2022 NFL: Week 1 In Review

The opening weekend of the NFL season always throws you a couple of surprises.
Well, the start to the 2022 NFL season was no different.

Five games came down to game-winning field goals, two games went to overtime and one game finished in a tie. 

In the span of those five games, four new coaches found the win column to start their head coaching tenure.

Here are my brief takeaways for each team that took the field on Sunday.

Ravens 24, Jets 9

BAL – Lamar Jackson very well may be the second quarterback in franchise history to bet on himself in a contract season and reap the benefits. The Ravens were without the services of J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, which saw the Ravens RBs combine for 15 carries for 46 yards, and the Ravens still toppled the Jets by 15 points. The Ravens offense should be a sight to see once they get the running game squared away in the coming weeks.

NYJ – This team still lacks an identity on the offensive side of the football. Joe Flacco throwing the football 59 times in a game , while the tandem of Breece Hall and Michael Carter averaged 5.1 yards per carry on the ground, is not a recipe for success. 

Eagles 38, Lions 35

PHI – The Eagles rushing attack is scary good. Four different ball carriers found paydirt on the ground, while the addition of A.J. Brown has given this offense an instant boost in the passing attack.

DET – Dan Campbell’s energy is truly contagious. This team battled for him last season, and carried that fighter’s spirit into this season. Don’t be surprised if the Lions beat some quality football teams this year. 

Bears 19, 49ers 10

CHI – The Bears offense struggled in the tough conditions throughout most of this contest… However, the team rallied around Justin Fields, who kept battling despite the rough start. He made just enough plays against a quality defense to pull off a major upset. 

SF – The field conditions may have been brutal for a season opener on the road, but Trey Lance struggled against a team that very few expect to be a playoff contender. If the Niners expect to make a return trip to the NFC Championship game this season, Lance will have to clean it up moving forward.

Steelers 23, Bengals 20 – OT

PIT – Mike Tomlin continues to prove why he is one of the best coaches in the NFL. His team went on the road against the defending AFC Champs, overcame the losses of both Najee Harris and T.J. Watt, and managed to grind out a road victory against a divisional opponent. Impressive.

CIN – The retooling of this offensive line didn’t provide the results many expected against the formidable Steelers front seven. However, despite the Bengals offensive struggles, Joe Burrow did manage to persevere through a 4-interception performance and nearly pulled off a 14-point comeback. Better days are ahead for Burrow and the Bengals offense.

Patriots 7, Dolphins 20

MIA – The new look offense has already proven to be far more explosive than last season. The defense can still force turnovers. This Miami Dolphins team should not be slept on in the AFC.

NE – Far be it me to criticize one of the most accomplished coaches in NFL history, but this offensive play calling experiment going on in New England feels like it needs to be scrapped. Mac Jones turned the ball over twice, got sacked twice and failed to generate a single point through the first two quarters of action. If you are a Pats fan, all you can do is hope that this isn’t a preview of things to come for the rest of the season.

Browns 26, Panthers 24

CLE – The Cleveland Browns leaned on a combination of arguably the best running game in football and a game manager approach from quarterback Jacoby Brissett to beat their former franchise quarterback. Will this approach keep the Browns in contention long enough to get Deshaun Watson under center? Probably not. However, if there is a formula to success, you saw it on Sunday.

CAR – Baker Mayfield’s rough 2022 calendar year just continues to roll along. He fumbled the ball four times, took four sacks and threw an ugly interception in his Panther debut. However, it would be unfair to simply criticize Baker when you realize that Christian McCaffrey saw only 10 carries and four targets throughout this game. Still, the team didn’t quit on head coach Matt Rhule after trailing by 13 heading into the fourth quarter and nearly completed the comeback with a go-ahead field goal with 73 seconds remaining. It will be interesting to see how this team responds after a tough week one loss.

Colts 20, Texans 20 OT

IND – I have no idea why the Colts have underwhelmed to start every single season in recent memory, but coming out of Houston with a tie must feel like a loss. This now makes 9-straight season openers that the Colts have failed to come away with a win. Sure, the team battled back and Jonathan Taylor is still a stud, but to say this was a disappointing debut for Matt Ryan and the Colts would be an understatement.

HOU – Bad teams fail to finish games. The problem with that statement, are we sure the Texans are a bad team? After all, they took a 17-point lead into the fourth quarter against a quality football team. However, bad teams find a way to do exactly what they did on Sunday. We’ll see if Davis Mills can bounce back after failing to generate a single point in the final 32 minutes of game time.

Saints 27, Falcons 26

NO – Despite an unusually pedestrian outing from Alvin Kamara on the ground and through the air (46 total yards on 12 total touches), the Saints still managed to erase a 16-point fourth quarter deficit behind two touchdown receptions from Michael Thomas, who scored his first touchdown since January 10, 2021. Jarvis Landry also proved he has plenty left in the tank with a 114-yard outing in his Saints debut.

ATL – For a team that many believe could struggle this season, the Falcons appeared well on their way to pulling off an upset to start 2022. Unfortunately, Marcus Mariota lost a crucial fumble in the second half which stained an otherwise solid performance.

Commanders 28, Jaguars 22

WAS – Somehow Carson Wentz managed to give Commanders fans a taste of both the good and bad we’ve become accustomed to during his NFL career. On one hand, he tossed four touchdown passes in his winning debut in D.C… but on the other hand, he nearly squandered a two-score lead at home with a costly interception in the second half that nearly turned the tide of the game. Strap-in Commander fans, it’s going to be an interesting season.

JAX – Trevor Lawrence made enough plays to give them a chance for a road win, but ultimately missed a handful of opportunities to take control of the game and ended the game with a bad interception to let this one get away. The future is still bright for Lawrence, but it feels like he left some plays on the field that could’ve turned this one in Jacksonville’s favor. Side note, James Robinson’s two score season-opening performance was nothing short of spectacular given how he tore his achilles just over eight months ago. Incredible.

Giants 21, Titans 20

NYG – What a coaching debut for Brian Daboll. The Giants overcame a double digit deficit on the road against the top seed in the AFC last season by electing to go for the go-ahead two point conversion. On top of that, it was Saquon Barkley who delivered a vintage performance with 194 total yards and the game winning two point conversion. It’s only one game, but it’s clear through the first game of his coaching tenure, that Daboll intends to change the culture in the city that never sleeps.

TEN – I’m not sure where to start… Derrick Henry was solid but mostly bottled up, their leading receiver was a rookie out of UCLA selected in the 5th round and they missed the game-winning field goal attempt late in the game. A year ago, the Titans found ways to win football games shorthanded, yesterday it felt like they gave one away.

Vikings 23, Packers 7

MIN – Justin Jefferson may very well be the best wide receiver in the NFL. Sure, there were a handful of dreadful miscommunications in the Packer secondary, but Jefferson was unstoppable to the tune of 9 receptions for 184 and two scores. This felt like a statement game for a new regime in the Twin Cities.

GB – Relax? If Aaron Rodgers were to tell us all to relax after this performance… I’m not sure I would believe him. The back-to-back league MVP looked completely out of sorts without his former security blanket, Davante Adams, to rely on. Drops, timing issues and breakdowns in protection plagued the Packers offense all game long. The sky felt like it was falling a bit prematurely after last years’ season opener against the Saints… This year had a bit of a different feeling without Adams around anymore. The Packers offense looks like it might be a bit of a work in progress this time around.

Chargers 24, Raiders 19

LAC – Justin Herbert certainly looked like a MVP candidate to start the 2022 season. Even without the services of Keenan Allen throughout some of this contest, Herbert still tossed three scores to carry the offensive unit on the day. However, the bigger storyline to note is the dynamic pass rushing duo of Joey Bosa and the newly acquired Khalil Mack, who combined for 4.5 sacks on the day.

LV – Although the outcome wasn’t quite what the Raiders hoped for and Derek Carr had one of the tougher outings of NFL career, the Raiders still found themselves with a chance to take the lead late in the game. On the plus side, Carr and Davante Adams picked up where their college chemistry left off, connecting on 10 occasions for 141 yards and a score. Brighter days are ahead for the Raiders in a loaded AFC West.

Chiefs 44, Cardinals 21

KC – Speaking of the AFC West, the defending AFC West champs made possibly the loudest statement in the league on Sunday by steamrolling Kyler Murray and the Cardinals in Phoenix on Sunday. And, oh yeah, Patrick Mahomes reminded everyone that he is still a pretty good quarterback even without Tyreek Hill to throw to. That reminder came in the form of 360 yards through to go with 5 passing touchdowns and no picks. Patrick Mahomes is a bad dude.

AZ – Most of the attention goes towards Kyler and the offense, and while they had struggles of their own against Kansas City it was the defense that looked completely outmatched throughout most of this contest. The defense appeared to really miss the likes of Chandler Jones (gone via free agency) and J.J. Watt (unavailable due to injury) up front, who didn’t generate a single sack against Mahomes on Sunday.

Buccaneers 19, Cowboys 3

TB – It may not have been the best offensive outing the Bucs offense has ever seen during the Tom Brady era in the bay area, but the unit moved the ball throughout the contest and essentially controlled this one from the opening kick. On the plus side, the defense far more resembled the Super Bowl winning unit from two seasons ago, with Devin White in particular putting in a dominant performance.

DAL – Outside of Micah Parsons and, to a lesser extent, Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys looked completely outmatched against the Bucs across the board. To compound what was one of the worst performances of Dak Prescott’s career, he will undergo surgery on his right thumb and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. If there is one team that should feel incredibly concerned through the first week of the NFL season, it would have to be the Dallas Cowboys.