Week 1 of the NFL season was not kind to most offenses sporting new quarterbacks, old quarterbacks returning from serious injuries, new coaches, new coordinators, or some or all of the above.
Dear Kirk Cousins: Sam Darnold, Vikings buck Week 1 trend of new-look offenses flailing a step behind the defense
The Vikings’ victory in New York was an outlier, as new players or old ones in new situations struggled in the NFL.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 10, 2024 at 8:22PM
(See: Cousins, Kirk; Atlanta)
So how in the world did Sam Darnold and the Vikings buck that leaguewide trend with a 28-6 road-win layup against the Giants?
“We talked about how teams typically lose Week 1 games more than they win them,” left guard Blake Brandel said. “So the focus for Week 1 was more trying not to do the self-inflicted drive killers.”
Yeah, but, Blake, c’mon. There’s a giant hole in that theory.
Sunday’s game started the same way last season spun down the toilet. The first play was a run that was stuffed. The second play was right guard Ed Ingram looking awful while giving up a sack. The third play was a C.J. Ham lost fumble for a league-leading sixth opening-drive turnover since the start of last season.
Leave it to coach Kevin O’Connell to peel a positive from somewhere inside that mess.
“What I was most proud of,” he said Monday, “was there was no feeling of, ‘Here we go again.’”
How in the world not?
“We’ve obviously seen that happen before a bunch last year,” Brandel said. “But I think there’s not a lot of flinch in this team. Our focus was awesome.”
Their refocus was even more impressive. Especially for Darnold, who posted a 113.2 passer rating while easily having the best debut by a quarterback with a new team.
The other side of that spectrum was crowded in Week 1.
- Cousins, the former Viking, had 155 yards, a 59.0 passer rating, two interceptions and, oh yeah, was beaten 18-10 at home on six field goals by Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell. Boswell made all three attempts from 50-plus yards in a week when the league made 20 of 22 from 50-plus. The Falcons had 51 second-half yards as Cousins — playing for the first time since tearing an Achilles tendon last Oct. 29 — fell to 4-21 when throwing at least two picks. “Just needed to play better,” Cousins said. Sounds familiar.
- No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams directed the Bears to a league-low 148 yards of offense. And beat Tennessee 24-17. Eight teams had fewer than 250 yards. Nine had fewer than 19 points.
- Last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Bryce Young, posted a league-low 32.8 passer rating as the Panthers were walloped 47-10 at New Orleans in Carolina coach Dave Canales’ debut.
- Speaking of former No. 1 overall picks, Joe Burrow was the prototypical Week 1 survivor pool nightmare as the Bengals mustered only 224 yards in his grand return to the lineup — a 16-10 loss to Jacoby Brissett and the Belichick-free Patriots.
- Broncos rookie Bo Nix, drafted 12th overall, two spots lower than the Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy, had two interceptions and a 47.5 passer rating in a 26-20 loss at Seattle.
- And Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson, also back from injury, looked lost from the moment Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer put on his headset until the Browns were booed off the field after a 33-17 beatdown.
While it’s nice that Darnold stood taller than the Giants’ Daniel Jones and all these other quarterbacks who have changed addresses and/or returned from injuries, one should keep in mind that Week 1 also is known for something else:
Overreactions. Good and bad.
“I reminded our guys this morning that it’s just one game,” O’Connell said. “The consistency is what is the truest measure of performance in our league. You see week in and week out that anybody can beat anybody.”
Oh, so this was what Atlanta expected out of $180 million lavished on Kirk Cousins.
