It was, as anticipated, an exciting opening week of NFL football.
The fact that we were treated to four viewings of NFL action in five days, interrupted only by the NCAA, surely added to the hype (who expects a game on a Friday, anyway?) Our beloved AFC North teams were a mixed bag, with marked successes, failures, and all manner of midseason-level angst.
If it’s like this every week, I may never leave my couch.
If you missed any of it, well…that’s on you. You’ll just have to settle for my version of events.
And here it is.
Steelers 34, Jets 32
Erstwhile MVP and current Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers is no stranger to controversy, given that his acidic personality and loose association with the truth has rendered him a less-than-respectable figure off the field these days. But he dispelled some doubts about his 41-year old body’s ability to withstand the pounding of an NFL game and managed to exact a measure of revenge against perceived wrongs inflicted on him by those mean ol’ Jets, his previous employers. Rodgers tossed four TD passes among his 22 completions and 244 yards while absorbing four sacks. The Steelers’ rushing attack did little to help, amassing 53 total yards on 20 scattered carries. The Steelers’ prized offseason acquisition in addition to Rodgers was TE Johnnu Smith, who led the team with five catches for a paltry 15 yards and a TD.
Defensively, the Steelers struggled, as the Jets racked up 182 yards rushing, including 107 by RB Breece Hall and 218 passing yards from former Steelers QB Justin Fields. Edge Alex Highsmith collected the defense’s lone sack, while the former Ravens safety duo of Chuck Clark and Deshon Elliott notched 14 combined tackles while chasing receivers all afternoon.
K Chris Boswell topped his career high with a 60-yard FG for the game’s final, clinching points.
Bengals 17, Browns 16
In another “what if?” contest for the Browns, QB Joe Flacco (31-45, 290 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) looked the part, but had the unfortunate luck to have both INTs occur after passing through his receivers’ hands. The Browns’ rushing attack was no help, supplying an anemic 49 yards on 24 carries. WR Cedric Tillman (5 catches, 52 yards, 1 TD) produced the passing game’s lone score.
The Bengals’ vaunted offense was…not that, as QB/MVP hopeful Joe Burrow produced only 113 yards passing, including four catches for 26 yards and a TD to TE Noah Fant. RB Chase Brown ground out 43 of the team’s 46 rushing yards in ugly fashion, adding a short yardage TD.
Both defenses were obviously effective overall. Browns DE Myles Garrett sacked Burrow twice, and counterpart Trey Hendrickson, last seen on the sidelines for all of training camp, added one for the Bengals. S Jordan Battle led the Bengals with 12 tackles and an INT, while rookie LB Carson Schwesinger led the Browns with eight tackles.
Ravens 40, Bills 41
In the weekend’s best matchup, fans were treated to another epic collapse by an artificially-inflated Ravens team that seems terminally incapable of making needed defensive stops when it matters most.
Ravens RB Derrick Henry’s (18 carries, 169 yards, 2 TDs) late fumble may have been the catalyst for the Ravens’ latest fourth-quarter meltdown, but their expensive defense surrendered 251 passing yards in the fourth quarter alone, propelling the Ravens to become the only team in NFL history to log 40 points, rush for 235 total yards – and lose. QB Lamar Jackson (14-19, 209 yards, 2 TD, 6 carries, 70 yards, 1 rushing TD) was superlative most of the evening, but was wholly ineffective on the offense’s final, crucial drive, tossing a limp 7-yard pass to WR DeAndre Hopkins to fall three yards short of a potentially game-clinching first down. WR Zay Flowers logged seven catches for 143 yards and a TD in a wasted effort.
The defense, through scheming or poor play, was a marked embarrassment. The secondary yielded 394 passing yards overall to reigning MVP Josh Allen while bringing him to the ground just once, on an interior sack from DT Nnamdi Madubuike. LB Roquan Smith led the team with 10 unremarkable tackles (none for loss).
Rookie K Tyler Loop connected on both of his FG attempts, but missed a crucial extra point that factored into the game’s improbable ending.
A banner week of action, to be sure. See you next time.
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