What We Think We Learned From Week 1

It’s hard not to overreact to what we see in Week 1 every year. Even if it’s just one data point out of 17 for all 32 teams, it’s the first impression after months of inactivity. 

That’s where the power of the question mark comes in. Below I’ve listed some takeaways from the first week of NFL action, but Jeopardy-style phrased in the form of a question to allow some uncertainty. It’ll be interesting to see what holds true in the coming weeks and what proves to be an aberration. 

The Panthers are somehow worse than last year? 

Carolina set the bar so low last year that there was a lot of optimism about this coming season based on the idea that it couldn’t be worse. 

Well…

Sunday’s 47-10 blowout to the Saints would have rivaled anything Carolina put on tape last year for ugliness. Saints QB Derek Carr tossed a 59-yard bomb to WR Rashid Shaheed for a score on the first drive, Panthers QB Bryce Young’s first pass was sailed for a pick and the rout was on. Carolina was dominated in all three phases, even special teams. The Saints successfully kicked short and pinned the Panthers deep on the new kickoff return, plus added a long punt return and a partial block that led to touchdowns.  

Despite the abysmal record in 2023, the Panthers stayed in a lot of games because of a defense that punched above its weight class and ultimately finished fourth in the NFL in yards allowed. They were 29th in scoring defense, so the reality was probably somewhere in the middle, but the point is the defense was something the team could hang its hat on. Panthers DC Ejiro Evero interviewed for several head coaching vacancies this offseason before electing to stay on new HC Dave Canales’ staff. 

It was always going to be a challenge for Evero to repeat that performance in 2024. The Panthers traded away OLB Brian Burns and signed Jadeveon Clowney, D.J. Wonnum and K’Lavon Chaisson in an effort to replace him. Clowney is starting but Wonnum is on the PUP list and Chaisson was cut before the season. The Panthers also revamped the entire back end of their cornerback group off the waiver wire coming out of the preseason, so Evero does not have a full hand to work with when it comes to personnel. 

Still, Sunday was an embarrassment. The Saints pulverized the Panthers on the ground, racking up 180 yards rushing primarily from RB Alvin Kamara and jack-of-all-trades Taysom Hill. Carr threw three touchdowns, taking advantage of several coverage busts from Carolina’s defense. 

That didn’t do Carolina’s offense any favors, making them one-dimensional after just a quarter. But there’s scant progress on display on that side of the ball. Young is still missing far too many passes and doesn’t look comfortable or confident. Too many plays ended in sacks or scrambles without the ball getting out on time. Carolina’s rebuilt interior offensive line didn’t establish itself against the Saints. 

It’s obvious the Panthers are rebuilding and are a long way away from relevance — around 40 percent of the roster is homegrown talent, last in the NFL. But it has to be better on both sides of the ball. It just has to. It’s going to be tough sledding on defense all year but the unit has to find a way to put up more of a fight than it did on Sunday. The offense needs to find an identity it can build on and start to generate some confidence for Young, because much as everyone in Carolina wants things to work out for the former No. 1 pick, this level of haplessness is not viable for long.

Kicking off the Sam Darnold redemption tour?

There’s been a steady drumbeat of optimism about Darnold as the Vikings’ starter dating back to spring workouts, both from people within the organization and outside. With first-round QB J.J. McCarthy on injured reserve, Darnold has a chance to go wire-to-wire as the starter for the first time since 2021 and a golden opportunity to revive his career with the best supporting cast he’s had as a pro. 

So far so good. Darnold backed up the optimism with a hot start in his debut — a 28-6 win on the road against the Giants. Darnold threw one interception but was otherwise efficient and effective, completing 19 of 24 pass attempts for 208 yards and two touchdowns. He looked great, slinging the ball to all levels of the field and completing his first 12 pass attempts.  

There will be stiffer challenges ahead than the Giants’ defense. But this is exactly the kind of upside the few supporters Darnold had left believed he was capable of in the right situation. And with the Cowboys locking up QB Dak Prescott on a long-term deal before kickoff, Darnold has a chance to be the top free agent quarterback available next March and cash in big-time. 

Deshaun Watson is broken?

The Browns had a few things going for them this week. They were playing at home and against a rookie left tackle making his first start against DE Myles Garrett. But Dallas raced out to a big first-half lead and Cleveland was never really in the game despite not giving up a whole lot on defense because their offense was abysmal. 

Cleveland reworked the offense again to better suit QB Deshaun Watson, swapping in OC Ken Dorsey for Alex Van Pelt (who left for New England) since Dorsey had more of a background with mobile quarterbacks and spread concepts. In the first look at that scheme, Watson chucked the ball 45 times in Week 1 but completed just 24 for 169 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He also was sacked six times, losing 32 yards, and finished with a QBR of 9.4. 

Perhaps Watson was shaking off some rust after missing all but six games last year due to a throwing shoulder injury and not playing at all this preseason. At this point though it’s tough to give him the benefit of the doubt because there’s been precious few flashes of the quarterback the Browns thought they were getting when they traded for Watson. 

His legs still work well enough, as he scrambled for 39 yards on five attempts in Week 1. That’s been a double-edged sword, though, as Watson will hold onto the ball, take sacks and expose himself to injuries. Consistently completing passes and moving the ball has been challenging for Watson. 

This is a big year for the Browns and Watson. The team around him is good enough to make some noise even in a crowded AFC. Cleveland’s ceiling is going to be dictated by how good — or bad — Watson is. And if his struggles continue, there are no good options for the Browns with $92 million in guarantees and $172 million in dead money on the books to account for.  

The preseason rookie QB hype was premature?

It was not a good week for rookie quarterbacks making their first start. No. 1 overall QB Caleb Williams failed to crack 100 yards in his first start for the Bears, and it took a huge effort with scores from the defense and special teams to eke out a win against the Titans. No. 2 overall QB Jayden Daniels had a solid day on paper, especially on the ground with 16 carries for 88 yards and two scores. But Washington was blown out by the Buccaneers. And Broncos QB Bo Nix tossed two interceptions and averaged less than four yards per pass attempt in a loss to the Seahawks. 

That’s not necessarily unexpected but it’s worth remembering considering the buzz around all three coming out of the preseason. A good year for a rookie quarterback would be graded as a below-average year for a veteran if the curve was removed. There are going to be growing pains. But there are also going to be much brighter days ahead for all three. 

Quick hits

• The biggest upset of Week 1 might have belonged to the Patriots, who up-ended the Bengals on the road by a score of 16-10. New England was one of the betting favorites to earn the No. 1 pick and the Bengals were drawing some Super Bowl buzz, so on the surface, it’s a shocking result. However, for whatever reason Cincinnati is a chronic underachiever when it comes to Week 1. Since drafting QB Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick in 2019, the Bengals are 1-4 in Week 1, including some stinker games from Burrow. He wasn’t stellar but the bigger story was two key fumbles from the Bengals that kept them from scoring a touchdown and set the Patriots up on the doorstep to score. 
• Although Packers QB Jordan Love dodged a season-ending injury at the end of the loss to the Eagles on Friday night in Brazil, he’s still going to miss some time with an MCL injury. Love might be out the rest of September, meaning the Packers will have to tackle games against the Colts, Titans and Vikings with brand-new backup QB Malik Willis under center. Willis was traded after losing the competition for the No. 2 job in Tennessee to Mason Rudolph this preseason. Green Bay was unsatisfied with the performance of 2023 fifth-round QB Sean Clifford and made the change at the end of the preseason, demoting Clifford to the practice squad. While Willis is an outstanding athlete and lends a true dual-threat ability to the offense, he was horribly underdeveloped as a passer the last time he had to see extensive action in 2022. The Packers could be staring up from a giant hole they have to dig out of by the time Love is back under center. 
• There are always surprise breakout performances in Week 1 and this year was no different. On Thursday, Ravens TE Isaiah Likely had a career performance with nine catches, over 100 yards receiving and a touchdown — plus came inches away from scoring again to tie the game at the end. Chargers RB J.K. Dobbins rushed 10 times for 135 yards and a touchdown in his first game back from a torn Achilles last year in Week 1. And Lions WR Jameson Williams went over 100 yards receiving and a touchdown after a summer of hype as Detroit’s breakout No. 2 receiver. The same gaudy statistics might not be there week in and week out for these players but it certainly seems like they’re not flashes in the pan either.