NFL Week 1 Winner and Losers
By; BenJarmin Munguia
Date: September 10th, 2024
Photo credit : NFL.com
Winner: Bears Defense and Special teams.
Yes, they are who we thought they were.
Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears were down 17-0 late in the first half. The offense could not get anything going until the last drive of the first half when Cario Santos kicked a 24-yard field goal to trail the Tennessee Titans 17-3.
Photo Credit: Bears Wire
The Bears could not score anything off the offense, but again, they are who we thought they were.
In the third quarter, the Bears' Jonathan Owens returned a blocked punt for a touchdown, pulling Chicago in 17-10. In the fourth quarter, after Santos made two more field goals, the Titans quarterback Will Levis was picked off by Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, giving Chicago a 24-17 victory.
It reminds me of the 2006 NFL Season when the Bears played against the Arizona Cardinals. The Bears were down 20-3 at the half, and former Bears quarterback Rex Grossman threw 4 interceptions; the tides switched as the dominating Bears defense scored on a pick-six and a fumble return for a touchdown, and late in the 4th quarter, Hall-of-Fame kick returner Devin Hester return a punt 89 yards to the endzone, giving the Bears a comeback 23-24 victory over the Cardinals without scoring any offensive touchdowns.
Winner: Jerod Mayo
Trying to fill in the shoes of a future Hall-of-Fame coach is a tough job; doing that and playing against a Super Bowl contender on the road for your first game as a head coach is even more challenging.
The New England Patriots played the Cincinnati Bengals in Cincinnati. They pulled off a 16-10 upset win, giving Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo his first-ever victory as a head coach.
Photo Credit: NEWSABC 10
New England got away with winning with 3 field goals, and running back Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 120 yards on 25 carries, with the team's only touchdown holding Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow only to 164 passing yards. And forcing 2 fumbles.
Pretty Impressive.
Winner: Sam Darnold
If there is anything to say about Darnold's career, it might involve the word "bust" and not someone you want to have under center when your future franchise quarterback is out for the year.
However, Darnold was really different this time.
The Minnesota Vikings flew to East Rutherford to take on Daniel Jones and the New York Giants in what might seem like a sleep fest. However, Darnold put up some numbers, completing 19 of his 24 pass attempts for 208 yards and 2 touchdowns, giving Minnesota a whopping 28-6 victory over the Saquan Barkely-less Giants.
Photo Credit: A to Z Sports
Darnold connected to star wide receiver Justin Jefferson 4 times for 59 yards and a touchdown.
I don't know if Darnold could lead the Vikings to even a wild card spot in the playoffs, especially since it's Week 1, but fans should be happy with what they saw at MetLife Stadium.
Winner: Baker Mayfield
It seems like any time the Buccaneers win, Mayfield laughs at the Browns, mainly since he was traded to the Panthers from the Browns in 2022.
On Sunday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield destroyed the Washington Commanders' defense, and it wasn't even close. Mayfield completed 24 of his 30 passes for 289 yards and threw four touchdowns, and the Buccaneers annihilated the Commanders 37-20.
Mayfield had some help in the air, connecting to future Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Mike Evans. Hauling 5 catches for 61 yards and two touchdowns. These two are the only real threats to the gloomy NFC South division.
Photo Credit: SBNation
Winner: Any San Francisco 49ers Running Back.
The 49ers have had many running backs who have made it to the league over the years and become the perfect tool for their offense: Matt Brida, Elijah Mitchell, Christian McCaffery, Frank Gore, Roger Craig, and the list goes on and on.
But tonight really put a stamp on that notice,
Christian McCaffery was ruled out tonight with a calf injury, and backup running back Jordan Mason would make his first NFL start against the Gang Green New York Jets defense.
Photo Credit: PPF
Jordan Mason absolutely fooled the Jets' defense.
At the end of the first half, Mason scored a touchdown and ran for 75 yards on 11 carries in the first half. Mason was a force to be wrecked with. It seems that the 49ers didn't have McCaffery in the injury Report.
Mason finished with 145 yards on 28 carries and a touchdown as the 49ers steamrolled the New York Jets 32-19.
Sometimes, you have to call them out like you mean it. Who were the biggest losers in Week 1
Loser: Ronnie Stanley
You won't win many games when you get flagged FOUR TIMES for illegal formation. The Baltimore Ravens were penalized 7 times for 64 yards during their heartbreaking 20-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Loser: DeShaun Watson
We finally get to see a healthy DeShaun Watson for the Cleveland Browns, and with that $230 million contract, let's see Watson making a name for himself in the books.
Watson was horrible on Sunday vs the Dallas Cowboys, throwing on 45 attempts for 169 yards, 2 interceptions, 1 touchdown, and 24 completions during their ugly 33-17 loss to the Cowboys. Watson did use his legs and rushed for 39 yards on 5 carries, so not all was at a loss.
Photo Credit: Cleveland.com
But you can't put all the blame on Watson. You also need an O-line that can protect your quarterback. Getting sacked six times might make you want to throw the ball away and get you thinking about next Week.
Loser: New York Jets Defense.
You are against a team whose star wide receiver has yet to play all preseason and off-season, and you are against a team without its star running back. Sure, there is no way you will allow 32 points tonight.
Photo Credit: NBC Sports Bay Area
Nah, the Jets totally did that. The most significant mouth drop was when the 49ers' backup running back, Jordan Mason, trampled over the Jets for 145 yards on 28 carries and a touchdown against the Gang Green defense. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy completed 19 of his 29 passes for 231 yards.
It's not the ideal start for the New York Jets.
Biggest Loser: New York Giants
It's safe to say that the New York Giants are the only team in NFL history to start 0-2 after Week 1. Obviously, the Giants got embarrassed by the Minnesota Vikings 28-6 on Sunday, but the most significant loss they took this Week was watching their former running back Saquan Barkley score 3 touchdowns for their division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, as they routed the Green Bay Packers 29-34.
Photo Credit: GiveMeSport.
Mind you, the Giants only put up 6 points this Week while Barkley raked up 3 touchdowns.
Letting Barkley go for a quarterback who has thrown 2 touchdowns since his contract extension was worth it.
This will be a long season for the Giants, and they are still sticking with Daniel Jones as their starter.
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