Well folks, the first week of NFL regular season play has come to a close, and boy was it full of surprises. This past offseason was one of the more tumultuous ones in recent memory. High profile trades and a stacked draft class made for a busy time in the league. Immediate impact players filled the first and second rounds. More and more emphasis is being placed on guys who can go from college to the show without batting an eye. Front offices did their best to build the best team that they could, anxiously awaiting this past weekend of play. Throughout the preseason, teams had been working frantically to prepare themselves for Week 1. This worked better for some than others.
Thursday night’s contest was a battle of two midwest heavyweights. The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears met for a slugfest at Soldier Field in Chicago. The game was marked by dominant defensive play by Green Bay, not even allowing a score from a Bears offense led by Mitchell Trubisky. Trubisky and company had a very slow night, and many penalties did not help them gain any momentum. The Bears certainly have a lot of work to do moving into Week 2. For the Packers, strong defensive play will help their team chemistry, as Aaron Rodgers and his offense can play more comfortably knowing that they have a strong defense to back them up.
Sunday was filled with action around the country. Two unexpected blowouts marked the matinee section of Sunday. The Cleveland Browns, led by dynamic playmakers Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, and others frankly did not even show up to play. The Tennessee Titans beat them by a score of 43-13, further proving that talent alone does not win games in this league. Thoroughly outplayed, the Browns need to improve going into Week 2. However, the Titans do deserve credit. Great quarterback play from Marcus Mariota set the tone for the rest of the team. Big sturdy running back Derrick Henry had a monster 75 yard touchdown reception on a perfectly executed screen. It starts with the offensive line folks, and the Tennessee O-Line had themselves a day on Sunday.
The other rout of the day was the young Baltimore Ravens defeating the Miami Dolphins by a score of 59-10. Baltimore came out hot, led by second year quarterback Lamar Jackson who had 5 touchdown passes, and 324 yards passing. The Ravens collectively had a dominant performance with 643 total yards on offense. Perhaps the most notable play of the game was a ‘83 yard bomb from Jackson to rookie Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. I expect big things from the Brown – Jackson duo this year. Athleticism is being rewarded more and more in this league, and they have it in spades.
And the evening’s event, the New England Patriots versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. New England fans went into the game sorely missing one of their top offensive threats, Rob Gronkowski. However, in typical Patriots fashion, offensive productivity was not affected by off-field events. The Patriots dominated the Steelers by a score of 33-3, starting Tom Brady’s 20th NFL season on a high note. I expect the Patriots to only improve heading into week 2, as they are a team that typically only improves as the season goes on. Not to mention, they recently signed one of football’s most elite receivers, Antonio Brown. It will be interesting to see how Brown performs next week in Miami against the Dolphins, in his first tilt as a Patriot.