The first NFL Sunday consisted of a lot of crazy football. There were many upsets and many close games. In fact, twelve out of the thirteen games from Sunday had a margin of victory of 9 or less. Yes, it was that close. Even though it's early in the season to start making predictions, here's a look at four of the biggest takeaways from Week 1.
1) Jameis Winston looked like the best QB in the NFC South in Week 1.
Ok, don't get me wrong here. Winston didn't draw the tough assignment of the Denver Broncos defense like Cam Newton, nor did he face an emerging Raiders defense like Drew Brees did. However, what Winston did do that his fellow NFC South QBs failed to do was to lead his team to a victory. More importantly, let's take away what Winston did in this game compared to last season. In the entire season last year, Winston only had one game where he threw more than 3 TDs and that was his 5 TD performance against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10.
To say today's performance was better than that game could be a little far-fetched, but today's performance can't be overlooked either. In the first quarter he got off to a slow start as he was 3-of-7 and threw one pick. In the next three quarters, he would go 19-of-24 and throw 4 touchdowns. In all, he finished with 281 yards on 23/33 completions and had 4 touchdowns and one interception.
Winston joins elite company for the Buccaneers as he joined Steve DeBerg as the only Bucs QB to throw 4 passing touchdowns in a season opener.
Compared to the rest of his division, Newton by far was facing the toughest defense and also statistically had the worst game. However, in a losing effort Drew Brees put up a good fight for "QB of the week" in the NFC South as he put together 423 yards and 4 touchdowns. However, it wasn't enough to get his team the home victory.
I'd watch out if I was in the NFC South, not only did Winston look stellar today after the first quarter, he also looked like the leader of a very young and talented squad.
2) The Patriots are the best team in the NFL.
Hands down. No Tom Brady and no Rob Gronkowski and your team goes on the road and defeats one of the best, if not the best, team in the NFC?! It wasn't pretty and New England did catch a break thanks to a missed field goal by Chandler Catanzaro, but it can't be ignored. Even if they had lost, the Patriots put up a good fight without their two best players.
Jimmy Garoppolo wasn't doing anything extraordinary or throwing 5 touchdowns, but he did what he needed to do on the field and didn't commit any turnovers. On the ground, LeGarrette Blount was an absolute beast as he rushed for 70 yards on 22 carries.
The defense didn't do anything special either, as in fact they gave up three touchdowns and didn't even force a turnover. So the question remains, why do I say they're the best team in the NFL?
It's for the simple fact that Brady and Gronkowski haven't even touched the field. Their impact on the Patriots is clearly enormous and because their team can go on and win without them against one of the most elite defenses in the league, it says something.
Watch out NFL.
3) The Jacksonville Jaguars are very close to being very good.
Coming into this season, many experts were saying to watch out for the Jaguars and rightfully so. A team led by a young quarterback with talented, young weapons is not a team you want to overlook. That was showcased in Week 1, despite the loss to Green Bay. In fact, Jacksonville was just a couple plays away from beating one of the NFC's best teams. It was an encouraging sign, especially seeing QB Blake Bortles leading the charge.
Bortles finished with 320 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT, but more importantly it was how he kept his team in the game. Every time his team fell behind, he would respond right back. The most impressive thing is that even without running back Chris Ivory, they were still dedicated to the run. It wasn't pretty as T.J. Yeldon rushed for 39 yards and 1 touchdown on 21 carries, but it showed that the Jaguars are a well-coached team that isn't about to let Bortles throw 50 passes a game. Star wide receiver Allen Robinson finished with just 6 receptions for 72 yards, so look for Bortles to get him more involved next week.
Going forward, this is a young team that will learn from its mistakes, but Week 1 was a clear sign of good things to come in Jacksonville.
4) Carson Wentz's debut should make Eagles fans excited.
I could be jumping the bandwagon of excitement on Wentz's Week 1 performance against the CLEVELAND BROWNS, but why not? If you were watching this game, you could tell this kid was ready to play. He was out there throwing DIMES.
His overall stat line isn't that impressive as he had 278 yards and 2 TDs. However, what he did really well is that he read the field and made the correct reads. Wentz made sure to spread the ball to all his wideouts and his tight end Zack Ertz. Moving forward, it'll be interesting to see if Wentz can keep up this kind of productivity. After Week 1, however, he looked like he was ready for a tougher opponent to come his way.
