NFL Week One/TNF Week 2 Breakdown and NFL Week 1 Power Rankings

     The earth is round, the grass is green, and NFL Week One is always the craziest of the season. 2022 Week One was less crazy than it was actually disappointing. There were injuries, blowouts, and low-score messes. Like the fall for students like me, the first few weeks are a mess before we get our business, for lack of a better word, together. With that being said, there was still a lot to take away from the sixteen Week One matchups and a Thursday night slop fest.

Thursday Night Football

Buffalo Bills 31 (1-0) @ Los Angeles Rams 10 (0-1)

For the Bills, this was a revenge game. Not against the Rams, but against the narrative that they wouldn’t have gone all the way if they had beat Kansas City. This was a message to those who expect normal Buffalo failure this year. That message is that the Bills are legit. Allen, Diggs, and Davis carried the offense, and that defense is no joke. Jordans Phillips and Poyer were phenomenal and I’m not sure if there’s a weak point at any position on the defense. With how weak their division looked, the Bills could run away with the AFC this season. While there may be teams that disagree with that sentiment, the Bills surely have the talent to get it done.

For the Rams, this is a big scare, but maybe bigger than it is being made out to be. The Rams had some terrible losses last year and won the Super Bowl. Matt Stafford can be inconsistent, but maybe Rams fans should actually be worried as the reports of a serious elbow issue begin to pile up. Although, Super Bowls come at a cost and this loss might be a sign of things to come. The defense got cooked by Josh Allen while the Bills defense was able to capitalize on every offensive mistake. Cam Akers fantasy owners will not be kind in your demise. Now, watch the Rams win by 20 next week after I say this.

Rationale: Bills are legit, Rams are hungover.

The 1 PM Slot

New Orleans Saints 27 (1-0) @ Atlanta Falcons 26 (0-1)

For the first three and a half quarters of this game, Atlanta looked like they might’ve turned it around. Marcus Mariota was playing reasonably well, Cordarrelle Patterson was doing his thing, and Drake London showed flashes of greatness. However, the Falcons gonna Falcon. Once the Saints pushed them even a little bit, they floundered. This game showed some improvements from the dirty birds, but their fatal flaw remains: they cannot close. My advice? Find a closer. Also, that closer might just be Desmond Ridder. Figure it out, Falcons.

For the Saints, this game perfectly embodies what the Saints’ culture is all about. No matter what situation they’re in, no matter who’s on the field, they will persevere. They got down early, but all of a sudden, the top-end talent began to save them. Tayson Hill pulled a miracle out of nowhere, Michael Thomas got back into form, and Jameis Winston looked like a number-one pick. All of a sudden, when the clock hit zero, they had won. It’s not the most encouraging win and probably speaks more of the Falcons’ inconsistency than anything, but in Week One, a win is a win.

Rationale: The Saints probably don’t have an answer Post-Brees, the Falcons are building something worthwhile. 

Cleveland Browns 26 (1-0) @ Carolina Panthers 24 (0-1)

Everybody wanted the Panthers to win. For actions that certainly won’t be discussed here, Deshaun Watson wasn’t playing this week. For the Panthers, all they thought they had to deal with is Jacoby Brissett. While we were all thinking about the QBs in this matchup, the other being Baker Mayfield, everybody, including the Panthers, seemingly forgot about the two headed monster that is Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. The Browns seemingly applied pass pressure, but there was no contest against the running game. Hunt and Chubb went off, exposing a Panthers defense that has top end talent, but a lot of holes, especially up front. Baker was too inconsistent in what was meant to be his revenge game and the comeback just came on too late. 

For the Browns, this game was huge. Even though they almost blew it, it still proved that they can win without their best offensive player.  Chubb and Hunt proved to be effective and the lack of a receiving game might not actually come back to bite them. The defense bent towards the end of the game, but it never broke. As much as I hate their quarterback (Watson), I can’t ignore that this game was a great indicator for Cleveland. They might be back. MIGHT be.

Rationale: Both of these teams still have a lot to prove.

San Francisco 49ers 10 (0-1) @ Chicago Bears 19 (1-0)

If there’s one takeaway from this game it’s how awfully Soldier Field has been butchered by the Chicago Bears’ ownership and how they probably need a dome in Chicago. The elements basically turned this game into the Patriots/Bills game from last year when nobody could pass the ball. While Justin Fields didn’t pass a whole lot and the game was a big mess, it showed his poise. He’s working with very few offensive weapons and to his credit, he outdueled Trey Lance. The Bears’ defense, minus Khalil Mack, is still very scary. As messy as the NFC North is, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Chicago Bears made some noise.

For the Niners, it’s probably best to forget this game. Is there any game more emblematic of the San Francisco 49ers over the past couple of years than a game that they were heavily favored to win, then went away from their game plan, then couldn’t convert when they suddenly made it a game. Kyle Shanahan’s Falcons’ habits still persevere. My Diagnosis: Don’t trade Jimmy G.

Rationale: San Fran’s star isn’t there yet and that’s okay, Da Bears are back?

Pittsburgh Steelers 23 (1-0) @ Cincinnati Bengals 20 (0-1)

This game was a mess. I don’t even want to recap it for either team. Burrow looked awful in the first half and needed Ja’Marr Chase to save him in the second half with some of the best plays of the young season. For the Steelers? They were actively trying to give the game away while losing their two best players to injury. Luckily, Najee Harris seems to be good to go against New England in Week 2, but TJ Watt will be out for the foreseeable future. In the end, Cincy missed a billion chip shot field goals to win the game and Pittsburgh hit the one that matters. Nobody needs to remember this game.

Rationale: The Steelers didn’t deserve to win, Are the Bengals okay??

New England Patriots 7 (0-1) @ Miami Dolphins 20 (1-0)

Miami has new toys and they were adamant to show them off. Tyreek Hill was serviceable, but never really exploded. Historically, he’s been played very well by Jonathan Jones, so Dolphins fans shouldn’t take too much from what was a quiet performance for his standards. Tua also looked mediocre and for what it’s worth, next week vs Baltimore is the real test for this team. New England just can’t play in Miami. They’re winless there since 2019 and didn’t look ready in Week One. If the refs didn’t miss a clear DPI on Xavien Howard covering DeVante Parker, this game flips in the other direction. The front seven and Jaylen Waddle showed massive upside for Miami. The secondary and running game did not.

New England has some sort of luck. Two straight road games to start the year and one of them in a place where they can’t seem to win is not ideal. This loss, however, doesn’t land on lady luck, but on Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. The Patriots need a proper coaching staff ASAP. Mac Jones tried his best, but Patricia and Judge are just too bad at offensive play calling to prevent anything short of a devastatingly aggravating loss. Kendrick Bourne, likely the Patriots best receiver, played two snaps against Miami, yet had the biggest offensive play of the day. Damien Harris also saw reduced volume for basically no reason. The defense was fine but lacked effort in the middle of the field. There are clear holes at linebacker and the interior offensive line that if not patched soon, could derail the season. If this game reflects anything for New England, it’s the jarring off-season moves that they endured. Trading Shaq Mason? Drafting Cole Strange over needed defensive help? Not naming a real offensive coordinator? Ridding the team of veteran defensive playmakers? All of these question marks are looking like negatives as of now.

Rationale: Miami is finding itself, New England needs to get out of its own way.

Philadelphia Eagles 38 (1-0) @ Detroit Lions 35 (0-1)

If there’s one truth about the Detroit Lions under Dan Campbell, it’s that they’ll fight. Coming into the season, I had a feeling that Detroit wouldn’t play into their usual doormat role and I was right. Detroit just wouldn’t go away and almost won the game. Yet, at the end of the day, Jared Goff is your quarterback and that’ll bite you in the ass every time. The Lions have a lot of talent, they just need to mesh…and pick up a real quarterback.

The Eagles “superteam” is overblown. Like every time they put together a great team, there’s always something that goes wrong. For this Eagles team, at least in my eyes, it’s the aging front seven and Jalen Hurts. Don’t get me wrong, Hurts is good, but he’s just a stat padder. When it comes to making winning plays, he relies on the top-end talent around him. Yet, right now, I don’t see anything wrong with that for the Eagles. They have the top end talent around Hurts to make it work. Miles Sanders and AJ Brown were great against Detroit and the offensive line looked serviceable for what it is. They do need to get Devonta Smith involved, but all of the big names that they brought in on both sides of the ball (s/o to Bradberry) looked good. Their problem, like the Falcons, is putting away their opponents. If this happened against the Lions, what happens against the Bucs or Rams? Hell, against the Cowboys or Commanders? That’ll be the question to answer come playoff time. Something about these birds…

Rationale: Not impressed with Philly, but I was with Detroit.

Indianapolis Colts 20 (0-0-1) @ Houston Texans 20 (0-0-1)

A tie? In week one? Okay. Neither team played poorly, but this should’ve been a Colts win. This game cost Rodrigo Blankenship, one of the NFL’s better kickers, his job. While that might be a bit reactionary, it isn’t to say that Jonathan Taylor can probably carry the Colts to the playoffs this year. He was as electric as ever and he might’ve finally found his skill position duo partner in Michael Pittman. Matt Ryan is still haunted by 28-3, but less so than in past years. The Colts didn’t look terrible, but were unprepared for the moment. The question is, when will they be?

The Texans didn’t look that bad. While surprising, it’s still a good sign. Davis Mills might not be the quarterback of the future, but he certainly looks like a fine bridge option until a top prospect becomes available. Their receiving core and defense have grown a lot, looking more serviceable than last year. The problem is that they still lack creative coaching and a run game, two vital parts of a good NFL team in 2022. The hope for Houston? They’re first in the division. Take that as you will.

Rationale: The AFC South might be the worst division in football.

Baltimore Ravens 24 (1-0) @ New York Jets 9 (0-1)

The Jets are gonna Jet. Even if Zach Wilson had played for Joe Flacco, I don’t think this result changes all that much. The Ravens’ offense took a while to get going, but when they did, the game was over. Lamar looked great, but the Ravens receiving core is still lacking true playmaking. The defense got to the quarterback effectively, but it was the Jets. Even for their struggles, they can rest on the fact that their secondary is pretty damn good. There wasn’t much to take away from playing the Jets. Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews are good and Marlon Humphrey can carry a defense, this is known.

For the Jets, there isn’t much to take away. What? You want me to say that I’m shocked that the Jets are bad again despite a perceived “positive” offseason? Nah. The Jets still suck. They’re the new Cleveland Browns. I’m sorry, New York. At least you have baseball?

Rationale: Lamar knows it’s a contract year, the Jets are a doormat.

Jacksonville Jaguars 22 (0-1) @ Washington Commanders 28 (1-0)

I almost want to consider this a win for the Jags. This is absolutely a game they should’ve had. However, they’re a young team and young teams indeed struggle in close games. Carson Wentz turned the clock back and utilized all of the talent that he has around them to get Washington across the finish line. Despite the loss, the Jags looked good, though. It’s hard to remember that Trevor Lawerence was a top prospect, but he was. Week one proved that Urban Meyer was doing that man no favors. Travon Walker and the defense also looked fierce. If they keep this up, like the Texans, they could take a tank year and turn it into a division win. Don’t sleep on the Jags.

I will never call them the Commanders. While they thought they had found the perfect new name with the “Commanders”, Washington Football Team is the best name anybody could’ve thought of. They are bland, they do not have many memorable and flashy talents, they just win. They are indeed a football team, and a damn good one. The defensive line is still great, even without Chase Young. The secondary, led by Kendall Fuller and William Jackson was also surprisingly effective. On offense, the passing game showed real potential. Wentz, apart from a pretty awful pick on a screen pass, looked good. The only trouble for me is in the run game. They need another back to go with Antonio Gibson. Re-sign AP, anyone?

Rationale: Jacksonville is turning it around, Washington could win this division.

The 4:25 PM Slot

Green Bay Packers 7 (0-1) @ Minnesota Vikings 23 (1-0)

Well, well, well. Aaron Rodgers is finally working in Tom Brady and Cam Newton conditions. He no longer has a top-tier receiver to carry him out of games. Rodgers was awful against the Vikings and there weren’t many bright spots for the Packers. To me, this Packers team reminds me of a worse version of the 2019 Patriots. The Packers have been riding Aaron Rodgers for too long. Packers fans better hope that they don’t trade Jordan Love.

The Vikings are interesting. They might not be the favorites in any sense of the word to win anything of note, but they’re gonna look cool. The offense is stellar and I can’t say enough about Justin Jefferson. However, I was more impressed by their defense. They got to Rodgers effectively and the secondary didn’t leave many open options apart from the dropped Christian Watson touchdown. They have a lot to build on.

Rationale: The Packers are in trouble, the Vikings aren’t for once.

New York Giants 21 (1-0) @ Tennessee Titans 20 (0-1)

This game was another that was quite messy. Derrick Henry looked human, Treylon Burks only showed flashes, and Ryan Tannehill was appropriately average. Apart from them, the defense was just bad and Robert Woods didn’t make an impact. Despite all of this, the Titans lost on a missed field goal. They should’ve had an unimpressive win. Instead, they have quite the disastrous loss. 

For New York, this game is all smoke and mirrors. While Saquon’s return is probably for real, nothing else about this win is. The defense won’t hold up against a real team, Sterling Shepard isn’t a number one receiver, and Daniel Jones is not a passable quarterback. While they all held up in week one, don’t expect it to continue. If Randy Bullock made a field goal, the narrative changes.

Rationale: Both teams are extremely disappointing, the Titans more so.

Las Vegas Raiders 19 (0-1) @ Los Angeles Chargers 24 (1-0)

The Raiders are still working out the kinks. I wish they didn’t hire Josh McDaniels, not because he’d be better on New England, but because the Raiders didn’t need change. The scheme fit was fine last year and now everybody has to learn a new system. I expect them to get better over the course of the season and this team should age like fine wine. Everything was passable and the offense looked great, so there were no real worries over this game for Vegas.

The Chargers are legit. While we knew this last year, in the Week 18 revenge game this year, they were stellar. Justin Herbert is an MVP candidate and the receiving corps is as deep as ever. When the defense gets healthy, they’ll be contenders. If only they weren’t in the toughest division in the league.

Rationale: Both of these teams will only get better and both will contend.

Kansas City Chiefs 44 (1-0) @ Arizona Cardinals 21 (0-1)

Surprise, surprise: Kansas City is still dominant. Mahomes is still a top-two QB in the game and the defense was surprisingly effective. There isn’t much to say for KC from Week One. They’re still dominant.

Arizona is a different story, though. They were quite awful. I don’t know how much DeAndre Hopkins can save them, but they were straight-up bad in Week One. They did play the Chiefs, but for Kyler Murray, James Conner, Hollywood Brown, and the defense to be this awful is a terrible sign for the rest of the season. This game was not a great sign. Are the Seahawks the best team in the division?

Rationale: The Chiefs are still dominant, the Cards might be breaking down.

Sunday Night Football

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19 (1-0) @ Dallas Cowboys 3 (0-1)

This was a disappointing game for both teams. The Bucs just couldn’t punch it in as much as they should’ve and the Cowboys just had everything fall apart. For the Bucs, it was mainly coaching. Playcalling was too conservative and they shouldn’t have gone exclusively to either the run or a deep ball. Tom Brady thrives on the mid-range passing attack and when they unlock that, they’ll be elite. The Bucs defense was great, though. They ate up Dak, Zeke, and company. The secondary looked downright scary and didn’t allow CeeDee Lamb to do anything of note. When the offensive playcalling finds itself or when Bruce Arians inevitably comes back everything will work itself out.

For Dallas, it was a disaster. The run game was absent, the defense was putrid, and Dak Prescott was lost for at least a few weeks. Their season might be lost from one game. Honestly, it’s what they deserve. While I wish Dak Prescott well and I hope he isn’t injured for the long term, Dallas deserves overall failure. Nobody will sympahize with Jerry Jones’ crew.

Rationale: The Bucs will get better, the Cowboys are finished.

Monday Night Football

Denver Broncos 16 (0-1) @ Seattle Seahawks (1-0)

Broncos Country, let’s ri… Oh, it seems they’ve stalled out. Russell Wilson was awful against Seattle. Don’t let the stat line fool you, Russ should’ve had two picks and the Broncos should’ve lost by a lot more than they did. While they had their highlight plays, the fumbling issues and poor pass protection weren’t a great sign. The defense also looked pretty average. Geno Smith of all people absolutely tore them up. That might be all I have to say here.

For the Hawks, this game was a great sign. Not just for the future, but to officially turn the page from the Russell Wilson era. While Geno Smith might be the story, for me, it’s the defense. Two sacks, two takeaways, and just sixteen points allowed? That’s pretty damn good for a defense that just lost Jamal Adams to injury and Bobby Wagner to free agency. The Seahawks might’ve arrived, but I won’t overreact.

Rationale: The Broncos need to figure it out, the Seahawks need to keep riding the wave.

Thursday Night Football (Week 2)

Los Angeles Chargers 24 (1-1) @ Kansas City Chiefs 27 (2-0)

As a football game, this was great. For both teams, however, it wasn’t great. While the Chiefs stayed dominant in the win column, this game was way closer than it should’ve been. Trailing up until the fourth quarter, the Chiefs only made their run because they had to. To be fair, the drop-off from the Chargers to Cardinals is serious and for Mahomes, he had to and did come back down to Earth. 

For the Chargers, this is a game they should’ve had, but as most newly constructed teams do, they couldn’t close the game out. It was a nice duel between Mahomes and Herbert, but it was really a duel of the defenses and surprisingly, the Chiefs ended up being the ones able to cross the finish line. There were really only positives to take away from both teams. I loved Mike Williams and I loved Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The only negatives for me was the Chargers’ defense towards the end, the involvement of Travis Kelce, and Austin Ekeler. Overall, a great football game.

Rationale: The Chiefs stayed cool under pressure, the Chargers still have some work to do, but showed promise.

Takeaways from Week One and TNF of Week Two

As a whole, this was one of the messier Week Ones we’ve seen in recent history. There wasn’t a particularly great game and no team clearly stood above everyone else. To me, there are about three teams above everyone and they’re all incredibly close. I liked the promise of Week One and we were treated to some incredible Week One performances. Football is a slow, unique game. Things change slowly, but there’s beauty in progress. Over the next few weeks, we should see more competitive and cleaned-up football, but let’s not take for granted the football we’re seeing now. The football we’re seeing now is the BTS of the football we’ll all watch later on in the year. You can’t appreciate the final product without the process.

Post-Week One/TNF 2 Power Rankings

1. Buffalo Bills (1-0) – AFC East

2. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) – AFC West

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) – NFC South

4. Los Angeles Chargers (1-1) – AFC West

5. Baltimore Ravens (1-0) – AFC North

6. New Orleans Saints (1-0) – NFC South

7. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) – NFC East

8. Las Vegas Raiders (0-1) – AFC West

9.  Minnesota Vikings (1-0) – NFC North

10.  Los Angeles Rams (0-1) – NFC West

11. Cleveland Browns (1-0) – AFC North

12. Chicago Bears (1-0) – NFC North

13. Washington Commanders (1-0) – NFC East

14. Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) – AFC North

15. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) – AFC North

16. Miami Dolphins (1-0) – AFC East

17. New York Giants (1-0) – NFC East

18. San Francisco 49ers (0-1) – NFC West

19. Indianapolis Colts (0-0-1) – AFC South

20. Houston Texans (0-0-1) – AFC South

21. Seattle Seahawks (1-0) – NFC West

22. Denver Broncos (0-1) – AFC West

23. New England Patriots (0-1) – AFC East

24. Atlanta Falcons (0-1) – NFC South

25. Tennessee Titans (0-1) – AFC South

26. Detroit Lions (0-1) – NFC North

27. Carolina Panthers (0-1) – NFC South

28. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) – AFC South

29. Arizona Cardinals (0-1) – NFC West

30. Green Bay Packers (0-1) – NFC North

31. New York Jets (0-1) – AFC East

32. Dallas Cowboys (0-1) – NFC East

Adam Zimmerman-Diaz

IG - @adam.zd

Twitter - @TheSatBlues