The 2022 season of the NFL has kicked off the same way it ended last year; pure chaos. As always, the NFL never fails to disappoint, as week one featured both normalcy for teams, crazy upsets, and even a tie.
Starting off with the first game of the season, the LA Rams vs the Buffalo Bills. The first game of the season featured two teams expecting to contend for a Super Bowl, one team having already taken home the Lombardi. But, the Bills proved that even the Rams wouldn’t be able to stop them this year, as both the Bills offense and defense controlled the game. The Bills would win the game 31-10, with Josh Allen throwing for nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns, despite his two interceptions. Matthew Stafford had a rough night, throwing for three picks and one touchdown. The Rams were also unable to get the run going, with their lead rusher, Darrel Henderson, rushing for a measly 3.6 yards per carry. Yikes. The Rams offensive line also had a rough night, giving up six total sacks, with former Ram Von Miller getting two sacks.
The next game on the list is Seahawks vs Broncos. Another game that defied the odds, the Seahawks were able to beat the Broncos 17-16 after a rough night for the Broncos on offense. They fumbled at the goal line not once, but twice. That kind of failure simply should not happen with Russel Wilson as your quarterback. And, to make matters even worse, the Broncos could, and probably should, have won. The Broncos were on their way to getting in field goal range to win the game, but the drive stalled, leaving them in a fourth and five situation near midfield. Every fan expected the Broncos to go for the first down with their new shiny toy as quarterback, but instead, they opted for a field goal. A 64-yarder. And, like most kicks do at this distance, it missed. Probably the worst coaching decision during week one, maybe even the worst in quite some time. And that is saying something when Adam Gase was coaching two years ago. And even the head coach responsible, Nathaniel Hackket, admitted his mistake in a press conference a few days after the game. On the bright side, Geno Smith cemented himself as the Seahawks starter with a great performance. Smith threw for 195 yards and two touchdowns, but had a completion percentage of 82%, and added 14 yards rushing. He played well, but time will tell if he can keep it up.
In yet another bizarre game, the Texans tied with the Colts. Yes, you read that right. A team contending for a late playoff push and another team contending to pick number one overall in next year’s draft tied. The game was certainly a strange one, as both offenses played decently. Jonathan Taylor continued his dominance from last year, rushing for 161 yards and one touchdown. However, Matt Ryan was hot and cold in the passing game, throwing only one touchdown and one pick, but attempting 50 passes, and completing only 53% of them. The rushing offense of the Texans was abysmal, but Davis Mills continues to impress in his sophomore season, throwing for two touchdowns and no picks while completing 62% of his passes. Mills might not be the long term answer for the Texans, but a team with good players already on the roster could use a quarterback with the consistency Mills provides. Maybe he’ll be on the Colts soon. Only time will tell.
The NFL’s first week had more games than just these three, with some more upsets, such as the Steelers being able to take a win off of the Super Bowl-runner up Bengals with a game-winning field goal in overtime. But, the league had some normalcy as well, with the Ravens crushing the Jets 24-9, which was not fun to watch at Metlife as a Jets fan. Regardless, the NFL is set for more craziness in week two, and only time will tell which teams will come back and which teams will fall.
