NFL Week 1 Surprises Many Teams, Newcomers Ascendant
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The NFL’s first week of the 2022 regular season has come and gone, and it was full of upsets. The Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals, the two teams who went to the Super Bowl last year, each lost their season openers. Aaron Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers quarterback, also had a bad week.
On the flip side, the four rookie coaches making their big-league debuts each won their respective games. Likewise, Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, had a great first week and led his team to a victory over the Cardinals. Here are the biggest headlines from the first week of regular season play.
Just because your team went to the Super Bowl doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to perform well. That’s a lesson the Bengals and Rams each learned this week, dropping their games to Steelers and Bills respectively. Notably, this is the first time since 1999 that both Superbowl teams from the prior season lost their opening games.
The Bengals’ game was notable because the team managed to keep things close despite giving up five turnovers–and four of those came in the first half. The final score, 20-23, doesn’t reflect how much the Bengals misplayed. All five turnovers were caused by Bengals QB Joe Burrow, which became a new career high for the usually-stellar captain.
Patrick Mahomes, the QB for the Chiefs, impressed fans and critics alike with his performance against the Cardinals on Sunday. His passes went 30 for 39 and combined for 360 yards and five touchdowns. That’s textbook quarterback performance from a young player who has proven himself as one of the league’s most exciting players to watch.
Meanwhile, the other LA team, the Chargers, saw an impressive performance from its own QB, Justin Herbert. In a tense 24-19 victory over the Raiders, Herbert showcased surprising accuracy and depth for a player of his age. Notably, Herbert and Mahomes will face off in Week 2 in what will likely amount to a must-see duel when the Chargers head to KC.
The Patriots spent the 2010s winning Super Bowls and running the NFL. Now, it looks like the team’s offense is sorely missing Tom Brady. The team dropped its season opener against Dolphins, losing 20-7 as it struggled to find its way offensively. The team’s offense gave up three turnovers and looked particularly confused as miscommunication tore through the line of scrimmage. Time will tell if the once-mighty Patriots can pull it together before the season ends.