The Dallas Cowboys signed Dak Prescott to a contract extension – and then their defense did a lot of work in dismantling the Cleveland Browns; Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills made sure Arizona left Bills Mafia country with a loss; Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill was detained by police before helping the team beat Jacksonville on a last-second field goal; and the number one pick in the NFL actually won his first game in the league.
In short, it was a heck of an opening Sunday.
We’ll go through it below. There is, of course, one more game on the week one schedule: that has quarterback Aaron Rodgers returning to the New York Jets lineup after being injured in the season opener a year ago to face the San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Night Football” tonight.
Chicago 27, Tennessee 17: In Chicago, it wasn’t the 49ers’ defense he was facing, speaking of the 49ers, but rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the number one pick in April’s draft, got a big assist from his defense – including a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown by Tyrique Stevenson – in beating the Tennessee Titans.
So not only did Williams get to do something most first-round quarterbacks don’t get to do – win their first game – he also got to do it at home. He was the first QB drafted No. 1 overall to win his first start since David Carr did so with the Houston Texans in 2002 (they beat Dallas).
The Bears have truly been woeful the last two years, going 10-24. But there’s something to be said from coming back from a 17-0 deficit at halftime.
And Williams didn’t throw a touchdown. He went 14-of-29 for 93 yards.
Chicago got a blocked punt for a touchdown (Daniel Hardy blocked it, and Jonathan Owens returned it), trailed 17-16 after Cairo Santos hit two fourth-quarter field goals when Stevenson picked off Will Levis for the pick-six. Williams found D’Andre Swift on the two-point conversion for what would be the final score, 24-17.
Jaylon Johnson picked off Levis again on a fourth down on the final Titans drive.
The Bears finished with just 148 yards of total offense. Levis, for Tennessee, went 19-of-32 for 127 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. Tony Pollard, the former Dallas starter, ran for 82 yards and a score for the Titans.
Tennessee (0-1) will host the New York Jets on Sunday; the Bears will play at Houston on “Sunday Night Football.”
Miami 20, Jacksonville 17: Prior to the game, Hill was handcuffed and placed face down on the street by Miami police officers after being stopped for a traffic violation.
It gets better: defensive tackle Calais Campbell drove by, saw what was happening, stopped to ask, and also ended up in handcuffs.
They both ended up at the game, and Hill finished with seven catches for 130 yards, and an 80-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter that jumpstarted the offense and got the Dolphins within three points (17-14).
His touchdown celebration: putting his hands behind his back, as if he were handcuffed.
Jason Sanders tied the game with 4:22 left on a 36-yarder, and then Miami defenders sacked Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence on back-to-back plays to get the ball back to the Dolphins’ offense, where quarterback Tua Tagovailoa drove down to get Sanders in for the game-winning kick, a 52-yarder as time expired.
Lawrence went 12-of-21 for 162 yards and a touchdown to rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr.; another rookie, Tank Bigsby, ran for 73 yards on 12 carries.
For Miami, Jaylen Waddle had five catches for 109 yards and a 63-yard touchdown. Tua passed for 336 yards and the score. And running back Devon Achane had 25 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and caught seven passes for 75 yards.
Miami (1-0) will host Buffalo on “Thursday Night Football,” and Jacksonville (0-1) will host Cleveland on Sunday.
Pittsburgh 18, Atlanta 10: The debut of Russell Wilson in black and gold will have to wait a little longer due to a calf injury.
But kicker Chris Boswell’s calves are just fine.
Boswell hit six field goals, three of them north of 50 yards, to lift the Steelers to a road win against what many thought would be an improved Atlanta Falcons team in Atlanta on Sunday.
Boswell hit field goals of 57, 56, 51, 44, 40 and 25 yards.
Justin Fields, the former No. 1 pick for Chicago who joined Wilson in Pittsburgh in the offseason, got the start. And he also punted, a 43-yarder, when the Steelers’ punter, Cameron Johnston, was injured.
Wilson was ruled out before the game, and the win was a measure of revenge for offensive coordinator Arthur Smith – Atlanta’s former head coach, whom they fired in January.
Kirk Cousins, the former Minnesota quarterback now starting for Atlanta, went 16-of-26 for 155 yards, a touchdown to Kyle Pitts for 12 yards, and two interceptions, including one with just over two minutes left that Donte Jackson returned for 50 yards that was pretty much the game-clincher.
Fields went 17-of-23 for 156 yards and fumbled his first snap of the game, although he did recover it.
The Steelers (1-0) host Denver on Sunday; Atlanta visits Philadelphia on “Monday Night Football.”
Minnesota 28, New York Giants 6: The place where Cousins left, Minnesota, now has Sam Darnold as its starter.
And on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, Darnold was looking pretty good.
The former Southern Cal standout and No. 3 overall pick threw two touchdown passes and the Vikings routed the Giants here on Sunday. The Vikings also had an interception return from Andrew Van Ginkel, a one-handed grab that he returned 10 yards, in the win.
Darnold’s TD passes went to – no surprise – Justin Jefferson for 3 yards, and Jalen Nailor, for 21. Aaron Jones, coming over from Green Bay, had a 3-yard touchdown run for the Vikings’ other touchdown, set up by a 22-yard pass from Darnold to Josh Oliver.
Darnold went 19-of-24 for 208 yards and the scores. And he might be doing it for the length of the season: rookie J.J. McCarthy from Michigan suffered a knee injury in training camp and isn’t expected to play in 2024.
The Giants, who were booed loudly on their exit, had only two field goals to show on the day: Graham Gano from 23 yards, and from 50 yards.
The Giants went 6-11 a year ago. Daniel Jones went 22-of-42 for 186 yards and two interceptions: the one by Van Ginkel, and another by safety Harrison Smith.
Minnesota will host San Francisco on Sunday, and the Giants will visit Washington.
New England 16, Cincinnati 10: In Cincinnati, someone other than Bill Belichick was the head coach for the New England Patriots for the first time since 2000.
And that someone, Jerod Mayo, got a Gatorade bath after the game, upsetting the Cincinnati Bengals, who looked, frankly, punchless in the season opener at home.
Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 120 yards and a touchdown and the Patriots got three field goals from Joey Slye, and held off the Bengals in what some might see as an eye-opener.
Jacoby Brissett got the start at quarterback for New England instead of first-round pick Drake Maye, and did enough to help the Patriots get the win. He went 15-of-24 for 121 yards.
Mayo, of course, was a Patriot himself, a linebacker for Belichick who helped them win Super Bowls. Mayo is only 38 years old.
Stevenson’s touchdown, a 3-yard run, was in the first quarter. Cincinnati continually went three-and-out, and then when they did have success – driving all the way to New England’s 15-yard-line, Tanner Hudson was stripped by Patriots’ safety Kyle Dugger, and the loose ball was recovered by cornerback Marcus Jones, a missed Bengals opportunity.
Burrow went 21-of-29 for 164 yards.
His friend from LSU and receiver Ja’Marr Chase had six catches for 62 yards, and was rumored to be dealing with food poisoning this week.
The Bengals’ lone touchdown: a 5-yard run by Zack Moss. The other score: a 51-yard field goal by Evan McPherson.
New England (1-0) will host Seattle (1-0) on Sunday; the Bengals (0-1) play at Kansas City (1-0).
Buffalo 34, Arizona 28: In spite of Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray’s feelings after the game, the Buffalo Bills were the winners.
“I felt like we deserved to win that,” Murray said after the loss in Buffalo Sunday to the Bills. “We should have won.”
Maybe so. After all, they did lead 17-3 at one point. But there is something to be said for a comeback, and the Bills – who are pretty famous for them – made one, coming all the way back to get in front in the third quarter on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen to Khalil Shakir.
Murray had fumbled the ball back to Buffalo on a strip-sack by Greg Rousseau five plays earlier.
Murray went 21-of-31 for 162 yards and a touchdown (to Michael Wilson), but in the second half, Murray went 5-of-12 for 23 yards.
First-round draft pick Marvin Harrison Jr. had one catch for 4 yards.
Allen, on the other hand, scored on a leaping touchdown with 8 ½ minutes left to give the Bills a 31-20 edge they wouldn’t give up. Buffalo outscored Arizona 28-3 in the second half.
Allen went 18-of-23 for 232 yards, threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more in the win.
Buffalo is seeking a fifth straight AFC East title this season. Arizona would just like to get out of the NFC West cellar. The Cardinals looked good early, scoring on all three of their first three drives before Buffalo made its comeback.
Arizona will host the L.A. Rams on Sunday, the first of three straight at home for the Cardinals.
The Bills have a short week – they’re at AFC East rival Miami on “Thursday Night Football.”
New Orleans 47, Carolina 10: There’s something to be said for having to open the season with a division rival.
And there’s something to be said for running that division rival slap out of your building.
That’s what Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints did on Sunday, routing the hapless Carolina Panthers, 47-10 – they scored 30 points in the first half and scored on their first nine possessions.
Carr threw three touchdown passes in the game and Jamaal Willilams and Alvin Kamara – remember him? – each ran for one in the rout, and Blake Grupe booted four field goals, two of them farther than 50 yards in the win, the most points ever scored by the Saints in a season opener.
Carolina, coming off a 2-15 season, looked like it might be another. Quarterback Bryce Young continues to struggle: 13-of-30 for 161 yards and two interceptions (Will Harris, Jordan Howden). He was also sacked three times: twice by Alontae Taylor, and once by Demario Davis.
Carr went 19-of-23 for 200 yards and the three scores, one of them a 59-yarder to Rashid Shaheed early in the game. The other two scores: to Foster Moreau and Juwan Johnson.
Carolina’s touchdown was a 3-yard run by Young in the third quarter.
Carolina will host the L.A. Chargers this Sunday; the Saints will visit the Dallas Cowboys, also on Sunday.
Houston 29, Indianapolis 27: Two new Houston Texans helped the team leave an AFC South rival wondering what might have been in this two-point best-game-of-the-day candidate in Indianapolis.
Stefon Diggs, who came over from Buffalo in the offseason, had two touchdown catches from C.J. Stroud, and Joe Mixon had 159 yards rushing and a touchdown in the victory for Houston (1-0), who was a surprise last year – but might be in the role of favorite this time.
Stroud went 24-of-32 for 234 yards, and found Diggs six times: two of them for scores, a 9-yarder and a 2-yarder with 4 ½ minutes left. Nico Collins had 117 yards receiving on six catches, as well.
Mixon had 30 carries, helping the Texans hold the ball for 40 minutes of possession time.
Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson, who had an injured shoulder last season and didn’t get to finish his rookie year, went 9-of-19 for 212 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and 56 yards rushing on six carries. Jonathan Taylor had 48 yards on 16 carries, and Alec Pierce had three catches for 125 yards.
The Colts make the trip to Green Bay’s Lambeau Field on Sunday. Houston will host Chicago on “Sunday Night Football.”
L.A. Chargers 22, Las Vegas 10: Jim Harbaugh did magic with the San Francisco 49ers in his first stint in the NFL, over a decade ago.
Harbaugh came in to the offices of a once-proud franchise that had fallen on hard times, and restored them to a Super Bowl contender, and very quickly. Before long, the Niners were back in the Super Bowl, in fact, although they lost that game to Harbaugh’s brother, John, and the Baltimore Ravens.
His relationship with ownership and then-GM Trent Baalke fell apart, and Harbaugh returned to college, rebuilt alma mater Michigan into a national power and won the national title last year, and now he’s back in the NFL.
And baby, look out.
Harbaugh and his new team, the L.A. Chargers, won Harbaugh’s return game on Sunday, dealing AFC West rival Las Vegas a 22-10 loss at L.A.’s Sofi Stadium.
As one might, maybe would expect from a Harbaugh-coached team, the Chargers were heavy on the run: 135 yards, 10 carries, and a fourth-quarter touchdown by J.K. Dobbins.
It wasn’t easy. He had a 46-yard run to set up a field goal by Cameron Dicker and give the Chargers a 9-7 lead midway through the third quarter, and then scored on a 12-yard run on the first play of the fourth.
Leading 16-10, he had a 61-yard run to the Raiders’ 14-yard-line, and then quarterback Justin Herbert hooked up with Ladd McConkey for a 10-yard touchdown that was too much for the Raiders to overcome.
Herbert went 17-of-26 for 144 yards and the score. Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew went 25-of-33 for 257 yards, a touchdown and an interception in his first game for the franchise.
The Raiders will have to deal with a mad group of Baltimore Ravens, as they visit Baltimore on Sunday – Baltimore lost Thursday night’s NFL opener when officials reversed a touchdown pass caught late in the game by tight end Isaiah Lively that might have tied the contest.
The Chargers will visit Carolina, also on Sunday.
Seattle 26, Denver 20: For the first time in what seems like decades, someone other than Pete Carroll is now the Seattle Seahawks head coach.
Mike Macdonald won his first game on Sunday as the Seahawks’ new leader, and it wasn’t easy, but running back Kenneth Walker III helped.
Walker had 103 yards and a touchdown – 84 of those yards in the second half – as the Seahawks held off rookie quarterback Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos at Lumen Field in Seattle.
Denver was up 13-9 at the half on – oddly enough – two safeties.
Seattle quarterback Geno Smith also had a 34-yard touchdown pass in the game, and threw a 30-yarder to Zach Charbonnet on the fourth quarter’s first play – that one put Seattle up 26-13.
Smith wound up 18-of-25 for 171 yards and the two scores.
Nix finished 26-of-42 for 138 yards and two interceptions. He scored on a 4-yard run with 2:09 left to get the Broncos within a touchdown (26-20), but Denver had only 231 total yards.
And Carroll was actually coach of the Seahawks for 14 seasons, winning one Super Bowl, getting them back to another, by the way.
Denver will host Pittsburgh for its home opener on Sunday. The Seahawks get to travel to New England.
Tampa Bay 37, Washington 20: So, how’s Baker Mayfield doing these days?
The former No. 1 overall pick, who became a journeyman, is not really a journeyman anymore. And “all” he did Sunday was throw for 289 yards and four touchdowns to help the Buccaneers – now his team – beat the visiting Washington Commanders, 37-20.
Mike Evans caught two of Mayfield’s touchdowns, and Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan caught the other two. Mayfield went 24-of-30 without a pick.
Godwin finished with eight catches for 83 yards and the score.
Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels, a rookie and last season’s Heisman Trophy winner at LSU, made his debut for the Commanders, as did head coach Dan Quinn, the former Atlanta head coach and most recently, the Dallas defensive coordinator.
Daniels ran for two 1-yard scores, both in the second half, and finished with 88 rushing yards. He completed 17-of-24 passes for 184 yards, no touchdowns but no interceptions, and was sacked twice.
He’ll get his home debut Sunday against the New York Giants. And Tampa will hit the road on Sunday to face the Detroit Lions in a rematch from the NFC playoffs.
Dallas 33, Cleveland 17: How does Dak Prescott, quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, celebrate a new four-year, $240 million contract?
Well, by sitting on the sidelines after going 19-of-32 for 179 yards, and watching his defense eat up the Cleveland Browns like a starving man at a Burger King at 10:30 a.m.
Prescott’s performance included a 21-yard touchdown to Brandin Cooks in the first quarter. Running back Ezekiel Elliott had a 3-yard touchdown in his return to the Cowboys, and KaVontae Turpin had a 60-yard punt return for a score. Dallas built a 27-3 lead early in the second half.
Dallas’ kicker, Brandon Aubrey, hit field goals of 57, 50, 46 and 40 yards.
And the Dallas ‘D’ was a monster. DeShaun Watson was sacked six times and intercepted twice. Watson went 24-of-45 for 169 yards.
The Cowboys will host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Cleveland will travel to Jacksonville, also on Sunday.
Detroit 26, L.A. Rams 20 (overtime): The good folks at NBC would love for all of their “Sunday Night Football” games to come down to this.
David Montgomery scored on a 1-yard touchdown run in overtime to give the Detroit Lions – now dubbed a Super Bowl contender after the success last season – a 26-20 win over former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and his Los Angeles Rams at Ford Field on Sunday night.
Detroit (1-0) almost blew the game. Jake Bates tied the game with a 32-yard kick to send it to overtime before Montgomery’s 1-yard score ended it in the extra session.
The Rams (0-1) never got the ball in the OT, as the Lions won the toss and then Montgomery scored on the drive.
The Rams really lost more than the game: Puka Nacua, a second-year receiver that was spectacular as a rookie, suffered an injury, and his status was unclear at the time we’re writing this.
The Lions led 17-3 early in the third quarter after Jared Goff connected with Jameson Williams for a 52-yard score – until the Rams came back and got in front.
Stafford, who was the Lions’ quarterback for 12 years before being traded to L.A., and winning a Super Bowl there, was politely cheered prior to the game. Stafford finished 34-of-49 for 317 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Cooper Kupp, his lead target in most games, had 14 catches for 110 yards.
Goff went 18-of-28 for 217 yards, the touchdown to Williams, and an interception. Williams had five catches for 121 yards and the score.
Montgomery finished with 91 yards and the game-winner on 17 carries, and Jahmyr Gibbs also ran for 40 yards and a TD for the Lions (1-0).
Detroit will host Tampa Bay on Sunday; the Rams will head to Arizona.
