10 worst NFL Week 1 performances from Sunday, including the New York Giants

By Andrew Buller-Russ

·Updated: September 9, 2024

What were the worst NFL Week 1 performances from Sunday? From the New York Giants falling flat to bad QB play, here was the worst of the weekend.

Will Levis, QB, Tennessee Titans

Credit: Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Tennessee Titans were in position to win in Caleb Williams’ debut. But then Will Levis made arguably the worst play of the weekend, a backhanded interception from his knees. The Titans were near midfield and up by one point with just under eight minutes to play. So the pick-6 from Levis couldn’t have been worse.

Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ranked dead-last in rushing yards per attempt last season at 3.4 YPC. Rachaad White couldn’t even live up to that standard in his Week 1 debut. The 2022 third-round pick averaged just 2.1 YPC, ‘racking up’ 31 yards on 15 attempts. Keep that up, and Bucky Irving will snag Tampa Bay’s starting RB job in no time, especially after the rookie tallied 62 yards on nine carries.

Velus Jones Jr, KR, Chicago Bears

Those who paid close attention during HBO’s Hard Knocks saw a lot from 2022 third-round pick Velus Jones. He’s an electric playmaker who’s now buried on the WR depth chart in Chicago, so the Bears asked him to start practicing as a running back too. But his main role is as Chicago’s leading kick returner. His first audition went horribly, where Jones couldn’t catch the kick and actually muffed it right into the arms of the Titans. It was the worst play from the NFL’s new ‘Dynamic Kickoff.’

Christian Kirk, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

With Calvin Ridley departing for Tennessee, Christian Kirk takes over as one of Trevor Lawrence’s leading receivers. While Brian Thomas Jr hopes to dominate the target share in Jacksonville too, Kirk is the vet who should be able to be relied on. Yet, the seventh-year pro was tied for the team lead in targets. But Kirk only caught one pass for 30 yards and dropped two others. If the Jaguars want to get back on top of the AFC South, they’ll need their $72 million receiver to look like one.

Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears

Credit: The Tennessean-USA TODAY NETWORK

The Chicago Bears are not 1-0 because of Caleb Williams. Their new franchise quarterback averaged just 3.2 yards per attempt. Fourteen of the team’s 24 points were scored on special teams. If we take away Williams’s two sacks (for 29 yards), he would have only accounted for 64 passing yards. That’s atrocious.

Jordan Fuller, S, Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers’ 47-10 loss cannot be put on one individual person. But Jordan Fuller certainly didn’t help matters. According to Pro Football Focus, the Panthers safety allowed a perfect passer rating when targeted, allowing five receptions for 116 yards and two touchdowns. The Panthers signed the 26-year-old former Super Bowl winner to a one-year, $3.2 million contract, but Carolina would have been better off playing a rookie in Week 1.

Patrick Queen, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers

In one of the biggest surprises of the offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers snagged Patrick Queen from the division rival Baltimore Ravens on a three-year, $41 million contract. On Sunday, the Pro Bowl linebacker made the Ravens look smart for letting him go. Queen’s usually one of the best linebackers in the NFL, but he wasn’t in mid-season form against Atlanta, where he missed four tackles. Queen finished with two tackles on the day, but his bad performance should fuel him to be better in Week 2.

Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers

Bryce Young failed in year one, but rookies frequently do. After bringing in a new offensive-minded head coach and spending over $100 million on the offensive line, 2024 was supposed to be different. But one year after becoming the No. 1 overall pick, Young looks just as bad as last season. Young had the second-worst completion rate of his career and still threw two interceptions. He was a big reason why the Panthers suffered the worst loss in Week 1.

Kirk Cousins, QB, Atlanta Falcons

This isn’t what the Atlanta Falcons paid $160 million for. Kirk Cousins was supposed to bring veteran leadership and an arm that could spark the Falcons’ scoring attack. But a team that won seven games with Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke at quarterback in 2023 somehow looked even more lethargic in Week 1. Cousins threw two costly interceptions and luckily avoided another turnover. Finishing with 155 yards again will only open up the door for Michael Penix to climb through.

New York Giants

The New York Giants’ problems started long before Sunday. Letting Saquon Barkley leave for their division rivals was a catastrophic mistake. Saquon Barkley = 132 yards, 5.1 yards per touch, 3 TD. Devin Singletary = 57 yards, 3.7 yards per touch, 0 TD.

Instead of paying their best skill position player, the Giants prioritized spending $46 million to patch up an offensive line that allowed five sacks on Sunday. Brian Daboll got out schemed, and Joe Schoen’s roster got outworked in their 28-6 loss to the Vikings. As a whole, the Giants had one of the worst performances of NFL Week 1 on Sunday.