Every season ends in heartbreak for 31 teams as only one gets to wear the crown and hoist the trophy, but you’ve got to admit the Detroit Lions’ loss in the NFC Championship last winter was more painful than most. After 17 regular-season games and two rousing playoff wins, it took just 30 minutes of fall-apart football to completely unravel the team’s hopes of reaching the Super Bowl.
It’s a long way back to redemption, but the Lions we saw in Sunday night’s 26-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams — the team against whom they recorded their first playoff victory in more than three decades — look like they’re ready to start the journey. While Sunday night’s game didn’t hold the same stakes as the last time they met, it certainly set the tone for the Lions’ season to come and the Super Bowl-sized expectations Detroit is carrying. They’d be wise to let their elite offensive line and the powerful David Montgomery shoulder much of the weight, as they did in overtime of Sunday’s big win. After tying the game late in regulation, the Lions hit another level in OT, leaning on what they do best: running the ball, then running it again, and doing it all over and over and over until the game is, well… over. So impressive is Detroit’s o-line, and so powerful is their run-by-committee approach, the Lions simply imposed their will on the Rams, handing the ball to Montgomery down after down until the victory was theirs.
The game was the perfect cap to a dramatic first Sunday of the NFL season, which featured no shortage of wild comebacks and big plays, and even — if you were watching the Steelers’ defence dismantle Atlanta — all the field goals you could handle. (Apparently, after a full off-season of debating whether Russell Wilson or Justin Fields should be at the helm of the Pittsburgh’s offence, the answer was actually just Chris Boswell all along.)
Sunday also marked the beginning of our immersive education in the NFL’s new dynamic kickoff rule, with Cardinals return man DeeJay Dallas showing us all why it’s actually pretty fun (and, yes, still confusing). We saw the Browns’ offence crumble while Baker Mayfield thrived in Tampa Bay, Bryce Young struggle against the Saints, Sam Darnold start his Vikings tenure with a near-perfect passer rating.
And to think, this is only just the beginning.
At the end of a busy Sunday of NFL action, we’ve rounded up a collection of top takeaways.
Rams rally amid injuries vs. Lions, but can they recover?
The biggest question facing the Rams ahead of the season was how they’d recover from the loss of Aaron Donald in the wake of the future hall-of-famer’s retirement.
One game into the 2024 campaign, the list of missing players is already getting longer — and it includes one half of their star receiving duo, as Puka Nacua was carted off and ruled out early on in Sunday night’s eventual overtime loss to the Lions. While Cooper Kupp stepped up — as Nacua did in Kupp’s place last year when the veteran was sidelined — it’s a huge blow to L.A.’s hopes for contending. Can these two ever stay healthy at the same time?
Unfortunately, that was not the only setback the team suffered Sunday night. Injuries also forced the Rams to shuffle and reshuffle their offensive line, raising questions about what Matthew Stafford’s protection will look like moving forward.
The kids are… alright
Three rookie quarterbacks started on Sunday, and while Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Bo Nix all showed promise, they also all played, well, like rookies.
Let’s start with Williams, whose Bears debut was messy at best. He looked out of sync with his weapons, completing just 14 of 29 passes for 93 yards, and more than a little out of his depth at times — and yet, the Bears still pulled off an impressive victory over the Titans, thanks to the power of their defence. The 24-17 win, which saw the Bears intercept Will Levis twice and sack him three times in a thrilling comeback effort, still got Williams into the history books: He’s the first quarterback selected first overall to win his debut since David Carr in 2002. (Things didn’t go so well for Carr. Let’s hope things get brighter for Williams.)
No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels had the best individual showing of the class of 2024 quarterbacks despite the Commanders’ 37-20 loss to the Buccaneers. He completed 17 of 24 passes for 184 yards but did his best work with his legs — he led the team in carries (16) and rushing yards (88) and ran in two touchdowns. There’s work to be done, but a promising start.
With Bo Nix at the helm of Denver’s offence, the playbook was all dinks and dunks — and that was kind of for the best, considering attempts at big throws didn’t go so well.
Broncos fans might be in for a bumpy ride.
Bengals’ September blues strike again
Considering the betting lines and both teams’ projections, the New England Patriots’ 16-10 Week 1 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals definitely counts as an upset… but should we really be all that surprised? Because for as much success as Joe Burrow has brought to Cincinnati since taking over as starter in 2020, he hasn’t exactly been known for sprinting out of the gates. He’s 1-4 in career NFL season-openers, with a 6-8-1 record in September (bolstered by a 3-1 start in September 2021, the only time the Burrow-era Bengals have reached October with a winning record).
While the Bengals’ offence, which hit the field with Ja’Marr Chase but without Tee Higgins, didn’t do itself any favours, the Patriots’ defence deserved this win — the first of Jerod Mayo’s head coaching career. The unit sacked Burrow three times, forced and recovered two fumbles and limited the Bengals to just 13 first downs and 4-for-11 on third-down efficiency.
Safe to say, Mayo’s Patriots intend to keep the defence-first tradition alive. Speaking of which…
New coordinator, same elite defence in Dallas
The biggest news around the Dallas Cowboys early on Sunday was the signing of quarterback Dak Prescott to an extension mere hours before their season kicked off. By game’s end, it was back to our regularly scheduled programming: Talking about this incredible defence.
Led by veteran coach Mike Zimmer, who replaces Dan Quinn following the former coordinator’s hiring as head coach of the Washington Commanders, the unit put on a defensive clinic against the Browns in Cleveland en route to a 33-17 victory.
Dallas’ defence sacked Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson six times, picked off two of his passes, held the offence to 2-for-15 on third down conversions, and had the home crowd so demoralized they started booing their own team before halftime. That’s how you make a statement.
Texans’ new weapons shine in AFC South showdown
After rocketing up the standings from worst to first in the AFC South, the Houston Texans look ready to hit another level thanks to the addition of a pair of veteran weapons in wide receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon.
The new guys looked right at home in the new offence, and proved to be the difference in the Texans’ 29-27 victory over Anthony Richardson and the Indianapolis Colts.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud connected with Diggs for two short-yard touchdown tosses, giving us a taste of just how, exactly, Houston intends to deploy the veteran pass-catcher as the season progresses. Once the most dominant deep threat in the NFL during his time in Minnesota, and an unquestioned WR1 in Buffalo, Diggs could be looking at more opportunities in the slot while teammates Tank Dell and Nico Collins feast on the outside. Both averaged double-digit yards per catch, with Collins collecting 117 yards on six catches, while Diggs tallied 33 yards on six catches, including both touchdowns.
Meanwhile, there’s no question Mixon is the RB1 in this offence. He had 30 carries Sunday, running for 159 yards and a touchdown.
Chargers win the Harbaugh way
Sunday’s NFL action featured eight teams debuting new head coaches (including Antonio Pierce, who was still interim in Vegas last year). Success was split, with Dave Canales (Panthers), Raheem Morris (Falcons), Brian Callahan (Titans), Dan Quinn (Commanders), and Pierce (Raiders) all kicking off their respective tenures with a loss while Jerod Mayo (Patriots), Mike McDonald (Seahawks), and Jim Harbaugh (Chargers) all opening the season 1-0. And while we got a glimpse of what we can expect from each bench boss this season — that Seattle defence should be fun! — none came in quite as… emphatically… as Jim Harbaugh.
The Harbaugh Chargers really did play the Harbaugh way in their 22-10 win over the Raiders, headlined by strong performances in the trenches, a terrific pass rush that registered four sacks, a conservative passing game, and a heavy dose of gains on the ground. And a tweet from the coach himself, of course.
