Each Sunday, three of The Athletic’s NFL writers react to the biggest news, plays and performances from the day’s games.
The first Sunday of the NFL season brought a dominant Dallas performance (led by the defense and a well-paid QB), one major upset, an awfully shaky day for the draft’s top pick, and some familiar results for the Giants (despite Brian Daboll calling the plays), Panthers (despite a new coach), and Falcons (despite a new quarterback and coach).
Jerod Mayo gets his first win as @Patriots head coach 👏 pic.twitter.com/xXpEQ18ehQ
— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024
It’s only one game, but what does it mean for the long-range outlook? The Athletic NFL writers Mike Jones, Ted Nguyen and Dan Pompei share their thoughts on all of these storylines.
Are the Dallas Cowboys this good, or are the Cleveland Browns (specifically that offense) this bad?
Jones: The Cowboys are definitely a good team. They have repeatedly disappointed in the postseason, but they’re built to contend. So it comes as no surprise that they looked good in the opener. The Browns shouldn’t have looked this bad, however. They are adjusting to the changes on offense that Ken Dorsey brought, but there’s still a lot of continuity in what they do. Deshaun Watson still doesn’t look good. He has familiarity with a lot of these players, but not having Nick Chubb hurts, as does losing David Njoku in the first half on Sunday. There’s also some rust for Watson to work off after playing only six games last season. Pin some blame for the offensive struggles on the line, which traditionally is strong but played poorly on Sunday. It could take a couple of weeks for this unit to gel, but you still would’ve liked to have seen better from the Browns than what they showed Sunday.
Nguyen: The Cowboys have high-end talent in key spots. People underestimated how good new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer was going to be for this Dallas defense; he was dialing up the pressure against Watson. The Browns are dealing with a ton of injuries but Watson looked like a bottom-five quarterback. You would hope he would lift the ceiling of the team, playing at home, despite their injury situation, but Watson had no answers against Zimmer’s pressures. I just don’t see how it’s going to get better. We are going on year three of Watson looking like a shell of his former self.
Pompei: We are probably all guilty of underrating the Cowboys, based on the players they didn’t add in the offseason and their recent postseason struggles. It’s easy to forget they have more regular-season victories than any team in the league since 2021 except the Kansas City Chiefs (who have one more win). Dallas is strong in all the right areas, and they are something else now that certain contracts have been worked out: happy. The Cowboys should be considered a Super Bowl contender.
How optimistic are you about the Los Angeles Chargers’ formula in Jim Harbaugh’s first game and first win: very good defense, efficient — if not necessarily explosive — offense?
Nguyen: The Chargers’ win against the Raiders was as “Harbaugh” as it gets. They won the turnover battle 3-0. They kept running the ball even when they had virtually no success early in the game, banging their heads against the wall until they were able to pop a few runs. Somehow they finished with 176 rushing yards. Justin Herbert averaged just 5.5 yards per pass. This is a game they would have typically lost in the past, but with Harbaugh, that’s a win. New defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s defense was impressive. The combination of Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa was dominant and the run defense was much improved over last season. This is certainly a formula that could win and the passing game will keep getting better — Herbert is just too talented. Quite the debut for Harbaugh.
Pompei: The Chargers are not as talented as some teams, especially a certain AFC West rival, but they should be competitive in almost every game they play. To a degree, we can attribute that to the way Harbaugh coaches, which has helped him overcome talent deficits with several teams. It’s partly scheme, but it’s more than that. Harbaugh understands how to maximize talent both with the way he aligns players and the way he connects with them.
Jones: This formula will be fine for the Chargers when they play other rebuilding teams like the Raiders. They have a talented quarterback in Justin Herbert, but L.A. is certainly retooling when it comes to the receiver position. They have to win gritty like this now, leaning on the defense and run game. But don’t expect this type of success (176 rushing yards and three takeaways on defense) against quality teams like the division-leading Chiefs; it will take a lot more than 144 passing yards from Herbert to keep the Chargers in most games. And J.K. Dobbins, who had 135 yards on 10 carries, can’t be counted on for this type of production on a consistent basis. He missed all but one game last season, had only two 100-yard games in 2022, didn’t play in 2021 and only two 100-yard games in 2020.
Granted, we had a Super Bowl champion that lost a home opener a year ago, but was Sunday’s loss to the New England Patriots more of a red flag for the Cincinnati Bengals, or was the football world simply underestimating Jerod Mayo’s group?
Jones: No, it’s not a red flag when you consider: 1) Joe Burrow didn’t have Tee Higgins and just got Ja’Marr Chase back on the field, and 2) the Bengals traditionally start slow. Teams don’t play starters in the preseason, so these first few regular-season games will really feature a lot of rust — and then when you’re relying on third and fourth receivers to play expanded roles, I don’t care how good a quarterback you are, you’re going to struggle. Great job by Jerod Mayo and Co., but take this result with a grain of salt (for both teams).
Nguyen: This Bengals team had way too many question marks to be counted as real contenders this season. Outside of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, they don’t have many weapons. Those two give them an elite duo but Higgins was out and Chase has hardly practiced because of his contract dispute. Even if they are both back, this team will need someone to step up as a third weapon. A more complete team beats the Patriots, but the Bengals are completely reliant on their WR duo.
Pompei: Strange things can happen the first week of the NFL season, as this game showed. This was an out-of-character game for the Bengals, who may need a little time to find their groove as the Ja’Marr Chase contract drama goes on. Burrow is too good for the Bengals to keep losing games they should win, but it’s fair to wonder if Cincinnati will be impacted by the departures of several players and coaches.
The Chicago Bears will certainly take the win, but what do we make of the new-look offense after Caleb Williams’ debut?
Nguyen: There’s no way around it: Caleb Williams was terrible. He pressed and quickly learned that trying to extend plays against an NFL pass rush is very difficult; the 29 yards he lost in sack yardage is evidence of that. (Net passing, the Bears only gained 64 yards.) You aren’t going to win a lot of games like that — this was an extremely unlikely victory. But part of the reason that everyone said Caleb Williams is coming into one of the best situations ever for a rookie QB is because of the Bears’ defense, and that showed today. Still, it’s only the first game. Williams needs to keep focusing on making the easy plays before trying to do more.
Sebastian Joseph-Day takes down Caleb Williams for the sack #TitanUp
📺: #TENvsCHI on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/jO9gkSJcBL— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024
Jones: You can’t take a whole lot from Week 1 action for a rookie quarterback and a new offense, though I know our instincts tell us to jump to conclusions. A long-time NFL head coach told me years ago that it really takes about a quarter of the season for a team to truly define itself — that’s even more applicable now that few starters play in the preseason. So, things aren’t always as bad as they seem, and in some cases, things aren’t as good as they seem. In the case of Williams and the Bears: Was it the debut that they wanted? Absolutely not. His stat line (14-for-29 for only 93 yards and a passer rating of 55.7) is pretty embarrassing. But it was his first time going against a defense that actually game-planned for him, and this Bears offense, whose players are still learning Shane Waldron’s system, is very much a work in progress. Williams and Co. will get better. Everything I’ve heard from coaches working with him has been positive. They describe him as a quick learner and tireless worker. So, I’m curious to see what adjustments Williams and the Bears make and what lessons he takes away from his first outing. Another tough defense awaits in Houston next week, so we’ll learn a little more based on that response.
Pompei: The offense deserved to lose on Sunday. The Bears won because of their defense and special teams, and because Will Levis made more costly mistakes than Williams. The best thing Williams did was get down before he got hit. The talented trio of wide receivers was quiet. Take away one 20-yard run, and D’Andre Swift had nine carries for 10 yards. This unit needs to be a lot better for the Bears to be what they were supposed to be. Without a better performance offensively next Sunday, Chicago will get steamrolled by the Texans.
GO DEEPER
Greenberg: Caleb Williams’ debut didn’t live up to expectations, but he did enough for now
After the Steelers’ win in Atlanta, which veteran QB is feeling a little more uneasy: Russell Wilson after Justin Fields’ performance, or Kirk Cousins with Michael Penix Jr. looming?
Pompei: The Falcons didn’t pay Cousins $100 million guaranteed to replace him with a rookie; a quick hook in Atlanta would make no sense. Penix could benefit from sitting and watching for most if not all of the season depending on how things play out. It’s a different scenario in Pittsburgh, where the No. 1 job was up for grabs this summer. Fields didn’t light it up Sunday, however, so Wilson is likely to remain the starter if he can return soon.
Nguyen: Wilson should feel a bit shaky, although Fields didn’t cement the job with his performance. Still, Fields’ legs were a factor today and Wilson isn’t going to provide that dynamic for the offense. I think coming out of Atlanta with a win will be a factor in Mike Tomlin’s mind. For Cousins, I think the Falcons are intent on giving Penix a redshirt year. Cousins is coming off a major injury and played an elite defense. The Falcons will give him all the time he needs to figure it out.
Jones: Meh, neither should feel uneasy. If Justin Fields had gone out and lit up the scoreboard, then maybe Wilson would sweat a little. Fields completed 17 of 23 passes for 156 yards and rushed for 57 yards — kind of pedestrian, and the Steelers didn’t score a touchdown. Had it not been for a fierce defense (two interceptions and a fumble recovery) and a big day for kicker Chris Boswell (six field goals), the Steelers probably would’ve lost this game. Fields didn’t go out and set such a high bar that Mike Tomlin would have second thoughts about turning things back over to Wilson if the veteran is healthy next week. And I don’t think Cousins should be uneasy either. Penix is a rookie with a lot to learn. The Steelers overwhelmed Atlanta’s offensive line, hitting Cousins seven times and sacking him twice. The Falcons are learning a new offense, so a stumble out of the gates against a defense like the Steelers’ isn’t exactly surprising.
GO DEEPER
5 takeaways from Steelers’ season-opening win over Falcons
Which fan base should be paying more attention to college football Saturdays: the Carolina Panthers’ or the New York Giants’?
Jones: Both? The Giants for quarterbacks, and the Panthers for everything else. The Giants should’ve drafted a quarterback this past April, but didn’t have a chance to get one of the guys they really liked. They felt like they had so many needs it was better to work on setting the table for the quarterback they’ll draft next spring rather than reach on a QB they didn’t love and put him on the field with a supporting cast full of holes. The Panthers obviously would have liked to see signs that Bryce Young (13-for-30, 161, 0 TDs, 2 INTs) has made strides under new coach Dave Canales, but they should have a lot of concern about a defense led by the well-regarded Ejiro Evero. Carolina has continuity on that side of the ball, but you would’ve never known it based on Sunday’s performance. Yes, the Saints are running a new offense, but there’s no way they should’ve let Derek Carr carve them up for 47 points.
Nguyen: The Giants were already watching college quarterbacks last season as “Hard Knocks” revealed, but they couldn’t trade up for Drake Maye. Brian Flores’ defense gave a lot of quarterbacks issues last year, but Jones looked abysmal on Sunday. It was just another listless performance stacked on top of too many of them in his career. If the Giants believe Drew Lock is a viable backup, it may be time to look at him soon. The good news for the Giants is what initially looked like a weak quarterback draft class is starting to shape up a bit with risers like USC’s Miller Moss. It’s early, but the Giants’ eyes have already wandered before the season.
Pompei: The Panthers were football’s worst team last year, and there isn’t much evidence so far to suggest they have improved significantly. Given the impatience of owner David Tepper, it’s likely they will be in the draft quarterback market unless Bryce Young can change the narrative over the next 16 games. But a losing season for the Giants is likely to result in sweeping change as well, and that could mean a first-round quarterback will be a possibility for them.
(Top photo: Nick Cammett / Getty Images)