Aaron Donald strengthened his case as one of the best defensive players in NFL history in Week 1, racking up 10 QB pressures, five hurries and one sack in the Rams' 20-17 victory Sunday night. There have been just seven instances of an interior defensive lineman generating 10-plus QB pressures in a game in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016), and Donald was responsible for three of them. Donald and Co. pressured Dak Prescott on 41 percent of his dropbacks, helping hold the Cowboys to 3 second-half points. Look for Donald and the Rams' defense to continue to apply pressure in Week 2 against the Eagles and their depleted offensive line (Carson Wentz was sacked eight times in Week 1).

After considering Aaron Donald's defensive dominance, let's switch to an electrifying "Aaron" on offense. Rodgers' 2020 got off to a hot start against the vaunted Vikings defense. The QB recorded his best deep-passing game of the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016), completing 5 of 9 deep passes for 186 yards and two TDs. Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Davante Adams each had two deep receptions and a TD, while Allen Lazard chipped in one deep reception for 38 yards. All in all, Rodgers completed 57.1 percent of his attempts of 10-plus air yards (8 of 14) in Week 1 after completing just 23.6 percent of 10-plus-air-yard passes in Weeks 15 to 17 of last season (that was the lowest mark in the NFL among those with a minimum of 20 such passes). Rodgers' Week 2 matchup might prove a little more difficult, as the Lions allowed only one deep completion on six attempts in Week 1 vs Chicago.

Offseason trade acquisition Jamal Adams did not seem bored in his first game as a Seahawk. The ex-Jet was all over the field for the Seattle defense, aligning at deep safety on 37 snaps, in the box on 30 snaps and at slot CB for nine snaps (this was similar to how he split snaps in the 2019 season with the Jets). Adams rushed the passer 10 times in Week 1, generating four pressures and leading the NFL (among those with a minimum of 10 pass rushes) with a 40 percent pressure rate. For what it's worth, last season, Bradley McDougald (who was traded to the Jets in the deal for Adams) led all Seattle DBs with four QB pressures. Adams chipped in three run stuffs (plays in which he held the ball-carrier to a gain of 0 yards or less) and three hustle stops (defensive stop where the tackler covers 20-plus yards of in-play distance), and he appears to be the centerpiece of the Seattle defense this season.

With the help of the Next Gen Stats Route Recognition Model, we can break down how DeAndre Hopkins racked up 14 receptions against San Francisco to help Arizona pull off Week 1's biggest upset. Hopkins was effective on short routes (less than 10 air yards) in the Cardinals' win over the defending NFC champs, catching 10 of 11 targets for 94 yards. Hopkins caught five of five targets on hitch routes and five of five targets on out routes, and he chipped in three receptions on four screen passes. Hopkins did most of his damage outside the numbers, catching nine of 11 targets for 83 yards on 11 targets. Arizona's young gunslinger, Kyler Murray, connected with Hopkins on four of five downfield targets (those of 10-plus air yards) in Week 1, but he was 0 for 4 targeting other players on downfield passes. The Cardinals will be looking for other receivers to step up in Week 2, but the Murray-Hopkins connection started off strong in 2020.

No one knew exactly what to expect from Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels and the Patriots' offense in 2020, but it became clear on Sunday that the game plan was to highlight the skill set of QB Cam Newton. New England rushed the ball or used play-action on 83 percent of its offensive snaps against the Dolphins, with Newton using play-action on an NFL-high 48 percent of his dropbacks (10 of 21). The threat of Newton's legs (he logged two rushing TDs) and the Pats' ground attack in general (New England running backs were expected to gain 4.6 yards per rush on Sunday, according to the Next Gen Stats Expected Rush Yards Model) helped facilitate the air game -- the QB completed 8 of 9 play-action passes for 99 yards, keeping the Dolphins off-balance all game. The Patriots also ran on 64 percent of their shotgun snaps in Week 1 (the NFL average was 27 percent), mixing in read-options and QB runs, something the Patriots haven't been known for in recent years. The 2020 Patriots offense is yet another great example of Belichick and McDaniels' ability to match scheme to personnel, and Newton was the main beneficiary in Week 1.

Washington pressured Eagles QB Carson Wentz on 34.0 percent of dropbacks in Week 1, the fourth-highest rate in the NFL. The team had a league-high five pass rushers post four or more QB pressures, and they came from all over the defensive line and linebacker group. Interior defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Matthew Ioannidis each had five QB pressures apiece, while edge defenders Chase Young and Ryan Kerrigan had four. Linebacker Jon Bostic also had four QB pressures on the day. The team will need a similar effort to pressure Kyler Murray this week, as he was the least-pressured QB in 2019 (13.1% pressure rate) and was pressured on just three of 42 dropbacks (7.1%) vs the 49ers in Week 1.