The Ringer - Everything You Need to Know About Week 1 of the 2018 NFL Season2018-09-12T08:25:00-04:00http://www.theringer.com/rss/stream/175964492018-09-12T08:25:00-04:002018-09-12T08:25:00-04:00Just a Number: How Some of the NFL’s Over-the-Hill Players Dominated Week 1
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<p>The league gets younger every year, but there’s still clear value in keeping some veterans around</p> <aside id="SuVRSp"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 1 of the 2018 NFL Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/7/17832408/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-1-of-the-2018-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="AKGJVE">Football’s always been a young-man’s game—the NFL season is an arduous and unforgiving battle of physical attrition, particularly for players with less tread on the tires. But paired with the rookie wage scale that incentivizes teams to lean more on cheaper players locked into their fixed-cost rookie contracts, the NFL is younger than ever. Per <a href="https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2018/snap-weighted-age-2017-nfl-rosters">Football Outsiders</a>, the average snap-weighted age of each roster last season—i.e., the average age of the most important contributors on each team—was 26.46 years, breaking the record set the year before (<a href="https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2017/snap-weighted-age-2016-nfl-rosters">a mark that had broken the record set the year before that</a>, which had broken the record the year before that, and so on ...). With the league’s Benjamin Button act over the past few years, <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2016/9/7/16077250/the-nfl-has-an-age-problem-7068825845e4">the football hasn’t gotten better</a>—and more important, the youngest teams haven’t always had more success. </p>
<p id="cW3bHf">In fact, last year, <a href="https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2018/snap-weighted-age-2017-nfl-rosters">five of the league’s seven oldest teams</a> (the Bills, Panthers, Vikings, Patriots, and Eagles) went to the postseason, and the Super Bowl matchup (New England and Philadelphia) featured the fifth- and seventh-oldest squads, respectively. Going back to 2011—when the current league CBA was adopted—just two of the 14 Super Bowl squads ranked outside of the top 11 oldest: the 2013 and 2014 Seahawks (third-youngest both years). This suggests that while the speed and explosiveness young players bring to the table absolutely matters—and by the way, last year, exciting playoff squads like the Rams, Jaguars, and Saints were all among the league’s youngest—veteran savvy, bought only by years of experience, can certainly play a big part in success, too.</p>
<p id="0Fz9Wf">So, uh, does that mean we’ve been wrong to mercilessly pan Raiders head coach Jon Gruden for quickly assembling <a href="https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/09/02/jon-grudens-raiders-are-the-oldest-nfl-roster-in-years/">one of the league’s oldest teams in years</a>? After all, the current CBA creates a conundrum for coaches and decision-makers, who are allotted less practice time now than ever before with which to teach players techniques, football fundamentals, and schemes. If coaches don’t have the time to teach players their core concepts, is there an advantage in stocking your roster with the guys who’ve been around long enough to have already learned them? </p>
<p id="t0ovXu">After watching 32-year-old, 11-year veteran Marshawn Lynch—who played under Raiders offensive line coach Tom Cable in Seattle, too, by the way—carry basically the entire Rams defense into the end zone on <em>Monday Night Football</em>, I admit my cynicism about old teams began to wane slightly.</p>
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<p id="hnY6D1">This was further aided by 31-year-old journeyman tight end Jared Cook doing his own beast-mode impression in the opener, too, racking up nine catches for 180 yards in defeat.</p>
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<p id="2Nm8cP">The Raiders aren’t exactly a great example of the value in investing in the veteran middle class (those players with four-plus years of experience making less than “star” money) though, as Oakland doesn’t have much of a young talent base with which to augment those veteran players—especially after trading away pass rusher Khalil Mack. But the Raiders aside, it seemed like every time I looked up over the weekend, there was some “over-the-hill” guy making a big play, driving home the impact that players on the wrong side of 30—and I’m not just talking quarterbacks and kickers—can still make in the league. </p>
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<p class="p--has-dropcap" id="M8lkVy">Week 1 put a spotlight on the value a few of the league’s most weathered veteran players bring to their teams—the type of players that teams tend to toss aside these days in favor of younger, cheaper guys on rookie deals (in fact, some teams—the Bears, Texans, Chiefs, Jets—all feature just one or two major contributors over the age of 30 at all). One was even a last-minute signing that probably would have still been on the street had Derrius Guice not torn his ACL. </p>
<p id="ktXAw7">Adrian Peterson paced the Redskins offense on Sunday, rushing 26 times for 96 yards and a score while adding 70 yards on two receptions. The 33-year-old vet isn’t as explosive of a runner as he was earlier in his career, but he proved that he’s still got an effective jump cut, plenty of wiggle, and the ability to run through arm tackles. </p>
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<p id="SufPJa">Peterson was especially effective running to the outside, working off of blocks while navigating his way downfield. </p>
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<p id="OhUoQC">And Washington deployed him from a number of looks and formations, with Peterson showing vision and creativity in the open field. </p>
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<p id="Haw7sS">It’s early, but he looked like the type of foundational running back Washington’s badly missed over the past few seasons.</p>
<p id="Oseowo">He wasn’t alone. In Miami, despite splitting time with 24-year-old backfield mate Kenyan Drake, Frank Gore—now 35—showed few signs of slowing in his advanced NFL age. The former Colts and Niners great, now with the Dolphins on a one-year, $1.1 million contract, ran the ball nine times for 61 yards in the marathon game, making up for a relative lack of juice by demonstrating the vision to pick running lanes, both between the tackles and on the outside. </p>
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<p id="i2nNM4">Gore outrushed Drake and posted a 66.7 percent success rate on his runs, <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/LateRoundQB/status/1039213144277770240">best at the position league-wide on Sunday, per numberFire</a>. Not shabby for a guy who’s been in the league for 14 years. </p>
<p id="VIFOHu">In the Thursday night opener between the Falcons and Eagles, 35-year-old running back Darren Sproles got the start in the backfield. It was tough sledding for the veteran on the ground—he carried the ball just five times for 10 yards—but his talent as a pass catcher in the open field showed up when it mattered most. Sproles grabbed four passes for 22 yards, including this crucial third-down conversion in the fourth quarter, extending what would be the game-winning drive. </p>
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<p id="oleUdY">Receiver Brandon Marshall returned to his old stomping grounds in Denver on Sunday to reel in three of his six targets for 46 yards and a touchdown for the Seahawks, just narrowly missing out on a second score (called back due to offensive pass interference). Never a real speedster even in his prime, Marshall now relies on his size and route-running to make hay. Midway through the third quarter, he saw quarterback Russell Wilson break the pocket and, reacting instantly, broke off his original route and drifted toward the back of the end zone. Wilson lofted it up, and Marshall pulled it down. </p>
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<p id="MKnEEP">The veteran got away with a slight push-off just before the catch—but that’s just the type of subtle hand-fighting that many of the league’s elite receivers utilize to make plays against talented, often faster defenders. As <a href="https://twitter.com/DannyBKelly/status/803336495461384192">Michael Irvin once said</a>, winning the ball “doesn’t require you to be masterful in your feet, ability, your cuts, it requires you to be masterful [in] your understanding of timing. I need to be open at the last second when the ball’s arriving, because I’m only going to be open for that second.”</p>
<p id="KvO30z">Saints receiver Ted Ginn Jr. showed that type of late separation Sunday against the Buccaneers, too. The 33-year-old, 12th-year pro showed off some sage route-running skills against rookie corner Carlton Davis, going out and up to get free down the sideline. </p>
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<p id="yydVxl">Ginn, in the second year of a three-year, $11 million deal, isn’t quite the burner he was coming out of Ohio State in 2007, but with a finer understanding of how to use his footwork and head to deceive defensive backs, he’s still more than capable of getting behind a defense. Once known more for his drops than anything else, Ginn has not only kept his role as the Saints’ no. 2 receiver, he has quietly become one of the most efficient pass catchers in the NFL. Last year, he finished <a href="https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/stats/receiving/2017/all#catch-percentage">third in catch rate</a> (75.7 percent, behind Benjamin Watson and Golden Tate) and <a href="https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/wr">second among wide receivers in DVOA</a>, and he’s gotten off to a nice start in 2018, reeling in five out of six targets for 68 yards and a score on Sunday. </p>
<p id="7KjSPt">Speaking of aging speedsters, Buccaneers receiver DeSean Jackson is still out here, stressing defenses vertically and giving the safeties and corners tasked with coverage nightmares. </p>
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<p id="yVZSiI">Jackson caught five passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game with a concussion, and his uncanny ability to track the ball in the air while running at full speed is still a dangerous combination for Tampa Bay. </p>
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<p class="p--has-dropcap" id="8HxfPC">Change happens slowly in the NFL. A league-wide pendulum swing toward older, more experienced rosters may not come this year, and unless the NFL collectively bargains a radically different CBA in 2021, it may not come at all. </p>
<p id="jH8Abt">For teams, stocking the shelves with young players offers tantalizing upside long term: Get a 21-year-old quarterback like Sam Darnold or, say, a 23-year-old running back like Christian McCaffery into your program, and by the time he’s ready for that second contract, he’s still just 26 years old and yet to enter his prime. And from the players’ perspective, with the way the league’s contract structure is set up (with a rookie contract structure in place), there’s millions of reasons to declare early: It’s the best way to get a head-start on that rookie deal, because once that four- or five-year fixed-rate contract is up, you finally have a shot at the big money. As <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/age-played-a-bigger-role-in-the-nfl-draft-its-about-time/"><em>FiveThirtyEight</em></a> pointed out in May, the total number of underclassmen to declare each year has exploded since the new CBA took hold in 2011. <a href="https://birdbreakdown.com/2014/05/14/undrafted-underclassmen/">From 2000 to 2011</a>, an average of 49 underclassmen declared each year. Since the 2012 draft, it has been 87 a year; and in 2018, a<a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22154259/record-number-underclassmen-declare-nfl-draft"> record 106 underclassmen</a> entered the draft. </p>
<p id="BjfoOS">While there are plenty of advantages in adding younger players—both monetarily and from a health or mileage perspective—it’s worth watching whether there’s a tipping point for the number of green, underdeveloped players coaches are willing to take on. The gold standard for championship building, Bill Belichick’s Patriots, <a href="https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2018/snap-weighted-age-2017-nfl-rosters">have been one of the top 10 oldest teams in eight of the past 12 seasons</a>. Tom Brady alone isn’t enough to skew their average, either. New England heads into 2018 with the third-oldest roster, per Jimmy Kempski’s <a href="https://www.phillyvoice.com/ranking-nfl-teams-age-after-53-man-cutdowns-2018-edition/">initial 53-man roster survey</a> (which is now slightly out of date, but useful as a basic guide). The Patriots have even <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2017/6/7/16037280/nfl-pick-player-trades-new-england-patriots-329152442230">punted some of their draft picks over the past few years in favor of more proven, ready-to-play commodities</a>. Meanwhile, the Eagles’ decision to add a handful of veteran role players last offseason like Patrick Robinson, LeGarrette Blount, and Chris Long paid off big.</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="Zdg83W">This year, relative senior citizens like Gore, Marshall, Ginn, and Lynch, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3KUEkxkbKc">while slow and dangerous behind the wheel</a>, can still serve a purpose, because with little practice time, having a cadre of older vets—players who know how to make all the correct reads, how to decipher an opponent’s scheme, or, <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/11/2/16596392/offensive-line-crisis-league-midseason">for linemen, even something as simple as the ability to play from a three-point stance</a>—could provide teams with a competitive edge.</p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/12/17850044/old-players-veterans-week-1Danny Kelly2018-09-11T16:19:38-04:002018-09-11T16:19:38-04:00Five Massive Overreactions to Week 1 of the NFL
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<p>The Steelers and Bills look to be in trouble, while the Vikings and Chiefs rolled—which of these early narratives are for real?</p> <aside id="8v5sLf"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 1 of the 2018 NFL Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/7/17832408/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-1-of-the-2018-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="oqPJbC">Overreacting to any single week of football is neither prudent nor profitable, but what else are we supposed to do after Week 1 in the NFL? Overreacting to small sample sizes is synonymous with football itself. So let’s look at the biggest overreactions from the season opener and see whether [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFdJza0AbeA"><em>Cousin Vinny voice</em></a>] any of the cases hold watuh:</p>
<h3 id="V8Vpt0">The Steelers Are the Pretenders in the AFC</h3>
<p id="AlXU9F"><strong>The Overreaction:</strong> Six turnovers and a tie — a tie! — against the lowly Browns. Pittsburgh is the playoff favorite who will drop off in 2018, and Mike Tomlin will be on the hot seat by Halloween.</p>
<p id="SyE6LL"><strong>The Reality:</strong> That isn’t a wild overreaction. It’s tempting to compare this to Week 1 of last year, when the Steelers sleep-walked into a three-point win against the Browns and went on to earn a first-round bye. The issue is that last season the Steelers went 8–2 in one-possession games, which is likely to regress, and Pittsburgh has a bad habit of playing down to its competition (see last season against Chicago and Indianapolis).</p>
<p id="ym97id">James Conner played great in Le’Veon Bell’s absence, but no matter how well he runs, he won’t bring the same receiving dimension into the Steelers offense that elevated them from great to the best skill group in football. But while Bell is the Yinzer scapegoat du jour, Pittsburgh’s bigger problem is its defense, and the blame could spread to Tomlin after a slow start. Pittsburgh had the second-highest rate of missed tackles on run plays last season, prompting the coaching staff to <a href="https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2018/8/20/17747212/steelers-emphasis-on-tackling-this-offseason-shows-little-impact-on-gameday-jon-bostic-joe-haden-nfl">emphasize tackling</a> this offseason. It didn’t work in Cleveland, and the open-field tackling is unlikely to get much better in their home opener against Kansas City, who just shredded the Chargers with the best open-field runners in football.</p>
<h3 id="0cWYFp">The Vikings Are Horns and Helmets Above the Rest of the League</h3>
<p id="vdzc2O"><strong>The Overreaction:</strong> Minnesota exposed San Francisco and is about to rampage its way through the NFC.</p>
<p id="tdINnM"><strong>The Reality:</strong> At every spot on their defense, the Vikings have an above-average player, but they are far from an invincible unit. As ESPN’s Bill Barnwell <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24228491/nfl-teams-most-likely-decline-win-fewer-games-2018-projections-schedule">pointed out</a> in July, Minnesota’s astounding defense allowed just 25 percent of third-down conversions last season, a figure that led the league by so much that it will be almost impossible to duplicate. In their first game, the Vikings allowed the 49ers to convert five of 13 third downs (38.5 percent), which was almost exactly the median league conversion percentage last year. It could have been worse — the 49ers flubbed a number of big plays, including tight end George Kittle <a href="https://twitter.com/johndavidfraley/status/1038863371351670784">dropping a long pass</a> before <a href="https://twitter.com/Rob_Lowder/status/1038863794670198784">a pick-six</a> on the next play, and Jimmy Garoppolo <a href="https://twitter.com/Rob_Lowder/status/1038875744145891328">missing Kittle in the end zone</a>, which forced the Niners to settle for a field goal.</p>
<p id="s2kfqj">Even a small defensive regression might mean the defense won’t be able to cover up all the warts on offense. Minnesota’s offensive line was shaken up due to retirements and injuries this offseason, and it is <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/8/30/17801476/nfl-weak-links-patriots-jaguars-rams">the weak link</a> in the Vikings’ armor (though the TV show <em>Vikings</em> taught me that Vikings didn’t wear armor, just <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=vikings+outfits&rlz=1C5AVSZ_enUS801US802&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiZ7_vxm7HdAhWnxFQKHYBwDvkQ_AUICigB&biw=1121&bih=627#imgrc=HC9A33HDOkEWcM:">leather that shows too much skin</a> for the Nordic cold). San Francisco’s defensive line sacked Kirk Cousins three times on Sunday, and managed to hold Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray to a combined 82 yards on 27 carries (3.04 yards per attempt). Vikings blockers struggled to get the linebackers at the second level.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fred Warner introduces himself to the NFL and shows why fast, smart ILBs are all the rage. Warner IDs the run immediately, and the pulling center can't get over in time to block him. When the 49ers have both Warner and Reuben Foster at the same time, it'll be hard to run on them. <a href="https://t.co/6Q2SXLPxkI">pic.twitter.com/6Q2SXLPxkI</a></p>— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) <a href="https://twitter.com/LombardiHimself/status/1039171869968986113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2018</a>
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<p id="gGRvkX">The Vikings face Packers defensive tackles Muhammad Wilkerson and Mike Daniels in Week 2, and then the best two defensive lines in football in the Rams and Eagles back-to-back in weeks 4 and 5, both on the road. Those squads are capable of dominating Minnesota’s offensive line, stifling the run game and forcing Kirk Cousins out of the pocket (which is also out of his comfort zone). Minnesota’s roster is stacked, but their weaknesses — a struggling offensive line and a quarterback who isn’t at his best when improvising — can cascade.</p>
<h3 id="SBiGF0">The Chiefs Are the AFC Favorites</h3>
<p id="8Xo4Pu"><strong>The Overreaction: </strong>Patrick Mahomes II is God.</p>
<p id="kIOjtF"><strong>The Reality: </strong>Andy Reid is the patron saint of September play-calling. The Chiefs offense once again <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/11/17844496/patrick-mahomes-ii-is-here-to-save-the-deep-ball-and-destroy-the-nfl">demolished a Week 1 opponent with innovative concepts and deep passing</a>, but the defense was a cause for concern. Kansas City gave up 541 yards and 33 first downs to the Chargers, each of which was the worst in Week 1 through Sunday. It could have been much worse. The Chargers were plagued by some inopportune drops, including Travis Benjamin dropping an underthrown ball on what should have been a touchdown that would have given L.A. the halftime lead.</p>
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<p id="QOSiaX">Cornerback Kendall Fuller can’t be expected to fill the void left by All-Pro Marcus Peters, and though safety Eric Berry will return soon, he won’t be enough to fix whatever happened on Sunday. The Chiefs are relying on a ragtag collection of theoretical playmakers like linebackers Dee Ford and Reggie Ragland, and (way) past-their-prime players like pass rusher Justin Houston and cornerback Orlando Scandrick, who is 31 and has been a weak link in defenses since he was 26 (Cowboys fans are nodding). The only offense better than the Chiefs’ this season might be any decent team facing Kansas City.</p>
<h3 id="si7FYL">The Saints Are the Pretenders in the NFC</h3>
<p id="XFhVi7"><strong>The Overreaction: </strong>They spent all offseason whining about the Minneapolis Miracle and then lost to Ryan Fitzmagic. Their defense sucks again. <em>You are the weakest link in the NFC South — goodbye!</em></p>
<p id="eWXFd9"><strong>The Reality:</strong></p>
<p id="3m3K1Z"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fancy-stats/wp/2017/09/18/the-saints-defense-off-to-a-historically-bad-start-and-not-even-drew-brees-can-overcome-it/?utm_term=.3485a88b2de2">“The Saints’ defense off to a historically bad start and not even Drew Brees can overcome it</a>”</p>
<p id="BW8kkL">“<a href="https://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/sports/saints/article_ea5f03b4-9755-11e7-ae92-7ba07f8eefff.html">Saints defense looks dismal in season-opening loss…</a>”</p>
<p id="T0rHyo">“<a href="https://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2017/09/saints_mailbag_patriots.html">Saints postgame mailbag: Is this defense worse than the 2012 unit?</a>”</p>
<p id="H3CdBg">Those were headlines after Week 1 last season<em>, </em>when a previously moribund Vikings offense destroyed the Saints on<em> Monday Night Football</em>. The plot twist was that Minnesota had a fantastic offense the rest of the season, and the Saints sported their best defense in years. There’s a chance that Sunday was a similar phenomenon. Yes, the Bucs’ performance is partially because Fitzpatrick does this sometimes, but it’s also because head coach Dirk Koetter handed play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Todd Monken. (It’s amazing what happens when someone’s full-time job is to focus on the offense!)</p>
<p id="4TZbHz">The Bucs are far more talented than they got credit for in the preseason, and the Saints are way too talented to write off after one bad game. They are still stacked with young talent at premium positions. The defense might need a couple of more weeks to marinate, but the offense looked elite even without Mark Ingram, who will return <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU9JoFKlaZ0">when September ends</a>. Bet on the talent to come along in the next few weeks against the Browns, Falcons, and Giants.</p>
<h3 id="v327Pq">The Bills Are the Browns Now</h3>
<p id="uVVYvf"><strong>The Overreaction:</strong> They don’t need a quarterback. They need to repent. The Bills lost 47–3, and Nathan Peterman had a passer rating of zero. Less than one year after breaking its playoff drought, Buffalo is the odds-on-favorite for the no. 1 overall pick in 2019.</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="12TGON"><strong>The Reality:</strong> It’s all true. Only the Bills could turn Joe Flacco’s greatest fear — getting benched for Lamar Jackson — into a triumph. The Bills have the worst quarterback situation in football, and now they have to choose between sending ninth overall project Josh Allen to the wolves against the Chargers, Vikings, Packers, Titans, and Texans in the next five games, or send Peterman back out against the Chargers, who picked him off five times in his first half last year. Both seem cruel and unusual, which is par for the course in Buffalo. That situation is exacerbated by Buffalo’s depth chart, which boasts perhaps the worst receiving corps <em>and</em> offensive line groups in the NFL. There are a lot of overreactions on this list, but <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/9/17838624/buffalo-bills-baltimore-ravens-josh-allen-week-1">the Bills being hopeless</a> is the only thing we know for sure.</p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/11/17847404/week-1-nfl-overreactions-pittsburgh-steelers-buffalo-billsDanny Heifetz2018-09-11T15:14:23-04:002018-09-11T15:14:23-04:00Lombardi’s Week 1 Reactions
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<img alt="Chicago Bears v Green Bay Packers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fuhY51Whm_LYxAWUgx4eZ9zwNqg=/97x0:2949x2139/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61289943/1030171352.jpg.0.jpg" />
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<p>Who gave the best performances to start the NFL season? </p> <div id="Elte1a"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/3YmpZsb1qVecOguR7oINWe" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>
<p id="aWj4AH"><a href="https://art19.com/shows/the-ringer-nfl-show/episodes/02623216-ee04-47c6-a892-f5ec53d8be3d">Michael Lombardi and Tate Frazier highlight</a> five standout performances from the opening weekend, discuss and debunk Week 1 narratives, and give out awards for who stole the show to start the season.</p>
<p id="YPFVp6"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fthe-ringer-nfl-show%2Fid1109282822%3Fmt%3D2">Apple Podcasts</a> / <a href="https://art19.com/shows/the-ringer-nfl-show">Art19</a> / <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-ringer/ringer-nfl-show">Stitcher</a> / <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/ringernflshow">RSS</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/2018/9/11/17847242/lombardi-week-1-reactionsMichael LombardiTate Frazier2018-09-11T12:45:22-04:002018-09-11T12:45:22-04:00Are the Jets Super Bowl–Bound or Are the Lions Just Trash? A Fan’s Internal Debate.
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<p>Sam Darnold and the Jets beat Detroit by 31 points in Week 1. It’s time to dream, baby.</p> <aside id="i14umM"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 1 of the 2018 NFL Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/7/17832408/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-1-of-the-2018-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="x4jP14">As a fan of the New York Jets, I have spent most of my life waiting for my favorite football team to look competent. Instead, they have cemented their status as one of the funniest franchises in professional sports, a consistent laughingstock whose attempts at competence have only dug them deeper into failure. Yes, they made the AFC championship game two years in a row within the past decade. However, this feat was accomplished by a quarterback best known for once losing possession of the football by slamming his head into an enormous ass.</p>
<p id="TGVC61">The Jets opened a new season with a prime-time game on <em>Monday Night Football</em>, and with a new quarterback, Sam Darnold, a <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/8/17/17715104/sam-darnold-new-york-jets-quarterback-career">purported franchise savior</a>. As with all Jets games, my dream result was for the team not to look embarrassing. I hoped, maybe, for Darnold to make a good pass or two, and for the Jets to stay in striking range for most of the evening. After all, they were touchdown underdogs against the Lions on the road.</p>
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<p id="EFdxEm">Yet the Jets won 48-17, tied for the fourth-highest single-game scoring output in franchise history. They scored on offense, defense, and special teams. They managed 31 points in the third quarter alone, the most points any team has scored in a third quarter in modern NFL history.</p>
<div class="c-float-left"><aside id="M0kX7C"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Sam Darnold Looks Like the Quarterback the Jets Have Been Searching For","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/10/17844718/sam-darnold-new-york-jets-detroit-lions-rookie-debut"}]}'></div></aside></div>
<p id="QEqlp3">It was bliss. I could see my entire life unfold before me. I made a joke about the Jets winning the Super Bowl, and then thought, <em>Hey, what if the Jets actually win the Super Bowl someday?</em> For the first time, I contemplated the indescribable wave of joy I would experience should that happen. I foresaw the birth of my first child, who emerged from the womb with Sam Darnold’s massive, confusingly shaped adult head, complete with the weird stubble that he can’t seem to get rid of. I foresaw my death, at a ripe old age, having experienced many Jets championships, and a rainbow walkway appeared to guide me to paradise. Every color on the rainbow was a different, beautiful shade of the Jets’ signature drab green. </p>
<p id="L0e8a6">This all happened because of one game, against <em>the Detroit Lions. </em>Eventually, I snapped back to reality. Now, I’d like to present a look at my mind-set, and the debate taking place between two loud voices in my head: that of the Jets fan and that of the person whose job it is to be rational about football. Are the Jets Super Bowl–bound, or was their spectacular Week 1 a reflection of the awesome power of the Lions’ crappiness?</p>
<p id="X83VSE"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Are Going to the Super Bowl:</strong> Sam Darnold has played one NFL game. In that one game, the Jets had to actively stop themselves from scoring 50 points, closing the fourth quarter by taking a knee in the red zone. Do you know the last quarterback to win his NFL debut by more than 30 points? <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1039525913124331520">TOM BRADY</a>, the greatest QB of all time. That’s where I am right now: Darnold’s performance was so good that it has me unabashedly acknowledging Tom Brady’s greatness. </p>
<p id="Do2k4g"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Only Won Because the Lions Are Complete and Utter Trash: </strong>This was Darnold’s first pass.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sam Darnold's first career NFL pass is a pick-6!<br><br>( ESPN, 7:10pm ET)<a href="https://t.co/MBK8gJaQec">pic.twitter.com/MBK8gJaQec</a></p>— ESPN (@espn) <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1039291996685430784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2018</a>
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<p id="zmGwEp"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Are Going to the Super Bowl:</strong><em><strong> </strong></em>First of all, shut the hell up. Second of all, Brett Favre’s first career NFL pass was also a pick-six, and he turned out just fine. (Sorry: <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2018/8/8/17662752/brett-favre-new-york-jets-2008-week"><em>Hall of Fame </em>Jets<em> QB</em> Brett Favre</a>.) Third of all, can you really prove that Darnold opening the game with a pick-six wasn’t a motivational tactic to make his teammates face adversity? My theory is that Darnold probably knows that most of the Jets’ 2018 regular-season wins will be blowouts, so he wanted his teammates to overcome an early challenge knowing it might come in handy during the playoffs. </p>
<p id="wjshBb">Fourth of all, Darnold also threw this pass:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sam Darnold's first career touchdown: a 41-yarder for No. 14 <br><br> <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NFL</a><a href="https://t.co/cA1JXqJmVs">pic.twitter.com/cA1JXqJmVs</a></p>— SB Nation (@SBNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/SBNation/status/1039311156031045634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2018</a>
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<p id="10C2Bg"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Only Won Because the Lions Are Complete and Utter Trash:</strong> That’s not even a good pass. Lions defensive back Tavon Wilson should have intercepted it. It was not a touchdown because of Darnold; it was a touchdown because wide receiver Robby Anderson yanked the ball out of Wilson’s hands. Darnold should have finished the night with two interceptions.</p>
<p id="2KxUIJ"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Are Going to the Super Bowl:</strong> I don’t care if it could have been intercepted. A 41-yard touchdown pass! The best Jets QB of my lifetime is probably Chad Pennington, and I’m not sure he could throw the ball 40 yards. Darnold is already a Jets legend.</p>
<p id="34h85S">After the pick-six, Darnold went 16-of-20 passing for 198 yards and two touchdowns. That comes out to a quarterback rating of 141.25. He made a rookie mistake, but then showed the maturity to bounce back from it. </p>
<p id="wlDZ2M"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Only Won Because the Lions Are Complete and Utter Trash: </strong>“After the pick-six” is the dumbest stat regularly used by football people, because it ignores the worst possible thing a quarterback can do. And besides, we can’t forget the Lions’ defensive situation. Their new head coach is Matt Patricia, who just lost the Patriots the Super Bowl because the defense he coordinated allowed a team quarterbacked by Nick Foles to put on <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl-playoffs/2018/2/5/16975312/patriots-defensive-problems-super-bowl-lii-malcolm-butler">the greatest offensive performance in Super Bowl history</a>.</p>
<p id="MCru24"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Are Going to the Super Bowl: </strong>The Jets are 9-27 against the Patriots since 2001. If the Pats’ old assistant coaches suck, what does that say about the Jets’ ex-coaches? That they never should have been allowed to eat solid food without supervision, let alone coach a football team? Actually, that kinda checks out. But we’re getting off track.</p>
<p id="VkvBnt"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Only Won Because the Lions Are Complete and Utter Trash:</strong> No, seriously, Patricia sucks. He’s proved to be bad at coaching defenses, and his offense is so basic that despite having no Patricia-coached games on tape, the Jets were able to crack Detroit’s QB signals:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">A number of Jets defenders said they knew what plays the Lions were going to run based on formation and Stafford hand signals. Allowed them to jump routes, get five picks.</p>— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanWetzel/status/1039351099721957376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2018</a>
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<p id="jEZLWM">The Jets barely even needed Darnold to be good, because the Jets’ defense had five picks.</p>
<p id="kekq4l"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Are Going to the Super Bowl: </strong>FIVE PICKS. </p>
<p id="LlDUS4"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Only Won Because the Lions Are Complete and Utter Trash:</strong> Five picks off Matt Stafford and Matt Cassel on a team coached by Matt Patricia. Lions kicker Matt Prater also missed two field goal attempts. This isn’t about the Jets. This is about Matts.</p>
<p id="1Lz2VL"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Are Going to the Super Bowl: </strong>Matt is a fine name. </p>
<p id="hJ4mCo"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Only Won Because the Lions Are Complete and Utter Trash:</strong><em> </em>“Matt” is basically the same as “Mark,” and you know firsthand that Marks are bad at football.</p>
<p id="CqH5Xx"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Are Going to the Super Bowl: </strong>There are lots of good Matts out there. Damon … McConaughey … um, Harvey ...</p>
<p id="oNYkpE"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Only Won Because the Lions Are Complete and Utter Trash:</strong> Nobody has ever called him “Matt McConaughey.” He’s a Matthew. Matthew is an adult name. Matt Stafford wants us to call him Matthew Stafford, but we refuse, because he is clearly a Matt. The Lions are infested with Matts, and that is why the Jets won. This isn’t even about the Jets. It’s about the Matts. Jets fans should have chanted <em>M-A-T-T, MATT, MATT, MATT</em>!</p>
<p id="cpH9KG">And this wasn’t even Matt Stafford’s worst game! He’s had five four-interception games in his career.</p>
<p id="tvYaTj"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Are Going to the Super Bowl: </strong>OK, sure. Matt Stafford sucks. Matt Cassel sucks. Matt Patricia sucks. It’s possible that Matts, at large, are not particularly good. </p>
<p id="A4XmpK">But these are my Jets. Stafford throws a lot of picks, but the Jets don’t get a lot of picks. This was their first five-interception game since 1999. See this?</p>
<div id="wnxtfE">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"> PICK-6 <a href="https://twitter.com/DLeeMG8?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DLeeMG8</a> takes the Stafford pass to the HOUSE. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYJvsDET?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NYJvsDET</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jets?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Jets</a><br><br> : ESPN <a href="https://t.co/xoiEKVxetG">pic.twitter.com/xoiEKVxetG</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1039323205872246784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2018</a>
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<p id="dCrhZQ">That’s the first Jets pick-six since 2013. See this?</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">J-E-T-S! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jets?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Jets</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jets?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Jets</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jets?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Jets</a><a href="https://twitter.com/AndreRoberts?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AndreRoberts</a> goes 78 yards on the punt return TD! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYJvsDET?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NYJvsDET</a><br><br> : ESPN <a href="https://t.co/ntjhCyLpAD">pic.twitter.com/ntjhCyLpAD</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1039326248902619136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2018</a>
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<p id="3iItAj">That’s the first Jets punt-return touchdown since 2012. It’s the 18th punt-return touchdown in franchise history. The Jets have had six punt-return touchdowns in my lifetime, and I’m old enough that I recently thought, “I just don’t like the rap music that high schoolers listen to these days.” </p>
<p id="TPYOYE"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Only Won Because the Lions Are Complete and Utter Trash:</strong> Seriously, what’s up with all these rap songs that sound like emo songs from 2003?</p>
<p id="wMDAhD"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Are Going to the Super Bowl: </strong>Shut up! Jesus, I’m waxing poetic here. </p>
<p id="fIyl0C">Success is not something that happens to the Jets, even in small doses. You know how the Lions are a laughingstock of a franchise? They’ve been to the playoffs three times since the Jets last went to the postseason. We just went into their house and thrashed them to the point that Jets fans were happily chanting in the middle of a road-game rout.</p>
<div id="LvT68z"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2YZSihjla9g?rel=0" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="JKBYC8">Great things normally do not happen to the New York Jets. On Monday, a bunch of great things happened to the Jets all at once, and they happened on the night that we got our first look at the most exciting player the team has had in years. It feels amazing.</p>
<p id="blxY74"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Only Won Because the Lions Are Complete and Utter Trash: </strong>Dude, the Lions suck.</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="G3LRud"><strong>The Voice in My Head Telling Me the Jets Are Going to the Super Bowl:</strong> I know, and I don’t care.</p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/11/17846428/jets-lions-sam-darnold-week-1-monday-night-footballRodger Sherman2018-09-10T23:30:54-04:002018-09-10T23:30:54-04:00Sam Darnold Looks Like the Quarterback the Jets Have Been Searching For
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<img alt="New York Jets v Detroit Lions" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XXRp3_MZgZIgZBBvQT8pkWs_Cn0=/285x0:4512x3170/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61271373/1031078434.jpg.0.jpg" />
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<p>What pick-six? New York’s rookie passer bounced back in a convincing win over the Lions.</p> <aside id="du0tTV"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 1 of the 2018 NFL Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/7/17832408/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-1-of-the-2018-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="E0bP68">In his debut as the lone hope for a hopeless franchise, Sam Darnold screwed up literally the first chance he had. At 21 years and 97 days old, Darnold is the youngest quarterback to start a season opener since 1950, and the first rookie to ever start the season opener of <em>Monday Night Football</em>. He immediately showed his youth. </p>
<p id="iuAsTO">With 14:53 on the clock, Darnold rolled out of the pocket all the way right and lofted a pass all the way left across the field. The ball was promptly intercepted and returned for a touchdown.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sam Darnold's first career NFL pass is a pick-6!<br><br>( ESPN, 7:10pm ET)<a href="https://t.co/MBK8gJaQec">pic.twitter.com/MBK8gJaQec</a></p>— ESPN (@espn) <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1039291996685430784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2018</a>
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<p id="zlHKH9">Everybody who is not a Jets fan and saw this play laughed. Everybody. Even the guys holding the down marker sticks laughed.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">his reaction to the pick-six <a href="https://t.co/g5ijIklNZs">pic.twitter.com/g5ijIklNZs</a></p>— SB Nation (@SBNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/SBNation/status/1039292070911827968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2018</a>
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<p id="jg2fIs">All of the Jets fans who allowed Darnold to ignite the hope that had lain dormant inside their souls immediately felt vulnerable. <em>It’s happening again. They’re laughing at us.</em></p>
<p id="V7tinL">Nobody is laughing now. From that point forward, the Jets [<em>checks notes</em>] <em>dominated</em> the Lions in every facet of the game in a 48-17 walloping led by Slammin’ Sammy Darnold, who looked every bit the precocious quarterback who was promised. Darnold outplayed Matthew Stafford so thoroughly it’s fair to ask whether they switched bodies in some sort of <em>Freaky Friday </em>sequel. Darnold finished with 16 completions on 21 attempts for 198 yards, two touchdowns, and the pick-six, which has already transformed from a source of humiliation to a source of pride for Jets fans. </p>
<p id="biBc4Y">Jets fans will be quick to tell you that Brett Favre also threw a pick-six on his first career throw. Darnold didn’t look quite as good as peak Favre, but he looked as promising as any Jets quarterback <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2018/8/8/17662752/brett-favre-new-york-jets-2008-week">since, well, Favre</a>. Darnold followed up the pick-six by settling down and leading a touchdown drive before the first quarter ended. Three drives later, Darnold threw his first career touchdown pass on a 41-yard rope that traveled nearly 50 yards in the air that looked, well, Favreian.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sam Darnold with a rope for his first career TD pass <br><br> ESPN <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYJvsDET?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NYJvsDET</a><a href="https://t.co/Em43cuP2LA">pic.twitter.com/Em43cuP2LA</a></p>— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1039311943725707264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2018</a>
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<p id="TYmkrb">Darnold threw sharp passes for first downs, looked calm under pressure, and most importantly, didn’t screw anything else up. For a fan base who has already seen one young USC quarterback flame out in a blaze of butt-fumble anti-glory, that is the biggest compliment possible.</p>
<p id="Tcjd88">Darnold was just one piece of the Jets’ well-earned victory. The team intercepted Stafford four times, including a pick-six that was the team’s first defensive score since 2013 (!). The Jets rushed for 169 yards on 36 carries; on special teams, the Jets punt return team—which had the fourth fewest punt-return yards last year—returned punts for 16, 43, and 78 yards, the last of which went for a touchdown. It was the most complete team performance New York has had since it went to the AFC championship in 2010. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="Fjp6w0">But it was Darnold who was the story of the game. Jets fans have been looking for a good quarterback since … well, <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/8/17/17715104/sam-darnold-new-york-jets-quarterback-career">they’ve never had a good quarterback</a>. After a short detour to rock bottom, it seems like they finally do.</p>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/10/17844718/sam-darnold-new-york-jets-detroit-lions-rookie-debutDanny Heifetz2018-09-10T14:54:45-04:002018-09-10T14:54:45-04:00The Starting 11: Which QB First Impressions Are Worth Trusting?
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<p>Fifteen NFL teams have a different starter under center than they did at the start of last season. With those passers’ 2018 openers in the books, whose performances were real and whose weren’t?</p> <aside id="VYw3R0"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 1 of the 2018 NFL Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/7/17832408/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-1-of-the-2018-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="g3Hp5K"><em>Welcome to the Starting 11. This NFL season, we’ll be collecting the biggest story lines, highlighting the standout players, and featuring the most jaw-dropping feats of the week. Let’s dive in:</em></p>
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<p id="x8cj51">If you didn’t spend this offseason keeping close tabs on quarterback movement around the NFL, Sunday had to be a dizzying experience. A staggering <em>15 teams </em>were slated to have a different Week 1 QB than they started with last season. Some of those passers were guys we’d seen thrilling flashes of last season (Jimmy Garoppolo, Deshaun Watson, and Patrick Mahomes II). Others were free-agent and trade prizes who were making their debuts in new digs (Kirk Cousins, Alex Smith, and Case Keenum). And another was a once-great passer who had finally completed his journey back from injury (Andrew Luck).</p>
<p id="7GBo8q">No matter how they arrived in their (relatively) new surroundings, all of those quarterbacks were worth monitoring on Sunday — and the results produced a mixed bag, to say the least. So, on our national holiday of overreaction, let’s open this week’s Starting 11 by playing a game of <em>What’s Real, and What’s Not?</em> to figure out which of Sunday’s results are worth holding onto.</p>
<aside id="rm292O"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Aaron Rodgers Hero Ball Is the Bears’ Recurring Nightmare","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/10/17840952/aaron-rodgers-packers-comeback-victory-chicago-bears"}]}'></div></aside><h3 id="0iYGhG">Real: Chiefs, Vikings, Bills, and Cardinals</h3>
<p id="pKnrRp"><strong>1. It was pretty easy to get seduced by visions of the Mahomes era in Kansas City this offseason.</strong> The Chiefs fielded the most explosive offense in the NFL last year with Alex Smith at quarterback, and they came into 2018 with every cog of that machine intact (plus Sammy Watkins) and a quarterback who makes the term “arm talent” seem quaint. When we finally got to see Mahomes in action against the Chargers on Sunday, the results didn’t disappoint.</p>
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<p id="qphVi7">He finished 15-of-27 passing for 256 yards with four touchdowns in the Chiefs’ 38–28 win over L.A. His line is a tad misleading — two of those scores came on short flips to men in motion near the goal line, and Tyreek Hill’s 58-yard TD reception included a 46-yard scamper after the catch — but even the short throw to Hill was enough to see what Mahomes can do with this offense. As he was being wrangled to the ground by 311-pound Chargers nose tackle Brandon Mebane, he still put enough zest on the throw to fit it between a trio of defenders. The Chiefs offense will undoubtedly be choppier this year while it’s captained by a 22-year-old fireballer (and the team will want to involve tight end Travis Kelce more than his single catch for 6 yards indicated on Sunday), but the spectacular plays will be a season-long fixture. For every progression that comes a half-second late, Mahomes will rip off the type of third-and-13, on-the-move laser beam that he blasted to Hill for a 34-yard gain late in the third quarter on Sunday.</p>
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<p id="XjwRKN"><strong>2. Similarly in Minnesota, the Vikings offense maintained its 2017 big-play gear in its first game with Cousins at quarterback and new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo at the controls</strong> — a game that Minnesota won 24–16 over the 49ers. DeFilippo’s first-half play calling incorporated a savvy mix of screens and short throws designed to get running back Dalvin Cook (six catches for 55 yards) free in space, plus uncorked shots that allowed Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen to do what they do best. Cousins’s ball placement on a 22-yard touchdown to Diggs early in the second quarter could not have been more precise, and Minnesota seemed ready to score again on the next drive before Niners linebacker Fred Warner jarred the ball loose from Cook’s hands at the end of a 15-yard run. The Vikings sputtered for stretches in the second half when they were unable to move the ball on the ground, but the early returns are such that the upgrade from Case Keenum to Cousins was worth the $84 million guaranteed.</p>
<p id="ynMevX"><strong>3. There were no such upgrades for the Bills and Cardinals on Sunday. </strong>Both teams came into Week 1 with dim outlooks for the season, and both gave every indication that those predictions were justified. The Bills fell 47–3 to the Ravens, and the Cardinals managed just one score in a 24–6 loss to Washington. Now, both teams will need to decide whether to start their high-priced rookie quarterbacks moving forward. The Bills seemed intent to leave Josh Allen in bubble wrap and far away from the cobra pit that is Buffalo’s supporting cast, yet it took only one half of Nathan Peterman — in which he went a pitiful 5-of-18 for 24 yards and two interceptions — to convince head coach Sean McDermott that the team’s sham of an offensive huddle was a proper place for its quarterback of the future.</p>
<p id="pZJwTU">The Cardinals managed to show some restraint as they elected to keep Josh Rosen on the bench, but placeholder starter Sam Bradford managed just a paltry 153 passing yards on 20-of-34 passing. Nineteen of those attempts went to either Larry Fitzgerald or David Johnson, and it sure looks as though this passing offense will consist of those two and little else moving forward. Still, that’s considerably more than Allen has to work with in Buffalo. If the Cardinals decide there’s more value to ushering in the start of the Rosen era than letting him watch Bradford dump the ball off for an entire season, it’s a bit more justifiable than feeding Allen to the wolves in Buffalo. But either way, neither of these offenses is going anywhere any time soon.</p>
<div class="c-float-right"><aside id="GdJXOd"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"The Bills Needed Only One Game to Look Hopeless Again","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/9/17838624/buffalo-bills-baltimore-ravens-josh-allen-week-1"},{"title":"But Deshaun Watson Is Back So It’s Fine","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/10/17839600/deshaun-watson-houston-texans-new-england-patriots-2018-nfl-season"},{"title":"Patrick Mahomes II Is the NFL’s Must-Watch Player","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/9/17839344/patrick-mahomes-kansas-city-chiefs-los-angeles-chargers-tyreek-hill"}]}'></div></aside></div>
<h3 id="QI0Bnv">Not Real: 49ers, Buccaneers</h3>
<p id="ZRe3Gi"><strong>4. Garoppolo and the Niners offense dominated the league during his five starts last season, and there was considerable buzz surrounding San Francisco’s prospects entering 2018.</strong> But Sunday provided the first evidence that Jimmy G is <em>not</em>, in fact, the greatest quarterback who has ever lived. Mike Zimmer and his terror-inducing Minnesota defense gave the Niners a cold shower in their 24–16 loss — the first of Garoppolo’s career as a starter. Zimmer took advantage of in-game injuries to both of the Niners’ starting guards and dialed up an array of pressures that sabotaged the San Francisco offense.</p>
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<cite>Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="bZPjr6">With Garoppolo facing a third-and-8 from his own 20-yard line in the third quarter, Zimmer brought two extra rushers from the offense’s right side. A panicked Garoppolo flipped the ball toward the flat to no one in particular, and rookie cornerback Mike Hughes picked it off and waltzed into the end zone. Garoppolo’s decision was indefensible in that area of the field, at that point in the game, not to mention it came immediately after tight end George Kittle dropped a potential touchdown. Just like that, a two-play sequence had swung the game.</p>
<p id="PljFiK">Judging by Garoppolo’s Sunday performance, there are some reasons to be concerned in San Francisco. The Niners struggled in the red zone last season (<a href="https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/drivestatsoff">ranking</a> 27th in the league in touchdowns per red zone trip), and they again had trouble punching the ball past the goal line against the Vikings. Some of that was self-inflicted — like Alfred Morris fumbling at the 1-yard line late in the second quarter — but the rest may be symptomatic of Garoppolo and this offense. Head coach Kyle Shanahan does an excellent job of scheming receivers into swaths of open space, but when the field shrinks, so do those spaces. Garoppolo <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2018/redzone-passing.htm">finished</a> 3-of-7 on throws inside the 20-yard line this week after <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2017/redzone-passing.htm">completing</a> just 55.6 percent last season. It’s only one game, but that will be an area to monitor to moving forward. Outside of the red zone, Garoppolo looked like a version of the stellar quarterback we saw last season who just happened to run into the league’s most loaded, best coached defense. <em>USA Today</em>’s Doug Farrar made a <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL_DougFarrar/status/1038976993797128192">comparison</a> on Sunday night that I found particularly annoying because I hadn’t already noticed it: There is <em>a lot</em> of Tony Romo in Garoppolo’s game. From his flat-footed delivery, to his touch on certain throws, to his penchant for escaping pressure, there are many shades of young Romo to the way Garoppolo plays. On occasion, that includes the carelessness that Romo showed with the ball early in his career, but other times it leads to throws like his reverse-pivot third-quarter touchdown strike late to Dante Pettis.</p>
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<p id="w7OsSe"><strong>5. If it’s logical to expect the Niners to improve outside the bear trap of U.S. Bank Stadium, the opposite is true for Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Buccaneers.</strong> Fitzpatrick jumped all over the Saints’ defense on Sunday with 417 yards and four passing touchdowns in a 48–40 win, but let’s not celebrate the return of Fitzmagic just yet. The Saints’ defense was bound for a step back in 2018 after its massive turnaround last season, and the secondary (particularly cornerback Ken Crawley) looked lost against DeSean Jackson and Mike Evans. The Bucs may be a bit better on offense with Fitzpatrick than we expected — and Sunday showed that Jameis Winston’s days as the Bucs starter may be numbered — but Fitzpatrick is 35 years old and two years removed from a season in which he threw 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. I know how this movie ends.</p>
<h3 id="EmogSS">Wait and See: Texans, Colts, Redskins, Broncos</h3>
<p id="7BdzUV"><strong>6. When Deshaun Watson tore his ACL after only six starts last season, it was a crushing blow for anyone who loves football, fun, or both, and his return to the field against the Patriots this Sunday was highly anticipated. </strong>Sadly, Watson’s 2018 debut was a long way from the high-flying act he displayed during his rookie season. Watson completed 17 of 34 passes for 176 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in Houston’s 27–20 loss to the Pats; the ugliness of that line accurately reflects what happened on Sunday. Houston entered the season with arguably the league’s worst offensive line, and that was <em>before </em>losing right tackle Seantrel Henderson late in the first quarter to an ankle injury.</p>
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<p id="ddAPzU">Henderson was replaced by 2018 third-round pick Martinas Rankin, and the defensive line’s frenzy only intensified. Miraculously, Watson was sacked only three times Sunday, but he took a dozen hits and there were rushers around his feet crumbling the pocket on seemingly every dropback. Watson missed his share of throws — including a ball over the middle to tight end Ryan Griffin near the goal line in the third quarter — but he had virtually no chance to succeed. Houston’s line could short-circuit its offense all season.</p>
<p id="1zmaG9"><strong>7. Andrew Luck and the division-rival Colts have experienced their share of offensive line issues in years past, but the returns on Luck’s first game in more than a year and a half are almost all positive.</strong> He didn’t throw any of the downfield rockets that became so routine in his first go-round with the Colts, but he navigated the pocket smoothly, kept his gaze downfield, and found secondary throwing windows. Plus, the excellent rapport he’s long had with wide receiver T.Y. Hilton was back in full form. About midway through the second quarter, Luck hit Hilton on a perfectly timed back-shoulder throw down the right sideline for a 24-yard gain. The play was ultimately called back for a small push-off by Hilton, but that sort of well-calibrated play was a welcome sight for Colts fans.</p>
<p id="xZnfWU">Elsewhere, Smith and Keenum both orchestrated wins — the Redskins topped the Cardinals 24–6, and the Broncos beat the Seahawks 27–24 — while showing off good connections with new weapons like Chris Thompson and Emmanuel Sanders. In Keenum’s case, his tendency to get careless with the ball came back to bite him in a way it rarely did in Minnesota. But in both scenarios, I’d like to see a bit more before making any sweeping declarations.</p>
<p id="zayE7i">OK, let’s get to a few more thoughts from Week 1.</p>
<p id="OfAuNe"><strong>8. Sunday’s 16–8 loss to Carolina showcased every lingering fear about this Cowboys offense. </strong>The question marks that followed Dak Prescott and Co. into the 2018 season were all answered in the worst possible way against the Panthers. The Cowboys’ collection of inexperienced and underwhelming receivers left Dallas with absolutely nothing in the way of a downfield passing game. The offensive line failed to dominate in both pass protection — rookie left guard Connor Williams had issues with star defensive tackle Kawann Short, who bowled Williams over late in the fourth quarter for one of his two sacks and finished with four quarterback hits on the day — and in the run game, with linchpin center Travis Frederick sidelined indefinitely.</p>
<p id="3ztoeh">Without the comforts of the offensive infrastructure that helped elevate Prescott as a rookie, he struggled to consistently make throws, and Dallas languished. It’s possible that the situation will improve against worse defenses this season, but it was a troubling start for Dallas.</p>
<p id="n6riJy"><strong>9. Harrison Smith’s performance on Sunday showed precisely why he’s one of the most valuable defenders in football. </strong>In Zimmer’s defense, Smith transcends the limitations often placed on traditional safeties. Smith was <em>everywhere </em>for the Vikings. He was, at different times, Minnesota’s best cover man, its best blitzer, <em>and </em>its best run defender.</p>
<p id="adsA9z">With the Niners facing first-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 3:14 remaining in the second quarter, San Francisco brought in 310-pound defensive tackle Earl Mitchell as a fullback. At the snap, Smith — playing at the line of scrimmage — darted into the backfield and squared up Mitchell with his inside shoulder, collapsing the play and ensuring that linebacker Eric Kendricks could stop Alfred Morris for no gain. On the very next play, defensive tackle Linval Joseph jarred the ball loose from Morris, and to no one’s surprise, Smith was there to recover it.</p>
<p id="mjxWIa">On a third-and-5 from midfield with the Niners trailing 24–16, Zimmer dialed up a blitz that sent Smith crashing through the A-gap for a series-ruining sack. And when the Niners took the field again with one final chance to tie, it was Smith who picked off Garoppolo to ice the game. Whether he’s following his own instincts or putting one of Zimmer’s plans into motion, Smith is consistently the guy Minnesota’s stellar defense turns to in the biggest moments.</p>
<p id="zcZUxx"><strong>10. This week’s line-play moment that made me hit rewind: Amid all of Sunday’s frustration, reason for hope in Cleveland comes in the form of Myles Garrett. </strong>Garrett’s second sack of Ben Roethlisberger was just one example of the impact he’ll have for the Browns. At the snap, left tackle Alejandro Villanueva does a great job preventing Garrett from getting to the edge, but as Garrett turns the corner, he’s able to pivot on a dime back toward the pocket and the quarterback. The dip that Garrett executes with his left shoulder is precisely what defensive tackles are taught to do to redirect — only thing is that for 272-pound mountains of muscle, “put your hand on the ground” is typically more theoretical than literal. His change of direction, body control, continued effort, and final burst finish off Roethlisberger and create another big play for the Browns defense. Sunday’s 21–21 tie against the Steelers is more likely to bring a deluge of Le’Veon Bell takes than anything else, but the play of Cleveland’s recent top-five picks (not named Baker Mayfield) was a beautiful sight for Browns fans. If the Browns do eventually right the ship, Garrett and rookie cornerback Denzel Ward will be two of the pillars that help make it happen.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Watch out for <a href="https://twitter.com/MylesLGarrett?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MylesLGarrett</a> <a href="https://t.co/rEo3e9UgiS">pic.twitter.com/rEo3e9UgiS</a></p>— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) <a href="https://twitter.com/Browns/status/1038846154400624641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2018</a>
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<p id="Z5tLiB"><strong>11. This week in </strong><em><strong>NFL players, they’re absolutely nothing like us</strong></em><strong>: Aaron Rodgers doesn’t live by the same rules the rest of us do.</strong></p>
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<p id="sZ8lti"><em>An earlier version of this piece incorrectly referred to Ryan Fitzpatrick as Fitzgerald.</em></p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/10/17841912/starting-11-week-1-real-not-real-nfl-quarterbacksRobert Mays2018-09-10T10:09:42-04:002018-09-10T10:09:42-04:00Aaron Rodgers Hero Ball Is the Bears’ Recurring Nightmare
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<p>The greatest QB on the planet delivered a performance for the ages to lift Green Bay past Chicago in Week 1. The game was an all-time effort from an all-time player—and a sign that these Bears have reason to believe.</p> <aside id="FqdyRz"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 1 of the 2018 NFL Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/7/17832408/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-1-of-the-2018-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p class="p--has-dropcap" id="T66pTi">As Aaron Rodgers lay crumpled on the Lambeau Field grass midway through the second quarter of Sunday night’s Bears-Packers matchup, a familiar, nightmare-inducing sequence seemed to be unfolding. </p>
<div class="c-float-right"><div id="DkzjVh"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/4E9lsBpFRyxvR8VrlKKvGy" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="XHtIGW">After twisting his knee in a pile of pass rushers with nine minutes to go in the half, a solemn Rodgers made his way to the locker room on a motorized cart driven by a green-and-gold-clad grim reaper, and it seemed that the Packers’ worst fears would be realized. Their savior would be lost for the majority of his second straight season. Green Bay would sleepwalk through an ugly Week 1 loss to Chicago, which felt all but secured as Khalil Mack fully transformed into Thanos at the end of the second quarter and began terrorizing backup quarterback DeShone Kizer. Under Kizer’s watch, the Packers would suffer through another trying season. Fans and analysts alike would curse the front office for failing to properly surround an all-time great with proper help, bemoan head coach Mike McCarthy’s ongoing crimes against football, and lament another lost season in the career of perhaps the most talented quarterback the league has ever seen.</p>
<p id="qluybx">So much for that.</p>
<p id="bm0Jvs">Instead, a hobbled Rodgers limped back onto the field after halftime, orchestrated a trio of fourth-quarter touchdown drives, and ripped out the Bears’ hearts on national TV yet again, <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/10/17839956/aaron-rodgers-green-bay-packers-chicago-bears-comeback-knee-injury">leading the Packers to a 24-23 victory</a>. Green Bay’s improbable comeback may have been aided by the late-game decisions of Chicago’s rookie head coach and 24-year-old quarterback with just 13 NFL starts to his name, but that doesn’t detract from the magnitude of what Rodgers pulled off Sunday. Green Bay’s win was a reminder that maybe three players alive could oversee a half like that—and Rodgers managed it on one leg. When he emerged from the locker room to start the third quarter, a knowing smirk across his face, he looked like he was about to create some magic. But <em>why</em>?<em> </em>The Bears held a 17-0 lead, Mack was lurking, and Rodgers was clearly not 100 percent. The Packers might as well have taken the field to the <em>Jaws </em>theme.</p>
<aside id="IG3N16"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"The Starting 11: Which Week 1 QB Performances Were Real, and Which Weren’t?","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/10/17841912/starting-11-week-1-real-not-real-nfl-quarterbacks"}]}'></div></aside><p id="gp5SGh">The third quarter came and went without much fanfare, but dread began to creep in for Bears fans at the 13:59 mark in the fourth when Rodgers fired a missile directly into the hands of wide receiver Geronimo Allison for a 39-yard score. The strike—which brought the Packers within 10 points—was vintage stuff, a throw that no other quarterback past or present could have made. Standing on the left hash mark near midfield, Rodgers dropped the ball into a window the size of a shoebox, between the outstretched hand of cornerback Kyle Fuller and the back-right corner of the end zone. The play design was nothing special, the separation minimal, and yet none of it mattered. About four minutes later, Davante Adams caught another touchdown to bring the Packers within three, and eventually Randall Cobb scampered for 75 yards to give Green Bay the lead. Yes, Rodgers got some help from Cobb, and sure, Chicago’s defense faded quietly into the brisk Wisconsin night. But make no mistake: That performance was summoned by a man who can make a sideline—and an entire stadium—believe by virtue of his presence alone. </p>
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<p id="8eUMZI">For first-year head coach Matt Nagy, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, and all the young Bears, Sunday night was full of lessons. The first, and perhaps greatest: As long as Rodgers is wearing that uniform, he will be Chicago’s bogeyman. It might be hard to find the value in that particular lesson, but there’s something to be gleaned from the others. </p>
<div class="c-float-right"><aside id="rPBu7W"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Aaron Rodgers, Khalil Mack, and What the Game-Changing Plays From Week 1 Tell Us About the NFL","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/10/17840590/game-changing-plays-week-1-aaron-rodgers-khalil-mack"},{"title":" The Winners and Losers From NFL Week 1 ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/10/17840188/winners-and-losers-week-1-aaron-rodgers-ryan-fitzpatrick-jon-gruden"},{"title":"Aaron Rodgers Just Staged a Legend-Making Comeback on One Leg","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/10/17839956/aaron-rodgers-green-bay-packers-chicago-bears-comeback-knee-injury"}]}'></div></aside></div>
<p id="5bRGeR">Chicago came roaring out of the gate in the opening quarter. The Bears offense aligned in a dizzying number of formations, including some that featured running backs Tarik Cohen and Jordan Howard sharing the field to toy with the defense. Left tackle Charles Leno split out wide as a receiver to give the illusion of a screen pass while the Bears gashed Green Bay inside. Wide receiver Allen Robinson skied over defenders to haul in a pair of contested catches. Trubisky delivered accurate, authoritative throws to every spot on the field. After three seasons spent toiling in the antiquated world of John Fox and his staff, the Bears finally looked ready to usher in a new era with a modern, creative offense lined with receiving talent. And then, just as quickly as that reality arrived, it disappeared. </p>
<p id="FBmIHs">Away from the offense’s opening script of plays, its aggression vanished in the second half as the Bears attempted to stretch a four-minute drill into 30 minutes of game action. All down-field looks disappeared as Trubisky repeatedly dumped the ball to Howard and Cohen on quick, horizontal routes toward the sideline; at one point in the fourth quarter, Trubisky had completed eight of his 11 second-half throws for <em>27 </em>yards. As Trubisky’s confidence waned, his eyes fell, and he failed to let it rip on a number of open throws in the second half, instead content to pull the ball down and run with barely any sign of trouble. His apprehension made Nagy’s late-game play calling all the more curious. Up three with 2:47 remaining, the Bears faced a third-and-2 from Green Bay’s 14-yard line. Looking for the dagger to put Rodgers down for good, the Bears dialed up a double move to Cohen out of the backfield. Yet Trubisky ate the ball and flipped an obligatory incompletion toward receiver Anthony Miller, and the Bears settled for a field goal. That put them up 23-17, but they gave the ball back to Rodgers with more than two and a half minutes to work.</p>
<p id="qBs8cn">By that point, a Bears defense that had looked so promising for most of the first half appeared to have little chance of stopping Rodgers. Mack was a force for the first two quarters, but Chicago was cautious about throwing him all the way into the game plan after just a week’s worth of practice. He spent large chunks of the second half on the sideline, and when he was on the field, right tackle Bryan Bulaga managed to mitigate his impact. Asking Mack, after only a handful of days in Chicago, to dominate for four quarters against the NFL’s best pair of pass-blocking tackles was always an unreasonable expectation. But already his effect on the team’s pass rush and coverage on the outside was on display. The best days for the Bears defense—with a fully ingrained Mack and rookie linebacker Roquan Smith—are ahead of it, and this group was hardly the first to be smited by Rodgers when he’s throwing thunderbolts. </p>
<p id="iqCbGN">There were many encouraging signs Sunday for a Chicago team in desperate need of them. And, for all the talk of the Bears’ potential status as this season’s version of the 2017 Rams, these recipes are often more complicated than “just add water.” Yet all the optimism in the world won’t make this loss sting any less. If Fuller hadn’t dropped a ready-made interception on the Packers’ final drive, the Bears would be 1-0. If Trubisky had hit Robinson on a goal-line fade in the first quarter, the score would’ve been 14-0 Bears, and the game would’ve gotten out of hand early. If Nagy had let Howard—who finished with 82 yards on 15 carries—salt the game away, Rodgers’s heroics would’ve taken a back seat in a gutty Bears victory. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="kN4CgE">For now, though, those heroics are worth celebrating. The Bears’ party may have been spoiled, but it was spoiled by one of the best to ever do it, as Rodgers channeled the height of his power when a franchise and a fan base needed it most. Chicago’s day may come, but for now, the king in the North remains.</p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/10/17840952/aaron-rodgers-packers-comeback-victory-chicago-bearsRobert Mays2018-09-10T08:59:45-04:002018-09-10T08:59:45-04:00Aaron Rodgers, Khalil Mack, and What the Game-Changing Plays From Week 1 Tell Us About the NFL
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<p>Big Ben is still struggling on the road, but Andrew Luck looks like he’s really back</p> <aside id="awCBdC"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 1 of the 2018 NFL Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/7/17832408/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-1-of-the-2018-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p class="p--has-dropcap" id="p0EoGi">The first Sunday of the 2018 NFL season was, in the best way, pure chaos: The Saints and Buccaneers got themselves into an <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/9/17838876/new-orleans-saints-tampa-bay-buccaneers-defense">astoundingly</a> fun shootout, with Tampa Bay holding on to win 48-40; Patrick Mahomes II <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/9/17839344/patrick-mahomes-kansas-city-chiefs-los-angeles-chargers-tyreek-hill">lit up the Chargers defense</a> in a 38-28 road win; the Browns and Steelers battled to a sloppy, back-and-forth, <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/9/17839010/the-browns-are-not-going-0-16-again">21-21 overtime tie</a>; the Dolphins’ 27-20 victory over the Titans took a record seven hours after severe weather delays; and the Bears-Packers <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/10/17839956/aaron-rodgers-green-bay-packers-chicago-bears-comeback-knee-injury">tilt was one for the ages</a>. There was no shortage of big plays, fun matchups, turnovers, and touchdowns. A few moments, though, were more crucial and—in some cases—pivotal than others. Here are a few of the biggest game-changing plays from the first NFL Sunday of the season, along with what they can tell us about both the teams involved and the upcoming season at large.</p>
<h3 id="SfRALJ">Khalil Mack’s Pick-Six </h3>
<p id="7XFprp">The Bears were supposed to enter the 2018 season with a talented defensive unit that had one potential fatal flaw: a shallow at best, barren at worst edge rush group. That all changed, of course, when the team sent two first-rounders to Oakland for Mack, and the early returns on that deal were significant: During the first half of Chicago’s Week 1 tilt against the Packers, the former Raider was absurdly dominant, notching a <a href="https://twitter.com/Michael_Cohen13/status/1038966774488870913">proverbial bingo of defensive stats</a> with one pass deflection, <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1038963379128266752">one forced fumble, one fumble recovery</a>, two tackles, one quarterback hit, one sack, one interception, and a return touchdown. Mack looked like the missing piece of a defense set to break out, and he put together a complete, take-over-the-game performance we could expect from only a Defensive Player of the Year–caliber player like, <a href="https://twitter.com/SethWalder/status/1038968411756347392">well, Mack</a>. He punctuated the first half with this play: </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">KHALIL MACK PICK-6! <br><br>Madness. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHIvsGB?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHIvsGB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DaBears?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DaBears</a><br><br> : NBC <a href="https://t.co/8xeUcitWie">pic.twitter.com/8xeUcitWie</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1038965919622393861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2018</a>
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<p id="I7p1g0">Mack’s pick-six increased the Bears’ lead to 17-0, and, with Aaron Rodgers in the locker room undergoing tests on an injured left knee, it looked like the rout was on. Paired with the team’s new-look, college-style offense under head coach Matt Nagy and offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, the Bears seemed to be in the middle of their prime-time coming-out party as a legitimate contender in 2018. </p>
<p id="drBmdw">But then Rodgers came back into the game. </p>
<h3 id="qGg4FD">Aaron Rodgers’s TD Throw to Geronimo Allison</h3>
<p id="WnvuIX">Upon getting sacked early in the second quarter, Rodgers immediately grabbed his knee and had to be helped off the field. As he rode a cart to the locker room, the stern, worried look on his face implied the worst. </p>
<p id="4zNdiu">But the veteran quarterback walked back onto the field after halftime, and, after Chicago’s opening possession, rejoined the Green Bay offense. Wincing and limping all the way, he led the Packers on a 12-play, 46-yard drive that netted them a field goal to cut the lead to 20-3. And when Rodgers got the ball again on the team’s next offensive series, he did this: </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"> Rodgers + Allison = 6 <br><br> : NBC<a href="https://t.co/jmbuGTO7vl">pic.twitter.com/jmbuGTO7vl</a></p>— SNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNFonNBC/status/1038980541243170817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2018</a>
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<p id="rBoNgO">Dropping back, Rodgers first looked left to draw the safety over, then looked to his right to huck a laser-guided missile 39 yards downfield into Allison’s hands, just past Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller. That play capped the 81-yard drive and cut Chicago’s lead to 10. </p>
<p id="UqSztj">But Rodgers wasn’t done: On the team’s next possession, he led the offense on a five-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, connecting with Davante Adams for a 12-yard score, cutting the lead to three with just more than nine minutes remaining. When Chicago settled for a field goal on the ensuing drive, it left the window open for Rodgers to take advantage. On third-and-10, he drifted left and found Randall Cobb over the middle. Cobb made a couple of defenders miss en route to a 75-yard score. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Randall Cobb goes 75 YARDS!!!!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/packers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@packers</a> have the lead! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHIvsGB?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHIvsGB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoPackGo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoPackGo</a><br><br> : NBC <a href="https://t.co/S3trWF5UoY">pic.twitter.com/S3trWF5UoY</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1038989073812094976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2018</a>
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<p id="MBht46">The season’s opening <em>Sunday Night Football</em> tilt was an instant classic. Rodgers’s gutsy performance will go down as one of the best, most improbable, and most exciting comebacks in league history. It served as a great reminder of how incredibly dominant the 14th-year veteran can be, and once again drove home just how important he is to the Packers’ playoff hopes. Green Bay will go as far as Rodgers can carry it this year. </p>
<h3 id="Ome8nw">Damarious Randall’s Interception of Ben Roethlisberger </h3>
<p id="VsxGfN">Most quarterbacks play better at home than on the road; that’s normal. But the gulf between Roethlisberger’s numbers at Heinz Field vs. everywhere else has been uncommonly massive over the past three seasons. Let’s recap: From 2015 to 2017, only Drew Brees (55) <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/pgl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=combined&year_min=2015&year_max=2017&season_start=1&season_end=-1&pos=0&game_type=R&career_game_num_min=1&career_game_num_max=400&game_num_min=0&game_num_max=99&week_num_min=0&week_num_max=99&game_location=H&c1stat=pass_att&c1comp=gt&c1val=300&c2stat=pass_td&c2comp=gt&c3stat=pass_rating&c3comp=gt&c4stat=pass_sacked&c4comp=gt&c5val=1.0&order_by=pass_td">threw more touchdowns at home than Roethlisberger</a> (52), and Big Ben’s 103.6 home passer rating in that stretch ranks third among all passers with 300 attempts (behind just Brees and Tom Brady). In <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/pgl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=combined&year_min=2015&year_max=2017&season_start=1&season_end=-1&pos=0&game_type=R&career_game_num_min=1&career_game_num_max=400&game_num_min=0&game_num_max=99&week_num_min=0&week_num_max=99&game_location=R&c1stat=pass_att&c1comp=gt&c1val=300&c2stat=pass_td&c2comp=gt&c3stat=pass_rating&c3comp=gt&c4stat=pass_sacked&c4comp=gt&c5val=1.0&order_by=pass_td">his 22 road games across that three-year stretch</a>, though, Roethlisberger’s been a, let’s say, Brian Hoyer–level player. He’s thrown 26 touchdowns and 23 interceptions, a pick total that ranks third-worst, better than only Eli Manning’s and Blake Bortles’s (both 24). Roethlisberger’s road passer rating of 85.1 ranks 25th of 34 qualifying passers, sandwiched between Hoyer (86.4 in 15 games) and Jay Cutler (84.8 in 16 games). For comparison, Brady posted 48 touchdowns and nine picks for a 104.5 rating on the road in that stretch.</p>
<p id="HH1Eqn">Well, in the Steelers’ Week 1 matchup against the Browns, Big Ben did little to ease concerns that we’ll see anything different from him on the road in 2018. This, a wildly inaccurate heave from Pittsburgh’s 5-yard line, never had a chance: </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">alrighty then <a href="https://t.co/Z5d6zk8zSx">pic.twitter.com/Z5d6zk8zSx</a></p>— charles mcdonald (lakers 0-0) (@FourVerts) <a href="https://twitter.com/FourVerts/status/1038851591644696576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2018</a>
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<p id="SU2Lkl">That was Roethlisberger’s second interception of the game, and he threw a third before the first half was up. For a Steelers team that’s supposed to be one of the top contenders in the AFC, first-half duds like this could derail Pittsburgh from its track to the playoffs. Big Ben tacked on a pair of lost fumbles too, including one early in the fourth quarter that helped turn the tide of the game. Speaking of which ...</p>
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<h3 id="TiatHr">Myles Garrett’s Forced Fumble</h3>
<p id="QwJ3eI">Despite Roethlisberger’s three first-half interceptions, the Steelers looked to have the game in the bag midway through the fourth quarter. They’d just stopped Cleveland on a fourth-down attempt from the Pittsburgh 19-yard line—and, leading 21-7 with 7:44 to go, they had the opportunity to run the ball, bleed the clock, and escape Week 1 with an ugly win. But that’s not how it went down.</p>
<p id="QHEpP2">On the next play, running back James Conner took the handoff from Roethlisberger and was hit almost immediately by Garrett, who quickly ducked under a block attempt by left tackle Alejandro Villanueva, wrapped up Conner with his left hand, and dislodged the ball with his right. The ball squirted free and into the hands of Jabrill Peppers, who returned it to the Pittsburgh 1-yard line. </p>
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<p id="A4KZKS">That play set up a touchdown run by Carlos Hyde, pulling the Browns within striking distance. Cleveland’s defense held strong from that point on, and Tyrod Taylor’s 17-yard <a href="https://twitter.com/Browns/status/1038882577539457024">touchdown strike to Josh Gordon</a> tied the game with 2:03 left. That score held through regulation and overtime, and, while Cleveland failed to steal an actual <em>win</em> for the first time in 624 days, it was, at least, not a loser. </p>
<p id="T9vjIt">It was a sloppy, wet, and windy game, and the Browns didn’t get enough out of their five takeaways, but this team has real talent on both sides of the ball. And, crucially, Cleveland’s past two top draft picks both look capable of developing into superstar-caliber players, anything but a given with this franchise’s history of early-round busts. Garrett finished with two sacks (and should’ve had a third, but was called for a questionable roughing-the-passer penalty), a tackle for a loss, two quarterback hits, a pass defensed, and two forced fumbles. And rookie corner Denzel Ward picked off Roethlisberger twice and added three passes defensed. There’s still a long way to go, but Cleveland has what looks to be a pair of defensive pillars to build upon. </p>
<h3 id="6sUo3s">George Kittle Drops a Deep Throw From Jimmy Garoppolo</h3>
<p id="9pvDeR">Despite coming into Minnesota as <a href="http://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/23259805/nfl-full-list-week-1-odds-westgate-las-vegas-superbook">heavy underdogs</a>, the Niners held the talent-packed Vikings offense in check in the first half and trailed just 10-3 at the 10:48 mark of the third quarter. On a second-and-8 from their own 20-yard line, head coach Kyle Shanahan dialed up a deep shot off play-action to try to get his offense a jump-start: It worked like a charm, and after faking the handoff to running back Alfred Morris, Garoppolo launched a ball about 40 yards down the field to a wide open Kittle, who’d managed to sneak in behind the Vikings defense. That’s when this happened:</p>
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<p id="fhWTWi">The pass might’ve been slightly overthrown, but had Kittle come down with that ball, the Niners would’ve been in good position to tie the game up. Instead, on the very next play, Garoppolo threw a devastating pick-six to rookie corner Mike Hughes. </p>
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<p id="o1avl6">That play pushed the Vikings’ lead to 17-3. They never looked back. Garoppolo threw another two picks before the game was over, and a dismal day passing—he completed just 15 of 33 passes for 261 yards, with one touchdown and a 45.1 rating—might sound the alarm bells and raise more than a few eyebrows at the 49ers’ decision to sign the relatively inexperienced signal-caller to a five-year, $137 million contract this offseason. It doesn’t help that Garoppolo posted a distressingly high adjusted interception rate last year too, <a href="https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2018/adjusted-interceptions-2017">per Football Outsiders</a>. </p>
<p id="aZQdvM">But I wouldn’t start to panic about Garoppolo being a bust just yet. The Vikings boast an elite pass defense, capable of forcing the best quarterbacks to make mistakes. Garoppolo’s top target, Marquise Goodwin, missed most of the game with a knee injury. And second-year pro Kendrick Bourne, an undrafted free agent last year, <a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/2018/9/9/17839342/jimmy-garoppolos-pick-six-interception-kendrick-bourne-route">admitted after the game that he had run the wrong route</a> on that crucial pick-six. Garoppolo may have lost his first game as the 49ers starter, but he’ll get his chance for redemption next week at home against the Lions. </p>
<h3 id="pJrzCf">Mike Evans Beats Marshon Lattimore for a Touchdown</h3>
<p id="kv8mSK">I didn’t really envision the Ryan Fitzpatrick–led Buccaneers offense coming into New Orleans and passing the ball all over the yard against what was one of the most dominant defenses in the NFL last year. When Fitzpatrick <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLUK/status/1039045916341268480">tied the game up at 7 with a 58-yard toss to DeSean Jackson</a> in the first quarter, I chalked that up to a fluke busted coverage. When Fitzpatrick bowled into the end zone on a read-option keeper on the Bucs’ next possession, I figured it was just the result of a play the Saints were clearly not prepared to defend. When Fitzpatrick connected <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1038851965210357760">with Chris Godwin for a back-shoulder score</a>, I just stared at the screen. And when Fitzpatrick uncorked this 50-yard bomb downfield to Mike Evans, on a key third-and-6, against reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Marshon Lattimore, it got me believing that Fitzmagic might be real. </p>
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<p id="tFmQOx">That pitch-and-catch put the Buccaneers up 41-24, giving Tampa Bay the type of lead it’d need to hold Brees and Alvin Kamara off down the stretch, eventually winning 48-40. Fitzpatrick finished the game 21 of 28 passing for 417 yards, four touchdowns, and a damn-near-perfect 156.2 passer rating. The 35-year-old vet, now with his seventh team and signed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal, filled in for a suspended Jameis Winston to lead the Buccaneers to over 500 yards of total offense, including <a href="https://twitter.com/jkatzenstein/status/1038897093929316353">nine plays of 20-plus yards</a>. Tampa Bay gets the Eagles and Steelers the next two weeks, respectively, so things aren’t going to get easier for Fitzpatrick, but his performance Sunday not only begs the question as to whether the Bucs are better than everyone thought, but whether he’s going to supplant Winston as the team’s starter all year (a scenario that GM Jason Licht <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24534714/tampa-bay-buccaneers-gm-says-jameis-winston-not-start-week-4-suspension">wouldn’t rule out last week</a>). </p>
<p id="cliixp">Plenty of questions arise for the Saints, too. Over the past five seasons, this defense has made it a yearly tradition to come out of the gates extremely slowly:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Update: here are the passing stats for QBs against the Saints in each of the last week 1 games since 2010. New Orleans week 1 defense turns every QB into a better version of Brady 2007. <a href="https://t.co/oyCWXTzW2V">pic.twitter.com/oyCWXTzW2V</a></p>— Football Perspective (@fbgchase) <a href="https://twitter.com/fbgchase/status/1038886636350783488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2018</a>
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<p id="z6AQSj">The listless performance we saw Sunday is a cause for worry. New Orleans’s talented secondary couldn’t defend deep. They couldn’t get pressure up front. And they couldn’t get off the field on third downs (Tampa Bay finished 8-of-13 on that crucial down). The Saints’ biggest strength coming into this year was supposed to be the team’s balance on both offense and defense. But if the defense falters, it could doom this New Orleans team in a deep NFC playoff field. </p>
<h3 id="YoqAMP">Andrew Luck’s TD Throw to Eric Ebron</h3>
<p id="7fRUcV">The Colts lost, yes, but there was a massive silver lining in defeat: Andrew Luck’s arm looked great. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Eric Ebron already has a touchdown with the Colts. <a href="https://t.co/hurwqaMOU2">pic.twitter.com/hurwqaMOU2</a></p>— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) <a href="https://twitter.com/BradGalli/status/1038847029018062854?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2018</a>
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<p id="vt98cv">After a preseason spent <a href="https://twitter.com/benbbaldwin/status/1034481127858339841">mostly checking down and throwing a bunch of screens</a> (along with reports that his “<a href="http://www.playerline.com/nfl/newsitem/according-to-stephen-holder-of-the-athletic-andrew-lucks-fastball-still-isnt-where-it-needs-to-be?%24deeplink_path=newsitem-2569550&%24fallback_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.playerline.com%2Fnfl%2Fnewsitem%2Faccording-to-stephen-holder-of-the-athletic-andrew-lucks-fastball-still-isnt-where-it-needs-to-be&_branch_match_id=563030227431823238">fastball</a>” wasn’t what it used to be), Luck proved he could push the ball down the field with accuracy and zip. Even on a talent-starved roster like the one in Indianapolis, Luck returning to pre-injury form could make an enormous impact on not only the Colts, but the AFC South.</p>
<h3 id="OFEJHB">Tyreek Hill’s Touchdown Scamper</h3>
<p id="BDTLt2">If one thing became clear during Sunday’s action, it’s that the Chiefs, already one of the league’s most innovative teams, are going to have an even more exciting offense this year than they did in 2017. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes cooly picked apart an injury-stricken Chargers defense in L.A., completing 15 of 27 passes for 256 yards and four touchdowns in the team’s 38-28 win. </p>
<p id="nieHQV">What Kansas City showed off was the potential for a uniquely difficult offense to defend. That was apparent on Hill’s 58-yard score.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tyreek Hill now has multiple 50+ yard TDs less than 10 minutes into Week 1 <a href="https://t.co/Fs8KkdOq85">pic.twitter.com/Fs8KkdOq85</a></p>— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ihartitz/status/1038886713521790976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2018</a>
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<p id="fPZmOS">Mahomes’s elite arm strength makes it possible for the Chiefs to do things most teams can’t. On Hill’s touchdown catch-and-run, pressure forced the second-year signal-caller to alter his throwing platform and let go of a side-armed toss, but he had the arm strength to find his receiver nonetheless. And there may not be a player in the league faster than Hill, who took the slant and ran away from all defenders with relative ease. Importantly, the Chiefs use that speed advantage well: Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers sure <a href="https://twitter.com/thejackwang/status/1038941051229106176">noticed</a>, saying after the game that “I don’t know if I’ve seen anybody better, the things [Hill] can do speed-wise.” Hill stretched the defense vertically, catching five passes for 20-plus yards in Sunday’s game, and kept L.A. honest by stretching the defense horizontally at times, too. </p>
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<p id="SfXw2l">Add in the fact the Chiefs are still running one of the most innovative hybrid college offenses in the NFL under head coach Andy Reid, utilizing RPOs, bubble screens, jet sweeps, and even a little bit of the <a href="https://twitter.com/alltwentytwo/status/1038897651364782080">triple option</a> stuff, and defending Kansas City this year is going to be tough. </p>
<h3 id="r5Rhy0">Michael Dickson’s 69-Yard Punt </h3>
<p id="LRcHrL">The Seahawks lost. But rookie punter Michael Dickson is already well on his way to the Hall of Fame. In his first game as a pro, the 22-year-old Aussie native punted six times for 354 yards, an average of 59 yards per punt, and landed four inside the 20-yard line. Here’s how rare that type of performance is:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Per <a href="https://twitter.com/pfref?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@pfref</a> what Michael Dickson did in his first game has only been done one other time in NFL history. <a href="https://t.co/D2MTpYbyFm">pic.twitter.com/D2MTpYbyFm</a></p>— Burnt Orange Nation (@BON_SBNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/BON_SBNation/status/1038938735264587782?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2018</a>
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<p id="27ll5c">His best punt was this 69-yard boot from around the Seahawks’ 15-yard line, which cut through the thin Rocky Mountain air and landed out of bounds at the Denver 6. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Michael Dickson punting in Denver is like using a cheat code. <a href="https://t.co/jZdW8Q8l31">pic.twitter.com/jZdW8Q8l31</a></p>— Gordon McGuinness (@PFF_Gordon) <a href="https://twitter.com/PFF_Gordon/status/1038916857988898821?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2018</a>
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<p class="c-end-para" id="m2D7AS">That’s what you call flipping the field.</p>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/10/17840590/game-changing-plays-week-1-aaron-rodgers-khalil-mackDanny Kelly