Chris Orlando
The NFL season kicked off this past Sunday, and it did not disappoint one bit. There were 8 games that were decided by 1 possession, with 2 of the games going into OT. With the NFL offseason madness causing many rosters to completely change, there was a lot to look forward to watching going into Sunday’s games. With that being said, here are some takeaways from the Week 1 slate that I have so far.
Legit Teams
There were a couple of teams that got off to a great start in Week 1 that showed a ton of potential to make a playoff run in 2022. To start off, the LA Chargers made a statement in their win against the Raiders, and their newest defensive additions made an impact right away. Edge Khalil Mack had a monster day against his former team, ending the day with 3 sacks and a pass rush grade of 78.7.
Newly acquired CB Bryce Callahan also impressed for the Chargers, as he posted the second highest grade on the team with 76.3 while having to guard one of the best slot receivers in Hunter Renfrow. Their offense was as high powered as usual, as Justin Herbert led the 5th highest passing grade across the league against the struggling Raiders secondary. The Chargers look to be as complete of a team that we saw on Sunday.
Kevin O’Connell’s Minnesota Vikings came out swinging against their in-division rival Green Bay Packers, who have dominated the division during Aaron Rodgers’ tenure with the team. The Vikings posted the second-highest offensive grade and fourth-highest defensive grade against the reigning 1st seed in the NFC in 2021.
Kirk Cousins led the second-highest passing graded offense on Sunday, with superstar WR Justin Jefferson carrying the receiving load with the highest receiving grade amongst all receivers across the league. O’Connell’s high-powered passing offense lived up to the offseason hype, and the Vikings look to be a team that is ready to make the biggest jump in 2022.
Struggling Offenses
With the Cowboys and Packers trading away their best receivers over the past two years in Amari Cooper and Davante Adams, their offenses took a massive step back in Week 1. Both teams lacked a receiver with a PFF grade of over 70 and the two teams scored only 10 points combined, with the Cowboys failing to score a touchdown in their loss against the Bucs. The Cowboys also posted the lowest PFF Grade in the league in Week 1, with the Packers having the 7th lowest across the teams.
The Packers missed WR1 Allen Lazard in Week 1 and were forced to start rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. The Packers rookies’ have shown promise so far in their limited time with the team, but it will definitely take some time for QB Aaron Rodgers to gain trust following Adams’ departure. As for the Cowboys, they seem to have much bigger issues with Dak Prescott expected to miss at least 4 weeks with a thumb injury and a lack of depth at the wide receiver position.
The two teams that faced off in the Super Bowl looked to have problems of their own, as the Bengals and Rams both failed to protect their franchise QBs in their respective losses on Sunday. Bengals QB Joe Burrow was sacked 7 times and had 5 turnovers in their loss to the Steelers, and the Bengals’ new offensive line acquisitions did not show up despite the team addressing the issue this past offseason. Burrow was pressured 18 times in their loss, with OT Jonah Williams and OG Cordell Volson allowing 7 pressures each. The Bengals must protect their franchise QB better if they hope to go back to the Super Bowl in 2022.
Meanwhile, the Rams looked completely different after their Super Bowl run in 2021, as they struggled to protect QB Matthew Stafford against the Bills’ defense. The Rams let up 23 pressures and 7 sacks against the Bills’ defense, as new starting OT Joseph Noteboom allowed 3 sacks and 8 pressures by himself. With OT Andrew Whitworth retiring this past offseason, the Rams must do their best to replace the former Pro-Bowler if their team wants to replicate the success they had in 2021. The Bills’ defense has lived up to the hype, as they had the second-highest pass-rush grade and third-highest overall defense grade in Week 1 against the defending Super Bowl champs.
Offseason Acquisitions Paying Off
The biggest headlines of this past offseason (other than the QB trades) were the teams that traded for elite wide receivers, most notably the Eagles and Dolphins. The main talk out of Miami’s training camp was whether or not Tua Tagovailoa had the ability to make the most out of newly acquired WR Tyreek Hill’s deep threat ability. Hill posted 8 receptions on 12 targets for 94 yards against a Patriots defense that has been known for limiting their opponents' WR1 for years. Mike McDaniel’s new offense found ways to get Hill and fellow WR Jaylen Waddle involved in the offense despite Tua’s limited arm strength, and the team cruised to an impressive Week 1 win against a 2021 playoff team in the Patriots.
Despite being the most run-heavy offense over the second half of the 2021 season, the Eagles did not wait to get their newly acquired WR A.J. Brown involved in the offense. Brown posted the 5th highest receiving grade in Week 1, as he hauled in 10 receptions for 155 yards against the Lions. QB Jalen Hurts led the offense to a 38-point effort against an up-and-coming Lions team on Sunday, and the Eagles seem to have one of the deepest overall rosters in the league.
Conclusion
While it is still very early in the year and there are many season-changing events that occur throughout the course of the season, it is important to note how each team approaches the new season, especially with all the league-changing moves that occurred this past offseason. It will be interesting to see which teams come out of the loaded AFC, as well as seeing which teams emerge in the NFC with there being much uncertainty about the top teams in the conference.