NFL Week 1 Biggest Winners And Losers

Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books. It brought excitement, surprises, and disappointment. Some teams stood above the pack, while others started at the bottom. Here are the biggest winners and losers coming out of week 1.

Winner: San Francisco 49ers

On Monday Night Football, the 49ers faced the Jets and a returning Aaron Rodgers. Late Monday afternoon, it was announced that Christian McCaffrey would be inactive for the game. The Niners didn’t need him to show they’re the team to beat in the NFC.

Third-year back Jordan Mason got his first NFL start and carried the ball 28 times for 146 yards and a touchdown. San Francisco bullied the Jets’ defense and picked them apart all night. The scary part was that they barely needed their star players to do it. Brandon Aiyuk had two receptions for 28 yards, and George Kittle hauled in four catches for 40 yards.

They put up 32 points, and Brock Purdy didn’t even throw a touchdown pass. The Niners dominated on defense as well. They held Aaron Rodgers to 167 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception. The team looked complete, and it made them unstoppable, all without Christian McCaffrey. They’re at the top of the food chain coming out of week 1.

Winner: Detroit Lions

Detroit fans are smiling all week after their win on Sunday Night Football. The Lions weren’t perfect but they put Matt Stafford and the Rams down once again. These teams are pure entertainment when they match up, and this game further cemented that.

Rams quarterback Matt Stafford went 34/49 for 317 yards, including a touchdown and an interception. While the Lions couldn’t match that air attack, their run game more than compensated for it. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs split the carries and combined for over 130 yards and two touchdowns.

It was the only overtime game of the weekend and when it came down to it, the Lions beat down LA’s defense for the win. It’s not always pretty when Detroit plays, but their “in your face” style is effective and wins games. They’re Super Bowl contenders this year.

Winner: Kansas City Chiefs

The 2023 Chiefs had a reputation for winning games, but not as decisively as they should have. The 2024 Chiefs look to be the same way. They came out of Thursday night with a win decided by a toe. Despite their shortcomings in this game, they were incredibly efficient.

First-round rookie Xavier Worthy had a terrific debut. He brought in two passes for 47 yards, a touchdown, 21 rushing yards, and a touchdown on the ground. Mahomes has a talent for spreading his passes out and that’s exactly what he did here. Six receivers had over 20 yards in the game. The Chiefs are still the Chiefs, and they put the NFL on notice right off the bat.

Loser: Carolina Panthers

The Panthers might be the worst-looking team coming out of week 1. They went into New Orleans against the Saints and completely crumbled. QB Bryce Young went 13/30 for 161 yards and threw two interceptions. He did manage a three-yard rush for a touchdown in the third quarter.

Carolina’s defense allowed Derek Carr to complete 19 out of his 23 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns. New Orleans also managed two rushing touchdowns and four field goals in their 47-10 victory. It was an onslaught that didn’t seem to end.

The Panthers looked bad in 2023 and this year seems to be more of the same. There’s always the chance they put it together, but being dismantled this way is not an encouraging start.

Loser: Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals were arguably the lock of the weekend against the New England Patriots. Joe Burrow was making his return, Ja’Marr Chase was a close call but he played, and the team should’ve been off to the races. The sky-high expectations and the painful reality of week 1 are what put Cincy on this list.

Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati offense started three-and-out on their first three drives. This was a defensive showing for New England, who held Burrow to only 164 passing yards. They forced three fumbles and recovered two of them as well. The Pat’s offense took over time of possession with Rhamondre Stevenson rushing the ball 25 times for 120 yards and a touchdown.

The Bengals will likely recover from this and Joe Burrow will return to form. They’re starting ice-cold here with a terrible showing in week 1. They looked unprepared and struggled in every facet of the game. Now they get ready to face the Chiefs in Arrowhead. If they don't figure things out quickly, they’ll start 0-2 for the third year in a row.

Loser: New York Giants

A massive disappointment in week 1 was the dismantling of the New York Giants. Following an exciting overhaul in the offseason, fans wanted to see a competitive team. They traded for edge rusher Brian Burns, drafted receiver Malik Nabers sixth overall, and revamped the offensive line again. New York had a real shot against Sam Darnold and the Vikings, and they did not play to their strengths.

Kayvon Thibodeaux was nonexistent and Brian Burns only had four tackles. The defense allowed Sam Darnold to go 19/24 for 208 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception. They only forced fourth down one time, and Minnesota converted it. Dexter Lawrence was the only bright spot here. He tallied the lone sack for the Giants’ defense and was extremely effective against the run.

The Giants' offense looked unprepared for this game. There’s a lot of discourse around Daniel Jones, and this game did him no favors. He went 22/42 for 186 yards and threw two interceptions, one of which was a pick-six. The offensive line has been a problem for years, and they played a role in Jones’ poor performance, allowing him to be sacked five times.

Head coach Brian Daboll is now calling plays on offense, and new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen is settling in. There are bound to be growing pains so maybe they’ll find their groove. Going off of this performance though, it’ll be a long season for the New York Giants.

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