These were the best and worst player performances of Week 1.
The opening week in the NFL is more or less complete and there’s a lot to process. Offenses around the league are struggling, defenses are flourishing, and Baker Mayfield is the scariest quarterback in the league.
Yeah, Week 1 can be weird like that. Let’s dive into the TK best performances to come out of the week, and the tk worst.
Best of the week
No. 1: Baker Mayfield, QB — Tampa Bay Buccaneers
24-for-30, 289 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
It’s easy to brush this off by saying “he played the Commanders,” but there’s more to what Mayfield did than meets the eye. Not only did he thrive with a new offensive coordinator, but more importantly he got everyone in the Tampa Bay offense involved.
Top receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans both got their targets and touchdowns, Rachaad Evans flourished as a dual-threat back. This team just rolled, and Mayfield showed all his best traits in this game as he harnessed his toughness, competitiveness and moxie to make plays and cook the opposition.
No. 2: Greg Rousseau, DE — Buffalo Bills
6 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble
There’s no debate on who the best defensive player of the week was, because Greg Rousseau of the Bills was an absolute beast. Any multi-sack game is a big deal, but it’s how he dismantles the Cardinals that’s critical here. Buffalo had real issues managing Kyler Murray for the first part of this game, but they Rousseau took over.
A critical 3rd-and-9 sack early in the third quarter really flipped the tempo of the game. Rousseau beat left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. off the edge and closed on Murray too quickly for him to even realize what was happening. This tone-setting moment put the ball back in Josh Allen’s hands, and the comeback was on.
When Arizona got out to an early lead it was clear the Bills needed a spark on defense. Rousseau was that guy.
No. 3: J.K. Dobbins, RB — Los Angeles Chargers
10 carries, 135 yards, 1 TD
We knew the Chargers were going to be a work in progress on offense with new coach Jim Harbaugh bending the team to his image, and for the most part things were rough for the Chargers offensively on Sunday. Luckily there was J.K. Dobbins, who was ready, willing and able to bail out the team when they needed a spark.
Justin Herbert is clearly still learning the Harbaugh offense, and he’s not comfortable being a short-yardage quarterback just yet after stretching the field for his entire career. It was clear the team needed a pop, and Dobbins was there to deliver as he averaged 13.5 yards-per-carry, while breaking off a 61-yard run that helped set everthing up for Los Angeles.
No. 4: Derek Carr, QB — New Orleans Saints
19-for-23, 200 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Derek Carr was absolutely rolling against the hapless Panthers on Sunday, and most critically he never made any mistakes. There wasn’t one moment in this game you could highlight and say “he could have done better here,” as Carr methodically picked apart a Carolina defense that lacked preparation or answers.
The promising element for Saints fans is how good Carr looks in the Klint Kubiak system. We’ll see how long this can carry outside of beating up on one of the NFL’s worst teams, but there’s a reason for some promise in New Orleans.
No. 5: Tyreek Hill, WR — Miami Dolphins
7 receptions, 130 yards, 1 TD
Water is wet, and Tyreek Hill is a nightmare after the catch. For much of the afternoon in Florida the Dolphins struggled against the Jaguars, but in the end Tyreek was a difference maker, it wasn’t just the game-break gains, but his four first down catches that helped cement a big comeback for Miami and get them off to a hot start.
No. 6: T.J. Edwards, LB — Chicago Bears
15 tackles, 2 for a loss, 1 fumble recovery
The NFL’s leading tackler in Week 1, Edwards was a difference-making tackling machine against the Titans. The number of stops is impressive in isolation, but Edwards set the ton and ensured Tony Pollard didn’t keep rolling after a big start to the game.
The fumble recovery was the icing on the cake, and ensured the Bears could win off the back of their defense.
Worst of the week
No. 1: Deshaun Watson, QB — Cleveland Browns
24-for-45, 169 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Deshaun Watson is so cooked. Right now he’s playing football like someone who doesn’t want to be on the field, and it shows. His accuracy is all over the map, he makes bad decisions with the ball in his hands, and at no point on Sunday did Watson play like an elite quarterback (which he’s being paid to be).
A team can only go as far as their QB allows, and right now Watson is dragging the Browns down with him.
No. 2: Bo Nix, QB — Denver Broncos
26-for-42, 138 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT
Proving that preseason is only preseason, Bo Nix didn’t show anything on Sunday to indicate he’s an NFL-caliber quarterback. Clearly lost in the moment, Nix’s downfield throws weren’t even in the same zipcode as his receivers most of the time, and his two interceptions were just ugly.
At some point the blame has to fall on Sean Payton, who is clearly struggling to dial up offenses that work in Denver. Each week his QBs look underprepared and overmatched, and that is a factor of the process during game week.
No. 3: Caleb Wiliams, QB — Chicago Bears
14-for-29, 93 yards
It’s one week, and long term Caleb Williams is going to be fine, but my goodness his debut against the Texans was ugly. There were wide open passes he overthrew completely, a few that came very close to being picked off, and dramatic overconfidence when under pressure which led to Williams thinking he could out-scramble NFL-caliber defenders, losing big yards in the process.
This was all punctuated by the fact the No. 1 overall pick had so much expectation entering Sunday and didn’t back it up with a single big play — which was disheartening considering the Bears played a mediocre Titans team.
No. 4: Bryce Young, QB — Carolina Panthers
13-for-30, 161 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT
The only nice thing to say about Bryce Young’s performance is that it can only go up from here. The Carolina Panthers entire team went into New Orleans and looked completely unready to play NFL football, which is a factor of their lack of reps in preseason.
Young’s two interceptions were gross, but the bigger issue is that right now he just doesn’t look comfortable under center and doesn’t trust his wide receivers. There were flashes of good play, but they were few and far between. It’s going to be a long season in Carolina.
No. 5: Daniel Jones and his relationship with Malik Nabers
Yeah, I give this about two weeks before everything explodes on the sideline.
“I’m getting out on my routes and just trying to make a play, trying to find a better throw for him to make. I was just doing my job, that’s all I can do.”
– Malik Nabers on if Daniel Jones looked for him enough today pic.twitter.com/bs08s92ztm
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) September 8, 2024
No. 6: Will Levis, QB — Tennessee Titans
19-for-32, 127 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Levis might have made this list independent of costing his team the game, but when you throw the dumbest, but there has to be some special acknowledgment when you throw the most-inane interception of the week and immediately surrender cobra.
Sorry Will, but this is just comedy.
