Well THAT is what we've been waiting the last 7 months for. What a way to kick off the NFL season. We had some crazy comebacks, a few dominant performances and our first tie of the season already. Throw in 11 missed field goals in the fourth quarter/OT and there was drama everywhere. This is why we love this shit. Let's dive right on into week one:
Bills 31- Rams 10
This game was shockingly 10-10 at halftime. The Bills had three first half turnovers which gave the Rams life in a game that, outside of Cooper Kupp, they simply looked outmatched in. Matthew Stafford looked uncomfortable throwing the ball, validating my red flags about his elbow health. Cam Akers and Allen Robinson might as well have stayed home compared to the performances they put in. This LA team could be in trouble.
Buffalo made appropriate adjustments in the locker room and absolutely throttled the reigning champs in the second half, scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions. They forced an interception after the third to bury the host Rams and seal the win.
Josh Allen was flawless, with his two interceptions being the fault of Isaiah McKenzie and Jamison Crowder. Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis are going to be a handful for defenses all year, combining for 12 catches, 210 yards and two touchdowns. And Von Miller looked incredible in his first game with the team, notching two sacks and consistently disrupting the pocket-- perhaps I was wrong in being skeptical of his big contract.
It wasn't all sunshine and roses for the Bills, as rookie running back James Cook fumbled on his first and only touch. Zack Moss also fumbled in the backfield later in the game, raising more questions about the team's ability to balance their offense. But they didn't need to today, and won't if Josh Allen plays like this all year. Watch out when Tre'Davious White comes back... Super Bowl favorites for a reason.
Ravens 24- Jets 9
An ugly day in the Meadowlands was matched by some ugly play on the field. Lamar Jackson, after recently turning down a massive contract extension, didn't exactly shine in this one. Two of his three touchdown passes went to Devin Duvernay, including an absolute moss in the second quarter, but he looked a bit tentative outside of those throws. A third string LT doesn't help, nor does a nonexistent running game, with Kenyan Drake and Mike Davis combining for 48 yards on 17 carries. Get well soon JK Dobbins...
Joe Flacco and the Jets couldn't do much down the field on offense at all, featuring a bunch of dump offs to their talented receivers and running backs. Vintage Joe there! Michael Carter did reinforce reports that the offense was still moving through him, with 100 total yards on 17 touches. He and Breece Hall should be a pretty solid duo for defenses to prepare for. Rookie Garrett Wilson looked evasive in his debut with four catches. Plenty of talent here if their quarterback situation can get set.
Saints 27- Falcons 26
The most exciting comeback win of the week happened down in Atlanta. The 5.5 point underdog Falcons led 26-10 with 12:41 remaining in the final frame when all hell broke loose. Michael Thomas caught two touchdown passes in the next nine minutes as New Orleans stormed back into contention. A failed two-point conversion though after his second score left the Saints down 26-24. A furious final drive spanning 47 yards in 29 seconds set up Wil Lutz (no relation) for the game winning 51 yard field goal. Electric.
Jameis Winston was solid in his return from a torn ACL, making big plays when the team needed him and not turning the ball over. Though Thomas stole the show late on the receiving end, it was actually Jarvis Landry who had the strongest connection with the QB- posting 7 catches for 114 yards in his debut with the team. Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave were much less spectacular.
Credit to Marcus Mariota for playing a pretty clean game for the Falcons. He did lose a fumble but helped the team move up and down the field consistently. His connection with Drake London was much stronger then anticipated this early. Cordarelle Patterson also had a huge day, with 136 total yards on 25 touches. Let's put those Tyler Allgeier rumors to bed here for a little bit.
Bears 19- 49ers 10
Our first upset of the week! In another ugly, wet matchup, we had both quarterbacks fail to complete 50% of their passes, combining for an awful 21/45 passing line. The Bears didn't score in the first half and the Niners only put up three in the second as their ten point lead melted into a nine point final deficit. Apologies to anyone who suffered through this one, especially in the rain at Soldier Field.
David Montgomery was incredibly inefficient, rushing for just 26 yards on 17 carries. Backup Khalil Herbert looked much more explosive on his 9 carries; keep an eye on this time split. Both will struggle ultimately though if this passing attack can't get on track. #1 receiver Darnell Mooney only caught one pass for 8 yards. But hey, one more catch than Cole Kmet! Ouch...
Word of up and down performances from Trey Lance during camp were met with an abysmal 2022 opener. He never seemed comfortable unless he was running the ball, which is a discouraging sign for his development as this was seemingly his biggest issue last year. Starting running back Elijah Mitchell left with a knee injury during the team's fourth series and was spotted in a knee brace postgame. Deebo Samuel had just two catches for 14 yards but salvaged his fantasy day with a rushing touchdown.
Really rough start for San Fran, who are now just 8-29 under Kyle Shanahan with any quarterback not named Jimmy Garrappolo. How long til our San Fran fans start calling for Jimmy G back in the saddle?
Steelers 23- Bengals 20
Welcome to the jungle. The reigning AFC champion Bengals hosted Pittsburgh in the former* Paul Brown Stadium in what was one of the stranger week one showdowns. The Steelers essentially led for the entire game, after Minkah Fitzpatrick ran back a Joe Burrow pick six at 12:43 of the first quarter. They nearly relinquished this lead in the final two seconds after a Ja'Marr Chase 6 yard touchdown. Then an improbable blocked XP to keep the game knotted at 20. Insane.
The madness continued into overtime where Evan McPherson followed up his blocked extra point by shanking a 29 yard field goal. Chris Boswell responded by hitting the upright on his first shot at the game winner. He was able to redeem himself as time expired with a 53 yard make. Need a defibrillator after that one!
Burrow's pick six was just the first of his five turnovers on the day. Facing an elite defense will cause any QB to struggle, but this was a concerning showing post-appendectomy. He did put the Bengals in a position to win twice late though, so this certainly doesn't all fall on Joe's shoulders. Joe Mixon was a clear workhorse in the backfield, getting 27 of the 28 running back carries, but only averaged 3 YPC. And in case you forgot, Ja'Marr Chase is really, really good (10/129/1).
Mister Biscuit Mitch Trubisky may not have turned the ball over like his counterpart, but he only managed a paltry 5.1 YPA. How long until the Kenny Pickett chants start? Najee Harris was ineffective versus a tough Cincy rush defense, racking up 23 yards on 10 carries before exiting the game with a foot injury. Given the recent Lisfranc injury news from training camp, this is a big concern. Throw in TJ Watt's potential pectoral tear, and the Steelers are incredibly fortunate to have escaped with the W. Tough road ahead if those two are unavailable for any period of time.
Eagles 38- Lions 35
Two teams we like this year squaring off at Ford Field in a game that lived up to the hype. Coming in as 4 point home dogs, the Lions battled back in the fourth for the cover. Jared Goff, who was otherwise efficient, threw a bad pick six in the second to newcomer James Bradberry that ended up being just too tall of a mountain for Detroit to overcome.
D'Andre Swift absolutely went off in this one, rewarding those who drafted him with 175 total yards and a touchdown. His day could've been much bigger too if Jamaal Williams didn't vulture two scores from him. DJ Chark and Amon-Ra St. Brown also had good showings, combining for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Can't sleep on the Motor City squad.
Jalen Hurts wasn't the most accurate thrower, but when he connected it was big. He found new wideout AJ Brown early and often, allowing him to record 155 yards on 10 catches. Well worth the investment thus far! WR2 Devonta Smith did not fare as well, being held without a single catch on 4 targets. The dual threat quarterback also added 70 yards and a score with his legs, adding a huge boost to his fantasy production. Miles Sanders even had a good day, almost eclipsing the 100 yard mark on an impressive 7.4 YPC. The sky is the limit for this team if they can maintain this balance on offense.
Dolphins 20- Patriots 7
The biggest one o'clock stinker belonged to New England and Miami. The Pats came out incredibly flat and found themselves trailing 17-0 at the half. They managed to cut the lead to ten in the third, but that was it for them offensively. Damien Harris had a decent yard per carry clip, but the running game was a non-factor for the Patriots. Keep an eye on Mac Jones' back injury, as of this morning X-rays were negative.
Tyreek Hill had a quiet yet effective first game in South Beach, catching 8 balls for 94 yards. It's clear that he and Jaylen Waddle are clicking with Tua early here and will be interesting to see how that evolves. Like last year, this Dolphins team still couldn't run the ball. Free agent signees Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert combined for a lackluster 41 yards on 17 carries. That'll need to improve.
Commanders 28- Jaguars 22
I had low expectations for this matchup that actually turned into a fun game. The Commanders took the lead halfway through the first quarter and did not relinquish it until early in the 4th. Carson Wentz responded to the lead change by immediately throwing an interception, which allowed the Jags to score a touchdown and go ahead 22-14.
From there though, Wentz was (surprisingly) masterful, leading Washington on 78 and 90 yard touchdown drives to retake the lead for good. Trevor Lawrence was intercepted targeting Christian Kirk a few plays later and it was a wrap.
Lawrence was pretty good outside of his late pick, finding Kirk and Zay Jones early and often. It was an encouraging display for the sophomore signal caller. James Robinson appears to be in the lead running back role at the moment too, out touching last year's first round selection Travis Etienne 12-6 and scoring two touchdowns. Really bad news for those who drafted Etienne 6 rounds earlier than Robinson.
I talk a lot of shit on Carson Wentz but this offense was way sharper than last year's version. Curtis Samuel looked as good and involved as he ever has in the burgundy and gold, and rookie Jahan Dotson had a busy professional debut-- catching 3/40/2. Even scary Terry had a 49 yard tuddy! Perhaps this Commander team will be a little more solid then I gave him credit for.
Browns 26- Panthers 24
With 27 total points going into the last frame, both teams exploded in the fourth, refusing to concede defeat. Baker led a furious comeback versus his former team, helping Carolina put up 17 and take a one point lead with 1:13 left in regulation. Brian Burns was hit with a questionable roughing the passer penalty on the first play of Cleveland's ensuing drive, gifting them a crucial 15 yards that set up the game winning 58 yard field goal.
It was a brutal turn of events for Mayfield who had a pretty okay day otherwise. With Denzel Ward locking down DJ Moore for much of the game, he connected with Robby Anderson multiple times during their comeback bid, including at 75 yard touchdown. CMC scored and had 57 all purpose-yards, not the start many were hoping for from their top two fantasy pick.
As predicted in our starts/sits/sleepers article, Nick Chubb popped off against this weak run defense, taking 22 carries for 141 rushing yards. He was downright unstoppable all day. Kareem Hunt also had a good showing for the Browns, scoring both of their touchdowns on 70 total yards. Amari Cooper was severely underwhelming however, as we also expected. He turned six targets into a pitiful 3/17 line. Don't expect brighter days on the horizon for Amari.
Colts 20- Texans 20
The last of our one o'clock slate resulted in our first tie of the 2022 NFL campaign. The underdog Texans actually were leading this game 20-3 going into the fourth when Indy decided to flip the switch. Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. delivered huge touchdowns for the Colts to tie things up late. That was it for scoring though, as Rodrigo Blankenship doinked a game winning field goal opportunity in OT, casting his future with the team into doubt.
Davis Mills wasn't bad for Houston, losing a fumble but tossing two scores to castoff tight end OJ Howard. Brandin Cooks was busy absorbing 7 catches from the Stanford alumni, getting off to a respectable start. The backfield was disappointing though, rushing for 73 yards on 25 carries (2.9 YPC). Fantasy owners hope for better games ahead from Dameon Pierce.
In Matt Ryan's first game on a non-Atlanta roster, he posted a huge yardage total but didn't exactly dazzle. The offense was pretty stagnant for much of the game, dropping two touchdowns and only scoring three points until their fourth quarter push. It should improve though as he immerses himself further into the offense. Taylor and Pittman more than lived up to their preseason hype, gaining 175 and 121 yards respectively, each with a touchdown. Two 0-1-1 teams leading the AFC South.
Chiefs 44- Cardinals 21
Don't let the score fool you, this game wasn't this close. Kansas City moved the ball at will versus a bad Cardinals defense. Recently extended Kyler Murray couldn't do anything on the offensive side of the ball until garbage time. It was 37-7 after three. What an embarrassment in your home opener, as the Cardinals laid a whole nest of eggs.
James Conner, Zach Ertz and Hollywood Brown all scored touchdowns to make their fantasy days appear more fruitful then reality. Greg Dortch was Arizona's leading receiver. Who saw that coming? Things looking grim out in the desert. Is Kliff Kingsbury's seat warming up?
Credit to Clyde Edwards-Helaire for having a really productive game-- I was really low on him all offseason. Maybe he'll live up to his first round draft status yet. Travis Kelce predictably did whatever he wanted and Juju was great outside of a lost fumble. Those thinking that the Chiefs were going to have some offensive hiccups have been wrong thus far.
Chargers 24- Raiders 19
My most disappointing bet of the week involved this matchup. Two potent offenses, Chargers star corner JC Jackson on ice, how does the over miss? Field goals, Derek Carr interceptions and turnover on downs is how... Couldn't even cover the adjusted 45.5 line. Disgusting.
Justin Herbert had a really solid start to his year, especially with the Keenan Allen injury and inability to balance the offense with the run. Austin Ekeler played far fewer snaps than anticipated and was ineffective on the ground and air. Definitely a storyline for disappointed fantasy owners like myself to track. Deandre Carter looked much more like the #2 than Mike Williams also, who recorded 10 yards on two grabs. Just as boom or bust as ever.
Davante Adams singlehandedly had more receiving yards then his entire former team did, kicking off his Raiders career with 10 catches, 141 yards and a tuddy. He was well worth the price tag it took to trade for him. Derek Carr's three interceptions though buried this upstart effort by Las Vegas, handing them an 0-1 start.
Giants 21- Titans 20
Upset alert! Called this one on the Chopping Lines social media pages too. This was an ugly game overall, featuring twelve punts. Someone had to win though, and this week, it was the G-Men.
Daniel Jones managed to only throw four incompletions, but he never looked confident or comfortable in the pocket. Take away a 65 yard bomb to Sterling Shephard (that was slightly underthrown) and his YPA is in the low 6's rather than 9. He and Brian Daboll had a heated exchange on the sideline as well, possibly indicating some adversity between the two.
I had said Saquon Barkley would be a bust this week and couldn't have been more incorrect. He popped off for 164 yards at a 9.1 YPC clip, adding six catches for 30 through the air. He looked every bit as explosive as advertised. Perhaps I'll be swallowing that prediction as the season goes along.
The Titans were pretty vanilla on offense, pushing the offense through workhorse Derrick Henry. He managed 82 rushing yards, but had to earn them all. Rookie Treylon Burks had some encouraging flashes in his first professional start, and Dontrell Hilliard was a nice pass catching surprise out of the backfield, but this offense lacks a ton of juice. Could be a long year down in Nashville.
Vikings 23- Packers 7
My favorite under of the week lived up to the expectations in this one. Rookie Christian Watson dropped an absolute DIME of a deep ball from Rodgers on their first drive after a Vikings opening touchdown and that was as close as the Packers seemed to be the rest of the game. Rodgers dumped the ball off regularly, taking few additional chances down the field. Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon passed the eye test, but really had no chance to register substantial touches with this offensive performance.
Justin Jefferson was downright elite in this one. It seemed like no matter what Green Bay threw at him, he'd find himself wide open for chunk gains down the field. His 9/184/2 line paced all receivers for week one, appropriately anointing himself WR1. Kirk Cousins and Dalvin Cook provided some fantasy optimism and played well overall, but outside of those three it's a crapshoot with this Minnesota squad. Impressive coaching debut for Kevin O'Connell.
Buccaneers 19- Cowboys 3
An amazing Sunday of football capped off by a true dud. Dak Prescott, rated as a superior quarterback to Lamar Jackson by ESPN, had a terrible game going before his thumb injury, completing less than half of his passes to the tune of 4.6 YPA. The thumb injury will require surgery, shelving the QB for the next 6-8 weeks. That leaves Dallas with Cooper Rush under center. No need to dive much further into that. Sucks for anyone who drafted CeeDee Lamb. The Cowboys are fuckin done.
Tampa Bay did not look substantially better however, despite the dominant win. Leonard Fournette was a pleasant bright spot, rushing for 127 yards on 21 carries to shush the talk of him being overweight. Mike Evans had a nice 5/71/1 line and even Julio had some vintage flashes. Tom looked rusty though-- possibly from age, an abnormal offseason, trouble with Giselle, or all of the above. This team is too talented not to figure it out on the offensive side of the ball, they'll probably find a groove soon enough to complement their scary defense.
Seahawks 17- Broncos 16
Throw the Giants and Bears upsets out the window; who could've predicted this? Geno Smith fizzled a little in the second half, but was excellent in the first. He led three scoring drives, including two long ones for touchdowns, to build a 17-13 halftime lead. The defense shut down Russell Wilson and the heavy favorite Broncos the rest of the way, sealing a gritty 17-16 home win after a missed 64-yard field goal attempt by Brandon McManus.
Geno was able to connect with Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, but generally just underneath. He had his most success over the top targeting his tight ends Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson, who combined for 5 catches, 86 yards and their two scores. Rashaad Penny averaged five yards a carry to pace the Seahawks on the ground. Props to Smith for locking up this win, impressive performance.
The Broncos have to take a long look in the mirror after this one. Two goal line fumbles left a bunch of points on the table, and I can't understand the logic in attempting the 64-yard field goal with your new $235 million dollar quarterback, time on the clock and time outs. 4th and 5 or not, that was a stupid decision by Nathaniel Hackett. Jerry Jeudy had a nice catch and run for a touchdown and Javonte Williams looked explosive and versatile (outside of his goal line fumble). Denver will bounce back, but this loss will likely age worse over time as they maneuver through the toughest division in football.
So that's that! A great week of football indeed, sending us all great vibes for the rest of the season. Tune in Thursday for our week two preview as we head into what hopes to be another entertaining week in the NFL.
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@Choppinglines
*I own no rights to any images found in this blog
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