Welcome to the Week 1 grades.
The 2024 NFL season is off and running and like we do every year, we're going to be grading every game that's played between now and January.
The first week of the season is usually the most unpredictable week of the year and the Bengals found that out the hard way on Sunday against New England. In a game where the Bengals were favored by 7.5 points, the Patriots were able to pull off a shocking upset.
The slow start for the Bengals has become an annual problem in Cincinnati: The Bengals are now 1-10 over the first two weeks of the season under coach Zac Taylor.
The Bengals weren't the only AFC North team to get off to an ugly start. The NFL teams in Ohio went 0-2 on Sunday with the Browns getting blown out by the Cowboys.
One team that didn't get off to a slow start in Week 1 was the San Francisco 49ers. The defending NFC champs capped off the opening week of the season with a 13-point win over the New York Jets.
With that in mind, let's get to the grades for Week 1.
San Francisco 32-19 over N.Y. Jets
| D |  |
| It looks like it's going to take more than one game for Aaron Rodgers to knock the rust off. Although the four-time MVP did make some spectacular throws, those were few and far between on a night where the Jets offense mostly sputtered. Through the first three quarters, the Jets only had two drives where they gained more than 17 yards. As bad as the offense was, the defense was worse. With Christian McCaffrey out, the Jets appeared to catch a break. Instead, they had their back broken by McCaffrey's backup, Jordan Mason. The Jets had one of the best defenses in the NFL in 2023, but that defense was nowhere to be found Monday night. It's hard to tell where this team is headed, and now, they have to get things fixed on a short week. | |
| A |  |
| The 49ers didn't have Christian McCaffrey, but that didn't seem to slow down their offense. With McCaffrey out due to his lingering calf injury, Jordan Mason came in and put on a show. The backup running back went off for 147 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries on a night where the Jets defense had no idea how to slow him down. The 49ers also got Deebo Samuel heavily involved in the offensive game plan. The dual-threat star had 13 touches for 77 yards and a touchdown. The 49ers defense was just as impressive as the offense, and if Monday night was any indication, this looks like a team ready to get back to the Super Bowl for the second straight year. Even Jake Moody was on fire: The kicker tied the franchise record with six field goals. | |
New England 16-10 over Cincinnati
| A |  |
| Bill Belichick isn't the coach of the Patriots anymore, but he probably appreciated the way New England won on Sunday. The Patriots used a strong run game and an even stronger defense to take down the favored Bengals. Jerod Mayo's defensive game plan had Joe Burrow flustered for most of the game. Rhamondre Stevenson was the star for the Patriots offense, rushing for 120 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. The Patriots might not win the Super Bowl this year, but they've got a formula that could help them pick up a few more upset wins this year. | |
| F |  |
| The Bengals always seem to get off to a slow start to the season under Zac Taylor and that trend continued in this game. The offense sputtered in the first half by going three and out on its first three possessions. The passing game looked out of sync on a day where Joe Burrow threw for just 164 yards. The Bengals also lost two fumbles, which is the same amount they lost during the ENTIRE 2023 season. The defense also got run over by a Patriots rushing attack that totaled 170 yards. Going into this year, the Bengals were 1-9 under Taylor during the first two weeks of the season, and now, they're 1-10. | |
Dallas 33-17 over Cleveland
| A |  |
| The game was a defensive masterpiece for the Cowboys, who only gave up one drive of more than 13 yards through the first three quarters. The Cowboys kept constant pressure on Deshaun Watson, which allowed them to rack up six sacks with Eric Kendricks and Demarcus Lawerence each recording two of those. The Cowboys special teams also came up big with 19 points that included four field goals from Brandon Aubrey and a punt return touchdown from KaVontae Turpin in the third quarter. The offense wasn't perfect, but it didn't need to be because everything else was working for the Cowboys as they coasted to the win. | |
| F |  |
| It's make-or-break season for Deshaun Watson, and so far, he looks broken. The Browns offense struggled to move the ball, and that's mostly because Watson had trouble throwing downfield. The Browns QB completed just 53.3% of his passes while also throwing two interceptions. It didn't help Watson's cause that the Cowboys seemed to be in Cleveland's backfield a good chunk of the game on a day where the QB was sacked six times. If Watson doesn't get things turned around soon, the Browns are going to have to start asking themselves some difficult questions about their future at the QB position. | |
Pittsburgh 18-10 Atlanta
| B+ |  |
| Apparently, it doesn't matter who plays quarterback for the Steelers: All they need is their kicker and their defense. The Steelers defense terrorized Kirk Cousins and a big reason for that was because the Falcons couldn't block T.J. Watt, who had one sack and a lot of pressures (He also had two big plays called back due penalties). Offensively, Justin Fields wasn't flashy, but he did just enough to get the job done with 213 total yards (156 passing and 57 rushing). The offense spent most of the day setting up Chris Boswell, who tied a franchise record with six field goals, including three that came from beyond 50 yards. | |
| C |  |
| In his first game with the Falcons, Kirk Cousins had a nightmare performance. The veteran QB was constantly under pressure, which led him to making multiple mistakes, including two back-breaking interceptions. The second pick came in the fourth quarter and essentially iced the win for Pittsburgh. Don't be surprised if Falcons fans start calling for Michael Penix Jr. this week. The Falcons defense played reasonably well, but that was overshadowed by an offense that totaled just 51 yards in the second half. | |
Buffalo 34-28 over Arizona
| B- |  |
| The Cardinals actually looked like the better team in the first half, but then their offense completely disappeared over the final two quarters. Kyler Murray threw for just 31 yards during a second half where Arizona's only touchdown came on a 96-yard kickoff return by DeeJay Dallas. Despite the second half struggles, the Cardinals still took this game down to the wire and they look like a team that might end up being better than most people are expecting this year. | |
| B |  |
| If Josh Allen has to carry the Bills on his back to the playoffs this year, he looks ready to do that. The Bills quarterback was the star of the show in this game with 271 total yards and FOUR touchdowns. Allen did lose a fumble, but he more than made up for it with his play. The Bills offense is going to be tough to stop this year, because you don't know who to stop: Allen completed at least one pass to NINE different receivers. The Bills defense did have a few problems with Kyler Murray, but they sacked him four times and they were able to stop him late in the fourth quarter when it mattered. | |
Chicago 24-17 over Tennessee
| C |  |
| This was a total meltdown by the Titans, who managed to blow a 17-0 lead WITHOUT giving up an offensive touchdown. The meltdown started in the third quarter after the Bears blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, Will Levis threw a pick six that might go down as the worst by any quarterback this year. The Titans defense mostly shut down Caleb Williams and the Bears -- Chicago only totaled 148 yards in the game -- but the ugly miscues ended up costing Tennessee. | |
| C+ |  |
| This might go down as the ugliest win of the season by any team, but ugly wins count the same as any other win. Caleb Williams only threw for 93 yards in his debut, but he got the win thanks to some stellar play from Chicago's special teams and defense. Jonathan Owens made a huge play with a touchdown off a blocked punt in the second half. Deandre Coleman also had a 66-yard kickoff return that set up a field goal in the first half. Tyrique Stevenson then came up with the play of the game with a pick six that provided the game-winning points in the fourth quarter. With the victory, Williams became the first No. 1 overall pick to win his first start since 2002. The Bears also became just the third team in NFL history to overcome a 17-point deficit without scoring an offensive touchdown. | |
Houston 29-27 over Indianapolis
| B+ |  |
| The Texans offense was good last season and it looks like it might be great this season. The addition of Joe Mixon played a huge difference on Sunday with the former Bengals running back gashing through the Colts defense for 159 yards and a touchdown on one TD. Mixon got 104 of that in the second half, which helped the Texans control the clock over the final two quarters. The good news for the Texans is that it doesn't look like there's going to be an sophomore slump for C.J. Stroud, who threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns. | |
| B |  |
| Anthony Richardson showed off his tantalizing potential, but he also made plenty of mistakes that you'd expect to see from a QB making just his fifth career start. The Colts QB completed just 47% of his passes (9 of 19) and he overthrew two possible touchdowns to AD Mitchell. That was the bad. The good was that he totaled 268 yards and three touchdowns and he had the Colts on the cusp of a win. If Shane Steichen can polish up Richardson's game, the Colts could soon have one of the scariest offenses in the NFL. Richardson seemed to have a connection with Alec Pierce, who caught three passes for 125 yards and a TD. Defensively, the Colts got eaten alive by a Texans rushing attack that totaled 213 yards. | |
Miami 20-17 over Jacksonville
| C+ |  |
| The Jaguars looked to be in control of this game at halftime, but then everything fell apart over the final two quarters. The Jags had a chance to put this game away in the third quarter, but Travis Etienne lost a fumble in Miami's end zone on a play were a TD would have given Jacksonville a 24-7 lead. One possession later, Doug Pederson inexplicably went for it (and failed) on fourth down from his own 32-yard line. Trevor Lawrence disappeared in the second half, throwing for just 37 yards. The Jags defense wasn't much better in the over the final two quarters, getting burned for 240 yards. The Jags seemed to wilt away in the South Florida heat. The Jags missed the playoffs after a late-season collapse last season and they appear to still be spiraling out of control. | |
| B |  |
| Someone must have forgotten to tell the Dolphins what time this game was kicking off, because they pulled a no-show in the first half. However, they were able to win thanks to a dominant second half on both sides of the ball. Tyreek Hill, who was detained by police on Sunday morning, rebounded to catch seven passes for 130 yards, incuding an 80-yard touchdown. Tua Tagovailoa threw for 338 yards with 207 of those coming in the second half. Defensively, the Dolphins saved their best for last: Not only did they pitch a shutout in the second half, but they sacked Trevor Lawrence twice on Jacksonville's final offensive possession. | |
New Orleans 47-10 over Carolina
| F |  |
| The Panthers were the worst team in the NFL last season and it doesn't look like much has changed this season. This game was a disaster from start to finish on both offense and defense. Bryce Young threw an interception on his first pass of the game and things didn't get much better from there for Carolina. | |
| A+ |  |
| The Saints made the biggest statement of Week 1 by playing a virtually perfect game against the Panthers. Derek Carr was nearly perfect on a day where he completed 82.6% of his passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Alvin Kamara, who was looking to get a new contract, didn't let the lack of a deal impact him. The Saints running back totaled 110 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, the Saints had their way with the Panthers, sacking Bryce Young four times while also forcing three turnovers. | |
Minnesota 28-6 over New York Giants
| A |  |
| Sam Darnold isn't a future Hall of Famer, but he looked like one on Sunday. The Vikings QB carved up the Giants defense by completing his first 12 passes. Overall, Darnold ended up throwing 19 completions to eight different receivers. Darnold got some big offensive help from Aaron Jones, who steamrolled the Giants for 6.7 yards per carry. The Vikings defense dominated the Giants and the biggest play came from Andrew Van Ginkel, who had a pick six. Right now, it's hard to tell if the Vikings are this good or if the Giants are this bad (or maybe a little of both), but Minnesota looked like a team that's going to be competitive this year. | |
| F |  |
| The Giants decided to stick with Daniel Jones for another season and that gamble definitely didn't pay off. The Giants QB threw two interceptions, including an ugly pick six in the third quarter that basically ended any chance the Giants had of making a comeback. Although Jones was bad, it's hard to put all the blame on him and that's mostly because he's playing behind a bad offense line that surrendered five sacks. | |
L.A. Chargers 22-10 over Las Vegas
| C- |  |
| The Raiders had plenty of chances to take charge of this game, but they choked them all away, starting with a failed fourth-and-1 from their own 41-yard line in the first quarter. Antonio Pierce struggled with his fourth-down decision-making. Although he went for it in his own territory, he decided to punt on fourth-and-1 from the Chargers' 43 in the fourth quarter with his team trailing 16-10. It was a decision that didn't make a lot of sense. From three turnovers to a missed field goal, the Raiders just made too many mistakes to win. | |
| B |  |
| The Chargers spent the entire offseason saying they were going to run the ball more and they weren't kidding. In Jim Harbaugh's debut, they played a vintage Harbaugh game: They ran the ball at will and let their defense do the rest. J.K. Dobbins was the big reason why the rushing attack worked so well. The former Ravens running back averaged an astounding 13.5 yards per carry on 10 carries (if you're not a math person, that means he finished with 135 yards). Dobbins did almost all of his damage in the second half with 131 yards over the final two quarters. The Chargers defense forced three turnovers while also coming up with a big fourth-down stop in the first quarter, which set the tone for the game. It might not look sexy when Harbaugh's teams win, but they do win, and that's the only thing that matters. | |
Seattle 26-20 over Denver
| C+ |  |
| When you have a rookie quarterback, you're going to go through some growing pains on offense. The Broncos learned that firsthand in this game. With Bo Nix under center, the Broncos had a hard time getting anything going on offense. The Broncos only had three drives in the entire game that went at least 28 yards, and two of those ended with interceptions. Despite the offensive struggles, the Broncos were almost able to pull off the upset thanks a defense that recorded two safeties while also forcing two turnovers. Nix went 26 of 42, and the bottom line is that you're probably not going to win if your rookie QB has to throw the ball 42 times in his first career start. | |
| B |  |
| The Seahawks might have had the ugliest first half of any team in the NFL in Week 1, but they rebounded by completely taking over in the second half. Before the first half was over, the Seahawks got safetied twice to give the Broncos four points. This game flipped during a 10-point third quarter where Kenneth Walker III absolutely took over. The Seahawks running back had 81 of his 103 yards in the third quarter alone. Once the Seahawks took the lead, they were able to pin their ears back and go after Nix. This was a solid win for Mike Macdonald in his coaching debut for the Seahawks. | |
Tampa Bay 37-20 over Washington
| C- |  |
| Jayden Daniels definitely wasn't perfect in his debut, but even if he had been, the Commanders still might have lost, because their defense couldn't stop the Buccaneers. The defense got torched for nearly 400 yards and couldn't get off the field, letting the Buccaneers convert 9 of 13 third downs. As for Daniels, he totaled 272 yards and three touchdowns, but a lot that came in the second half when the game was out of reach. Daniels and the offense also didn't get any help from kicker Cade York, who missed two field goals. Although the Commanders lost, Daniels showed enough flashes to make them feel good about their pick. | |
| A |  |
| A lot of people were sleeping on the Buccaneers heading into the 2024 season, but they won't be after this game. Baker Mayfield was nearly perfect against the Commanders, throwing for 289 yards and four touchdowns. Now that he's in his second year with the team, Mayfield looks even more comfortable and seems to have even better chemistry with his receivers (Mike Evans and Chris Godwin caught a combined 13 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns). The Buccaneers have won the NFC South for three straight seasons, and based on Sunday's performance, there's no reason they can't do it again. | |
Detroit 26-20 over L.A. Rams (OT)
| B |  |
| The Rams lost two key players to injury early in the game (Puka Nacua and left tackle Joe Noteboom), but they managed to take the Lions to overtime thanks to a valiant effort from Matthew Stafford. Going up against his old team, Stafford threw for 317 yards and a TD, but he did make one glaring mistake with an interception in the end zone. That epitomized the Rams' red zone troubles on a night where they only scored two touchdowns on five trips inside of Detroit's 20-yard line. The Rams were on the cusp of winning this, but their defense got steamrolled on Detroit's final two possessions of the game including the game-winning drive in overtime where the Lions ran the ball seven times for 60 yards. One bright spot for the Rams is that Cooper Kupp appears to be fully back after two: The receiver, who's dealt with injuries in each of the past two seasons, caught 14 passes for 110 yards. | |
| B+ |  |
| The Lions were on the ropes after blowing a 17-3 second half lead, but they pulled out the win by bullying the Rams down the stretch, including a game-winning drive in overtime that saw David Montgomery score a walk-off TD after carrying the ball four times for 41 yards in the extra period. The Lions offense kept the Rams confused by getting everyone involved: Four players caught at least three passes, including Jameson Williams, who exploded in the game for 121 yards and a touchdown on five receptions. Defensively, the Lions didn't shut down Matthew Stafford, but they did pressure him into several bad throws, including an incomplete pass a third down in the fourth quarter that would have clinched the win for the Rams. This was a well-rounded win by a Lions team that's now taken the first step toward getting back to the NFC title game. | |
Philadelphia 34-29 over Green Bay (Friday in Brazil)
| B |  |
| It's only been one game, but Saquon Barkely is already looking like one of the smartest free agency pickups by any NFL team this offseason. In his first game with the Eagles, Barkley went off with 132 total yards and three touchdowns. A.J. Brown also helped carry the offensive load with 119 yards receiving and a touchdown. The performances by Brown and Barkley took a lot of heat off of Jalen Hurts, who struggled some on a night where he turned the ball over three times. This was a big win for the Eagles, who took a big step toward putting last year's late-season collapse behind them. | |
| B- |  |
| The Packers brought in a new defensive coordinator this year, but that didn't seem to help things for a Green Bay defense that still can't stop the run. The Packers gave up the fifth-most rushing yards in the NFL last season and they gave up 144 on Friday night. The Packers decision to start a rookie kicker also backfired with Brayden Narveson missing a 43-yard field goal in the second half. Offensively, the Packers had some bright spots -- like Jayden Reed's 70-yard TD catch -- but Jordan Love also struggled with his accuracy, completing just 50% of his passes while also throwing an interception. To make things worse, Love went down with an MCL injury that will likely sideline him for a few weeks. It was an ugly loss for the Packers made worse by the the injury to Love and the fact that they had to fly 10 hours home after the game. | |
Kansas City 27-20 over Baltimore (Thursday)
| B- |  |
| The first game of the season can be sloppy for some teams and the Ravens found that out the hard way in the NFL opener. Baltimore had an ugly first half that included a span where they lost a fumble, missed a field goal and failed on a fourth down on consecutive possessions. Lamar Jackson had an up-and-down night. Overall, he was electrifying with 395 total yards, but he completed just 13% of his passes in the red zone (1 of 8) which is a big reason why the Ravens scored just one TD on four trips to the red zone. Although most eyes were on Derrick Henry's debut for the Ravens, it was Isaiah Likely who stole the show with nine catches for 111 yards and a TD. The good news for the Ravens is that despite their struggles, they still almost won, coming up just inches short. This loss likely won't hurt their confidence too much going forward. | |
| B |  |
| The Chiefs weren't perfect -- they couldn't run the ball and they struggled in the red zone -- but they did what the Chiefs always do: They came up with big plays when they needed them. Rookie receiver Xavier Worthy became an instant household name in this game after scoring two touchdowns on just three touches, including a 21-yard rushing TD on the first touch of his career. Although the Ravens did a good job of shutting down Travis Kelce, that left things wide open for Rashee Rice, who caught seven passes for 103 yards. As for Patrick Mahomes, he still looks like Patrick Mahomes, which should worry the rest of the NFL. | |
