TNF: Bills 31, Rams 10

The defending champions dropped the opener as Matthew Stafford threw three interceptions and Allen Robinson’s debut was nowhere to be seen. Bobby Wagner, as evidenced in 2021, is not the linebacker in coverage that he once was.

Steelers 23, Bengals 20 (OT)

The Seahawks played Pittsburgh’s backup defense in the first preseason game and Geno Smith’s offense struggled to move the ball against reserves. Well, the starters debuted on Sunday and intercepted Joe Burrow four times while also forcing a fumble off of the defending AFC champion; the two Super Bowl quarterbacks combined for seven interceptions and 14 sacks taken in Week 1. Seattle didn’t opt to pursue free agent Mitchell Trubisky and that is proving to be as smart as it seemed: Trubisky’s stats might seem adequate enough but he was gifted five turnovers by the defense and played poorly. The Steelers traded a first round pick for Minkah Fitzpatrick and he could be the best secondary player in the NFL. The Seahawks traded more than that for Jamal Adams.

The Seahawks do get Pittsburgh’s fifth round pick in 2023 because of the Ahkello Witherspoon trade.

Dolphins 20, Patriots 7

I felt that Mac Jones was the third-best prospect in the 2021 draft and I suppose I still do feel that way, but we are seeing the result of choosing a quarterback with limited range in the first round. Jones is okay, maybe one day he will be good, but the Patriots continue to take a huge hit on offense for not making Tom Brady a single-franchise quarterback. Seattle took a similar risk by choosing to trade Russell Wilson—this is not condemning the decision, it’s merely a fact. Seaside Joe has always supported the move.

Ravens 24, Jets 9

Baltimore couldn’t come to an extension agreement with Lamar Jackson, so at the very least he will become known as an “available commodity” in 2023. Teams will surely be calling about trading for Jackson barring something very unfortunate happening this season. The Ravens had an easy win over former Pete Carroll assistant Robert Saleh and Jackson accumulated three more touchdowns.

Former Seahawk D.J. Reed had an interception off of Jackson.

Texans 20, Colts 20

Welcome to an era of football in which the QB can throw for 352 yards and the RB can rush for 161 yards and still only score 20 points in 70 minutes. Matt Ryan, who some were pushing for as a Seattle acquisition, fumbled the ball four times. I would be surprised if Texans quarterback Davis Mills had a long career as a starter, but he’s proven to be better than Trey Lance and Justin Fields so far. This tie could end up having a notable impact on the 2023 draft order, assuming (as I do) that Houston is picking in the top-five. The Texans also own Cleveland’s first round pick.

Commanders 28, Jaguars 22

Top pick Travon Walker had a sack and an impressive interception in his debut. There were never any rumblings about the Seahawks pursuing Carson Wentz, for what it is worth he had four touchdown passes but also tried hard to give the game away, including with two interceptions.

Bears 19, 49ers 10

It was not a clear day, but it was clear as day why the 49ers drafted Trey Lance and never seriously considered Justin Fields. Lance has a powerful arm and the athleticism to extend plays with his legs is no joke. However, Lance also has some of the most unconscionable and inaccurate throws imaginable and neither of these quarterbacks has any business playing on Sundays right now. Fields had the fewest number of completions on Sunday, while Lance had the second-fewest. The 49ers scored 10 points, tying their lowest scoring output in 2021, and there are 16 more games to go. I would be surprised if Kyle Shanahan didn’t stick with Lance for as long as possible, including through next week’s against against Seattle, but this performance increases the need to keep Jimmy Garoppolo on the roster.

Reminder: The 49ers and Rams do not own their 2023 first round picks. The Seahawks own two 2023 first round picks.

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Eagles 38, Lions 35

Detroit didn’t score 35 points until the final game of last season, so Dan Campbell’s team must at least be a little encouraged by that. But Jared Goff is still bad (I regrettably advocated for a potential Goff trade right after the Wilson trade but for some reason the Lions have been super committed to him; that was obviously not a good proposal by me) and therefore the Lions remain in the hunt for a high draft pick. They own two firsts as well, including one from the Rams.

Saints 27, Falcons 26

Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota were quarterback options in theory—it still looks better to have kept those moves in theory only. The Eagles, another team that could be eyeing a quarterback in 2023, have New Orleans’ first rounder.

Browns 26, Panthers 24

Baker Mayfield was sacked four times, fumbled four times, and had one pick and one touchdown during his first loss as Carolina’s starting quarterback. Nick Chubb was one of a number of examples around the league on Sunday of quality running back draft picks: Chubb had 141 rushing yards in leading Cleveland to a 1-0 start. A lot of fans for a lot of teams wanted to draft kicker Cade York—he nailed a 58-yard game-winner in his debut—but Seattle didn’t have the capital to pull it off; York was a fourth round pick and everybody here is happy with the Seahawks class. It would have required trading a 2023 third rounder to land York.

The Panthers figure to be involved in the 2023 quarterback carousel/draft.

Giants 21, Titans 20

Some fans have been too early to declare Saquon Barkley a cautionary tale. Barkley had 18 carries for 164 yards, six catches for 30 yards, and he scored the game-winning two-point conversion. Former Seattle linebacker Austin Calitro had a critical third down holding penalty that nearly gave the game away for New York. Ugo Amadi had five tackles for Tennessee.

Chargers 24, Raiders 19

Justin Herbert is a shining example of why team’s should be taking those early shots in the draft at quarterback: 26-of-34, 279 yards, 3 TD. One of those scores was to former Seattle tight end Gerald Everett. If a team gets lucky in the draft, like making an historic third round selection, so be it. But that doesn’t mean teams should have a rule against potentially picking a quarterback early when the opportunities are there.

Vikings 23, Packers 7

What does it say about former Sean McVay coordinators that Shane Waldron hasn’t had any head coach interviews but Kevin O’Connell is now 1-0 as Minnesota’s head coach? However, this game is also a reminder that it is only Week 1 and I don’t expect the Packers to have problems scoring this season.

Chiefs 44, Cardinals 21

Last week I wrote that I would rather have one Patrick Mahomes or one Josh Allen than the entire Saints roster (which I have a lot of respect for). How about I just say that I’m sticking to my theory on franchise quarterbacks? The Cardinals played as bad as their offseason looked. It’s not as though Lance is on the hot seat in San Francisco or that Kliff Kingsbury will be fired soon, but clearly the NFC West could have more significant shake-ups if those two rivals continue to play like they did in Week 1.

Former first round running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire caught two touchdowns. Carlos Dunlap had his first sack with the Chiefs.

NFC West standings

Seahawks 0-0

49ers 0-1

Rams 0-1

Cardinals 0-1

I’m posting this before the Cowboys face the Bucs on Sunday Night Football.