Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Week 1 featured a plethora of great performances around the NFL.
Arizona Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald
Surefire future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald added to his legacy with 8 catches for 113 yards and a TD as Arizona rallied to tie Detroit.
Atlanta Falcons: Austin Hooper
Austin Hooper was one of the few bright spots for the Falcons in a 28-12 loss to Minnesota. The TE caught 9 passes for 77 yards.
Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson
Sophomore jinx? Not in the opener against the putrid Miami Dolphins. Lamar Jackson went 17-of-20 for 324 yards with 5 TD passes. Honorable mention to the Sooner duo of Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Mark Andrews, who each cracked the century mark receiving in the 59-10 Baltimore waltz.
Buffalo Bills: John Brown
John Brown made a dazzling debut as a Bill, catching 7 passes for 123 yards, including the game-winning 38-yard TD pass with 3 minutes left.
Carolina Panthers: Christian McCaffrey
The multi-purpose RB was brilliant in the Panthers’ 30-27 loss to the Rams. Christian McCaffrey had 19 carries for 128 yards and 2 TDs. He also caught 10 balls for another 81 yards. A fantasy phenom.
Cincinnati Bengals: John Ross III
John Ross III finally showed the Bengals and their faithful why he was worthy of the ninth overall selection in the NFL Draft in 2017. The former Washington star caught 7 passes for 158 yards and 2 TDs.
Chicago Bears: Defensive unit
In a season-opening, 10-3 loss to Green Bay, the Chicago Bears defense more than did its part, sacking Aaron Rodgers 5 times.
Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett
Almost impossible to find anything good in a 43-13 dismantling by the Tennessee Titans. So, will give Cleveland Browns defensive star Myles Garrett a nod for his 2 sacks.
Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott had a perfect QB rating of 158.3 as the Dallas Cowboys lit up the New York Giants. Prescott was 25-of-32 for 405 yards and 4 TDs.
Denver Broncos: Courtland Sutton
WR Courtland Sutton caught 7 passes from Joe Flacco for 120 yards in an otherwise forgettable 24-16 loss by Denver to Oakland.
Detroit Lions: T.J. Hockenson
First-round pick T.J. Hockenson out of Iowa was excellent in his NFL debut, catching 6 passes for 131 yards and a TD in Detroit’s 27-27 tie with Arizona.
Green Bay Packers: Defensive unit
Talk about a stirring start to the season. The Packers’ defense shut down Chicago in a 10-3 victory. Green Bay had 5 sacks and limited the Bears to 46 yards rushing.
Houston Texans: Deshaun Watson
Don’t blame Deshaun Watson for the Texans’ 30-28 loss to the Saints in a Monday Night thriller. The QB was brilliant and tough. He completed 20-of-30 for 268 yards and 3 TDs and rushed 4 times for 40 yards and a score.
Indianapolis Colts: Marlon Mack
Marlon Mack chewed up the Chargers for the Colts. The RB had 24 carries for 174 yards and a TD in a 30-24 loss in overtime.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Gardner Minshew
Prized FA signee Nick Foles went out with a broken clavicle. Gardner Minshew came off the bench and was 22-of-25 for 275 yards and 2 TDs in Jacksonville’s 40-26 loss to Kansas City.
Kansas City Chiefs: Sammy Watkins
Can’t always give all the credit to Patrick Mahomes. Tyreek Hill went out and Sammy Watkins stepped up, big time. The former Clemson star caught 9 passes for 198 yards and 3 TDs in the Chiefs’ win over the Jaguars.
Los Angeles Chargers: Austin Ekeler
The RB made the most of his chance with Melvin Gordon holding out. Austin Ekeler went off against Indy. He rushed for 58 yards on 12 carries and scored a TD. Ekeler added 6 catches for 96 yards and 2 TDs.
Los Angeles Rams: Todd Gurley II
A lot of questions spun around Todd Gurley II. Would his knee hold up to a big workload. He was used sparingly early but was a force late in the Rams’ 30-27 win over the Panthers. The former Georgia star rushed 14 times for 97 yards.
Miami Dolphins: None
You get pasted 59-10 and there are no bright spots. None. At least the introductions were exciting.
Minnesota Vikings: Dalvin Cook
The oft-injured RB had 21 carries for 111 yards as Minnesota handled Atlanta, 28-12.
New England Patriots: Tom Brady
Another exceptional performance as Tom Brady ruined the Steelers, 33-3. The G.O.A.T. went 24-of-36 for 341 and a trio of TD passes.
New Orleans Saints: Ted Ginn Jr.
Of course, it would be easy to go with Drew Brees or Will Lutz. The play of the game, however, was Ginn catching a short pass and dropping immediately so New Orleans could call time with 2 seconds left and set its kicker up for the game-winning field goal.
New York Giants: Evan Engram
The big tight end out of Miami had 11 catches for 116 yards and a TD in the loss to Dallas.
New York Jets: Jamison Crowder
The wideout who came over from Washington had 14 catches for 99 yards in the Jets’ collapse against Buffalo.
Oakland Raiders: Derek Carr
Take that, Antonio Brown. Derek Carr led the Raiders to victory over Denver with a strong performance. The QB went 22-of-26 for 259 and a score.
Philadelphia Eagles: DeSean Jackson
Welcome back to Philly, DeSean Jackson. The veteran wideout caught 8 passes for 154 yards and 2 TDs as the Eagles rallied to top Washington.
Pittsburgh Steelers: JuJu Smith-Schuster
The loss to New England was ugly but Juju Smith-Schuster did have 6 catches for 78 yards.
San Francisco 49ers: Defensive unit
The Niners picked off Jameis Winston 3 times, had 3 sacks and 6 tackles for losses in a win over Tampa Bay.
Seattle Seahawks: DK Metcalf
The rookie from Ole Miss proved a quick healer from knee surgery. He had 4 catches for 89 yards as Seattle squeaked by Cincinnati.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ronald Jones
Not much good in Bruce Arians’ debut as the Bucs lost to the Niners. RB Ronald Jones did have 75 yars rushing on 13 carries.
Tennessee Titans: Delanie Walker
The veteran TE had 5 catches for 55 yards and 2 TDs as Tennessee throttled Cleveland.
Washington: Terry McLaurin
Washington was counting on a rookie from Ohio State for a fast start. It wasn’t No. 1 pick Dwayne Haskins who delivered. Turns out it was fellow Buckeye Terry McLaurin. The wideout had 5 catches for 125 yards and a score.
