NFL Week 1 really got going on Sunday with several games throughout the league. Sure, the season opened Thursday with the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the Baltimore Ravens. The Philadelphia Eagles also beat the Green Bay Packers Friday in Brazil.
But the meat of this week’s action was on Sunday. Things started with the Minnesota Vikings blowing out the New York Giants. The later-afternoon slate also saw Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns absolutely lay an egg against the Dallas Cowboys. The backdrop here was Dak Prescott’s record-breaking contract earlier on Sunday. Here, we look at 10 winners and losers from NFL Week 1 action on Sunday.
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Winner: Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings
Sam Darnold was already likely to earn the Minnesota Vikings’ starting quarterback job. But once rookie first-round pick J.J. McCarthy went down with a season-ending injury, that spot was locked up. Taking on the New York Giants on Sunday, Darnold was on top of his game. The veteran journeyman completed 19-of-24 passes for 208 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in a 28-6 blowout win. That included a 21-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Nailor and another score to Justin Jefferson. Talk about making the most out of your opportunities. And it has Darnold looking like a legitimate starting quarterback.
Related: What we learned about the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1
Loser: Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Deshaun Watson entered NFL Week 1 having played in a total of 12 games in two seasons with the Cleveland Browns. This came after he inked a fully-guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract with Cleveland back in 2022. The hope was that Watson would revert to pre-injury form and prove that he is indeed an elite signal caller. About that? He was a complete disaster on Sunday as Cleveland fell to Dallas by the score of 33-17 . Watson completed 24-of-45 passes for 169 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He failed to elevate the Browns’ offense, something that head coach Kevin Stefanski and Co. were banking on. As of right now, Watson is nothing more than a mid-tier starting quarterback. Sunday’s loss proved this to a T.
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Winner: Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield was absolutely brilliant en route to leading the Buccaneers to the NFC Divisional Playoffs a season ago. However, some wondered if he was just a one-year wonder after struggles with the Cleveland Browns earlier in his career. About that? Mayfield proved skeptics wrong again on Sunday against the Washington Commanders. The former No. 1 pick completed 24-of-30 passes for 289 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions in the 37-20 win. That included two touchdown strikes to future Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Evans. The two have an absolutely amazing connection with one another. It also has Tampa looking like a legit contender.
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Loser: Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons entered NFL Week 1 with high expectations. Signing Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins to a lucrative contract in free agency added another layer to that. Skill-position talent in that of Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts was another component to it all. Unfortunately, none of this came out as Atlanta lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers by the score of 18-10 on Sunday. Cousins threw two interceptions. Robinson averaged less than four yards per rush. Pitts and London caught a combined five passes for 41 yards. It was an utterly embarrassing performance on the offensive side of the ball for Atlanta. Period!
Read more: NFL Week 1 offense rankings
Winner: Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
With Jacoby Brissett starting under center and very little skill-position talent, New England knew that Rhamondre Stevenson had to come up big Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. That’s exactly what the underrated running back did in a 16-10 win. Stevenson went for 120 yards and a touchdown on 25 attempts. It represented one of the better performances of his still-young career. It also helped New England play ball-control offense in upsetting the Bengals in Cincinnati. Could this be a recipe for success moving forward? If NFL Week 1 is any indication, confidence has to be high in New England right now.
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Loser: Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Not only did Bo Nix earn the Broncos’ starting quarterback job as a rookie, but he was also named one of the team’s captains. This goes to show us just how much Broncos head coach Sean Payton loves the first-round pick from Oregon. Unfortunately, Nix looked to be in over his head in a 26-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He completed 26-of-42 passes for 138 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. Nix struggled getting the ball down the field and simply did not have it as Denver lost its season opener.
Winner: Chicago Bears
Rookie No. 1 pick Caleb Williams was not great in his regular-season debut. The USC product completed a mere 14-of-29 passes fo 93 yards without a touchdown or an interception. Even then, Chicago was able to come out of NFL Week 1 with a win. The team fell down 17-0 to the Tennessee Titans, only to score 24 unanswered in winning going away. That included a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Sure Williams will need to play better moving forward. But all other aspects of the Bears were clicking on Sunday. It has Matt Eberflus and Co. at 1-0 on the season.
Loser: Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers were confident that Bryce Young would improve leaps and bounds as the former No. 1 pick entered his sophomore season. They had brought in more weapons for the struggling young signal caller. All signs were pointing to improvement. Alas, that was not the case in NFL Week 1. Carolina was blown out by the division-rival New Orleans Saints by the score of 47-10. Young completed a mere 13-of-30 passes for 161 yards with zero touchdowns and two ugly interceptions. He looked just as bad as we saw during the youngster’s rookie season. It was an absolute embarrassment on the road in the Bayou on Sunday.
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Winner: Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott started his Sunday by inking a record-breaking four-year, $240 million contract. It ended a long contract stalemate between the reigning NFL MVP runner-up and his organization. NFL Week 1 concluded with Prescott and his Cowboys hammering the Cleveland Browns on the road. Dallas won by the score of 33-17, as it looked to be on a completely different playing field than the Browns. Sure, Prescott is going to be defined by how Dallas does in the playoffs. But the ‘Boys started out the 2024 season pretty darn strong. Meanwhile, he’s now the highest-paid player in NFL history.
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Loser: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow entered NFL Week 1 as one of the top MVP candidates. Most figured he would be able to take care of the New England Patriots. That did not come close to happening on Sunday. Burrow was off his game in a big way, completing 21-of-29 passes for 164 yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions in a 16-10 loss. Cincinnati was a mere 4-of-11 on third-down conversations. Scoring 10 points with Ja’Marr Chase on the field just is not going to cut it. Sure, missing Tee Higgins was a big deal. But the Bengals’ offense just needs to perform better moving forward. It obviously starts with Mr. Burrow.