Week 1 is officially in the books and it was an interesting one, to say the least. For the first time since 2015, three teams that had top 5 odds to win the Super Bowl, lost in their opener. In 2015, we saw the Seattle Seahawks, reigning Super Bowl Champions and odds-on favorite to repeat, lose their week 1 matchup in overtime vs the Rams. The other two heavyweights that started 0-1 that year include the Philadelphia Eagles and the Indianapolis Colts.
This weekend, we saw the Chiefs (+600), Bills (+900), and Bengals (+1000) all lose. The Chiefs, who were in a similar spot to the ’15 Seahawks as both the reigning champ and Vegas-favorite to repeat, opened the NFL season with a 1-point loss at home vs the Lions on TNF. The other two squads both lost on the road to a divisional opponent, with the Bengals getting embarrassed 24-3 in Cleveland and the Bills losing on a punt returned for a touchdown in overtime.
While the top of the AFC struggled, the elite teams in the NFC were able to flex in their openers. The 49ers (+1000) were dominant in Pittsburgh, holding the Steelers to just a single touchdown and only 41 total rushing yards. In New York, the Cowboys put the hurt on the Giants and won 40-0. Even with the lopsided scoreboard, somehow I still don’t think it does the Cowboys justice on just how bad of a beatdown it was. Dallas scored on offense, defense, and special teams, truly dominating the game in all three phases.
Reigning NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles looked the worst of the top 3 in their 25-20 win in Foxborough. The Eagles did jump off to a 16-0 start, but sloppy conditions and three big Patriots sacks allowed New England to get close. A late stand by the Eagles’ defense allowed them to get the W, but it was much closer than most of their fans would’ve liked.
Outside of the struggles that the top AFC teams had, the injuries also piled up in the AFC from top to bottom.
Kansas City Chiefs
If Patrick Mahomes has Travis Kelce in week 1, they beat the Lions easily. You can say that’s a homer take if you want, but I think the majority of NFL fans would agree that if Mahomes had one competent pass catcher out there, he would’ve found a way to win that game. I wish I had an update for week 2, but all we really have is this quote from HC Andy Reid from Monday’s press conference.
I don’t have anything to tell you on the injuries other than Travis [is] getting better. He’s progressing and we’ll see how he does the rest of today and tomorrow and we’ll go from there.
Andy Reid Press Conference
Outside of the Kelce injury, the only other major player to miss week 1 was Chris Jones, due to a holdout. Since then, he’s agreed to return to the team now that KC has added more lucrative incentives to his one-year contract. No long-term deal was done, but it’s nice to know the Chiefs will have Jones on Sunday and still can use their franchise tag on him next year if they’re unable to extend him before the deadline next offseason.
New York Jets
I mean this news is heartbreaking no matter if you’re a Jets fan or not. With Hardknocks and all of the other offseason hype, having Rodgers go down on his 4th play from scrimmage is just devastating. A lot of potential from the Jets (preseason +1600 to win SB) and they showed improvement on both sides of the ball during their OT win vs the Bills, but without Rodgers, there’s simply no real playoff hope. For anyone that hasn’t heard the confirmed reports, Aaron Rodgers did indeed tear his Achilles on Monday night, just minutes into his Jets’ career.
Los Angeles Chargers
Go figure, the LA Chargers on the injury report. However, I’m not here to talk Keenan Allen or Mike Williams, as they both made it through week one without getting banged up too bad. Star running back Austin Ekeler is the reason for this note. After posting 164 all-purpose yards (117 rushing on 16 carries and 47 receiving on 4 receptions), Ekeler is expected to be limited in practice this week while nursing an ankle injury. While most people are expecting him to be ready to go for the Chargers matchup in Nashville, technically speaking his status for the Titans game is still questionable.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Three big injuries to mention from the Steelers’ 7-30 loss vs San Fransisco. The biggest injury was to Cameron Heyward’s groin, which will require surgery. Heyward, the 6-time Pro Bowler, is expected to miss multiple weeks due to the injury. The other two injuries happened on the offensive side of the ball, with pass catchers Pat Freiermuth and Diontae Johnson being listed on the injury report. Odds are that Johnson will miss Monday’s game vs Cleveland, and Pat is also not guaranteed to go. More information expected later in the week, but a couple big names to monitor for fantasy purposes.
Other quick notes in the AFC:
Indianapolis Colts – Rookie QB Anthony Richardson left the game late in the 4th quarter with a bruised knee. All indications are that he’ll be good to go Sunday in Houston.
Baltimore Ravens – Running back JK Dobbins is out for the year with a torn Achilles. Awful news considering he missed all of the ’21 season with a torn ACL, MCL, and Meniscus. That guy is a fighter but hard to see him fully recovering from another devasting injury like this. Tight end Mark Andrews missed week one due to a quad injury, but HC John Harbaugh says he looks good and hopes to go week 2.
Cleveland Browns – 2-time All-Pro right tackle Jack Conklin has been put on the IR and is expected to miss the rest of the year with an ACL tear.
Las Vegas Raiders – WR Jakobi Meyers entered concussion protocol on Monday.
Not only did the NFC see a better record as a conference, 10-6 vs the AFC’s 6-10, they also saw significantly less injuries.
Philadelphia Eagles
A few key injuries to note for the Eagles during their close win in New England. Future Hall of Famer Fletcher Cox needed an MRI after taking a hard hit to the ribs on Sunday but was able to participate in practice on Tuesday. A full non-participant in Tuesday’s practice was running back Kenneth Gainwell, who also was dealing with a rib injury. If Gainwell can’t go in week 2, expect a bigger output from recently acquired D’Andre Swift. The final update of note in Philadelphia is regarding second-year linebacker out of Georgia, Nakobe Dean. Dean is going to miss multiple weeks after being placed on the IR due to a foot injury, however, he is expected to make a full recovery before the end of the season.
Green Bay Packers
Number one receiver Christian Watson missed week one due to a hamstring injury. HC Matt LaFleur is hopeful that Watson can stay off the IR and come back either next week in Atlanta or for the Packers’ home opener vs the Saints. Aaron Jones also ended up having to leave the game early due to a hamstring issue. He’s expected to go next week, but definitely something to monitor.
That’s it for week 1 injury report/headlines, not sure I’ll continue to dissect every player that gets banged up, but wanted to highlight a couple big ones here after week 1. More NFL best bets and highlights coming out later this week.
Cheers.
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