Dak Prescott led the Dallas Cowboys to victory hours after becoming the highest-paid player in NFL history; Week One concludes Monday night when the New York Jets face the San Francisco 49ers from 1.15am in the early hours of Tuesday, live on Sky Sports NFL
Monday 9 September 2024 16:41, UK
The 2024 NFL season is officially underway! From Anthony Richardson to Liam Coen, we pick out our award winners from the opening Sunday of the campaign...
The NFL was never going to come back quietly, was it?
On Thursday it was Isaiah Likely's oversized toe as the Baltimore Ravens were denied against the Kansas City Chiefs. On Friday it was Jordan Love's injury setback and Saquon Barkley's debut treble as the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers on the NFL's maiden trip to Brazil. And the footballing soap opera resumed well before kickoff on Sunday...
Tyreek Hill was detained by police following a traffic violation a block away from the Miami Dolphins stadium just hours before his side's victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, during which the wide receiver produced a handcuffs celebration following his 80-yard touchdown. Dak Prescott meanwhile agreed a new four-year $240m contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys to become the highest-paid player in NFL history ahead of leading his team past the Cleveland Browns.
And within that, Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar announced he would headline Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, much to the eye-rolling dismay of Drake (I'm guessing).
'Not Like Us' feels a fitting tag for Prescott as he raises the bar on quarterback contracts yet again, becoming the first $60m-a-year player in history and paving the way for more eye-watering money over the coming years. Prescott has become one of the league's most gifted and intricate conductors at the line of scrimmage, while piloting an offense that continues to rank among the NFL's most prolific each season.
He celebrated his payday by shredding a Browns defense that ranked No 1 in the league last season, relaxing some offseason concerns over a Dallas team nursing the wounds of its shock playoff defeat to the Green Bay Packers and reminding all that the Cowboys remain contenders. Nevertheless, Dak knows, Mike McCarthy knows and Jerry Jones knows that 'contenders' rarely cuts it in Dallas. His new contract is deserved, but it comes with mounting Super Bowl expectations for a team seeking its first Championship berth since its 1995 triumph.
Anthony Richardson vs CJ Stroud for the next decade? Yes please.
The excellence of Stroud is no secret by now; he has catapulted the Houston Texans ahead of schedule and is dicing his way to a place among the league's elite quarterbacks. Sunday was a window into what the NFL can expect for years to come as Stroud went toe-to-toe with Anthony Richardson on the Indianapolis Colts quarterback's return from a season-ending injury in 2023.
Richardson remains one of the league's most enthralling case studies, as the most athletically gifted man to ever test at the quarterback position and playing within a Shane Steichen offense seemingly perfectly designed to accentuate his unique talents. He answered early questions over his arm strength with a stunning 60-yard touchdown pass to Alec Pierce having slipped in the pocket, before scurrying for a rushing score of which few others in his position would be capable of. There were some overthrows on open targets, but nothing not to be expected in his first game back. He is a blockbuster double-threat addition to NFL Sundays, with deep ball hutzpah and frightening athleticism on the ground.
How long until the Cleveland Browns pull the plug on Deshaun Watson? It is difficult to remember a time when he was among the chief challengers to Patrick Mahomes. At his best Watson used to be among the league's most effective quarterbacks against pressure, but never looked settled against a Dallas Cowboys pass rush that swarmed him all day on the way to a 33-17 win. His accuracy was erratic, his field diagnosis blurred and the decision-making skewed in another major blemish on the fully guaranteed five-year $230m the Browns handed him, which is verging on becoming the worst deal the league has seen.
Watson's woes would meanwhile underline immediate encouragement for Mike Zimmer's Cowboys defense as they recorded six sacks and 25 pressures. It helps to have Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence along your line. In case you were wondering, Jameis Winston is Cleveland's backup quarterback... might be worth knowing that in a few weeks.
Baker Mayfield's Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked up where they left off as one of the fun 'not quite sure what they are capable of' stories of the NFL, the former No 1 overall pick continuing his career revival with four touchdown passes in a 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders.
There had been some question marks in the offseason when Dave Canales departed as offensive coordinator to take over as Carolina Panthers head coach, having played an instrumental role in orchestrating the scheme in which Mayfield had enjoyed his resurgence. Sunday was evidence that he remains in a position to succeed under Liam Coen, who arrives after spending the last two seasons as offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams and Kentucky. He put his faith in fourth-round rookie Bucky Irving to play a starring role out of the backfield, while finding ways to feature fellow back Rachaad White in the passing game alongside Chris Godwin and Mike Evans.
Among the most notable wrinkles was the play-call to tee up Jalen McMillan's 32-yard touchdown catch. McMillan had dropped a wide-open catch for a would-be-touchdown in the first quarter of the game after motioning in-and-out as part of a bunches formation, before Coen dialled up a similar play design in the fourth, this time motioning him out-to-in and setting up a routine throw for Mayfield. Coen's system was diverse and explosive, while showing trust in its young players.
There are more mumbles among an already-disgruntled jury after another uninspiring Daniel Jones performance. The New York Giants quarterback tossed an early contender for worst interception of the season to Andrew Van Ginkel as one of two picks in his side's 28-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The decision to let Saquon Barkley leave in the offseason was the right one for the organisation (probably), but his three touchdowns on debut for the Philadelphia Eagles delivered a sour contrast to Jones' struggles at the weekend. The Giants are paying their quarterback $40m a year, and look lightyears from playing their way back into contention.
Bryce Young's misery with the Carolina Panthers meanwhile resumed as the former No 1 overall pick threw two interceptions in a 47-10 demolition against the New Orleans Saints. The first was a dreadful overthrow on his opening pass of the game, and the second a guessed and overcooked attempted to pick out Adam Thielen after scurrying out of the pocket. Young was struggling to read the field, missing targets and taking chances in a desperate bid to make something happen, all within an offense that continued to lack diversity in its first game under Dave Canales.
The NFL's new dynamic kickoff rule saw early and glowing results on Sunday, delivering some early signs of its intentions to carve returns into 'real' football plays.
Brandon Codrington announced himself as an undrafted rookie in Buffalo as he reeled off a 53-yard return during the Bills' comeback win over the Arizona Cardinals, for whom Deejay Dallas broke away 96 yards to score the first-ever dynamic kickoff return touchdown in the NFL. The approach from teams will evolve across the season, but already blocking designs appeared more purposeful and more reminiscent of running plays.
Among the reasons the league introduced the rule was to generate more returns as opposed to touchbacks. It seems they are on the way to achieving that.
We might see Michael Penix Jr earlier than expected. Granted, it is Week One, but Kirk Cousins faced some early question marks on his Atlanta Falcons debut after a costly second interception in his side's defeat to a Pittsburgh Steelers team that continues to rely on its TJ Watt-led defense. The first-round selection of Penix Jr served an awkward offseason storyline in Atlanta, even if Cousins didn't want to admit it. The rookie is waiting in the wings to pounce on an opportunity to pull the strings to a star-studded offense.
Tom Brady will get better in the broadcast booth. There were some clear nerves during his commentary debut during Sunday's Browns-Cowboys game, but to hear football's greatest-ever player break down the sport he ruled is a unique experience. At the same time, even at 47 years old, he could probably still do a far better job at quarterback than some of those who started on Sunday...
Watch the New York Jets take on the San Francisco 49ers in the first Monday Night Football of the 2024 NFL season, live on Sky Sports from 1.15am in the early hours of Tuesday. Also stream with NOW.
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