In The First Read, Jeffri Chadiha provides a snapshot of the hottest stories and trends heading into Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season, including:
But to kick things off, his five biggest surprises from the start of the new campaign ...
The 2024 NFL season is off and running, and it already feels like this will be another exciting campaign. There are just too many teams that have legitimate Super Bowl hopes, too many offenses with the potential to explode and too many young quarterbacks who are blossoming into stars. Yes, there will be a lot of talk about whether the Kansas City Chiefs can become the first team to three-peat in the Super Bowl era. There should be just as much attention paid to the teams that could prevent that from happening, because there are quite a few of them.
That fact was obvious throughout Week 1. The Baltimore Ravens came within a couple toes of tight end Isaiah Likely from gaining a huge win in Kansas City last Thursday night. The Eagles and Packers then gave the people of Brazil an offensive showcase nearly 24 hours later. Eight of the 13 games played on Sunday were decided by one score. Hell, Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill started his day in handcuffs outside Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium and ended it by making the Jacksonville Jaguars wish they had their own reliable way of restraining him.
The first weekend of the season is always thrilling because we spend months talking about what might happen. Then the games begin, and we see what actually is possible. It’s easy to overreact to the good and the bad because that’s simply human nature. The cool thing is that we’re just getting started and that there’s about five more months to go before this all gets figured out.
So, here’s to the start of real NFL football and the first regular-season installment of The First Read. There were a ton of surprises in Week 1. These are five that stood out the most to this writer …
1) The Bengals losing to New England: Actually, this is something that probably should’ve been expected because it’s becoming a nasty habit in Cincinnati. As good as the Bengals are -- and as much as they should be Super Bowl contenders by the time snow starts falling -- they just can’t seem to figure out the benefits that come with starting fast. They opened each of the two previous seasons with losses in their first two games. They’re now on the verge of doing that again after the New England Patriots -- yes, those same talent-challenged Pats who had been getting dumped on throughout the offseason -- walked out of Cincinnati with a 16-10 win. The Bengals couldn’t generate any consistent offense (quarterback Joe Burrow threw for just 164 yards) and the defense was just as culpable (New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 120 yards on 25 carries). Hats off to first-year Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo for having his team ready to play despite its youth and limitations. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor should take some notes because, once again, his team is digging itself a hole to start the year. The Bengals have proven they can overcome such challenges in the past. The problem is they’ll now start a new attempt to flip the script with a road trip to Kansas City in Week 2. Ouch.
2) Caleb Williams struggling that much in his debut: Count this writer among those who bought too much into the hype surrounding the Bears’ rookie. He did become the first quarterback drafted No. 1 overall to win his season opener since David Carr in 2002, as Chicago secured a 24-17 victory over Tennessee on Sunday. However, he was far from pretty in accomplishing that feat. Williams amassed a paltry 93 passing yards, completing 14 of his 29 attempts. He did his best to create magic at times when extending plays, only to discover that professional defenses are much harder to beat when the preseason ends. Williams basically looked like a guy who was starting his first real NFL game, but there’s no shame in underwhelming when faced with that circumstance. The nice thing for the Bears is that they proved what can happen when a franchise puts an actual team around its projected savior. Chicago scored off a blocked punt and an interception return and also set up a field goal with a strip-sack. It’s easy to see why Williams said he wasn’t concerned with his stats after the win. When you can do that little on offense and still end up victorious, that’s a great place for any rookie quarterback to start a career.
3) Dallas rolling through the Browns: It wasn’t that long ago that critics were decrying everything that was wrong with the Cowboys, and how all those issues would undermine this team. The roster had holes (a revamped offensive line and no real weapons on offense aside from All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb), while the drama in the front office (with lingering contract talks surrounding Lamb, quarterback Dak Prescott and star linebacker Micah Parsons) were supposed to cause crippling distractions. So much for those concerns. The Cowboys’ 33-17 win in Cleveland told us one thing that should’ve been clear from the start: This team still has more than enough to win in the regular season. The Browns’ stellar defense didn’t create many problems for Prescott, while the Cowboys received strong efforts from their own defense (six sacks and two interceptions) and special teams (a punt return for a touchdown by KaVontae Turpin). There’s no doubt the 'Boys earned plenty of scrutiny by not being more active this offseason. That doesn’t mean they stopped being a good team. There’s more than enough talent for this group to return to the playoffs, especially with those extensions for Lamb and Prescott finally being done. The question they have to answer is whether they can finally do something with this bunch if they get there.
4) Atlanta’s offensive woes: It appears that adding Kirk Cousins isn’t all the Falcons need to be playoff contenders this season. Atlanta produced a grand total of 226 yards of offense in its 18-10 loss to Pittsburgh, converting just two of nine third-down situations. Yes, playing the Steelers had a lot to do with that lack of success. It’s one thing to talk about unleashing young Falcon talents like running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts; it’s an entirely different matter when Steelers star edge rusher T.J. Watts and his pals are chasing your quarterback around. The reality is that it clearly will take some time for Cousins -- who finished the day with 155 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions -- to find a comfort level with his new mates. He’s coming off a torn Achilles and didn’t play at all in the preseason. Cousins even joked before this game that he might thank the defender who gives him the first hit of the year. There was nothing to laugh about after this one. The Falcons have plenty of offensive talent, but they’ll need ample patience to go with their new quarterback.
5) The Lions learning fast: In watching Detroit’s 26-20 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams, it’s clear the Lions already have fixed a couple issues that were holding them back last season. The defensive backfield is much improved at cornerback, as the new additions (most notably rookie Terrion Arnold and veterans Amik Robertson and Carlton Davis III) showed the ability to effectively lock up in man coverage most of the night. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford still threw for 317 yards, but it was hard-earned and a good chunk came as Los Angeles rallied from a 17-3 second-half deficit. The Lions didn’t suffer through the types of devastating coverage breakdowns that plagued them in key junctures last season. The other revelation was third-year wide receiver Jameson Williams. The Lions have been waiting for him to break out after trading up to take him 12th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, and this looks like it will be his year. He had a game-high 121 receiving yards on five receptions, including a 52-yard touchdown catch, and also added a 13-yard scamper on the ground. Williams spent the entire offseason bulking up and growing up. That work is paying off in a hurry for an offense that already was flush with weapons at the skill positions. The Lions were one of the favorites to win the NFC when the weekend began. Detroit looked like the favorite when Sunday night ended.
THREE UP
The Texans picked up Mixon in exchange for a seventh-round pick from the Bengals this offseason, and that trade already looks like a steal. The veteran back ran for 159 yards in a 29-27 win over Indianapolis. Mixon hadn’t gained that many yards in a game since the 2021 season. Just as noteworthy was the way Houston offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik fed him with 30 carries. C.J. Stroud operating with that kind of run game is downright scary.
Injuries have plagued Dobbins throughout his career, but on Sunday, he showed what he can do when his body is right. He gained 135 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in the Chargers’ 22-10 win over Las Vegas, while also providing the game’s biggest play on a 61-yard, fourth-quarter run. We know new head coach Jim Harbaugh is going to run the ball relentlessly, especially with a roster lacking in weapons. Dobbins looks like he’ll be essential to whatever success this team can achieve in 2024.
The Bills edge rusher started the season with three sacks (including a strip-sack) in Buffalo’s 34-28 win over Arizona. Those numbers are important for two reasons. One is that Buffalo has been dying to see Rosseau become a game-changer. The other is that this defense badly needs more difference-makers to emerge on a unit that annually battles injuries.
THREE DOWN
As much as you could defend Watson for playing behind an offensive line that was missing tackles Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills Jr. against Dallas, the fact is Watson probably still would have struggled even without those absences. He was once an elite quarterback; now he’s a player who’s simply trying to achieve consistency. Watson attempted 45 passes against the Cowboys and finished with 169 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The Browns need a whole lot more than that if they’re going to survive without injured star running back Nick Chubb.
The new Panthers sure did resemble the previous ones after the Saints whipped Carolina by a score of 47-10. Canales was hired because he’s great at tutoring quarterbacks, but Bryce Young still looks lost. The defense was somehow even more disastrous, as the Panthers trailed by 27 points at halftime. Now for the really deflating part: New Orleans isn't even that good.
You could just as easily slip Giants quarterback Daniel Jones into this spot, but we’ll go with Big Blue's defense because of Sam Darnold’s success against it. The Vikings quarterback enjoyed one of his best games of the last three seasons -- and the journeyman hasn’t started in Week 1 since 2021 -- on Sunday in New York. Not only did Darnold complete 19 of 24 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns, but he was rarely flustered. The Giants had one sack on the day, which isn’t what you want from a team that will rely so heavily on its defense.
WORTHY OF NFL PRO DEEP DIVES
- Chiefs over Ravens. Isaiah Likely and Lamar Jackson nearly pulled off a miraculous last-second touchdown that would’ve put Baltimore in position to secure a huge win against its rival.
- Eagles over Packers. A season-opening showcase for two explosive offenses that didn’t disappoint until Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love sustained a knee injury in the final drive of the game.
- Texans over Colts. Houston’s offense looked scary, but Indianapolis generated its share of big plays against the Texans' defense in this one.
MOST INTRIGUING GAME OF WEEK 2
A fine matchup to kick off the Week 2 slate on Thursday night. These AFC East rivals have played five games over the past two seasons and four have been decided by seven points or fewer. One of those was a wild-card playoff game (a win by Buffalo in the 2022 postseason) and another decided the AFC East title (another win by Buffalo this past January). We don’t know how this next matchup will end, but history tells us it will be suspenseful and significant.
MVP WATCH
A simple ranking of the top five candidates, which will be updated weekly, depending on performance. Here is how it stands heading into Week 2:
EXTRA POINT
My slowly evolving Super Bowl pick, which also will be updated each week, depending on performances: Lions over Texans.