Here are 10 observations from Week 1 of the 2019 NFL season.
Maybe Marcus Mariota didn’t regress last year. We saw former Titans offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur’s head coaching debut with the Packers to kick off the season on Thursday night. The Aaron Rodgers offense we are used to seeing, except for two plays, wasn’t there. Instead, it was dinking and dumping, similar to the Tennessee offense a year ago.
The Patriots could’ve just been handed another Lombardi trophy. Possibly both the most loved and hated team in the NFL added another amazing pawn to Tom Brady’s arsenal. With the signing of Antonio Brown hours after his release from the Raiders, things look to be even more into their favor to play in February. Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon (if he can stay out of trouble), Antonio Brown, and a rumored return of Rob Gronkowski make it so opposing teams will have to put up 40 points a game just to keep it close. And by the way, they beat the Steelers by 30 points.
Lamar Jackson can throw. He threw for 342 yards and five touchdowns.
The Jaguars may be in trouble. In the first half of their opening game, the Jaguars lost quarterback Nick Foles to a fractured clavicle.
The Cowboys can be explosive. With all their pieces back, Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and Co. went up and down the field at will. Dak threw for over 400 yards and four touchdowns.
40 and over is the new 20. Tom Brady carved up the Steelers, and on Monday night, Drew Brees showed he can still bring his team back for a win late in the game.
Who needs Antonio Brown? The Oakland Raiders, playing their last opener before moving to Las Vegas next season, came to play. Quarterback Derek Carr repeatedly found new receiver Tyrell Williams for big plays. First-round draft pick Josh Jacobs proved effective, scoring two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving. All the distraction during the last month seemed to have no effect on this team.
Points were at a premium for some teams. While some teams struggled to build chemistry after limited to no snaps for some of the starting quarterbacks, three offenses put up over 40 points: the Chiefs, Titans, and Ravens. Add to that the fact that more than a handful of games scored more than 50 points combined.
It’s the return. Jason Witten returned to the field after spending last season in the Monday Night Football booth. Le’Veon Bell came back after holding out all last season in his debut with the Jets. But maybe the biggest was DeSean Jackson returning to the Eagles after spending time with the Buccaneers and Redskins the last few seasons. While he may have lost a step, you couldn’t tell as he had a solid game for the Eagles.
The Titans’ defense came to play. The defense for Tennessee was feisty. They had great coverage against two of the better receivers in football, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. The Browns’ offensive line was backpedaling all day. I don’t want to get all crazy after one game, but if this defense can play like that week in and week out, this could be a dangerous team.
Oh, football how we missed you. The opening week of the 100th season of the NFL returned with a flurry. High scoring games. A pair of overtime games (with one ending in a tie). A 58-yard game-winning field goal as time expired. Chucky back on Monday night. Both Bosa brothers registering a sack. A 75-yard rumble on a screen pass from a 240-pound freight train.
I can’t wait for Week 2.
