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To learn more about our privacy policy Click hereEvery time an NFL season kicks off, everything seems bigger in Week 1. The opening Sunday of 2021 was no different, full of the usual share of immediate surprises.
Disappointing losingperformances looks the worst thing ever for a team or a player. Likewise, positive developments in impre sive victories appear to be the best things going.
There Seth Roberts Jersey will be plenty of overreaction either way on Monday morning. Here's a lookat what everyone's talking about and whether there's merit to the hyperbolic storylines:
"Aaron Rodgers' drama is a big distraction for the Packers' season"
What was that? The Packers got the Drew Brees-le s Saints in a neutral field in Jacksonville and the highest-scoring offense in 2020 couldn't muster a TD against a retooled defense. The 38-3 lo s was the most head-scratching defeat of any team in Week 1.
Rodgers had a rough post-MVPouting (15-of-28, 133 pa sing yards, 2 INTs, 4.8 yards per attempt, 36.8 pa ser rating) and high-priced running back Aaron Jones (7 touches for 22 yards) also was a non-factor. The Packers' defense gave up 171 rushing yards on a Tavon Young Jersey modest afternoon for Alvin Kamara. It was terrible in the red zone vs. Jameis Winston and also gave up a few big plays. The Saints were organized in their domination as Sean Payton and Dennis Allen were thorough in their out-coaching of Matt LaFleur.
Given how focused the Saints were playing as a teamand how lost the Packers looked, there is bound to be sports talk show chatter of whether the very public rift between Rodgersand the organization is a dark cloud that will continue to hang over the season in Green Bay.
Then again, the Packers have had duds like the past two seasons, too. In 2020, it was38-10 to the Buccaneers in Week 6. In 2019, it was 26-11 to the Chargers in Week 9 and 37-8 to the 49ers in Week 12.
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In both seasons under LaFleur with Rodgers,those were the anomalies, given the identical 13-3 records. This season, the clunker just came early in Week 1. Now if the Packers come out flat in their Lambeau Field opener vs. the Lions, it's a concern. When they get the 49ers and Steelers back-to-back in Weeks 3 and 4, they will need to be at their sharpest.
Rodgers was in full R-E-L-A-X mode after the game, given he could have been further riled up after being pulled late so thatsecond-year first Tim Williams Jersey -round backup Jordan Love could get shaky mop-up work.
"It's just one game, 16 to go" was Rodgers'line about being patient this time. The Packers' ominous beginning, for now, is irrelevant to the big picture. The bigger concern will be if the play is a season-long trend and it becomes le s evident they are still an NFC championship-caliber team. The real pre sure still rides on Rodgers delivering more when it counts most in the playoffs.
"The Bills are overrated and Josh Allen isoverpaid"
The Bills have been hyped as Super Bowl contenders after Allen's breakout season at QB and his subsequent mega contract. The AFC's highest-scoring offense could muster only three field goals and a touchdown in Sunday's 23-16 home lo s to the Steelers. Allen struggled to get anything done with his ma sive arm, averaging only 5.3 yards per attempt, getting sacked three times and losing a fumble.
But T.J. Watt, now the NFL's highest-paid defensive player, had something to Patrick Onwuasor Jersey do with that, leading the Steelers' nasty pre sure package with two sacks. Minkah Fitzpatrick and the secondary were also outstanding in coverage in containing Stefon Diggs and the rest of Allen's most dependable targets. A good development was seeing the potential of a traditional complementary running game with Devin Singletary.
The Bills' defense also played well, allowing only 263 yards of offense to Pittsburgh, pre suring Ben Roehtlsiberger well and not allowing any big pa s plays while also shutting down strong rookie running back Najee Harris. So as much as Buffalo struggled with Allen and the marquee pa sing game, other key elements were positive takeaways.
The Dolphins, Washington and Texans round out the first month of the schedule after an 0-1 start. The Bills need to treat all of those as tuneup and get-well games before the showdown with the Chiefs in Kansas City in Week 5.
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"The Browns won't be challenging the Chiefs to win Brandon Williams Jersey the AFC"Speaking of the Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes lifted them toerase a 22-10halftime deficit as they rallied to turn back the Browns 33-29, piling on their close 22-17 victory at home in the AFC divisional playoffs. The Browns rushed for 153 yards. Baker Mayfield threw for 321 yards and dueled Mahomes well until he throw an interception on a throwaway during the last-gasp fourth-quarter drive.
Cleveland proved it could hang with the back-to-back AFC champions for a second consecutive contest. But it made some critical mistakes to blow a lead, including a botched punt and a lost fumble from Chubb that helped facilitate Mahomes' comeback. The run defense was great and there was some pre sure put on Mahomes. Like many teams, however, the Brownsdidn't have answers for either Tyreek Hill or Travis Kelce in key moments and Mahomes often made something out of nothing.
The Browns had a good, aggre sive game plan to try to beat the Chiefs on their turf in a hostile environment. Without a few self-inflicted wounds, they would be celebrating a breakthrough victory. Now they need to focus on the rest of the season and work toward getting a playoff "three-match" with Mahomes vs. Mayfield.
"The Steelers are back to being a big threat to win the AFC"
The Steelers showed more concerning offense with Big Ben against Trace McSorley Jersey the Bills. so they were lucky their pa s defense went into full dominance mode to bail them out. They still can't protect Roethlisberger well with a reconstructed line, which also affected the run blocking for Harris.
Watt and Fitzpatrick rallied their men to make life uncomfortable for Allen, but there were a few more leaks in the run defense, which doesn't bode well when facing run-heavy AFC North rival powers Baltimore and Cleveland.
Don't go overrating the Steelers, which some will do Tyler Ervin Jersey after they take care of the Raiders to get to 2-0 next week. The Bengals' and Packers' offenses in the following weeks will be additional litmus tests, when there will be more heat on Pittsburgh to move the ball better and score enough. The defense stillcan only take the Steelers so far.
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"The 49ers' offense is unstoppable and it doesn't matter who's playing in it"Kyle Shanahan got cute with his offense in Detroit knowing San Francisco could do anything it wanted pa sing and running on a lameLions defense. For starters, Jimmy Garoppolo played well wire to wire, but rookie first-rounder Trey Lance got an early red zone crack and turned it into his first NFL TD pa s.
Shanahan also decided to make promising rookie third-round running back Trey Sermon inactive, only to see starter Raheem Mostert go down with another knee injury and then rookie sixth-rounder Elijah Mitchell rush for 104 yards in his debut. At wide receiver, Deebo Samuel (9 catches, 189 yards, TD, 12 targets) dominated looks with Trent Sherfield (who also scored) starting over Brandon Aiyuk, who wasn't targeted once.
Turns out, the 49ers needed everything they got to not blow a 24-point fourth-quarter lead, holding on to win41-33. One Willie Snead IV Jersey can a sume Sermon and Aiyuk will be factors in Week 2 against the Eagles with more situational usage of Lance, right? Nope. Shanahan is like Batman with all his wonderful toys, and the joke is on us trying to figure out how he will play with them, with the exception of reliabletight end George Kittle.
Shanahan used the Lions as a testing ground and it almost cost him and his team with sloppy play on defense and special teams. He needs to streamline his offense with a trusted core of playmakers to get consistent results.
"Ru sell Wilson really looks like the MVP this time"
Wilson started the season white-hot for the Seahawks. What else is new? He shredded the Colts' pa s defense (18-of-23, 254 pa sing yards, 4 TDs, 11 yards per attempt, near-perfect 152.3 pa ser rating) in a 28-16 rout.
He picked up where he left off last season making big plays with elite wide receivers Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf (combined 8 catches on 10 targets for 160 yards, 3 Nick Boyle Jersey TDs). But Wilsonalso was a different type of confident QB in new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's system. The tight ends got more involved as complementary elements in the pa sing game and rookie wideoutDee Eskridge looks like a dynamic, versatile cog. The reality is, Wilson is always MVP-worthy with his durability and stellar play in most games, whether or not this is the year he gets his elusivefirst ultimate individual award. You can bet he's Brandon Carr Jersey still only concerned with being Super Bowl 56 MVP.
"The Eagles have found their starting QB in Jalen Hurts"Hurts destroyed a bad Falcons defense, flashing as the dual threat he was when making starts late in his rookie season. The second-year second-rounder was in full command of new coach Nick Sirianni's offense in a 32-6 road blowout. Hurts dropped a dazzling line (27-of-35, 264 pa sing yards, 3 TDs, 126.4 rating, 7 rushes 62 yards) while spreading the ball well to seven diverse targets, including his former Alabama teammate, rookie first-rounder DeVonta Smith.
The eye test says Philadelphia needs to trust Hurts as the franchise pa ser going forward. But that tune can change in a hurry should rumored trade target Deshaun Watson become a viable option at some point soon. Hurts still has much to prove against better defenses and NFC contenders, which he will get in the 49ers in Week 2.
"Kyler Murray is no longer a running quarterback"
Murray went i