The Ringer - Everything You Need to Know About Week 1 of the 2022 NFL Season2022-09-13T10:11:14-04:00http://www.theringer.com/rss/stream/231066402022-09-13T10:11:14-04:002022-09-13T10:11:14-04:00NFL Power Rankings: The Bills and Chiefs Dominate Week 1
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<p>Week 1 is in the books, and Buffalo and Kansas City separated themselves from the field. But how far did hot teams like the Vikings and Chargers climb? And how far did the Cowboys fall?</p> <p id="FGPvXB">Welcome back to <em>The Ringer</em>’s NFL Power Rankings, where we no longer have to speculate about what teams <em>could</em> be, but get to react (or maybe overreact) to what happened in Week 1. The biggest change from last week is that now we can see the Dallas Cowboys are on fire. But not the good kind of fire. We’re talking left-your-tailgate-grill-on-in-the-parking-lot-and-torched-eight-cars kind of fire. Other NFC powerhouses (like the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams) slid a bit after blowout losses, but nothing tops the Cowboys getting blown out on <em>Sunday Night Football</em> and losing Dak Prescott to a thumb injury, to boot. On a more positive note, Mike McDaniel’s Miami Dolphins are significant risers after their Week 1 performance. Check out the rest of my updated power rankings below as we march on to Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season. </p>
<p id="iSEKHF">Betting odds are from FanDuel.</p>
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<h3 id="WuLEoN">
<br><strong>The Best of the Best </strong>
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<h4 id="PLNjci"><strong>1. Buffalo Bills (last week: 1)</strong></h4>
<p id="XRyZ99">Record: 1-0 | Make Playoffs: -850<br>Week 1 Result: Beat the Rams, 31-10</p>
<p id="va5gEL">Josh Allen played a near-perfect game in a blowout win over the reigning Super Bowl champions. The defense allowed 3.7 yards per play, good for second best in Week 1, <em>without </em>star cornerback Tre’Davious White. The Bills are quite plainly the best team in the NFL. </p>
<h4 id="1anP31"><strong>2. Kansas City Chiefs (last week: 3)</strong></h4>
<p id="eUbzoP">Record: 1-0 | Make Playoffs: -300<br>Week 1 Result: Beat the Cardinals, 44-21</p>
<p id="SkenXo">No Tyreek Hill, no problem. Patrick Mahomes completed passes to nine different receivers in a 360-yard, five-touchdown performance in the Chiefs’ win over Arizona. And the Kansas City defense followed suit, limiting Kyler Murray and the Cardinals to 4.5 yards per play. Now, no other defense in the NFL will likely show the Chiefs offense as many blitzes and single-high looks as Arizona did in Week 1, so let’s not project an 85-touchdown season for Mahomes just yet. But early returns for the Hill-less offense and an improved defense are abundantly positive.</p>
<h4 id="4qkARu"><strong>3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (last week: 2)</strong></h4>
<p id="BKU63Q">Record: 1-0 | Make Playoffs: -1200<br>Week 1 Result: Beat the Cowboys, 19-3</p>
<p id="mbLBfd">Every Buccaneers game this season will be a weekly ad for the TB12 diet. In his age-45 season, Tom Brady looks as good as ever, and his supporting cast is right there with him (though we are somewhat concerned that receiver Chris Godwin is already injured again, this time a hamstring). Tampa Bay enters Week 2 as the favorite to win the NFC at plus-280, and I’m still buying it at that price. </p>
<h4 id="6aWidd"><strong>4. Los Angeles Chargers (last week: 6)</strong></h4>
<p id="SQuF7P">Record: 1-0 | Make Playoffs: -225<br>Week 1 Result: Beat the Raiders, 24-19</p>
<p id="PmMp1p">Justin Herbert is a <a href="https://qbrankings.theringer.com/">top-three quarterback in the NFL</a>, and the defense is showing massive improvement from last season. Buy the hype. This Chargers team is legit and they’ll get a chance to prove it when they face the Chiefs on Thursday night. </p>
<h3 id="0OEs33"><strong>Flawed Deep Postseason Contenders</strong></h3>
<h4 id="rriy4P"><strong>5. Green Bay Packers (last week: 4)</strong></h4>
<p id="9hc1lg">Record: 0-1 | Make Playoffs: -280<br>Week 1 Result: Lost to the Vikings, 23-7</p>
<p id="eM5TJN">Aaron Rodgers threw for 133 yards, no touchdowns and had two picks in a 38-3 loss to the Saints in Week 1 last season and went on to win the league MVP award. But this year’s blowout loss to the Vikings feels different. The offensive line is plagued by injuries, Davante Adams plays for the Raiders, and Green Bay’s supposedly stacked defense gave up 184 yards to one player (Justin Jefferson). The Packers need offensive linemen David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins back healthy and literally <em>any </em>receiver to step up to maintain deep postseason contention. It’s wild that <a href="https://twitter.com/packers/status/1568717345719205896?s=20&t=DX0qTxdL1sTfvF3VHhAihg">Rodgers’s <em>Peaky Blinders</em> haircut</a> was the lone highlight of their season debut. </p>
<h4 id="i8WMGj"><strong>6. Los Angeles Rams (last week: 5)</strong></h4>
<p id="zYuZeH">Record: 0-1 | Make Playoffs: -220<br>Week 1 Result: Lost to the Bills, 31-10</p>
<p id="42JF1J">The Rams drop just one spot in these rankings despite the blowout loss at home against Buffalo, but they’ll be in a free fall if we see more of the same against Atlanta in Week 2. The offensive line, which lost both Andrew Whitworth and Austin Corbett this offseason, was disastrous. Matthew Stafford was under pressure on 19 dropbacks against Buffalo, per <a href="https://twitter.com/austingayle_/status/1568253398381916162?s=20&t=DX0qTxdL1sTfvF3VHhAihg">PFF</a>, which is more pressure than he faced in any game all last season. Whitworth’s replacement at left tackle, Joseph Noteboom, allowed a team-high eight pressures in the season debut; Whitworth allowed 20 in 18 games last season. That can’t continue if the Rams have aspirations for a Super Bowl repeat.</p>
<h4 id="vgvgH5"><strong>7. Baltimore Ravens (last week: 8)</strong></h4>
<p id="dci892">Record: 1-0 | Make Playoffs: -215<br>Week 1 Result: Beat the Jets, 24-9</p>
<p id="PyU2Uh">Lamar Jackson and the Ravens beat up on the Jets’ secondary to cruise to a 24-9 win in Week 1, but a stifled rushing attack and mounting injuries remain a concern. Without running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, and offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, Baltimore averaged just 3 yards per carry with Kenyan Drake as its lead rusher (31 yards). Offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James, who started in place of Stanley, and cornerback Kyle Fuller will miss the rest of the season after suffering season-ending injuries in Week 1. (For James, the Achilles tendon injury is especially heartbreaking. Injuries limited him to three games with the Broncos in 2019, he opted out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19 concerns, and then tore his Achilles while training in the 2021 offseason. Sunday’s game in New York was only his fourth game since 2018.) The Ravens need to stay healthy and run the football effectively if they’re going to be Super Bowl contenders, and we just haven’t seen either ring true yet. </p>
<h4 id="Erhi6v"><strong>8. Cincinnati Bengals (last week:7)</strong></h4>
<p id="qcAOHV">Record: 0-1 | Make Playoffs: +110<br>Week 1 Result: Lost to the Steelers, 23-20 in overtime </p>
<p id="I0k4C3">Joe Burrow and the Bengals looked dreadful out of the gate. The offense scored just three points and committed four turnovers, including a Minkah Fitzpatrick pick-six, on their opening five possessions on their way to an early 17-3 deficit. With nowhere really to go but up, Burrow and the rest of the offense improved as the game progressed, but the sheer volume of miscues—most notably a blocked PAT at the end of regulation and a missed field goal in overtime—gave Pittsburgh enough life to eke out a win on the road. The Bengals are a lot better than their Week 1 performance and should get back on the playoff track as Burrow and the new offensive line get more comfortable.</p>
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<h3 id="06yIkz">
<br><strong>Should-Be Playoff Teams</strong>
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<h4 id="M2YxbS">9. Minnesota Vikings (last week: 11)</h4>
<p id="bl8UA7">Record: 1-0 | Make Playoffs: -230<br>Week 1 Result: Beat the Packers, 23-7</p>
<p id="57x1BL">In this collection of 20 preseason power rankings aggregated by <a href="https://twitter.com/RNBWCV/status/1567986652425129985?s=20&t=DX0qTxdL1sTfvF3VHhAihg">René Bugner</a>, only Football Outsiders was higher on the Vikings than I was entering Week 1. And after a dominant 23-7 win over the Packers, I’m moving them up two spots to no. 9. First-year head coach Kevin O’Connell, who is currently <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nfl?tab=season-awards">plus-800 to win Coach of the Year</a>, led an offensive fireworks show against what many of us thought would be one of the most talented defenses in the NFL. Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson connected for 184 yards and two touchdowns in a truly dominant display that should prove sustainable with O’Connell pulling the strings. </p>
<p id="8unciw"><strong>10. Denver Broncos (last week: 10)</strong></p>
<p id="HZLZqq">Record: 0-1 | Make Playoffs: TBD<br>Week 1 Result: Lost to the Seahawks, 17-16</p>
<p id="JXtIhQ">I know it’s tempting, but let’s not hit the panic button yet in Denver. When the smoke clears from all the hot takes about Russell Wilson’s return to Seattle and Nathaniel Hackett’s truly bonkers end-of-game decision-making, what we’ll see is that there was plenty to like about Wilson’s debut for the Broncos. He was efficient in moving the offense down the field—the Broncos averaged 6.8 yards per play—and Denver outgained Seattle by 169 yards in the second half. The problem was red zone efficiency, settling for field goals instead of touchdowns, losing two fumbles at the goal line, and general sloppiness (like multiple delay of game penalties). </p>
<aside id="ZiMfCi"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Five Takeaways From Russell Wilson’s Disappointing Return to Seattle","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/9/13/23350348/russell-wilson-broncos-seahawks-week-1-seattle-return"}]}'></div></aside><h4 id="ueo5lJ"><strong>11. San Francisco 49ers (last week: 9)</strong></h4>
<p id="dMprvi">Record: 0-1 | Make Playoffs: -140<br>Week 1 Result: Lost to the Bears, 19-10</p>
<p id="yoqmrT">Pump the brakes on any 49ers hate. Yes, Trey Lance was inconsistent, but we shouldn’t forget he was making just his fourth start in a football game since 2019 and was playing in a driving rainstorm on a near-unplayable field in Chicago. Pull your punches until we see more of Lance and this 49ers team in better conditions, and stop clamoring for Jimmy Garoppolo (at least for now). </p>
<h4 id="aPcw7F"><strong>12. Philadelphia Eagles (last week:13)</strong></h4>
<p id="fmodZy">Record: 1-0 | Make Playoffs: -380<br>Week 1 Result: Beat the Lions, 38-35</p>
<p id="jjTdYb">The preseason hype surrounding the Eagles is still very real, and the final score isn’t indicative of how much the Eagles dominated this game against Detroit. ESPN’s win probability model gave the Eagles a 73 percent chance or better to win after they went up 21-7 in the second quarter. Allowing D’Andre Swift to go off for 144 yards rushing is a bit of a concern, but nearly everything else skewed positive for the Eagles in Week 1. Jalen Hurts and Miles Sanders both recorded 90-plus yards rushing, and new wideout A.J. Brown caught 10 passes for 155 yards in a stunning debut for Philadelphia. </p>
<h4 id="RahJhE">13. Miami Dolphins (last week:17)</h4>
<p id="7zNagL">Record: 1-0 | Make Playoffs: -116<br>Week 1 Result: Beat the Patriots, 20-7</p>
<p id="rODyw6">I predicted on <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2022/9/6/23340118/preseason-nfl-team-quarterback-power-rankings"><em>The Ringer NFL Show</em></a> last week the Dolphins had potential to be one of the biggest risers in these rankings, and now here we are: up four spots after Week 1. Tua Tagovailoa wasn’t a game-breaker by any means, but he didn’t have to be against the Pats. Tagovailoa went 22-of-33 for 270 passing yards and a touchdown in his 2022 debut, and new wideout Tyreek Hill led the team in targets (12), receptions (eight), and receiving yards (94). I’m all in on this Mike McDaniel–Tagovailoa pairing, especially with the team’s improved offensive line and receiving corps. </p>
<h4 id="ph58W2"><strong>14. Arizona Cardinals (last week: 14)</strong></h4>
<p id="3rKOgA">Record: 0-1 | Make Playoffs: +176<br>Week 1 Result: Lost to the Chiefs, 44-21</p>
<p id="yv3YLG">Why the hell did the Cardinals blitz Patrick Mahomes on <a href="https://twitter.com/NextGenStats/status/1569109518126313472?s=20&t=PRAJ35xCUbQcDb_VNdoS5A">54 percent of his dropbacks</a>? You’d think a team coached by Kliff Kingsbury (Mahomes’s college coach) and DC Vance Joseph (who previously coached against Mahomes when Joseph was the head coach in Denver) would know better than to blitz Mahomes that much. Their defensive game plan killed the Cardinals’ chances, as Mahomes threw four of his five touchdowns while facing more than four rushers. The Cardinals offense, meanwhile, ranked 27th in yards per play (4.5) in Week 1, hardly an inspiring start for a unit that was looking to get more explosive. Kyler Murray is <a href="https://qbrankings.theringer.com/">one of the league’s top quarterbacks</a>, and the team has enough of a supporting cast offensively and defensively to be competitive. But they just can’t get out of their own way. </p>
<h4 id="iRsKk1"><strong>15. Tennessee Titans (last week: 15)</strong></h4>
<p id="zPwM8r">Record: 0-1 | Make Playoffs: +174<br>Week 1 Result: Lost to the Giants, 21-20</p>
<p id="oZT3i4">Losing to the Giants may have some rushing to the panic button for the Titans, but I’m still buying them at plus-174 to make the playoffs and plus-200 to win the AFC South. The good news for Tennessee is that the pass rush came through in this game, even without Harold Landry III, who is likely out for the season with a torn ACL. Per <a href="https://premium.pff.com/nfl/positions/2022/REGPO/passing-pressure?position=QB">Pro Football Focus</a>, no quarterback was under pressure on a higher percentage of his dropbacks than the Giants’ Daniel Jones in Week 1. </p>
<h3 id="jXtR23"><strong>On the Bubble</strong></h3>
<h4 id="lRfNu6"><strong>16. Indianapolis Colts (last week: 16)</strong></h4>
<p id="SR23hm">Record: 0-0-1 | Make Playoffs: -230 <br>Week 1 Result: Tied with the Texans, 20-20</p>
<p id="m27avp">The Colts were asleep at the wheel for three quarters against Houston, but they woke up in time to rally from a 20-3 fourth-quarter deficit and avoid a loss. Favored by seven points in the contest, the Colts obviously underperformed against the Texans, but new quarterback Matt Ryan appeared to grow more comfortable in the offense as the game went on. And the defense still held the Texans to fewer than 4.5 yards per play. Indianapolis should vault up these rankings if they can avoid sloppy starts moving forward. </p>
<h4 id="8564lx"><strong>17. New Orleans Saints (last week: 18) </strong></h4>
<p id="tZV5nL">Record: 1-0 | Make Playoffs: -114<br>Week 1 Result: Beat the Falcons, 27-26</p>
<p id="giP2A7">It was a slow start for New Orleans, but the finish was stunning. Trailing 26-10 with 12:41 left in the fourth quarter, quarterback Jameis Winston, who briefly left the game with “<a href="https://twitter.com/TJ_Pittinger/status/1569082653139156992?s=20&t=PRAJ35xCUbQcDb_VNdoS5A">pain everywhere</a>,” put together three consecutive scoring drives, ending with two Michael Thomas touchdowns and Wil Lutz’s game-winning field goal. The Saints will be a tough out if they can make their Week 1 fourth-quarter magic a routine. </p>
<h4 id="IvrRo6"><strong>18. Dallas Cowboys (last week:12)</strong></h4>
<p id="Af6Ybt">Record: 0-1 | Make Playoffs: +250<br>Week 1 result: Lost to the Buccaneers, 19-3</p>
<p id="Xiz1vj">YIKES. It turns out losing key offensive players La’el Collins, Amari Cooper, Cedrick Wilson Jr., and Connor Williams all in the same offseason isn’t great. Injuries to Tyron Smith, Michael Gallup, and James Washington make matters worse. And now Dak Prescott will <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1569290476527980545?s=20&t=PRAJ35xCUbQcDb_VNdoS5A">undergo thumb surgery and miss six to eight weeks</a>. The Cowboys’ preseason odds to make the playoffs, per FanDuel, flipped from minus-225 to now plus-250. Head coach <a href="https://twitter.com/BigALinSEBtown/status/1569155553343209473?s=20&t=PRAJ35xCUbQcDb_VNdoS5A">Mike McCarthy is a meme</a>. The <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/9/12/23348437/winners-losers-week-1-nfl-2022">Disaster Cowboys</a> are the dog in a house engulfed by flames, but this <em>isn’t </em>fine. </p>
<h4 id="w50aSs"><strong>19. Cleveland Browns (last week: 20)</strong></h4>
<p id="eIVxUw">Record: 1-0 | Make Playoffs: +124<br>Week 1 Result: Beat the Panthers, 26-24</p>
<p id="GFGl3U">Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett was as advertised—conservative (he finished Week 1 with the lowest yards per attempt average of any starter) and turnover prone. The only reason his stat line wasn’t a total disaster was that he was bailed out of two would-be interceptions, first by <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWaldman/status/1569095414661644288?s=20&t=PRAJ35xCUbQcDb_VNdoS5A">one of the dumbest pass interference penalties I’ve ever seen committed</a> and then on a drop by Carolina safety Myles Hartsfield. A stalwart defense led by Myles Garrett (two sacks and three tackles for loss), heavy doses of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt (who combined for 187 rushing yards), and a clutch rookie kicker (Cade York, FTW) saved Cleveland from disaster. That will be the key to victory for the Browns until quarterback play improves. </p>
<h4 id="uEnlNK">20. Las Vegas Raiders (last week: 19)</h4>
<p id="Jq2r0h">Record: 0-1 | Make Playoffs: +230<br>Week 1 Result: Lost to the Chargers, 24-19</p>
<p id="w3j41N">The Raiders are who we thought they were. Derek Carr is talented but imperfect, and Davante Adams is still one of the best receivers in the NFL. Nearly everything else is a massive work in progress, especially the offensive line, which allowed six sacks (three by former Raider Khalil Mack) as the Raiders rotated four different combinations of linemen throughout the game against the Chargers. Carr can’t throw three picks, fumble the ball twice (the Raiders were lucky to recover both), and take that many sacks if the Raiders are going to win consistently, but that—and the team’s struggling no-name secondary—doesn’t look like it’ll be changing anytime soon. </p>
<h4 id="yltk0n"><strong>21. New England Patriots (last week: 21)</strong></h4>
<p id="6dagRB">Record: 0-1 | Make Playoffs: +192<br>Week 1 Result: Lost to the Dolphins, 20-7</p>
<p id="ka0jqG">The Patriots’ Week 1 performance did nothing to calm preseason fears surrounding first-year offensive play caller Matt Patricia and the offense. The team’s stable of running backs averaged just 3.5 yards per carry, and quarterback Mac Jones (who may have suffered a back injury) was responsible for two turnovers in the loss to Miami. A lot needs to change in a hurry for Patricia and Jones to put together a winning season in New England. </p>
<aside id="iSEne7"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Winners and Losers of NFL Week 1","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/9/12/23348437/winners-losers-week-1-nfl-2022"}]}'></div></aside><h3 id="RkviXb"><strong>Long Shot Playoff Hopefuls </strong></h3>
<h4 id="euGaAh"><strong>22. Pittsburgh Steelers (last week: 22)</strong></h4>
<p id="KGVLNF">Record 1-0 | Make Playoffs: +225<br>Week 1 Result: Beat the Bengals, 23-20 in overtime</p>
<p id="Lf4pri">Mike Tomlin <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1569084099842670592?s=20&t=PRAJ35xCUbQcDb_VNdoS5A">rightfully celebrated</a> an improbable overtime win in Cincinnati, but the Steelers’ long-term prospects remain bleak. Star pass rusher T.J. Watt suffered a pectoral muscle injury and <a href="https://twitter.com/adamschefter/status/1569396221160333312?s=46&t=dKa8fULqblp8wdADRncz0w">will miss, at minimum, six weeks</a>, and starting running back Najee Harris and cornerback Levi Wallace each left Sunday’s game with injuries. The Steelers offense averaged just 4.4 yards per play in Mitchell Trubisky’s Steelers debut, tied for the fourth-lowest average in Week 1. Tomlin isn’t going down without a fight, but optimism is hard to come by in Pittsburgh even after the upset win. </p>
<h4 id="jEPa9n"><strong>23. Washington Commanders (last week: 23)</strong></h4>
<p id="7UO6ho">Record: 1-0 | Make Playoffs: -104<br>Week 1 Result: Beat the Jaguars, 28-22</p>
<p id="1vjZnf">Carson Wentz threw two fourth-quarter picks in a span of less than three minutes against the Jaguars. It didn’t end up dooming the Commanders this time, but that’s not going to get it done against better teams. The low end of the Wentz roller coaster is what cost Indianapolis a playoff berth last season, and it will cost the Commanders in the future if the turnovers continue. If the Commanders are going to be in the playoff mix, they’ll need more of Wentz’s upside, like the two absolute dimes that went for touchdowns in the fourth quarter.</p>
<p id="EDjtZZ"><strong>24. Seattle Seahawks (last week: 30)</strong></p>
<p id="vRspdd">Record: 1-0 | Make Playoffs: +430<br>Week 1 Result: Beat the Broncos, 17-16</p>
<p id="ncwdIB">I’m an idiot. I recently predicted on <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2022/9/6/23340118/preseason-nfl-team-quarterback-power-rankings"><em>The Ringer NFL Show</em></a> that I was initially too low on the Seahawks, and here we are. Geno Smith, an improved offensive line, a well-coached defense, a spry Rashaad Penny, Pete Carroll, you name it—they all exceeded preseason expectations. Only two teams (Falcons and Texans) had lower odds to have the worst record in the NFL than the Seahawks before upsetting the Broncos as 6.5-point home dogs in Week 1. I’m still not buying them to make the playoffs, but they’re far from the league’s doormat. </p>
<h4 id="y53eiz"><strong>25. New York Giants (last week: 27)</strong></h4>
<p id="LSVhQk">Record: 1-0 | Make Playoffs: +138<br>Week 1 Result: Beat the Titans, 21-20</p>
<p id="wKn4Lc">I’ll say it, the Brian Daboll era in New York is going to be freaking awesome. Every Week 1 clip of the new Giants head coach should spark hope for Giants faithful. He <a href="https://twitter.com/BobbySkinner_/status/1569097489210302465?s=20&t=PRAJ35xCUbQcDb_VNdoS5A">held Daniel Jones accountable</a> for an awful red zone interception, showed <a href="https://twitter.com/SNYGiants/status/1569148939533688833?s=20&t=PRAJ35xCUbQcDb_VNdoS5A">extreme confidence</a> with his decision to go for two later in the fourth quarter, and <a href="https://twitter.com/TalkinGiants/status/1569111911689584641?s=20&t=PRAJ35xCUbQcDb_VNdoS5A">let loose with the boys</a> in the locker room following the comeback win. Daboll also unleashed a version of Saquon Barkley we haven’t seen in years. Barkley averaged 9.1 yards per carry, rushed for 164 yards—the most of any running back in Week 1—scored a touchdown, and had the game-winning two-point conversion off a shovel pass from Jones. The Giants won’t be a playoff team overnight, but the culture Daboll is building appears sustainable and significant, and a much-needed step in the right direction. </p>
<h4 id="8gblZt"><strong>26. Carolina Panthers (last week: 25)</strong></h4>
<p id="nQYCuv">Record: 0-1 | Make Playoffs: +400<br>Week 1 Result: Lost to the Browns, 26-24</p>
<p id="NJerBp">What a frustrating week for Carolina. The defense allowed just 4.8 yards per play against the Browns, while Baker Mayfield led the offense to 17 fourth-quarter points to nearly pull off a comeback against Cleveland. The effort was good, but not good enough after falling behind 14-0 in the second quarter. The offense was miserable early—just 13 total yards on the first five drives; Carolina can’t afford slow starts if it’s going to win games in 2022, and neither can Matt Rhule if he’s going to coach this team through the end of the season.</p>
<h4 id="3OZ65U"><strong>27. Jacksonville Jaguars (last week: 24)</strong></h4>
<p id="hAWUZO">Record: 0-1 | Make Playoffs: +430<br>Week 1 Result: Lost to the Commanders, 28-22</p>
<p id="O3mTeJ">The Jags were one of four teams that allowed more than 300 passing yards in Week 1, a total that includes 134 yards and two passing touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone in the loss to the Commanders. Combine that sort of defensive meltdown with an inconsistent offensive performance—the OL struggled, and Trevor Lawrence threw a pick with 1:10 remaining—and it’s a reminder of just how far the Jaguars have to go.</p>
<h4 id="hmeRH6"><strong>28. Chicago Bears (last week: 29)</strong></h4>
<p id="llyEkO">Record: 1-0 | Make Playoffs: +270<br>Week 1 Result: Beat the 49ers, 19-10</p>
<p id="5fzu84">I’m not sprinting to jump on the Chicago bandwagon until the team dries off and plays well in better weather, but there’s still reason for optimism at the start of the Ryan Poles–Matt Eberflus era. The offensive line performed <a href="https://twitter.com/SethWalder/status/1569119438586134528?s=20&t=Y6ewirXq9qcpHctzP9Jjqg">way better than anyone expected</a> against a talented San Francisco defensive front, and the Bears were able to do just enough to beat a sloppy 49ers team in sloppy weather conditions. </p>
<h3 id="nmFUZV"><strong>Eyeing the No. 1 Pick</strong></h3>
<h4 id="4qejZf"><strong>29. Detroit Lions (last week: 26)</strong></h4>
<p id="aUbVTD">Record: 0-1 | Make Playoffs: +410<br>Week 1 Result: Lost to the Eagles, 38-35</p>
<p id="k1XTMI">Lions bettors rejoiced in a familiar beautiful backdoor cover late in the fourth quarter, but the bottom line is that while the Lions might have made it interesting late, the Eagles were in constant control of this game. Running back D’Andre Swift (144 rushing yards, 9.6 yards per carry) led an offense that exceeded preseason expectations, but the defense had simply no answers for the duo of Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown. Detroit allowed 455 yards of total offense, the third-most of any team in Week 1. </p>
<h4 id="7gBSg1"><strong>30. Atlanta Falcons (last week: 31)</strong></h4>
<p id="YcdigF">Record: 0-1 | Make Playoffs: +1320<br>Week 1 Result: Lost to the Saints, 27-26</p>
<p id="DfIjCZ">We might not have the chance to do this very often this season, so we’ll start by saying a few nice things about the Falcons: Marcus Mariota and Cordarrelle Patterson (120 rushing yards) thrived in Arthur Smith’s play-action-heavy offense in Week 1, and Atlanta’s secondary, led by corners A.J. Terrell and Casey Hayward, was dominant early against the Saints. Even the offensive line, a perceived weakness for the Falcons, held up extraordinarily well against the Saints’ front seven. </p>
<p id="p3H4H7">But all of the surprise positives washed away in what is seemingly a constant negative for Atlanta: the fourth quarter. <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/game/_/gameId/401437650">ESPN’s win probability model</a> gave the Falcons a 95 percent chance of winning when Younghoe Koo made a field goal to give Atlanta a 26-10 lead with 12:41 left in the fourth quarter. Then the Falcons collapsed in a way only the Falcons can, allowing 17 unanswered points to lose 27-26. <a href="https://twitter.com/thekellyprice/status/1569066070035537922?s=20&t=PRAJ35xCUbQcDb_VNdoS5A">Smith turning heel in his postgame presser</a> really put an exclamation point on late-game disappointment overshadowing any early optimism. </p>
<h4 id="muRzLq"><strong>31. Houston Texans (last week:32)</strong></h4>
<p id="PuChi7">Record: 0-0-1 | Make Playoffs: +1600<br>Week 1 Result: Tied the Colts, 20-20</p>
<p id="XTRVND">We’ll give the Texans credit for the grittiness and spunk they showed in building a 20-3 lead over the heavily favored Colts. But this isn’t a good team, and TBH we’re still not over Lovie Smith’s decision to punt to preserve a tie in overtime rather than risk losing. </p>
<h4 id="k9qEk3"><strong>32. New York Jets (last week: 28) </strong></h4>
<p id="usPTg1">Record 0-1 | Make Playoffs: +1020<br>Week 1 Result: Lost to the Ravens, 24-9</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="Q0wq9N">Zach Wilson won’t start<a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1567539613245345792?s=20&t=qvA3UKoJefMg7S6UnRN2Yg"> until Week 4 (or later)</a>, and the defense is still giving up too many big plays. The Jets are the league’s punching bag right now.</p>
<aside id="Zt6tKw"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"ringer_newsletter"}'></div></aside>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/9/13/23349919/nfl-power-rankings-bills-chiefsAustin Gayle2022-09-13T02:10:07-04:002022-09-13T02:10:07-04:00Five Takeaways From Russell Wilson’s Disappointing Return to Seattle
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<p>Wilson’s first game as a Bronco came with sloppy penalties, questionable decisions from his head coach, and an opponent in the Seahawks who looked better than advertised</p> <p id="mSMMY7"><em>A wild Week 1 came to a close Monday night when the Seahawks held on to beat the Broncos 17-16 in Russell Wilson’s return to Seattle. The game was predictably weird, given its participants, and gave us a first look at how some new faces look in new places. Here are five takeaways: </em></p>
<h3 id="N0qysd">1. Nathaniel Can’t Hackett</h3>
<p id="dWiBLY">Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett’s debut could have gone a lot better. His team played sloppily and got flagged 12 times, costing Denver 106 yards. The pre-snap operation was particularly messy. His offense had some embarrassing sequences at the goal line, where it consistently operated out of the shotgun, for whatever reason. And that might have influenced a questionable decision to settle for a field goal midway through the fourth quarter with the Broncos down by four and facing a fourth-and-goal from the 8-yard line. </p>
<p id="4ZcIpl">Hackett’s worst impression, though, was the last one he gave. With about a minute left in the game and the Broncos trailing by a point, Denver’s offense stayed out on the field for 39 seconds of clock time on fourth-and-5 before Hackett finally called a timeout. Following that, Hackett opted to send kicker Brandon McManus out to try a 64-yard field goal instead of keeping the ball in quarterback Russell Wilson’s $245 million hands. McManus missed, and the Seahawks went on to win. </p>
<p id="1Siv82">Much was made of the partnership between Hackett and Wilson in the leadup to this game, and there’s lots of time left for them to define it this season, but in the moment it counted most on Monday, Hackett’s decision was to Let Russ Look. </p>
<p id="MIqwAr">Models vary, but Football Outsiders’ win probability calculator found that the decision to kick a field goal instead of passing in that situation cost the Broncos nearly 30 percentage points. </p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">From our win probability calculator, <a href="https://twitter.com/BryKno?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BryKno</a> ran this:<br><br>Pass: 36.1% WP<br>Field Goal: 7.4% WP<br><br>Complete insanity.</p>— Aaron Schatz (@FO_ASchatz) <a href="https://twitter.com/FO_ASchatz/status/1569526264968478720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2022</a>
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<p id="gAltWk">McManus is a good kicker who benefits additionally from playing half his games in the Denver altitude, but he’s never made a kick of more than 61 yards—and this game was in Seattle. Not to mention across league history, NFL kickers are only 2-of-41 on kicks of 64 yards or longer. </p>
<p id="B4doHo">To underscore how truly befuddling this decision was, Seattle had also used its final timeout to ice McManus, and he missed that attempt, as well. At that point there were only 20 seconds left in the game, and McManus actually did have the distance on that kick that didn’t count, if not the location. But it’s still shocking that even with extra time to reconsider, um, asking a player who’d thrown for 340 yards already to throw for five more instead of asking a kicker to make a career-long kick, Hackett didn’t. </p>
<p id="a3huvO">Hackett confirmed after the game that he never thought about going for it, either before or after the timeout, then said that 64 yards was McManus’s range and that “Brandon gave it his best shot.” </p>
<p id="RSN2BY">He may have to offer further explanation this week, especially given that Pete Carroll said he was never expecting the Broncos to kick in that situation. </p>
<p id="WZ7q3B">“I was surprised that they took Russ out at the end,” Carroll said. “We weren’t thinking field goal there, we were thinking it was fourth down and they were still going. It gave us a chance to win the game on that play. We were fortunate there.” </p>
<div id="FC39Lu"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/5aPOG1v5OwmOm3BZCkZkC9?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;"></iframe></div></div>
<h3 id="5Ee4K0">
<br>2. Let Geno Cook?</h3>
<p id="TBEcRj">Starting his first Week 1 game in eight years, Geno Smith gave the Seahawks everything they could have hoped for. He completed 82 percent of his passes (23-of-28) for 195 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. </p>
<p id="YkUFpy">Smith began the game with a fan-base-appropriate 12 straight completions and threw two touchdowns in the first half before the Broncos defense clamped down and held Seattle scoreless after halftime. But Smith’s output in the opening two quarters was enough to get the win and, more importantly, show that he can run the offense the Seahawks wanted to deploy last season when they hired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron away from Sean McVay’s Rams staff. Smith threw mostly short, over the middle, and to his right (his yards per attempt average was 5.1, according to Next Gen Stats). He got the ball out on time, with an average time to throw of 2.85 seconds, and he used play-action on a heavy 37 percent of his dropbacks. </p>
<p id="llBMSd">He wasn’t flawless, though. His willingness to stand in the pocket is welcome in Seattle, where Waldron wants his quarterback to play on schedule, a preference that had been a difficult fit with Wilson. But there were multiple plays when Smith was <em>too</em> willing to do so, standing still when he should have climbed up in the pocket to avoid pressure and wound up getting hit by a pass rusher coming around the edge. At least once this happened when Denver outside linebacker Bradley Chubb won a rep against Seahawks rookie offensive tackle Charles Cross, which is nothing to fret about, but it was one negative tendency that showed up in the game. Overall, though, Smith executed the offensive game plan well, which bodes well for a Seattle team in an NFC West that didn’t look as foreboding as expected in Week 1. </p>
<h3 id="GDtj9q">3. New Team, Same Russ</h3>
<p id="9ft0lq">We should not have expected anything else. No matter what offense he’s in, Russell Wilson runs his own offense, and that’s what happened Monday night. A major preseason talking point in Denver was that the Broncos wanted to operate with a lot of tempo—but when the game started, Russ took his time, threw it deep, and broke the pocket liberally. His average time to throw was 3.04 seconds, with a 7.3 average yards per attempt.</p>
<p id="MRtHkE">This is not a complaint! Wilson went 29-of-42 for 340 yards and a touchdown, and without two goal-line fumbles from running backs Melvin Gordon III and Javonte Williams, Denver probably would have won. The Broncos offense outgained the Seahawks by nearly 200 total yards, 433-253. It’s just another reminder that if Hackett is the offensive coach who gets Wilson to alter his style, he will be the first to have done it. </p>
<h3 id="YTaOFf">4. More Rust for the Resters</h3>
<p id="TCufYE">The Broncos joined the likes of the Rams, Bengals, and Packers as teams who heavily prioritized rest over reps for starters in training camp and the preseason, then had sloppy first games. Though some of the Broncos’ penalties can be explained by the noise at Lumen Field, it was still a severe issue. Two lost fumbles didn’t help, either (though Seattle had three fumbles and was lucky to recover two of them). Denver was so cautious about the preseason that even when the Cowboys visited for a joint practice—something many coaches use to ramp up physicality because they can see their players against another team while having more control than they would in a preseason game—it wound up being a light day of work. </p>
<p id="TZbRFH">Seattle, meanwhile, joins teams like the Giants and Steelers who, in part because of quarterback competitions or evaluations that needed to happen, gave more reps and physical practice time to starters before the season and pulled off upsets in Week 1. Some coaches would probably say that injuries are a bigger concern than rust, but it’s worth watching to see whether the trend continues. </p>
<h3 id="UBiKLA">5. Melvin Gordon III and Javonte Williams Do Everything Together</h3>
<p id="Rh2dde">Denver apparently takes this running back committee thing fairly serious. Gordon and Williams split touches nearly evenly Monday night, with Williams getting 18 to Gordon’s 14. (They also each had a fumble at the goal line.)</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="PSaRUr">Williams was far more productive, with 43 yards on seven carries and 11 catches for 65 yards in the passing game. Gordon had 12 carries for 58 yards and two receptions for 14 yards. If the disparity in production continues to be that wide, it would seem obvious that Williams would start getting the larger portion of the workload. But that hasn’t happened yet. </p>
<aside id="cloWnE"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"ringer_newsletter"}'></div></aside>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/9/13/23350348/russell-wilson-broncos-seahawks-week-1-seattle-returnNora Princiotti2022-09-12T15:28:30-04:002022-09-12T15:28:30-04:00Why Do We Doubt Mahomes? Plus NFL Week 1 Recap With Damien Woody and CFB Week 2 Roundup
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<p>Plus, Ryen and Damien discuss the NFL’s best defensive “disrupters”</p> <div id="pxfeVA"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/0shCMcCeCsiBcWbmXJrGeL?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="GUeu3d"><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/0shCMcCeCsiBcWbmXJrGeL?si=29e64e073f7f4281">Russillo shares his thoughts on Patrick Mahomes</a>, and some other NFL Week 1 observations (2:16). Then Ryen is joined by two-time Super Bowl champion Damien Woody to discuss the Chiefs lighting up the Cardinals, the Dolphins’ win over the Patriots, Bengals-Steelers, Packers-Vikings, Cowboys-Buccaneers, the best defensive “disrupters,” whether there are any takeaways from the Bears’ win over the 49ers, and more (19:58). Next Ryen talks about some college football games from Week 2, including Texas-Alabama, Stanford-USC, Florida-Kentucky, Texas A&M–Appalachian State, and South Carolina–Kentucky (45:02). Finally Ryen answers some listener-submitted Life Advice questions (58:20).</p>
<p id="SCbUSN">Host: Ryen Russillo<br>Guest: Damien Woody<br>Producers: Kyle Crichton and Steve Ceruti</p>
<p id="m4POiR"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2XdegS23ImVZldex799DUS?si=_xJxkzprRD6HtzEGVu4D-A">Spotify</a> / <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ryen-russillo-podcast/id1433966613">Apple Podcasts</a> / <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/DualThreatWithRyenRussillo">RSS</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/ryen-russillo-podcast/2022/9/12/23349567/doubt-patrick-mahomes-2022-nfl-season-week-1-recap-damien-woody-cfb-week-2Ryen Russillo2022-09-12T11:09:14-04:002022-09-12T11:09:14-04:00Which Teams Lived Up to Their Offseason Hype in Week 1—and Which Definitely Did Not?
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<p>After a summer of unprecedented player movement and plenty of buzz over upgraded players, units, and teams, it’s time to see which look as good as (or better than) expected, and which look much worse</p> <p id="FVOaJR"><em>Editor’s note: On Saturday, Ringer senior staff writer Jonathan Tjarks passed away. </em><a href="https://www.theringer.com/2022/9/11/23347619/jonathan-tjarks"><em>You can find information about how to support Jonathan’s family here</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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<p id="d7dYoq">The football was just all right on Sunday. The opening weekend of the 2022 NFL season provided us with a few memorable endings, but none of the games will be remembered for the high quality of the play. The quarterbacks were sloppy, and the kickers were somehow worse. But it was football nonetheless, and after an offseason of unprecedented player movement, we no longer have to speculate about how things might play out on the field. Will the Bengals’ revamped offensive line provide Joe Burrow with a little more protection? Is Tyreek Hill the key to unlocking a more aggressive (and effective) Tua Tagovailoa? Can the Packers overcome the loss of Davante Adams with a more balanced team? And how will Adams’s reunion with Derek Carr change the Raiders offense? </p>
<p id="caMY3o">With Week 1 nearly in the books, let’s check in on the players and teams that dominated the offseason discourse and decide whether the hype surrounding them was justified or misplaced optimism. </p>
<h3 id="fpYKzQ">The Bengals’ New and Improved Offensive Line</h3>
<p id="nCkwqR">If you just skimmed the box score of the Bengals’ 23-20 overtime loss to the Steelers and saw that Joe Burrow was sacked <em>seven times</em>, you might be thinking <em>Oh no, the Bengals offensive line stinks again</em>. And it’s true, the early returns don’t look great on the surface. But the line wasn’t actually all that bad on Sunday. Burrow was pressured on 29.2 percent of his dropbacks—only nine quarterbacks were pressured at a lower rate. And the three new signees—center Ted Karras, right guard Alex Cappa, and right tackle La’el Collins—gave up a combined four pressures. The left side of the line didn’t do so hot: Left tackle Jonah Williams, supposedly the best player of the group, got bullied by Alex Highsmith, who finished with three sacks; and a very real person named Cordell Volson, who the Bengals are starting at left guard, gave up five pressures on his own. But, overall, the new additions looked good against a dominant Steelers rush. </p>
<p id="VWRoBQ">Burrow’s play was a far bigger issue on Sunday. He was responsible for a handful of sacks on his own, including one on the very first snap of the season. The play in question was designed for Burrow to get the ball out quickly, and he had Hayden Hurst open outside but instead looked to the backside and took the sack. </p>
<div id="qqcnBZ">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Cam Heyward gets the season started off on the right foot <a href="https://t.co/HFMJ2qYLMt">pic.twitter.com/HFMJ2qYLMt</a></p>— PFF PIT Steelers (@PFF_Steelers) <a href="https://twitter.com/PFF_Steelers/status/1569011810895814657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="i8RrVv">Another sack came on an RPO on which Burrow took the pass option but couldn’t get the throw off and was “sacked” for zero yards. And yet another when Burrow tried to spin out of a crumbling pocket rather than taking a checkdown option. If Evan McPherson wasn’t so damn good, that sack would have knocked the Bengals out of field goal range. But the Pro Bowl kicker nailed a 59-yarder to bail his quarterback out. </p>
<p id="SkrX2U">More concerning than the high slack total was the Bengals’ lack of explosive plays in the passing game. This offense was largely powered by <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/8/18/23310692/joe-burrow-deep-passes-cincinnati-bengals-jamarr-chase">perimeter deep balls last season</a>, and Burrow attempted only two of them against a Steelers defense that played a lot of two-deep zone with the aim of taking away deep shots. </p>
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<p id="KZNh9j">Pittsburgh’s goal seemingly was to force Burrow to make intermediate throws into tight windows, and he threw three interceptions trying to do just that. If there is one weakness to Burrow’s game, it’s his unremarkable arm strength, and it showed up on Sunday. </p>
<div id="4SjOHc">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">MINKAH FITZPATRICK PICK SIX.<br><br>FIRST TOUCHDOWN OF THE DAY.<br><br>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NFL</a>)<a href="https://t.co/FkIzGbFzCj">pic.twitter.com/FkIzGbFzCj</a></p>— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1569011628460625923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="hNJM3b">This was undoubtedly a worrying performance for the third-year pro, but I wouldn’t bet on it continuing. Burrow typically has a good sense for which throws he’s able to make and which he should pass up on. And the fact that Burrow was the biggest contributor to the loss is probably a good sign going forward. He’ll be better, and if the offensive line plays like this against more forgiving competition, it should at the very least look competent. </p>
<p id="IKCtzX">But after Tee Higgins went down with a concussion, and the deep passing game was largely shut out, a new concern could soon pop up if defenses are able to replicate Pittsburgh’s plan to take away the plays that were so integral to Cincinnati’s success in 2021. </p>
<aside id="yrnUbl"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Winners and Losers of NFL Week 1","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/9/12/23348437/winners-losers-week-1-nfl-2022"}]}'></div></aside><h3 id="RQijsy">The Tua-to-Tyreek Connection</h3>
<p id="uFa5wM">It was a fine Sunday for the Tua Tagovailoa agenda. The Dolphins quarterback ran his record against Bill Belichick up to 4-0 after a 20-7 win, and his stat line looked pretty good! Tagovailoa finished 23-of-33 for 270 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions. His 0.14 EPA per dropback was bested by only seven quarterbacks this week, according to TruMedia. He was <em>efficient</em>. </p>
<p id="4BrdGs">But the Tua we saw on Sunday looked an awful lot like the one we saw in 2021. The bulk of his production came on quick, short passes. He got the ball out on time (with a 2.74-second average time to throw) and was accurate for the most part. The consummate distributor. But we already knew Tua was capable of playing that role. We questioned whether he could make the tough throws downfield—whether he could make good use of his new receiver, Tyreek Hill. And we didn’t really get an answer in Week 1. </p>
<p id="GtHLKJ">Tua’s longest throw of the day traveled only 25 yards through the air, and he targeted fullback Alec Ingold on that one. He did connect with Hill on two passes over 20 yards, but one of them looked like this: </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tyreek Hill just ripped an INT away from a Patriots defender and plucked it away. <a href="https://t.co/Bggqr50Jq7">pic.twitter.com/Bggqr50Jq7</a></p>— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) <a href="https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1569026336005541889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="PMabcF">The other was a wide open throw after Hill smoked his defender with a slick comeback route. Tua still had to make the throw, but the degree of difficulty wasn’t very high. </p>
<p id="FI1zqF">Hill ended the day with 94 receiving yards but needed eight catches to get there. And overall it wasn’t the most explosive day for the speedy receiver. There was a missed connection on Tua’s first dropback of the season: Following a bad snap, the Dolphins quarterback skipped a throw about 10 yards short of Hill, who was standing open 20 yards downfield. </p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Well..... <a href="https://t.co/QHatfu2XBs">pic.twitter.com/QHatfu2XBs</a></p>— Billy M (@BillyM_91) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillyM_91/status/1569011526169755648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="Yvzqgc">Hill’s average depth of target ended up at 9.1 yards—his previous career low, set in 2021, was 10.6—and most of his production came on early-down plays that were designed to get the ball to him. His three third-down targets lost 2.6 EPA and produced just 4 yards. </p>
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<p id="4OIMXF">The Tua-Hill connection is on pace for about 1,600 yards after one game. The Dolphins would probably be happy with that return. But you don’t pay Hill $30 million a year to catch shallow crossers. If this Dolphins offense is going to take the next step, we’ll need to see first-year coach Mike McDaniel and Tua provide him with more opportunities to really earn that money.</p>
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<h3 id="TLJIV1">
<br>The Chiefs’ Deep Passing Game</h3>
<p id="s0PD3d">Meanwhile, Hill’s former team had no problem moving the ball through the air Sunday. The Chiefs ran the Cardinals off the field in a 44-21 romp that wasn’t even as close as that score might imply. Patrick Mahomes averaged 9.2 yards per attempt, tossed five touchdowns, and made a dozen or so plays that made me mutter <em>this fucking guy</em>. I mean, look at this nonsense: </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">One of the unfair qualities Mahomes has at QB is how quickly he can read, reset and trigger after turning his back to the defense <a href="https://t.co/MnXliSRtfV">pic.twitter.com/MnXliSRtfV</a></p>— Ron Kopp Jr. (@Ron_Kopp) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ron_Kopp/status/1569124808956190720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2022</a>
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<p id="QkV9uy">Looking just at his numbers, you’d think Mahomes was chucking the ball downfield all game, right? That wasn’t really the case, though. His aDOT was a modest 7.8 yards, which was around league average for the week, and he attempted only three passes that traveled more than 25 yards in the air, according to TruMedia. This wasn’t the deep-ball-slinging Mahomes we saw over his first three seasons in the NFL. Nor was it the checkdown-taking version we saw over the second half of 2021. Instead, we got our first look at Midrange Mahomes, and it was brutally effective. </p>
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<p id="eMU9s4">Mahomes was firing darts over the middle of the field and doing so in a hurry to counter Arizona’s blitz-heavy defense. His 2.33-second average time to throw was the fifth-fastest of the week, according to TruMedia. Cardinals defensive coordinator <a href="https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/lists/worst-coaching-decisions-zac-taylor-lovie-smith/">Vance Joseph was criticized for his aggressive game plan</a>—blitzing Mahomes is typically a futile endeavor—but it was the only tactic that <em>sort of</em> worked. The Chiefs star averaged nearly 12 yards per dropback when Arizona didn’t send an extra rusher. </p>
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<p id="voK2VH">There’s just no defending Mahomes when he’s tapped into the matrix, and this was one of those times. But even on a day when the Chiefs could have put up 50 if they wanted to, the lack of deep passes stands out. Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster, the two big offseason additions to the receiving corps, combined for 123 receiving yards but neither earned a deep target. Mecole Hardman was able to get free downfield on two occasions, but Mahomes narrowly missed the throws. </p>
<p id="NgO1m8">Even with those misses, Mahomes leads the league in EPA this week by a wide margin. This was a virtuoso performance from no. 15—and our first bit of evidence that the Chiefs offense will be just fine without Hill supercharging the deep passing game. </p>
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<h3 id="fZHVu5">
<br>The Second-Year Quarterbacks</h3>
<p id="libJBh">With no rookie quarterbacks starting in Week 1, the 2021 class remains in the spotlight—and that may not be for the best. Justin Fields was the only second-year starter who led his team to victory, and he managed just 121 passing yards on a sloppy, rain-soaked field in Chicago. That 19-10 win over the 49ers hardly resembled a real NFL game, so we’ll give Fields and San Francisco QB Trey Lance a pass for their shaky performances. Both passers made good plays and threw woefully bad interceptions, but this was hardly the environment to properly evaluate their passing ability. There were, however, ideal conditions for elite celebrations. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is so awesome <a href="https://twitter.com/justnfields?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@justnfields</a> (via <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NFL</a>)<a href="https://t.co/NfT8EFwvdW">pic.twitter.com/NfT8EFwvdW</a></p>— Overtime (@overtime) <a href="https://twitter.com/overtime/status/1569056396280303619?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="ZmJg7y">Patriots quarterback Mac Jones did not have to deal with adverse weather in sunny Miami, but having Matt Patricia and Joe Judge “coordinate” your offense is arguably a worse fate. In a 20-7 loss to the Dolphins, the Pats offense was everything you’d expect it to be with that brain trust leading the way. It was a disjointed mess on early downs, which led to too many third-and-long situations that Jones just wasn’t capable of converting. With Josh McDaniels no longer around to draw up coverage beaters on key passing downs, the pressure is on Jones to make plays. And through one week, he looks out of his depth and without enough surrounding talent—or competent coaching—to give him a boost. </p>
<p id="qjrqs5">Going by the traditional stat line, Davis Mills was the best of the sophomore starters: The 2021 third-round pick completed 62 percent of his passes for 240 yards and a pair of touchdowns with no interceptions. But if you want to remain optimistic about his prospects, do not watch the film of Houston’s 20-20 tie with the Colts. Mills’s accuracy was wildly erratic, and his best plays came on wide-open throws into Gus Bradley’s defense. The ball placement on Mills’s longest completion of the day probably <em>cost</em> Houston four points, as he badly underthew a wide-open Brandin Cooks, wasting a perfectly good flea-flicker. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Davis Mills flea flicker <a href="https://t.co/Z8VEg2zlAL">pic.twitter.com/Z8VEg2zlAL</a></p>— Coy (@WickedCoy) <a href="https://twitter.com/WickedCoy/status/1569033214773137409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="KFZzNH">Mills finished the day with 98.9 passer rating, but his minus-0.09 EPA per dropback ranked 20th among Week 1 starters, according to TruMedia. And he was especially bad without the help of play-action, averaging minus-0.16 EPA per play on standard dropbacks. That kind of performance may have been passable when Mills was seen as an overachieving rookie, but with heightened expectations, Houston will need more from the 23-year-old in order to make a long-term commitment to him. </p>
<p id="INnF9o">Of the second-year passers, Trevor Lawrence unsurprisingly looked the best in the Jaguars’ 28-22 loss to the Commanders. But that won’t be reflected in the box score. The 2021 top pick was hardly perfect—he missed a wide-open Travis Etienne for a touchdown in the first quarter, and his late fourth-quarter interception was one of the worst picks of the week—but he made a number of strong throws from the pocket while dealing with constant pressure. Only Daniel Jones was pressured at a higher clip in Week 1, according to TruMedia. But that didn’t stop Lawrence from pushing the ball downfield. His aDOT of 8.7 yards ranked eighth this week, and he managed to get those deeper passes out in a hurry, averaging just 2.64 seconds per throw. Getting the ball out quicker was an offseason point of emphasis for the Jags and Lawrence, and on Sunday, he was able to speed things up while still maintaining his aggressiveness. </p>
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<p id="JhkpYF">Lawrence’s stat line would’ve looked much better if not for a pair of drops in the red zone that cost Jacksonville a touchdown. But while it may not have been the breakout day the Jaguars were hoping for, even in defeat, this looked like a real football team with a functioning offense. That’s a start. </p>
<h3 id="KH6G6v">The Raiders’ Stacked Offense</h3>
<p id="2ImmjX">It’s hard to get overly excited about a 19-point output from an offense that has Davante Adams, Darren Waller, Hunter Renfrow, and Josh Jacobs, but the Raiders have to be encouraged with what they saw in Josh McDaniels’s first game as head coach. If you just ignore the three interceptions and five sacks on Derek Carr’s ledger, Las Vegas was awfully productive. Carr averaged 7.9 yards per attempt and linked up with Adams 10 times for 141 yards. Waller celebrated his new deal with a four-catch, 79-yard performance. And Jacobs shook off a slow start to finish with 5.7 yards per carry.</p>
<p id="dkb18Z">Turnovers ultimately sunk the Raiders, but the offense had no problem moving the ball on the upgraded Chargers defense. Plus, Las Vegas stuck with one of the NFL’s most stacked rosters—even if it was missing star corner J.C. Jackson and Keenan Allen for most of the game. If Carr stops throwing picks, and his track record suggests that he will, this team will score enough points to keep it competitive all season. </p>
<h3 id="vd0SUh">The Ravens’ Passing Game</h3>
<p id="c1Fw7M">Lamar Jackson started the 2022 season the same way he started 2021: by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDdRjPf-F9A">chucking the ball downfield</a>. His aDOT of 12.0 yards led the league in Week 1, and he threw three touchdowns that traveled over 20 yards through the air, according to TruMedia. </p>
<p id="YBQHvm">One of those touchdowns was a 55-yard heave to Rashod Bateman, who might be the most important player on the team outside of Lamar this season. <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/9/2/23333878/rashod-bateman-lamar-jackson-unlock-baltimore-ravens-offense">The Ravens need the second-year receiver to emerge as a true WR1</a> if they’re going to hang with the high-powered passing games at the top of the AFC. He didn’t look the part on Sunday: Outside of the big play, Bateman caught just one pass for 4 yards on four targets. But the passing game didn’t look all that different from what we’ve seen in the past, even after <a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/offensive-coordinator-greg-roman-adding-some-things-that-are-new-to-ravens-offen#:~:text=Offensive%20coordinator%20Greg%20Roman%20noted,that%20we%20haven't%20done.">offensive coordinator Greg Roman hinted at changes throughout the offseason</a>. Roman, as he’s wont to do, mostly used heavier personnel and condensed formations to try to set up those deep passes off play-action. It was effective in that the Ravens scored enough points to beat the Jets comfortably on Sunday, but Baltimore will need more from its passing game—and Bateman specifically—in order to compete with Kansas City and Buffalo. </p>
<h3 id="fIqg8t">The Packers’ Loaded Defense</h3>
<p id="i3fkHt">Say the line, Aaron. </p>
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<p id="9RUr5c">I know that’s not what Packers fans want to hear after an ugly 23-7 loss to the Vikings, but this team will be just fine. The reigning MVP won’t play that poorly going forward. Allen Lazard and David Bakhtiari should be back in the lineup soon. And if we learned anything from last season, it’s that a disastrous opening week loss will not sink the Packers. </p>
<p id="YlV1rP">Besides, it could have been a lot worse given that the Packers defense forgot how zone coverage is supposed to work for the first 30 minutes of the game. Whether it was the lack of preseason reps or just bad communication, Green Bay’s defense—which coming into the season looked like one of the NFL’s best on paper after the return of lockdown corner Jaire Alexander and the additions of Georgia standouts Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt—had no answer for Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson in the first half. By the break, those two had linked up for 158 yards and two scores, including this one, where the Packers just decided to ignore Jefferson completely. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kirk Cousins & Justin Jefferson (36-yd TD)<br><br>Through the first half, Jefferson has accounted for 90.9% of the offense's air yards, which would rank as the 2nd-highest in a game in the NGS era.<br><br> Jefferson led the NFL in AY share in 2021 (45.2%).<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GBvsMIN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GBvsMIN</a> | Powered by <a href="https://twitter.com/awscloud?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@awscloud</a> <a href="https://t.co/zWafCmPbje">pic.twitter.com/zWafCmPbje</a></p>— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) <a href="https://twitter.com/NextGenStats/status/1569082821406523392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="Dfc3x0">That play gave the Vikings a 17-0 lead, and while Matt LaFleur’s offense never found its footing, Joe Barry’s defense figured things out in the second half, holding Minnesota to six points over the last 30 minutes of regulation. Jefferson caught three passes for 26 yards in the last two quarters. </p>
<p id="7F6S2b">The Packers didn’t really change their approach in coverage. They continued to play their matchup zone concepts, but they just executed better. After the game, star corner Alexander lamented the fact that he didn’t get to shadow Jefferson, as he had apparently lobbied for throughout the week, but that’s hard to do when you’re not playing man coverage, as LaFleur pointed out in his postgame presser. </p>
<p id="QmiUb0">“If you just commit to playing man coverage the whole game, sure, you can [keep Alexander on Jefferson],” LaFleur said, <a href="https://theathletic.com/3585162/2022/09/11/packers-jaire-alexander-justin-jefferson-week-1/">via <em>The Athletic</em></a>. “But they do a nice job of putting him in different positions, whether it’s in the slot, whether it’s motioning. … It seemed like he was in motion quite a bit, just moving him all over the place, and you’ve got to give them credit. They put him in premier spots and attacked our coverage well.”</p>
<p id="bhWtNl">Green Bay opted to play more zone, so it would not have made much sense to have Alexander travel with Jefferson if he was just going to drop off into zone coverage anyway. When the Packers stopped busting coverages, the zone-heavy approach was far more effective and the pass rush was given more time to get home. </p>
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<p class="c-end-para" id="636H0N">In 2021, Green Bay’s defense needed a few weeks to figure things out before it started playing at a top-10 level. It won’t enjoy that same margin for error this time around—not after the offense lost the focal point of its passing game and will almost certainly regress. How much of that gap the defense is able to make up will determine the ceiling on this team. Sunday’s results were mixed but encouraging on at least one side of the ball. </p>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/9/12/23348903/nfl-week-1-hype-check-bengals-packers-tua-tagovailoa-patrick-mahomesSteven Ruiz2022-09-12T08:24:55-04:002022-09-12T08:24:55-04:00Week 1 Recap: Bucs Win on the Road, Chiefs Offense Explodes, Steelers’ Upset Win, and More
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<figcaption>Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Nora, Steven, and Ben also discuss their concern level for the Cowboys offense, especially now that Dak Prescott will reportedly miss a few weeks with an injury</p> <div id="WG2leX"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/6DS0D9wZIOnlFLrWI9fRok?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="Bw0mbo"><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6DS0D9wZIOnlFLrWI9fRok?si=sBMxHlBgQWSj4JXy4L3XKQ">Nora Princiotti and Steven Ruiz</a> are joined by Ben Solak to discuss the Buccaneers’ road win over the Cowboys. They discuss their concern level for the Cowboys offense, especially now that Dak Prescott will reportedly miss a few weeks with an injury (3:50). Then, Steven and Nora run through a few winners and losers, such as the Chiefs, Bengals, Patriots, and more (25:29).</p>
<p id="OIQBg9">Hosts: Nora Princiotti and Steven Ruiz<br>Guest: Ben Solak<br>Associate Producer: Isaiah Blakely<br>Additional Production Supervision: Arjuna Ramgopal</p>
<p id="81Mw8m"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3sYLdv261f5jLvEgDLU9PD?si=PwTF-GumR7qtUP5FZdCKOQ">Spotify</a> / <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&xcust=xid:fr1570809570442jba%7Cxid:fr1571141035709iah%7Cxid:fr1571400354183cfa%7Cxid:fr1571745693269afb%7Cxid:fr1572005002168iib%7Cxid:fr1572350612110bei">Apple Podcasts</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/2022/9/12/23348701/week-1-recap-bucs-win-on-the-road-chiefs-offense-explodes-steelers-upset-winNora PrinciottiSteven RuizBen Solak2022-09-12T08:14:25-04:002022-09-12T08:14:25-04:00Week 1 Winners, Losers, and Awards
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<p>The guys finish the show by saying a few words about their beloved colleague Jonathan Tjarks, who passed away on Saturday night</p> <div id="lAPjV9"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/6XIKAw8526oEIooFL8lFuw?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="ASMOef"><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6XIKAw8526oEIooFL8lFuw?si=71eb860015934d4b">We recap Week 1</a> by giving out awards like Winner of the Week; the Player You Wish You Drafted More Of; I’m Not Mad Just Disappointed; Weird Flex but OK; the “They’re Real and They’re Spectacular” Award; the Rain Check; and we induct the first player of the season into our 2022 Fantasy Burn Book. We finish the show by saying a few words about our beloved colleague Jonathan Tjarks, who passed away on Saturday night.</p>
<p id="Pg34EB">Check out our Weekly Fantasy Football Rankings for positional rankings and more!</p>
<p id="82CLZT">Email us! <a href="mailto:ringerfantasyfootball@gmail.com">ringerfantasyfootball@gmail.com</a>.</p>
<p id="R1Jejd">Hosts: Danny Heifetz, Danny Kelly, and Craig Horlbeck<br>Producer: Craig Horlbeck<br><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0XLPhMzcKmxoNziHkVkYpR">Spotify</a> / <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ringer-fantasy-football-show/id1523722173">Apple Podcasts</a></p>
<p id="98PIxJ"><em>The Ringer</em>’s beloved friend and colleague Jonathan Tjarks passed away on Saturday night. Jon is survived by his wife, Melissa, and his son, Jackson. He was one of the first people hired at <em>The Ringer </em>when we began the company, and was one of our most steadfast voices over the years. His loss is incalculable, and our thoughts are with Jon’s family during this time.</p>
<p id="aeMq7I">If you want to help, we’ll direct you to this <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/Lets-help-our-friend-jonathan-tjarks?utm_campaign=p_nacp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer">GoFundMe page</a>, which directly assists the Tjarks family. We would also like to reshare Jon’s <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2022/3/3/22956353/fatherhood-cancer-jonathan-tjarks">astonishing piece from March</a>, in which he wrote with such clarity, humor, and wisdom about his cancer diagnosis, his family, and his future. Our futures are dimmer without him. Please keep his family in your thoughts.</p>
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https://www.theringer.com/2022/9/12/23348687/week-1-winners-losers-and-awardsDanny HeifetzDanny KellyCraig Horlbeck2022-09-12T03:02:41-04:002022-09-12T03:02:41-04:00Winners and Losers of NFL Week 1
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<p>The return of the NFL brought plenty of kicker drama and close finishes. Meanwhile, the Chiefs and Tyreek Hill don’t seem to miss each other, Aaron Rodgers <em>really</em> misses Davante Adams, and it was a disastrous night for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys.</p> <p id="GOAyhM"><em>Editor’s note: On Saturday, Ringer senior staff writer Jonathan Tjarks passed away. </em><a href="https://www.theringer.com/2022/9/11/23347619/jonathan-tjarks"><em>You can find information about how to support Jonathan’s family here</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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<p id="LAb9CX"><em>Every week of the 2022 NFL season, we will celebrate the electric plays, investigate the colossal blunders, and explain the inexplicable moments of the most recent slate. Welcome to Winners and Losers. Which one are you?</em></p>
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<h3 id="9eK7oP">Winner: Sitting on Our Couches, Watching Football</h3>
<p id="o4nY41">I lie to myself in July. I’ll be in a pool with a refreshing alcoholic beverage, or staring out on a brilliant vista after a rewarding hike, and I’ll think to myself, “You know what? You don’t need football. There’s so much more to life than Sundays spent indoors with junk food on the table and RedZone on the big screen.” And it seems right. I promise to pull back a little from football fandom and see what the rest of the world has to offer. </p>
<p id="68fWFV">And then Week 1 hits, and I realize that I was wrong. Yes, there might be a whole world out there—but does that world have <em>seven hours of commercial-free football?</em> I don’t think so. At 3 p.m. ET, as the first set of games of the NFL season hurtled toward ludicrous conclusions, I realized that I was home. (Like, literally—I was on my couch.)</p>
<p id="M5PDIV">There were nine games in the early slate of the first Sunday of the NFL season. Five of them were decided by three or fewer points. Six of them featured fourth-quarter lead changes. Five of them featured a team coming back from a double-digit deficit to tie or take the lead. Two of them went to overtime. </p>
<p id="SENupq">Everything was golden. The Washington Commanders and Jacksonville Jaguars were both projected to go well below .500 this season—but they put together a thriller with 24 fourth-quarter points, including a spectacular game-winning catch by Washington rookie Jahan Dotson.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">WHAT A DEBUT FOR JAHAN DOTSON<br> <a href="https://t.co/Mv6ZEDmSKS">pic.twitter.com/Mv6ZEDmSKS</a></p>— PFF (@PFF) <a href="https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1569056398218240000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="mMY12o">The Browns defeated their ex-quarterback, Baker Mayfield, on a 58-yard, game-winning field goal by rookie Cade York. It would’ve been good from, like, 70:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Rookie kicker Cade York gives Cleveland the lead from 58 yards out!<br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CLEvsCAR?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CLEvsCAR</a> on CBS<br> : Stream on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/4gWBg2qtZo">https://t.co/4gWBg2qtZo</a> <a href="https://t.co/xOX3uRgBW4">pic.twitter.com/xOX3uRgBW4</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1569057082531528704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="NPkeZr">The Saints trailed 26-10 early in the fourth quarter—but the Falcons are incredibly passionate about blowing fourth-quarter leads, and allowed 17 unanswered points to end the game, including the first two touchdowns Michael Thomas had scored in three years.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Michael Thomas over A.J. Terrell <br> <a href="https://t.co/aXHoBxwAKL">pic.twitter.com/aXHoBxwAKL</a></p>— PFF (@PFF) <a href="https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1569050649765068802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="6UFex1">In the haze of RedZone, even the most boring stuff seems like a blessing. After blowing a 20-3 lead, Texans head coach Lovie Smith decided to take the coward’s way out and punt on fourth-and-3 from midfield with 20 seconds remaining in overtime, ensuring a tie rather than risking a loss. It was an admission of fear and failure—and it seemed like the most thrilling thing ever to happen. “THEY’RE PUNTING FOR THE TIE!” I screamed, to nobody.</p>
<p id="oZi76I">Those relaxing pools and rewarding vistas are still out there. I’ll see them next year. My weekends are booked for the next few months.</p>
<div id="0QJz8k"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/1IwhZQNhDGpyndwoBn57z0?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;"></iframe></div></div>
<h3 id="6dox0q">
<br>Winner: The Mahomes-Tyreek Split</h3>
<p id="bVB6nb">The Jacksonville Jaguars inadvertently tore apart one of the NFL’s best teams. After Christian Kirk signed with the Jags for $72 million, <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2022/3/24/22994497/nfl-free-agency-wide-receiver-salaries-jaguars-tyreek-hill-davante-adams">all the other, better wide receivers in the league started wondering why they were getting paid so little</a>. Soon, the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins, who were willing to make him the highest-paid receiver in the NFL, leaving Patrick Mahomes without his top target. How would the two exes look in Week 1?</p>
<p id="yw7AC0">Mahomes seemed completely unbothered without Hill, throwing for 360 yards and five touchdowns against the Cardinals. He still has Travis Kelce, who went for 121 yards and a touchdown. And new additions JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling combined for 10 catches and 123 yards in their Chiefs debuts. Maybe Kansas City’s 488 yards and 44 points tell us a lot about Arizona’s defense—but it seems like Patrick Mahomes is gonna keep doing Patrick Mahomes stuff, even without his top receiver. Here he was celebrating his fourth touchdown, unaware he’d soon throw a fifth:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mahomes. <a href="https://t.co/zKZzRWQZgr">pic.twitter.com/zKZzRWQZgr</a></p>— Steven St.John (@SSJWHB) <a href="https://twitter.com/SSJWHB/status/1569088817314807809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="jCjSQj">In Miami, Hill led the Dolphins in receiving with eight catches for 94 yards against the Patriots. He didn’t score in Miami’s 20-7 win, but seemed pretty pleased with his new coach and his new coach’s testicles:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here’s the quote (with video) from Tyreek Hill on Mike McDaniel going for it on 4th and 7: “McDaniel’s gonna need a wheel barrow for his nuts to carry them around.” <a href="https://t.co/WcepqVugRn">pic.twitter.com/WcepqVugRn</a></p>— Clay Ferraro (@ClayWPLG) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayWPLG/status/1569065385198067719?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="dbioZM">Mahomes and the Chiefs looked exactly as good as they were with Hill—but Hill has unlocked a new element to these exciting young Dolphins. Everybody wins!</p>
<aside id="ETGEYP"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Which Teams Lived Up to Their Offseason Hype in Week 1—and Which Definitely Did Not?","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/9/12/23348903/nfl-week-1-hype-check-bengals-packers-tua-tagovailoa-patrick-mahomes"}]}'></div></aside><h3 id="J7tEsk">Loser: The Rodgers-Davante Split</h3>
<p id="q5HXDa">It’s been a running joke that the Packers haven’t given Aaron Rodgers the receiving help he needs—and that was when he had Davante Adams, an All-Pro talent who led the league in receiving touchdowns in 2020. In the offseason, the Packers traded Adams to the Raiders, who signed him to the largest contract for a wide receiver in NFL history. </p>
<p id="r2nYfM">Now, his no. 1 receiver is Allen Lazard, who has fewer career receiving yards in four seasons (1,448) than Adams had last year (1,553). And Lazard was out for Sunday’s game against the Vikings, meaning their best receiver was … uh … fourth-round draft pick Romeo Doubs? I think? It’s bleak. </p>
<p id="hiN22q">Rodgers had a miserable time trying to find anybody to pass to against the Vikings. He finished the game with just 195 passing yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. Meanwhile, Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson had 184 receiving yards and two touchdowns by himself. Rodgers’s leading receiver was AJ Dillon, a running back. At one point, he found rookie receiver Christian Watson deep for a potential touchdown … but Watson whiffed on the ball:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">YIKES <a href="https://t.co/7y58rfgent">pic.twitter.com/7y58rfgent</a></p>— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/SharpFootball/status/1569063325098442755?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="Uzsvry">Adams, for his part, had a solid debut with the Raiders, going for 141 yards and a touchdown in a loss to the Chargers. But his quarterback is now Derek Carr, who threw three interceptions in a game the Raiders lost by five points. (Rodgers threw four interceptions total last season.)</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">we love a good pick <a href="https://twitter.com/godschild3_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@godschild3_</a> | CBS <a href="https://t.co/3UxqZaV8bW">pic.twitter.com/3UxqZaV8bW</a></p>— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) <a href="https://twitter.com/chargers/status/1569093143907438593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="wwj0Co">We shouldn’t draw too much from Week 1; after all, Rodgers played one of the worst games of his career in a 38-3 loss in Week 1 of last season, then won MVP—but he had Davante Adams to throw to last year. A better wide receiver won’t just magically appear in Green Bay, unless Aaron takes some particularly potent hallucinogens.</p>
<h3 id="Cuxdd7">Winner: Emergency Kickers</h3>
<p id="VUpo9u">Chiefs safety Justin Reid has a famous gimmick. Reid played soccer in high school and has a solid leg and decent kicking form. His previous team, the Texans, <a href="https://twitter.com/rodger/status/1432042583409127427">let him kick in some preseason games</a>, and he went viral for <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/look-chiefs-safety-justin-reid-hits-a-65-yard-field-goal-in-practice-at-training-camp/">kicking a 65-yard field goal in Chiefs training camp last month</a>. </p>
<p id="ePUR7V">But that party trick went from fun fact to critically important on Sunday, when Kansas City’s real kicker, Harrison Butker, injured his left ankle on a kickoff in the first quarter. Luckily, the Chiefs have the most famous emergency kicker in the league. Reid took over, <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1569067191450083328">drilling an extra point</a> and booming this kickoff for a touchback. (Yes, I’m dropping in a highlight of a kickoff for a touchback, perhaps the least exciting play in football.) </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Filling in for the injured kicker, Justin Reid follows up his extra point with a BOOMING kickoff <a href="https://twitter.com/JustinqReid?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@justinqreid</a><br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KCvsAZ?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KCvsAZ</a> on CBS<br> : Stream on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/SO6ObDqAc2">https://t.co/SO6ObDqAc2</a> <a href="https://t.co/Hk9yJTVvcP">pic.twitter.com/Hk9yJTVvcP</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1569067486439690240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="H67IqV">Normally, punters slide in and take over kicking duties in the rare case of a kicker injury. Reid was <a href="https://stathead.com/tiny/dP4A5">the first non-kicker, non-punter to score on a kick since Cowboys safety Jeff Heath in 2017</a>.</p>
<p id="8cnkgQ">Eventually, Butker returned to the game, but Reid continued kicking off. Maybe Butker wasn’t fully healthy (and his approach on his field goal attempts was notably shorter than normal)—or maybe it was just because Reid was so good at kickoffs. Reid managed five touchbacks on seven attempts, a 71 percent touchback rate. That’s <em>significantly </em>better <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2021/index.htm#all_kicking">than the league average of 57.5 percent</a>. And it stands to reason that when Reid fails to kick a touchback, he gives the Chiefs an advantage, because their coverage unit will feature 11 professional tacklers instead of 10 tacklers and a kicker. </p>
<p id="rP2N4X">Reid wasn’t perfect—he missed an extra point, and one of his kickoffs was returned to the 48-yard line. But after seeing Reid kick in an actual game, it feels like his talent may be more than a gimmick. I think the Chiefs may have found their new safety-slash-kickoff specialist. </p>
<h3 id="UYk99i">Loser: Emergency Long Snappers</h3>
<p id="0KaOmP">The Cincinnati Bengals experienced multiple disasters on Sunday. Joe Burrow, the God-King of Southwest Ohio (and Louisiana), threw four interceptions, the most in a single game of his NFL or college career. Despite their supposedly revamped offensive line, Burrow was sacked seven times, including a strip sack for a fifth Burrow turnover. Tee Higgins, who went for 1,000 receiving yards last year, suffered a concussion and left the game in the first half.</p>
<p id="XQDZMV">In spite of all these disasters, the Bengals still had a chance to beat the Steelers and start the season 1-0. Ja’Marr Chase scored a touchdown with two seconds left in the fourth quarter, which tied the score at 20, and the Bengals would have certainly won if Evan McPherson had made the extra point. But the easy chip shot was stunningly blocked by Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, forcing overtime:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">BLOCKED. WHAT A GAME.<a href="https://twitter.com/minkfitz_21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@minkfitz_21</a> said NOPE!<br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PITvsCIN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PITvsCIN</a> on CBS<br> : Stream on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/pHwdeoOMZE">https://t.co/pHwdeoOMZE</a> <a href="https://t.co/wBzxQPQiH5">pic.twitter.com/wBzxQPQiH5</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1569055166938370049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="DwYJsd">That block was the result of the <em>actual</em> biggest disaster that befell the Bengals on Sunday: Their long snapper, Clark Harris—best known for <a href="https://twitter.com/rodger/status/1493000939342643201">his alarming resemblance to the “two chicks at the same time” guy from <em>Office Space</em></a>—suffered a biceps injury and had to leave the game. In 2015, I wrote an article about <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/12/15/10054476/nfl-long-snappers-the-most-secretly-irreplaceable-player">how “mid-game long snapper injury” may be the situation NFL teams are least prepared for</a>. It happens rarely, because there aren’t a lot of injury risks when snapping the ball. But when it does happen? Chaos. NFL teams do not carry backup long snappers. You’d think that a center could easily fill in—they also snap the ball!—but they’re mainly focused on blocking rather than delivering speedy, accurate snaps. And if these special teams snaps are just a little bit off, or just a little bit slow, it can seriously hamper a team’s ability to kick or punt. </p>
<p id="EejnE8">The Bengals turned to tight end Mitchell Wilcox, who had never snapped in an NFL game or, so far as I can tell, in his college career at South Florida. Wilcox’s snap on the extra point attempt at the end of regulation was surprisingly on target, but it looked like it was a tad slow, allowing Fitzpatrick time to get around the edge and block the kick when a quicker snap might have allowed a clean kick. Wilcox’s inexperience was a little bit more obvious in overtime. The Bengals got in position for a game-winning kick by McPherson, <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl-playoffs/2022/2/11/22928440/evan-mcpherson-cincinnati-bengals-super-bowl-drafting-kickers">who became a cult hero in Cincinnati last year</a> due to his five game-winning field goals and playoff perfection. But Wilcox’s snap floated way high, and McPherson’s kick was clearly affected as he hooked the ball so badly it may have ended up in the Ohio River:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">NO GOOD. This game is bananas. <br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PITvsCIN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PITvsCIN</a> on CBS<br> : Stream on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/pHwdeoOMZE">https://t.co/pHwdeoOMZE</a> <a href="https://t.co/WuyBvNuRp7">pic.twitter.com/WuyBvNuRp7</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1569059260038004737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="1qwgOM">Injuries happen in football. But teams can generally do things to mitigate their impact. They can pay up for a great backup QB to avoid worrying about a QB injury. They can throw the ball more if their star running back gets hurt. But while long snapper may be the most forgotten position on the roster, it might be the one teams are least equipped to replace. They have only one job, but they’re very good at it, and nobody realizes it until someone else tries to fill in. The Bengals were prepared for almost all the disasters that befell them Sunday—but then they got hit with the one disaster nobody prepares for. </p>
<h3 id="TJWhEa">Winner: New Coaches</h3>
<p id="GFaT16">If your team has a new coach, you should generally temper your short-term expectations. After all, most of the players on your team are the same guys who were bad enough to get the last guy fired. Even if you go from doofus to genius, things will take some time. Last year, there were seven new NFL head coaches; their teams went a combined 38-76-1, with only the Eagles making the postseason.</p>
<p id="eZZOOr">But the 2022 batch is off to a stunning start. The boldest call of the week went to Brian Daboll, whose Giants were big underdogs to the Titans, last year’s AFC 1-seed. The Giants scored a touchdown with a minute left and decided to go for two—and got the win in Daboll’s first game. (<a href="https://twitter.com/TalkinGiants/status/1569111911689584641">Celebratory dancing ensued</a>.)</p>
<div id="pSyjau">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/saquon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Saquon</a> finds his way into the end zone. Giants take the lead! <br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYGvsTEN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NYGvsTEN</a> on FOX<br> : Stream on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/z4k2UMB2UG">https://t.co/z4k2UMB2UG</a> <a href="https://t.co/DF5gOeH5yt">pic.twitter.com/DF5gOeH5yt</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1569102551311843328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="DBfYoR">Head coaches in their first years with their new teams went 6-2-1 Sunday, including some of the biggest upsets of the day: Bears coach Matt Eberflus got off to a 1-0 start with a comeback win over the 49ers; Kevin O’Connell’s Vikings knocked off the Packers to signify that there may be a different pecking order in the NFC North this year. You know what? We’ll even celebrate Lovie Smith going 0-0-1 and getting a tie against the Colts. A tie is technically half a win in the standings!</p>
<div id="8t7Apy"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/6DS0D9wZIOnlFLrWI9fRok?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;"></iframe></div></div>
<h3 id="sZ9jIn">
<br>Loser: The Disaster Cowboys</h3>
<p id="leJYQE">They used to say the roof of the Cowboys’ old stadium was open so God could watch the Cowboys play. The Old Testament version of God must have been watching Sunday night—the one who kept killing sinners in hilarious and violent ways. Because it’s only Week 1, and the Cowboys are about to have a Week 13–style injury report. </p>
<p id="nyk30s">Things were already bleak for Dallas before its Sunday night matchup with the Buccaneers. Star left tackle Tyron Smith tore his hamstring in training camp and will miss most of the season. The team’s no. 2 receiver, Michael Gallup, is still out with an ACL injury from last year.</p>
<p id="0OprR3">But things got worse as soon as the game started. On the first drive, Connor McGovern—starting at left guard because the original starting left guard, Tyler Smith, moved to left tackle to replace Tyron Smith—went down with an ankle injury and needed to be helped off the field. Jayron Kearse, the team’s starting strong safety and last year’s team leader in tackles, suffered a knee injury and left the stadium on crutches. </p>
<p id="eKTnO6">And with six minutes left in the game, the worst possible thing happened: Dak Prescott suffered a hand injury that will require surgery. It’s unclear how long he’ll be out—the initial estimate from Jerry Jones was “several weeks.” It’s possible Prescott could soon land on injured reserve and miss up to two months, <a href="https://twitter.com/toddarcher/status/1569190457850351617?s=20&t=R06B47oTaqQdyiHijf1LTw">according to ESPN’s Todd Archer</a>. </p>
<p id="xWVyWM">But the Cowboys looked awful even <em>with</em> Dak, scoring just three points in the 54 minutes Prescott did play. The last time Dak got hurt back in 2020, the Cowboys instantly went on a four-game losing streak that essentially ended their season—and that was when their backup was Andy Dalton, who is significantly better than their current backup, Cooper Rush. (Rush <a href="https://www.footballoutsiders.com/walkthrough/2022/teddy-bridgewater-beyond-backup-quarterback-rankings">was recently ranked 26th on a list of the NFL’s backup QBs</a>, behind Brett Rypien.) </p>
<p id="WcbhCm">Three of the four NFC East teams won on Sunday. The Cowboys are alone at 0-1. They were the only team in the NFL that didn’t score a touchdown this week. They’re already without key players on their offensive line, on defense, at wide receiver, and now they’ll have to endure a long stretch without their star quarterback. I hope Cowboys fans enjoyed Sunday’s early games, because it was probably the last time Dallas fans will have fun this season. </p>
<h3 id="vzDt5y">Winner: Chicago’s Garbage Field </h3>
<p id="liF9pL">I never thought I’d turn into a person who has opinions about other people’s lawns. I don’t care if you have weeds or let dead leaves pile up. (Weeds and dead leaves are nature! Nature is good!) But somehow, against all odds, the Chicago Bears have forced me to have lawn care opinions. </p>
<p id="MmWaQZ">The field at Soldier Field <em>sucks</em>. Everybody knows it. It’s been this way for over 30 years, <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-turf-war-when-did-the-chicago-tribune-write-about-soldier-field-sod-and-what-happened-20121114-story.html">according to the <em>Chicago Tribune</em></a>. In a 2010 survey, NFLPA members <a href="http://www.stma.org/sites/stma/files/pdfs/2010_NFL_Survey.pdf">ranked Soldier Field 17th of the 18 grass fields in the league</a>. (The 18th-ranked Oakland Coliseum is no longer an NFL stadium.) Ex-Bears receiver Rashied Davis said the field <a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/lions-wr-davis-calls-playing-surface-at-soldier-field-horrible-09000d5d8240c08c">was “sand and dirt covered with green spray paint”</a> and <a href="https://www.espn.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/29773/rashied-davis-soldier-field-turf-is-atrocious">pondered “how the grounds crew keeps a job.”</a> The Bears’ kicker, Cairo Santos, <a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2022/8/10/23300209/bears-moving-from-soldier-field-arlington-heights-grass-turf-conditions-cairo-santos-contract-stats">chose to practice at “poorly maintained” parks in South Florida</a> during the offseason to simulate the experience of kicking in Chicago. After a Bears preseason game in August, visible damage from a recent Elton John concert <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34395662/nflpa-president-calls-league-re-evaluate-acceptable-surface-preseason-opener-chicago">prompted a statement from the NFLPA, which felt the field was unacceptable</a>. Folks, the grass is bad. </p>
<p id="8AJvxW">So the people in charge of Soldier Field took action. Before this week’s game against the 49ers, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34544656/chicago-bears-soldier-field-gets-new-bermuda-grass-surface-installed-just-season-start">they replaced the field with Bermuda grass</a>. But something must have gone wrong, because when it rained on Sunday, the field flooded. The grounds crew <a href="https://twitter.com/StaceyDales/status/1568990132929269760">tried sweeping water off the field with</a> what looked like big squeegees, which didn’t exactly work. ESPN reporter Michele Steele filmed this video showing puddles that were inches deep in parts of the field. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">New turf at Soldier Field getting a good soaking today <a href="https://t.co/4DL4eZziPr">pic.twitter.com/4DL4eZziPr</a></p>— Michele Steele (@MicheleSteele) <a href="https://twitter.com/MicheleSteele/status/1568980889178185730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="twmPxe">What followed was not football. It was more like synchronized swimming, or perhaps viral marketing for the new <em>Little Mermaid</em> movie. The Bears did not score in the first half. Just before halftime, the Bears lined up to attempt a 46-yard field goal—but referees flagged holder Trenton Gill for unsportsmanlike conduct when he tried drying off the field with a towel.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bears got penalized for using a towel to dry off the football. What a rare penalty. <a href="https://t.co/9mG40wyxvU">pic.twitter.com/9mG40wyxvU</a></p>— alex (@highlghtheaven) <a href="https://twitter.com/highlghtheaven/status/1569033683608260610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="2aEGxP">For years, the Bears’ field issues have simply been embarrassing—but now, they were actively costing Chicago points. After the 15-yard penalty, Chicago had to punt. </p>
<p id="AxvpbZ">But the sloppy field conditions and sloppy play from Niners QB Trey Lance meant San Francisco put up only 10 points. And in the last 20 minutes of the game, the Bears scored three touchdowns and picked off Lance to win the game 19-10. As the clock went to zeroes, the Bears went for a celebratory slip-and-slide.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Justin Fields and the <a href="https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChicagoBears</a>: 1-0 ✅<a href="https://twitter.com/justnfields?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@justnfields</a> <a href="https://t.co/aQ04iiObwQ">pic.twitter.com/aQ04iiObwQ</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1569054755812679681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a>
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<p id="jafLIs">This game didn’t really resemble football—but that’s OK for the Bears, who probably aren’t going to be very good at football this year. Turning Soldier Field into a water park feels like a rare competitive advantage for them, and allowed them to get off to a 1-0 start in 2022.</p>
<h3 id="NGvMK7">Loser: Cris Collinsworth’s Voice</h3>
<p id="LoXGMd">Football is a great way to illustrate an important life fact: Sometimes, it’s better for everybody if you stay home from work. Imagine a quarterback with an arm injury—would you want them to keep playing, even though they couldn’t throw a football, or would you want them to step aside and let the backup take over? </p>
<p id="RhJd8R">Sunday night, NBC color analyst Cris Collinsworth had a voice injury. He sounded like a lifelong smoker who attended their favorite band’s concert last night and was trying to power through the hottest hot sauces on <em>Hot Ones</em>. Mike Tirico tried to explain that Collinsworth merely had vocal strain after announcing <em>Thursday Night Football</em> followed by <em>Sunday Night Football</em>—I think the implication was Tirico trying to assure the audience that Collinsworth did not have COVID-19.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Cris Collinsworth on his voice: "I feel great."<br><br>Mike Tirico: "You feel fine, it's just... two games, three days, red-eyes, a bunch of travel... my man's playing hurt!" <a href="https://t.co/rdCiPGzurC">pic.twitter.com/rdCiPGzurC</a></p>— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) <a href="https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1569125072476209152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2022</a>
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<p class="c-end-para" id="b01c7r">Contagious disease or not, Collinsworth probably should’ve stepped aside and let someone else get some announcing reps. I like Cris, but listening to him struggle through the Buccaneers-Cowboys game was probably the least enjoyable part of a 19-3 game that wasn’t close at any point. Give Cris some time on IR with some Earl Grey instead of forcing those frayed cords back out onto the playing field. </p>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/9/12/23348437/winners-losers-week-1-nfl-2022Rodger Sherman2022-09-11T23:20:34-04:002022-09-11T23:20:34-04:00Giants Win in a Stunner, Jets Get Routed, Yankees and Mets Get Breathing Room
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<figcaption>Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>JJ reacts to Brian Daboll’s strong start before being joined by WFAN producer Tommy Lugauer to recap the weekend in New York sports</p> <div id="88urlw"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/3EJJmSiFnwymoM1bxSznWn?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="e5V1GO"><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/3EJJmSiFnwymoM1bxSznWn?si=c4615785650443d0">(1:55) — GIANTS: The Brian Daboll era begins with a win as the Giants pull off an upset in Nashville. </a><br>(8:44) — JETS: The Jets drop their opener against the Ravens and still haven’t shown signs of improvement under Robert Saleh and Co. <br>(13:00) — YANKEES: The Yankees score 10 runs in back-to-back games and create some separation in the AL East. <br>(14:45) — METS: The Mets finish their weekend back in the lead of the NL East after their series against the Marlins.<br>(19:14) — CALLS: Callers talk Jets, Giants, and Yankees.<br>(35:15)— TOMMY LUGAUER: WFAN producer Tommy Lugauer joins the show to discuss the Giants’ win, his Mets fandom, and recaps the weekend of NY sports.</p>
<p id="EsVDry">Host: John Jastremski<br>Guest: Tommy Lugauer <br>Producer: Stefan Anderson</p>
<p id="pa6bob"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3DRuz7w95Shs4IP88CMTfT">Spotify</a></p>
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https://www.theringer.com/2022/9/11/23348375/giants-win-in-a-stunner-jets-get-routed-yankees-and-mets-get-breathing-roomJohn Jastremski