s Sportscenter, he’s San Francisco’s third receiver in the last 30 years to have 100 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in a season opener (the other two being Jerry Rice in 1994 and J.J. Stokes in 1998) and the first to do it for the team this century. His stats would’ve been larger had it not been for the lopsided score.
Pittsburgh’s defense was top five in the NFL last season. He steamrolled over veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson (more on him later) and couldn’t be covered when the game was close. Upcoming opponents might have worse luck trying to snuff out his contributions and tackling him.
Standard broadcast network television
The NFL decided to pivot away from their decades long DirecTV’s Sunday Ticket this offseason by moving it online to YouTube. It doesn’t matter what kind of viewer you are to U.S. football: no one knows how this will work out. Due to the writer’s strike in Los Angeles, standard broadcast network television is in a rare position to air as many games as possible. After one week, it seems this is a great decision.
Many viewers were or will be treated to at least seven week one games. Thursday night featured the reigning champion Chiefs (which resulted in a 24% increase in viewership compared to last year’s regular season opener), two double-headers on CBS and FOX, the headline Sunday night matchup, and the debut of Aaron Rodgers against the Buffalo Bills (this game has yet to be played but will be aired on ABC) on Monday night. Depending on the viewer’s location, there was a chance whoever tuned into three of the four networks watched at least one game where the victor won by one score.
Ongoing questions with Sunday Ticket’s debut season on YouTube (many readers know the agony of online buffering when streaming), Hollywood’s probable deadlock in the on-going strikes and the NFL finally approving game flexibility in the first half of the regular season, standard broadcast network television could air at least seven games a week until one or two obstacles clear up. There’s a lot of money for whoever airs U.S. football games weekly even if some aren’t popular options. It will make viewing, profits and breaking news easier for the nationwide audience.
Losers: Patrick Peterson
The 13 year defensive back will no doubt be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day for his elite, lockdown play. He’s spent a decade being one of the premier cornerbacks who sadly hasn’t gone to a Super Bowl. Unfortunately his best days are behind him and it showed during San Francisco’s rout in Pittsburgh.
Peterson unfortunately had to cover Brandon Aiyuk. As one can read above, the receiver had a fantastic day and would have done better if the score was closer. However, Patrick Peterson is probably a reason why the 49ers offense was unrelenting to start the game. Earlier in the week, the veteran corner talked trash towards San Francisco and declared he’d have an interception against them. Aiyuk’s first touchdown came when he faked Peterson on a route and the old man fell. It was an easy play that broke the scoreless tie. He then gave up another touchdown to Aiyuk the following quarter.
Patrick Peterson finished the day with two passes defensed, two assisted tackles and zero interceptions. Ouch.
Ryan Tannehill
The quarterback class of 2012 is coming to an abysmal and saddening end. Many are targeting Russell Wilson for his decline in play, but the performances of Ryan Tannehill have been worse.
On Tennessee’s last drive of the game, head coach Mike Vrabel opted for kicker Nick Folk to attempt his fifth field goal of the afternoon despite trailing by four points. Many will complain about Vrabel’s decision but he didn’t have a better option. Starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill completed 16 of 34 passes for 198 yards, threw three interceptions, posted a 28.8 rating and couldn’t produce a touchdown on any of the Titans’ offensive possessions. They couldn’t capitalize against a Saints offense that struggled most of the afternoon with a new quarterback.
Tannehill is on the last year of his contract and if he continues poor play heading into October, this could be the last year we see him in the NFL.
Seattle Seahawks
Seattle had an offseason to address their exposed defense, play-calling and game management. In the first round of the draft they selected a cornerback and an undersized receiver. Clint Hurtt is still the defensive coordinator and nothing was thoroughly addressed on the defensive line. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that while the cornerback didn’t start the home opener and the undersized receiver had only 13 yards on three catches, the Rams offense racked up over 400 yards. Two mid-tier receivers had 100 yard performances.
The Seahawks defense again couldn’t get off the field on third down and were worn out by the play-action passes from quarterback Matthew Stafford. Seattle’s offense started well, but injuries to starting tackles Abraham Lucas and Charles Cross combined with receiver and offensive captain Tyler Lockett leaving because of concussion protocol deflated any confidence of entering week two undefeated.
One major issue I touched on in my NFC playoff predictions was the Seahawks’ difficult 2023 schedule. Los Angeles always plays Seattle tough for many reasons but due to how this year the Rams have a roster lacking depth and quality players in certain positions, the Seahawks had to win their opening game at home. Seattle faces Detroit in Ford Field next Sunday. The Lions stunned and captivated national audiences in their upset win at Kansas City last Thursday. A winless hole after two weeks could damage the Seahawks’ chances at clinching a postseason berth. It could get worse if injuries and an ineffective defense become a constant.
J.K. Dobbins
One of the worst things and feelings to have is when an athlete with so much potential can’t live up to the hype due to major injuries. Runningback J.K. Dobbins was touted as the next phenom headed to the NFL when he declared for the 2020 draft. While he’s had some highlights and good games, Dobbins has never lived up to the hype due to multiple major leg injuries three of the last four seasons.
J.K. Dobbins gave Baltimore an early lead and might have finished with a strong performance against Houston. Unfortunately he tore his achilles, abruptly concluding his 2023 season. Leg injuries ended one half of his 2022 season and forced him out of action all of 2021. The Ravens missed the energy and versatility he brings to the Lamar Jackson-led offense.
Despite the win and contributions from runningback Justice Hill, one wonders what might be if Dobbins’ legs held up this and the last two years.
Note: NFL’s Winners and Losers will not be published next Monday due to the writer, editor and publisher having the weekend off for personal reasons.
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