2024 NFL season, Week 1: What We Learned from Sunday's games

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Nick Shook's takeaways:

1. Steelers defense stands tall. With plenty of uncertainty surrounding Pittsburgh's offense -- especially after a rough preseason -- most Steelers fans pointed toward their defense as a reason to feel hopeful. That unit delivered Sunday, boxing up the Falcons' offense to the tune of just 226 total yards of offense. Per usual, T.J. Watt dominated, owning right tackle Kaleb McGary all afternoon and wreaking frequent havoc in Atlanta's backfield, finishing with three pressures and a sack, which could have been three had he not had two strip-sacks wiped out by penalties (including an offside on Watt). Pittsburgh's aggression paid off in droves, throwing Kirk Cousins out of rhythm and producing three takeaways. In case the final score didn't tell you, the Steelers' defense won this game.
2. Rough debut for Cousins. Atlanta's high-priced offseason acquisition finally took the field in a Falcons uniform and demonstrated just how difficult it is to return from a season-ending injury. He looked rusty and a bit slow amid the speed of an NFL game, which certainly wasn't helped by sub-par pass protection against a ferocious Steelers front. What truly made this day into a disappointment, though, was Cousins' tendency to fire passes under duress, no matter what awaited the ball at the other end of the throw. Twice he threw passes under intense pressure with no regard for the outcome, resulting in two interceptions. He had short passes batted down and never looked comfortable, save for Atlanta's lone touchdown drive. This will be a work in progress.
3. Fields perseveres through tumultuous day. Despite the final stat line, Justin Fields did not appear to be comfortable for much of this game. He fumbled his first snap, missed an open target on his first throw and appeared hesitant when working through progressions. But NFL teams don't invest in a playmaker like Fields because they simply want him to stand in the pocket and throw; they play him because of what he can create. Fields did plenty of that, rushing 14 times for 57 yards, including a key keeper on third down to ice the game. He didn't make any crucial mistakes, and while he didn't necessarily throw the Steelers to victory, he did well enough to move them into Chris Boswell's range, allowing the kicker to tally 18 points with his right foot, which was good enough for the win.

Next Gen Stat of the game: In a sign of Atlanta's struggles with Pittsburgh's pass rush Sunday, guard Chris Lindstrom allowed six pressures across 25 pass-blocking snaps, producing his highest pressure rate allowed (24%) in a game in his career.

NFL Research: Chris Boswell joined John Carney (Chargers vs. Seahawks, 1993) as the only kickers to make six field goals without a miss in a Week 1 game in NFL history.

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Kevin Patra's takeaways:

1. Allen dominates, spearheads Bills victory. That offseason story calling Josh Allen the most overrated QB in the NFL was laughable at the time. It looked even sillier on Sunday. When Allen fumbled on Buffalo's opening possession, critics likely belly-laughed. Allen laughed back. The Bills QB led six scoring drives with just two punts the rest of the way as Buffalo overcame a 17-3 deficit. With the defense unable to get stops early, the Buffalo offense didn't have the ball much in the first half. But in the final two quarters, Allen dominated. For the game, the QB earned two rushing touchdowns and two passing scores. His ability to extend plays got him in trouble on the fumble but was key late as the Bills offense steamrolled Arizona. As expected, Allen spread the ball around, hitting 10 different targets, and the ground game leaned on James Cook (19 carries, 71 yards). With the remade defense going through ups and downs and several kickoff errors, the Bills needed Allen to shine to avoid a Week 1 upset. He did just that.
2. Murray starts hot, but offense putters out. On the opening three drives of the game, Kyler Murray looked sensational. The QB avoided the rush, making plays with his arm and legs. Murray dominated on third downs, extending drives. He was in rhythm early, finding outlets and making every right read. Murray looked back to his Pro Bowl self. In the first half, he went 16-of-19 passing for 131 yards (112.9 passer rating) and added four rushes for 28 yards. Then, in the second half, Murray was bamboozled, going 5 of 12 for 31 yards, including a sack-fumble in the third quarter. After 14 first downs on the first three drives, the Cards' offense generated four first downs the entire second half. No. 4 pick Marvin Harrison Jr. was rarely involved, catching one pass for 4 yards on three targets. Late, it was Greg Dortch getting targeted not the rookie. Expect that to change moving forward.
3. Cardinals returner Dallas scores first-ever dynamic kickoff TD. The Cardinals' special teams gave the club a shot to come back late. As Buffalo looked poised to run away with the game, DeeJay Dallas took a kickoff near the goal line and sprinted 96 yards up the gut for the first score on the NFL's new dynamic kickoff. The last time the Cardinals scored on a kick return was in Week 2, 2015 (David Johnson vs. Chicago). Plays like that are what the league envisioned with the rule change. However, big returns will likely cause more teams to boot the ball into the end zone for a touchback.

Next Gen stat of the game: Josh Allen completed 14 of 17 passing attempts for 166 yards (+9.7% CPOE) when the Cardinals did not blitz. The Cardinals' defense pressured Allen on just 20% of his dropbacks in Week 1, his lowest pressure rate faced since Week 8, 2023.

NFL Research: Josh Allen recorded his fourth game with multiple passing and rushing touchdowns, tying Hall of Famer Steve Young for the most all time.

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Eric Edholm's takeaways:

1. Defense saved the day for Bears in Caleb's debut. The Bears scored touchdowns on defense and special teams -- but none on offense -- digging out of a 17-0 hole the hard way to secure victory in Week 1 at Soldier Field. No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams struggled mightily most of the day, completing 14 of 29 passes for 92 yards and seldom looking comfortable behind a shaky Bears offensive line. Chicago had 28 or fewer yards on all but two drives and totaled only 11 first downs and 147 yards of offense. The run game didn’t help much until late in the game either. Williams’ two-point conversion to D'Andre Swift helped put the Bears up seven points late after a Tyrique Stevenson’s pick-six. Williams missed some open throws early and took a 19-yard sack that knocked the Bears out of field-goal range. He loosened up a little as the game went on, and Keenan Allen dropped a would-be TD pass, but it’s clear it will take time for this offense to marinate and grow. Give some credit to first-year Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson for a smart game plan, but the Bears also were grinding their gears a lot offensively.
2. Titans, Levis blow glorious chances to make big statements. The Titans hardly came out sharp but were the better of the two teams, taking a first-half 17-0 lead, controlling the clock and sucking the life out of the Soldier Field crowd. But the wheels came off as the Titans’ offense and special teams made critical mistakes, allowing the Bears back in the game in spite of their inability to move the ball consistently. Quarterback Will Levis got off to a slow start, but the offense found its rhythm with the run game, as Tony Pollard got loose for a 26-yard TD run and was their best power source. Levis showed some toughness and found Calvin Ridley on one big shot in each half, but he had only three catches on seven targets, with Levis underthrowing him after Ridley had beat Jaylon Johnson deep. The pressure really got to Levis on Sunday, especially on a second-half strip sack and a brutal pick-six on the following series. The game ended when Levis gifted an interception amid pressure. It was a tough start to the 2024 season after he showed some promising traits last season. New head coach Brian Callahan and coordinator Nick Holz need to identify how to minimize the pressure problems that sunk the offense in a game the Titans should have won.
3. Bears’ special teams, defense make mistakes but come up huge. It was a game of give and take for the Bears, especially on special teams but also on defense. The Titans had only 244 yards of offense but drove 70-plus yards twice to help build the early three-score lead before Chicago clamped down late in forcing three fourth-quarter turnovers. The Bears also gave the Titans points early when Velus Jones muffed a kickoff and booted it right to Tennessee, giving the Titans a field goal. Daniel Hardy was also guilty of an illegal block that wiped out a nice punt return. But Hardy could be forgiven, as his blocked punt helped spur the Bears’ turnaround in his Chicago debut, with Jonathan Owens returning it 21 yards for a touchdown (which almost gave his Olympian wife a heart attack). The Bears’ defense was fired up after that, helping turn the game on its head. Also credit the special teams for giving the Bears points, as DeAndre Carter’s 67-yard kickoff return led to their first points of the game.

Next Gen stat of the game: The Bears generated pressure on 47.4% of Will Levis’ dropbacks, the unit’s second-highest pressure rate in a game over the last three seasons. Three Bears defenders (Andrew Billings, DeMarcus Walker and Darrell Taylor) finished tied with a team-high five pressures, including three quick pressures each. Levis struggled against pressure, finishing 5 of 13 for 61 yards including both interceptions.

NFL Research: Caleb Williams became the first No. 1 overall pick to start and win at QB in Week 1 since Houston’s David Carr in 2002. No. 1 overall pick QBs are 4-14-1 in Week 1 starts since 1970, with Carr, Denver’s John Elway (1983) and New England’s Jim Plunkett (1971) the only others to win. 

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Kevin Patra's takeaways:

1. Jerod Mayo victorious in first game taking over for Bill Belichick. The Patriots played to the blueprint they'll need to in order to come out on top in 2024. New England's defense flew around the field, dominating the line of scrimmage for long stretches, with Keion White netting 2.5 sacks. It's a group that remains stellar after the coaching changeover. Special teams made plays, forcing a fumble on a punt and Joey Slye nailed three field goals. The offense leaned on the run game (more on that later), churning out yards and keeping Joe Burrow on the sidelines. It was the type of muddled game that the Patriots want to play. Expected by many to struggle in Mayo's first season, getting that first win out of the way in Week 1 on the road is a statement for the new brass that they can be competitive while rebuilding.
2. Bengals offense struggles out of the gate. Cincinnati's Week 1 struggles continue. The club fell to 1-5 in season openers under Zac Taylor -- with the lone victory coming in overtime in 2021. Three of the five losses have come at home. Joe Burrow and the offense looked like a club that didn't get much preseason and training camp work together. The offense looked disjointed from snap one, going three-and-out on its first three drives. Cincy didn't earn its first first down until 10:30 in the second quarter. When things finally got going, errors ensued. Mike Gesicki couldn't hang onto a TD. Tanner Hudson got the ball punched out going into the end zone, with woeful ball security. Later, Cincy got smoked on a fourth-down try. The Burrow-Chase connection that hadn't gotten much work this offseason, and took nearly three quarters to coalesce. Chase ended with six catches for 62 yards but just 2 for 7 in the first half. The offense also sorely missed Tee Higgins (hamstring). The good news for the Bengals is that they've been here before and haven't let a poor opener ruin their campaign.
3. Stevenson carries the load for Patriots offense. Veteran running back Rhamondre Stevenson was worth every penny Sunday. He shouldered a huge load, toting the rock 25 times for 120 yards with the lone TD. He also had three catches for six yards. It marked Stevenson's first 100-plus-yard rushing game since Week 15, 2022. The 26-year-old looked fresh, bouncing off tacklers and rarely getting stuffed for a loss. The Patriots' questionable offensive line played better than expected, but Stevenson also found the right holes and made his blockers right many times. New England got the type of game it needed from Jacoby Brissett, who didn't turn the ball over, made smart, quick decisions and showed an ability to navigate muddied pockets. He might not make "wow" plays, but the 31-year-old Brissett continues to play winning football. Mayo said in naming him the starter that he'd keep Drake Maye on the bench as long as the club was winning. There will be no question about who is under center in Week 2 after Brissett's solid performance.

Next Gen stat of the game: Joe Burrow was pressured on just 6 of 35 dropbacks, good for his third-lowest pressure rate faced in a game in his career (17.1%). He averaged 5.6 yards per attempt when not under pressure, his lowest mark in a game since Week 6, 2023, against the Seahawks (5.0). Burrow was sacked three times and completed just 1 of 2 pass attempts for 13 yards when under pressure.

NFL Research: The Bengals lost two fumbles in Week 1 (Tanner Hudson and Charlie Jones on punt return). Cincinnati only lost two fumbles throughout the entire 2023 season (best in NFL, tied for lowest by any team in a season since at least 2000).

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Michael Baca's takeaways:

1. Mixon begins Houston career on a high note. The Texans might not have earned a Week 1 victory without their new running back. Joe Mixon was the Texans offense's most consistent feature, producing 159 rushing yards on 30 carries (5.3 yards per carry) and a touchdown in his debut. It was a welcomed effort considering C.J. Stroud and the Texans' passing attack were throttled midway through the game. Carrying the ball with his bare hands, Mixon's old-school look matched his throwback style, generating powerful runs that bowled over Colts defenders while also utilizing his shiftiness in-between blocks to gain yards in chunks. Mixon's play was the catalyst to Houston owning a lopsided time of possession (40:00-20:00) advantage, and the former Bengals RB fittingly got the first down necessary to ice the game in the fourth quarter. Stefon Diggs also made the most of his Texans debut, scoring two touchdowns (six receptions, 33 yards), but there's no question who provided the necessary spark. For a team that finished in the bottom third in rushing last year, Houston should be pleased with how Mixon portends to look in 2024.
2. Young Texans have DeMeco Ryans' trust. Faced with a crucial decision late in the fourth quarter, the Texans head coach decided to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line instead of adding a chip-shot field goal to a two-point lead. Stroud fired a strike to Diggs for a score that was essential considering the Colts answered back with a TD drive on the ensuing possession, but it wasn't the only moment where Ryans was aggressive. The Texans' other fourth-down conversion (2 for 2) came on their opening drive at midfield, which would result in a field goal. Before Mixon's game-clinching first-down run, the Texans earned another crucial first down on third-and -11 with Stroud finding Nico Collins along the sideline coming off the two-minute warning. Houston could've elected to begin Indy's expulsion of timeouts but went ahead and dialed up a perfect play. Ryans' aggressiveness didn't always work out (failed two-point conversion in second quarter), but his late-game actions were essential in this one. 
3. Miscues, lack of run game doom Colts. Anthony Richardson had what might end up being the most eye-opening TD throw of Week 1, but the Colts QB was far too inconsistent passing the ball to produce a winning effort. There were a handful of plays where open receivers saw passes sail over their heads, including a moment in the second quarter where Adonai Mitchell was in position for a would-be score. Despite Richardson's struggles, the Colts wouldn't have been in the game if it wasn't for their QB, who threw 60- and 54-yard TDs in the game and ran in another in the fourth quarter. But he completed only nine passes total (19 attempts, 212 yards) and had an interception in the red zone, alluding to his inefficiency on short throws. Perhaps an efficient rushing attack would've made things easier for the Colts QB, who led the team with 56 yards on the ground off six attempts. The Colts' mistakes weren't limited to Richardson, but the inefficient offense had Indy playing from behind all afternoon.

Next Gen Stat of the day: Anthony Richardson's 60-yard TD pass to Alec Pierce traveled 65.3 yards in the air, the third-longest completion in the Next Gen Stats era.

NFL Research: Joe Mixon's 178 scrimmage yards are the most by a Houston RB since Lamar Miller had 178 versus Indianapolis in Week 6, 2016. His 150 rushing yards are the most by any Texan making his debut.

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• READ: Dolphins' Hill has no idea why police detained him before game

Eric Edholm's takeaways:

1. Tyreek leads Dolphins to wild win after crazy morning. Tyreek Hill started the day with a pre-game incident that had him in handcuffs outside the stadium. He ended it as one of the Dolphins’ heroes in a shaky-but-dramatic comeback victory over the Jaguars. It took Hill a little while to get going, and he had a costly holding penalty in the red zone in the fourth quarter, but he torched the Jaguars for an 80-yard TD catch late in the third that completely flipped momentum in the game. It came immediately after Travis Etienne’s fumble near the goal line -- essentially a 14-point swing. Instead of being up 24-7, the Jaguars found themselves leading only 17-14 after Hill’s TD. The Dolphins were their own worst enemies early, turning the ball over twice on downs in their first four possessions. Tua Tagovailoa overthrew a few open receivers, and the run game stalled. But Tua started finding Hill, Jaylen Waddle and got De'Von Achane involved in the pass game.Jason Sanders (after missing one) hit two fourth-quarter field goals to capture the hard-earned win.
2. Jaguars offense crumbled in second half. Things weren’t perfect early on, but the Jags engineered three first-half scoring drives to take a 17-7 lead. Good work from Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne, as well as nice moments from Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr. in their Jacksonville debuts, had things looking respectable on that side of the ball while the defense held up its end of the bargain. But when the Jaguars started bending defensively, their offense imploded with six empty possessions in the second half. The absolute killer was Etienne’s fumble, as it appeared he was on his way into the end zone. Jevon Holland punched the ball out beautifully, recovered the ball and set the stage for Hill’s fireworks. Etienne then was tracked down for a loss on fourth-and-1 from his own 32-yard line -- a curious decision from Doug Pederson with momentum having fully shifted to Miami’s side. Trevor Lawrence was sacked three times, including back-to-back plays in the final minutes. Lawrence was 3-of-7 passing for 37 yards after halftime. 
3. Dolphins use Achane in different way. If you listened to NFL GameDay Morning prior to Sunday’s game, you no doubt heard NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe’s report on how the Dolphins planned to use De'Von Achane as both a receiver and a running back. Wolfe was on it. Achane caught all seven passes thrown his way for 76 receiving yards, both of which were career highs. He had a 39-yard catch-and-run on the first series and scored the Dolphins’ first TD in the second quarter. The Jaguars did hem Achane in as a runner, holding him to 24 yards on the ground on 10 carries a year after he averaged 72 rushing yards per game. But the receiving element really makes Achane a more dangerous weapon in space, and it was on full display Sunday, as his 10-yard catch late helped set up the game-winning field goal. This is a big development for the Dolphins -- and it should make Achane’s fantasy owners happy if he keeps this kind of pass game production up.

Next Gen stat of the game: The Dolphins utilized motion on 59 of 65 plays (90.8%) in Week 1, their fourth-highest motion rate in any game since 2018.

NFL Research: With a sack on his first snap as a Miami Dolphin, 38-year old Calais Campbell raised his career total to 106.5 sacks in his 245th regular-season contest in the NFL.

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Bobby Kownack's takeaways:

1. Big Easy blowout. New Orleans’ offense passed its first test under coordinator Klint Kubiak with flying colors. Derek Carr, who for the most part had all day to work in the pocket, was decisive and precise. He uncorked a 59-yard touchdown to his favorite deep target, Rashid Shaheed, to open the scoring, and worked it around plenty as he found tight ends Foster Moreau and Juwan Johnson for a TD each. He only missed on four of his 23 throws. And for any fans concerned about the Saints’ backfield depth, it appears one week into the season that they have found a dangerous thunder-and-lightning duo between Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara. Those two combined for 149 total yards and a score, and Kamara looked especially rejuvenated. He evaded tacklers with ease and routinely picked up yards after contact, leading to a 5.5 yards-per-carry average -- 1.6 better than his average last season. It all resulted in 47 points, the most the franchise has ever scored in a season opener, per NFL Research.
2. Young 2.0 sees more growing pains. Bryce Young began the Dave Canales era with an interception on his very first pass attempt, an overthrow that carried into no man’s land between Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen. His day would get worse from there before it got minimally better. He had trouble identifying blitzers and continued the inaccuracy with which he started the contest. Carolina didn’t even cross midfield until Young and Co. put together a 45-yard two-minute drill for a field goal, almost doubling their 25 net offensive yards to that point. He escaped the pocket well on a few occasions and scored Carolina’s lone TD on a gutsy scramble, but there’s little positive to take away for Young -- or most other Panthers, for that matter. They lost by 37, and Young finished sporting an ugly stat line with 161 yards, two interceptions and a 32.8 passer rating on 13-of-30 passing.
3. Saints secondary shows out. New Orleans dominated at every level of the defense, but the entire secondary deserves a game ball for its combined efforts. Will Harris delivered an interception on Carolina’s first offensive play, and Jordan Howden caught his three plays into the second half. Although the ageless Tyrann Mathieu didn’t have the loudest day otherwise, he made an impact early by forcing a fumble on a Jonathan Mingo end-around and subsequently recovering it. Alontae Taylor outdid them all despite allowing the most passing yards (84) on the team. He made up for that with a remarkable three sacks from the corner position and led all defenders with six tackles. Those were the main standouts from a complete demolition.

Next Gen stat of the game: Chase Young generated a team-high six pressures -- twice as many as the next closest Saints pass rusher -- in his New Orleans debut. 

NFL Research: Alontae Taylor is the first Saints defensive back since 1970 with 3.0 sacks in a game, and one of just 13 in the NFL.

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Nick Shook's takeaways:

1. What a debut for Darnold. Perhaps that one year on San Francisco's bench was all Sam Darnold needed to get back on track. It sure looked like it Sunday, especially after Darnold shook off some early hesitance and started carving up New York's defense, ripping bullets down the seam (to Josh Oliver for a gain of 22) and sideline (to Justin Jefferson for a 44-yard pickup). His final stat line (19 of 24, 208 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) was as accurate as he was all afternoon, and, perhaps most importantly, he didn't hurt the Vikings. He elevated them, and stunned much of the football world in the process on the way to an easy victory.
2. Familiar struggles for Jones, Giants. The pivotal 2024 season began with promise -- defensively, at least -- but before long, the same issues that have plagued the Giants over the last year resurfaced. Daniel Jones struggled under pressure, threw two awful interceptions (including one that went for a pick-six in the blink of an eye), came up empty-handed on two second-half trips to the red zone, tried his best in the ground game but ultimately didn't make nearly enough of a difference to keep the Giants in this game. To Jones' credit, when he had time to throw and was in rhythm, he was largely accurate. But if this is a precursor for what's ahead for New York, it's going to be a long season.
3. The Aaron Jones era is off to a nice start. Aaron Jones switched sides in the Packers-Vikings rivalry in the offseason, giving the Vikings an answer for a backfield weakness they had since they moved on from Dalvin Cook. So far, so good. Jones looked spry out of the backfield, racking up 94 yards on 14 carries and capping Minnesota's first scoring drive of the day with an easy stroll up the middle for a 3-yard touchdown. It's a secondary note, but with Darnold at the controls of the offense, it will be vital to support him with a consistent running game. Mission accomplished in Week 1.

Next Gen stat of the game: Andrew Van Ginkel's pick-six of Daniel Jones occurred in 1.16 seconds, the fastest interception since Week 13 of 2023, when Van Ginkel intercepted Sam Howell in 1.26 seconds. With Sunday's takeaway, Van Ginkel is responsible for the two fastest interceptions over the last two seasons.

NFL Research: Sam Darnold started Sunday's game with 12 straight completions, the most consecutive completions to start a game in his NFL career. It was also the second-most consecutive completions to start a game by a Vikings quarterback since 1991 (Kirk Cousins completed 17 straight in Week 5 of the 2022 season).

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Analysis to come from Eric Edholm

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Analysis to come from Bobby Kownack

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Analysis to come from Nick Shook

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Analysis to come from Kevin Patra

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Analysis to come from Grant Gordon