After eight months of filling our Sundays with mundane movie-watching and forced hot takes, we have finally returned to NFL football. Expectations will turn into overreactions whether each team performed or underwhelmed their fan base. There’s a lot to take in after week 1, so let’s discuss some of the major storylines we saw play out.  

The Jets season comes crashing down  

After months of hype for Aaron Rodgers, from media outlets to highlighting the team on hard knocks, we were ready to see the final product and the final piece of the Jets put it all together this year. It didn’t take but four plays for all the hopes and dreams of Jets fans to wither. Rodgers tore his Achilles and is out for the season, Sadly could decide to retire, but only time will tell on that. For the Jets, Zach Wilson is the starter (for now) and we remember how last year went down with him having the keys. They’re likely to begin searching for options at the quarterback position soon, with options like Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton being trade targets for them. There’s still a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, as evident by the four turnovers the Jets forced against Josh Allen (three interceptions for Safety Jordan Whitehead), the big run plays from an ACL returning Breece Hall, and the incredible go-ahead touchdown catch from Garrett Wilson. The expectations externally may change, but either a surprise third-year jump for Zach or a big trade for a veteran quarterback could keep the Jets competitive and still with a chance at a playoff season.  

Go Pack Go  

Switching over to Aaron Rodgers’ old stomping grounds, the Packers opened the season in style by winning convincingly against their arch-rival Chicago Bears. Jordan Love had all day to throw behind the o-line and made the most of it, tossing three touchdown passes, with one of my hidden gems Romeo Doubs catching two of them. The number one target Christian Watson was out, so his coming back is only going to add to the passing attack. The Green Bay pass rush also did its thing, albeit against a less-than-stellar offensive line for the Bears. Nonetheless, a dominant win for the Pack has put many on notice, as this version of the team could be a real threat to Detroit for the NFC North crown.  

Baby Steps  

Three Quarterbacks were drafted within the first four picks of the 2023 draft class, and unlike most years where one or multiple QBs are sitting behind a veteran quarterback, all three guys got the keys to the offense on day one. First up is the first overall pick, Bryce Young. Young finished with 146 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions in a loss. He showed moments of poise and smoothness in the pocket but also misjudged the range of new Falcons safety Jessie Bates on both interceptions. He also missed on a couple of deep throws, but timing issues are sorted out through the season and (good) development of the quarterback. The number two pick CJ Stroud didn’t throw an interception but also didn’t throw for his first touchdown yet. He dealt with pressure from the Ravens all game and as a result, looked hesitant at points, but he did find some chemistry with WR Nico Collins (6 receptions for 80 yards). We’ll see if the line can hold up throughout the season and help the rookie a bit. The fourth overall pick Anthony Richardson had the most promising debut of the three, with a passing and rushing touchdown. Head Coach Shane Steichen brought the RPO-heavy offense from the Eagles over to Indy, and it made Richardson’s life easier. Having a reliable starting receiver helped as well with Michael Pittman going for 97 yards on 8 grabs with a touchdown. There are still questions about whether HB Jonathan Taylor will play for the Colts once his 4 game stint on the PUP list is over, but if things get sorted out, he could be a big boost for Richardson and this offense that has promise. These three quarterbacks are going to be compared to each other all year long which sounds annoying for them, but for the heartless football junkies, it’s going to draw some interesting discourse.  

Miami Dolphins number one??  

In a week where most offenses struggled out of the gate as they attempted to get their legs under them for a long season, the Dolphins (and Chargers to their credit) were in mid-season form. The explosiveness from Tyreek Hill (215 yards) on every play was a treat to see. Tua Tagovailoa was sharp on the day with a huge 466 yards through the air, including some big shots down the field late. We saw last year how good the Dolphins’ offense was when Tua was healthy and coach Mike McDaniel drawing up plays for his world-class speed tandem of Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and if luck is on Tua’s side this year, they’re not only AFC East contenders, but real threats for the Lombardi trophy.  

How ‘bout dem Cowboys!  

I, like many others, avoid praising the Cowboys as much as I can. The media is all over them 24/7, and the fans are…, something. However, I can always appreciate an exceptional performance from a football team, and I want to give flowers when earned, and the Sunday night blowout over the Giants is worthy of praise. Micah Parsons looks like he’s on a mission to win Defensive Player of the Year, while Trevon Diggs continues to trick Daniel Jones. The offense didn’t have to do much, but they controlled the ball and let the defense continue to take over. The Cowboys are going to compete with the Eagles for the division all year, and in a weaker NFC, could find a way to come out on top. Take that with a grain of salt though since we have 27 straight years of experience seeing the Cowboys fall short, but hey, curses in sports always get lifted, some just take longer than others. I wouldn’t be shocked if this is finally the Cowboys year to get past the dreaded divisional round and make a run.  

Geno writes back?  

After being the surprise of the 2022 season, Geno Smith has real expectations for the first time in his NFL career. In what many thought would be an easy week one game for the Seahawks, going against a “washed” Rams team, they not only lost but got dominated in the second half. Credit should go to Matthew Stafford for fixing that elbow and the young receivers of the Rams for stepping up (Puka Nakua and TuTu Atwell), but the offense being stagnant for the Seahawks is concerning, especially against the Rams’ defense with Aaron Donald and me out there playing ten other positions. The Seahawks did lose both offensive tackles in the game which is a better excuse than most other teams would have, but not being able to sustain any drive in the second half with the talent they have at the skill positions shouldn’t be acceptable. It’s the classic week one underperformance, so of course I’m not going to say they’re cooked or that Geno was a one-year wonder, but they need to address the problems on offense and come up with some good solutions quickly because we see the 49ers are out the gates fast, and falling far behind them is an uphill battle that’s not going to end well.   

Cleveland, this is for you   

Being in arguably the most stacked division in football means that there’s always one good team that gets buried. The Bengals have been the kings of the north for a few seasons now, while the Ravens and Steelers have been touted as two of the more stable, high-floor teams in the league for the last 20 years and counting. The Browns, however, outside of a surprise playoff run now and then, have been a joke to the league since they came back in 1999. Add the divisive Deshaun Watson at QB and it’s not hard to see why many don’t expect (or frankly want) them to compete. However, I and others who’ve been around the block for a while saw the talent that the Browns have acquired over the last five years on both sides of the ball. They have a dominant pass rusher in Myles Garrett who was after Joe Burrow and the Bengals all game. They have the best pure runner in the game right now in Nick Chubb who eclipsed 100 yards again this week. Deshaun Watson still has timing issues on his throws from last year, but he still has the playmaking ability to create something from nothing, and there were glimpses of that in week 1. I haven’t mentioned The Bengals yet because they’re going to be fine. It was a rainy day and Joe Burrow didn’t practice in most of training camp because of a calf injury. It was the same situation as last year, and he threw 4 picks in week one. They went to the AFC Title game and were a few plays away from going back to the Super Bowl, so I’m not worried about them long-term. This is just a message that the Browns are not to be seen as just the 4th team in their division, and with the Steelers and even to an extent the Ravens’ week 1 performances, It’s not going to surprise me if the Browns finish above both and sneak in as a wild card team.