1st week schedule
Thursday Bills 31, Rams 10 (Takeaways) Sunday Steelers 23, Bengals 20 (OT) (Takeaways) Dolphins 20, Patriots 7 (Takeaways) Eagles 38, Lions 35 (Takeaways) Browns 26, Panthers 24 (Recap) Ravens 24, Jets 2p, 9Raguders )Saints 27, Falcons 26 (Recap ) Bears 19, 49ers 10 (Recap) Colts 20, Texans 20 (Recap) Vikings 23, Packers 7 (Takeaways) Chiefs 44, Cardinals 21 (RagerscaiG19,4C) 21, Titans 20 (Recap) Buccaneers at Cowboys, 8:20 p.m. .m. ET (Preview) Monday Broncos at Seahawks, 8:15 p.m. ET (Preview)
Another lost FG game
It was only fitting that Sunday afternoon’s final game came down to a dropped goal. With all the kickers struggling today, it just seemed like Randy Bullock’s 47-yarder wasn’t going to find its way through the uprights. Sure enough, he missed the left side, giving the Giants their first win to open a season in six years.
Bold 2-point conversion
New Giants manager Brian Daboll could have gone for the tie with an extra point. Instead, he trusted his offense to get back into the end zone and take the lead with just over a minute left. The pass looked doomed from the start, but Saquon Barkley made a great one-man play to make the first defender miss and scramble away from the goal line, giving New York a 21-20 advantage.
Connection with Fresno State
Derek Carr and Davante Adams haven’t missed a beat despite not playing together since 2013. The former Fresno State teammates have connected 10 times for 141 yards and that touchdown.
Back breaking INT
Just when the Titans give the Giants a scoring opportunity, Daniel Jones gives right back the ball with an end zone interception midway through the fourth quarter.
Mahomes magic
No Tyreek Hill? All good for Patrick Mahomes. How about 334 yards and five touchdowns in just 41 minutes of game action? Oh, and it only has eight ellipses.
Back to back TDs
Less than halfway through the third quarter, the Giants have already erased a 13-point halftime deficit. This time it was Daniel Jones who delivered a deep ball into the goal to Sterling Shepard. Shepard did the rest, slipping a tackle before waltzing into the end zone for the 65-yard score.
Perfect trail running
Davante Adams is widely believed to be the NFL’s best route runner. You do not believe me; Just watch out for that separation he gets in this game. Gain of 41 yards.
Barkley is released
It’s been a season for Saquon Barkley, and the former No. 2 will make it happen in the second half against the Titans. With the Giants in desperate need of a spark, Barkley ripped off a 68-yard drive to put the team in business. Three plays later, Barkley found the end zone from 4 yards out to cut the deficit to one score. Barkley is over 100 yards on just eight carries so far.
Herbert threads the needle
Justin Herbert’s MVP campaign will only continue to grow if he continues to play like he has in the first half of the season opener. He went 17-for-20 passing for 204 yards and two touchdowns, the second of which was passing between three defenders to DeAndre Carter for the 23-yard score.
JJ RULES the Packers
Justin Jefferson admitted that Davante Adams is currently the best WR in the NFL, but said that after this season he will be the one. He’s off to a great start, already eclipsing 158 receiving yards (!) and two touchdowns IN THE FIRST HALF against the Packers.
Score full back!
We’re giving the full backs all the love this season in our highlights. The first shout goes to rookie seventh-rounder Zander Horvath, whose 1-yard reception put the Chargers up 10-3.
The Chiefs safety acts as the kicker
With Chiefs punter Harrison Butker carted off the field after an injury on a kickoff, that left the kicking duties to safety Justin Reed, who also serves as the backup punter. Reid has handled them fantastically so far, booting an extra point after Kansas City’s second touchdown and then booting the ensuing kickoff out of the back of the end zone. That’s not all that surprising considering Reid notched 65 yards in practice during training camp, but it’s still pretty impressive. Butker returned, but Reid did his job for the Chiefs when his name was called.
The Steelers win it!
After all. By far the craziest play so far in Week 1 ended with a winner, as Chris Boswell’s 53-yard field goal sailed through the uprights as time expired. That was after Evan McPherson missed the game-winning extra point in regulation, and after both McPherson and Boswell missed game-winning field goals in overtime. What a game the Steelers deserved to win after five turnovers.
Two FGs that win the game!
Crazy end to the NFL! In Atlanta, the Saints erased a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter — thanks in large part to Michael Thomas — but Will Lutz was the hero with his 51-yard field goal with 19 seconds left. Elsewhere, rookie Cade York spoiled Baker Mayfield’s revenge game by unleashing a 58-yard field goal that went through the uprights with plenty of room.
Locked XP!
It’s absolute chaos in Cincinnati. Somehow, someway, the Bengals scored the game-tying touchdown in the final seconds despite committing five turnovers on the afternoon. All they needed was to hide the extra point. Simple, right? No. Minkah Fitzpatrick made another game-changing play, blocking the extra point and forcing the game into overtime tied at 20.
Wentz answers
Wentz had a roller coaster of an afternoon. He carved up the Jaguars defense in the first half, but threw back-to-back pass interceptions in the second half, the second of which led to a Jaguars score. However, Wentz was able to overcome those mistakes and make a big play when Washington needed it. He sent a beautiful deep ball to Terry McLaurin in stride for a 49-yard touchdown.
#1 INT pick!
Many people disagreed with the Jaguars taking Travon Walker over Aidan Hutchinson with the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft, but the former Georgia standout had a very impressive NFL debut. He has filled the stat sheet with a sack, tackle for loss, pass breakup and, most importantly, an interception that set up a Jaguars touchdown.
Slope. Guard. Microphone.
Michael Thomas is starting to look like his old self. He was unstoppable in the fourth quarter, catching back-to-back touchdowns to pull the Saints within two in the final minutes. For the game, Thomas has caught five passes for 57 yards.
Brothers catch TDs minutes apart
It could be the coolest thing we see in Week 1. Just minutes apart, brothers Amon-Ra and Equanimeous St. Brown each caught a touchdown for their respective teams. First it was Amon-Ra finding the end zone from four yards out for the Lions, then Equanimeous St. Brown picked up his little brother for an 18-yard score to give the Bears the lead.
Garrett arrives at Baker (twice)
Not only does Baker Mayfield have a chance to play against his former team, but his former teammates are trying to stop the former No. 1 overall pick and start the 2022 campaign with a win. Myles Garrett, himself a top pick, was a big part of the Browns’ success, sacking Mayfield on back-to-back plays in the third quarter.
Bears have life!
The Bears did virtually nothing offensively for the first two and a half quarters. Then a game, no matter how visually appealing, brought them back into the game. After avoiding what would have been nearly a 20-yard sack, Justin Fields rolled to his left, but then turned his hips and threw back left. Somehow, there was no one in the same zip code as Dante Pettis, who made the catch at the 49ers’ 30-yard line and into the end zone.
Lamar is a cheat code
If you just looked at the play-by-play, you’d only see an eight-yard run by Lamar Jackson that resulted in a first down. In fact, it was much more for one of the most electric players in the league.
Flea flickering!
The Texans gave us one of the best plays in football: a well-executed flea flicker! Already holding a seven-point advantage to start the second half, Houston remained aggressive offensively. Davis Mills threw the ball to Rex Burkhead, who then flipped it back to Mills. That allowed Brandin Cooks to run free up the middle of the field, and even though Mills overthrew him, Cooks still hauled it in for the big gain. That play set up a field goal to give Houston a double-digit lead. It turned out that trading for AJ Brown was a very good decision for the Eagles. The fourth-year tight end who started his NFL career with the Titans has six receptions for 128 yards … IN THE FIRST HALF. Check out his final grab, which went 54 yards and set up a field goal for Philadelphia before halftime.
Barrow with four turnovers in the first half…
As good as Burrow was during the Bengals’ run to the Super Bowl last season, he’s been as bad so far against the Steelers in Week 1. Burrow, who had just 14 interceptions a year ago, threw three in the first half For the end. along with a lost scrimmage. Somehow, Cincinnati was down by just 11 at the break.
The Texans lead the way!
Matt Ryan made an uncharacteristic mistake throwing a pass to the right to Jerry Hughes, and the Texans took full advantage for their first touchdown of the season. Newly signed OJ Howard was the beneficiary, hauling in a high pass from Davis Mills for the 16-yard score.
Carson cooking!
The Jaguars terminated Carson Wentz…
