Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase shine to lead Bengals past Vikings in overtime; Trevor Lawrence loses regular season game for first time in career; 49ers' rookie running back Elijah Mitchell starts in absence of Raheem Mostert; Jets' left tackle Mekhi Becton among injury concerns.
Monday 13 September 2021 19:11, UK
The 2021 season got off to a rip-roaring start as the first NFL Sunday provided shocks galore, some staggering quarterbacking displays and some standout rookie moments; here we bring you everything you need to know from opening weekend...
Jacksonville Jaguars 21-37 Houston Texans
Los Angeles Chargers 20-16 Washington Football Team
Seattle Seahawks 28-16 Indianapolis Colts
New York Jets 14-19 Carolina Panthers
Minnesota Vikings 24-27 Cincinnati Bengals (OT)
Arizona Cardinals 38-13 Tennessee Titans
San Francisco 49ers 41-33 Detroit Lions
Pittsburgh Steelers 23-16 Buffalo Bills
Philadelphia Eagles 32-6 Atlanta Falcons
Green Bay Packers 3-38 New Orleans Saints
Denver Broncos 27-13 New York Giants
Miami Dolphins 17-16 New England Patriots
Cleveland Browns 29-33 Kansas City Chiefs
Chicago Bears 14-34 Los Angeles Rams
Dallas Cowboys 29-31 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Thurs)
Jameis Winston vs Aaron Rodgers: there's only one winner, right?
Wrong. Winston was simply sensational, throwing five touchdown passes - one for each finger of every 'W' eaten - as the Saints ran up the score in a 38-3 hammering of the Packers. Rodgers, meanwhile, was picked off twice in a fairly disastrous day for Green Bay.
Kyler Murray too managed five TDs, though he threw just the four - to go with 289 passing yards - and ran in the other as the Cardinals didn't just upset a much-fancied Titans, they thrashed them, running out 38-13 winners in Tennessee. Arizona pass rusher Chandler Jones too racked up a five-for, of quarterback sacks, in the road win.
Jalen Hurts was another star of opening weekend. The NFL just seems to come all to easy for the second-year Eagles quarterback, who completed 27 of his 35 passes, for 264 yards and three touchdowns, while adding a further 62 yards on the ground.
Sam Darnold finished on the winning side in the 'Darnold Bowl', played out between the Panthers and his former Jets team. And Darnold dazzled in a way he never quite did in New York too, throwing for 279 yards and one TD, while also running in another score. Elsewhere Joe Burrow iced his comeback from knee reconstruction by producing a clutch 32-yard completion to C.J. Uzomah on fourth and inches in overtime to set up Evan McPherson's game-winning field goal against the Vikings.
Cam Heyward also reminded all that he remains one of the league's premier interior defensive lineman, setting the tone as a chief disruptor for Keith Butler's impressive Steelers defense with four tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, a fumble recovery and two pass defenses against the Bills.
"I thought he was dropping everything?" Burrow asked rhetorically as he took to the podium after Ja'Marr Chase following the Bengals' overtime win against the Vikings.
Questions had been asked of wide receiver Chase in the wake of dropped catches in preseason, only for people to remember preseason does not mean a whole lot. The No 5 overall pick's answer to those doubts was an NFL debut of five catches for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith got his season off to a strong start as he posted six catches for 71 yards and a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons, and San Francisco 49ers' sixth-round running back Elijah Mitchell channelled the offensive genius of Kyle Shanahan and Mike McDaniel to rush for 104 yards and a touchdown off 19 carries against the Lions after seeing Raheem Mostert exit the game due to injury.
There were also encouraging signs courtesy of Kansas City Chiefs' second-round center Creed Humphrey and sixth-round guard Trey Smith in the win over the Cleveland Browns after the pair arrived as part of a major offseason overhaul of the offensive line.
No 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence went 28 of 51 passing for 332 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in the Jaguars' loss to the Texans, while No 2 pick Zach Wilson endured a similarly rocky start to life in the NFL as he finished 20 of 37 for 258 yards, two touchdowns and one interception having been sacked six times against the Panthers.
Washington quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is expected to miss multiple weeks due to a hip injury he suffered on Sunday in the 20-16 home defeat to the Chargers.
Fitzpatrick exited the game in the second quarter after taking a hit from defender Uchenna Nwosu. The 38-year-old will have an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the damage.
Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy was carted off the field with a high ankle sprain as they beat the Giants in New York. Meanwhile, Jets left tackle Mekhi Becton was carted off the field during their defeat in Carolina.
San Francisco, who had such rotten luck with injuries in 2020, were dealt a further blow as it is feared that cornerback Jason Verrett has torn his ACL and will be out for the season. Running back Raheem Mostert also left their 41-33 win in Detroit with a knee injury, while Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah is due to undergo an MRI on the Achilles injury he suffered during the game.
The Browns are also waiting to find out the extent of the ankle injury sustained by left tackle Jedrick Wills on Jarvis Landry's touchdown run against the Chiefs.
Sky Sports NFL is your dedicated channel for NFL coverage through the season - featuring a host of NFL Network programming. Don't forget to follow us on skysports.com/nfl, our Twitter account @SkySportsNFL & Sky Sports - on the go!
