Welcome to our weekly look at what has happened in the NFL over the past week, starting with the first dramatic week of the new season!
Each week, we will be highlighting some of the top performances, by teams and individuals, giving you our updated power rankings of all 32 teams, as well as full coverage of the results from the previous week, divisional standings and preview and tips of this week’s forthcoming games.
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Let’s now take a look at some of the main headlines from Week 1 of the NFL 2022 Regular Season.
NFL Matchday 1 – Main Stories
It’s very early to comment on my Divisional Championship predictions from a few weeks back, but even I feel that some of those predictions already are starting to look a little shaky, while some look rock solid.
Bills Put Rams To The Sword – Buffalo Bills signalled their intent for the season and showcased why they are the bookies Super Bowl favourites with a comprehensive victory over last year’s Super Bowl Champions, the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.
Seahawks Hand Wilson Unhappy Return To Seattle – Russell Wilson’s move to the Broncos in the off-season was supposedly the final piece of the jigsaw to turn Denver into a Super Bowl contender. However, Wilson’s old team Seattle handed the Broncos a surprising defeat on the opening day of the season.
Bengals And Steelers Involved In An Incredible OT Game In Ohio – Joe Burrow committed five turnovers (4 Int, 1 fumble) but still almost led the Bengals to victory over the Steelers, who needed a field goal as overtime expired in what was an amazing game to start the season for both teams.
Giants Go For Two To Claim Titanic Win – A brave call from Giants head coach Brian Daboll to go for two points, instead of kicking a game tying field goal, handed the Giants a road victory away against the top AFC seeds in the playoffs last season, the Tennessee Titans.
Colts And Texans Open The Season With A Tie – A fine Colts comeback wasn’t enough to claim the win over the Houston Texans as the two teams could not score in overtime leading to a rare Week One tie between the two AFC South franchises.
Dak Prescott Out For A While After Thumb Injury V Bucs – Dallas QB Dak Prescott will be out for a considerable amount of time after injuring his thumb late in the Cowboys 19-3 defeat by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
NFL Star Performers of the Week – Team
- Buffalo Bills – Simply brilliant against the Super Bowl holder Rams in the opening game.
- Kansas City Chiefs – Offense looked as awesome as ever against a talented Cardinals.
- Miami Dolphins – A great start for the Fins against the Patriots.
- Minnesota Vikings – Superb against the Packers offense and deserved their win.
- Seattle Seahawks – Few gave them a chance against Denver, but they landed a big win over their former starting QB Russell Wilson’s new team.
- Chicago Bears – Outstanding defense was the foundation for a huge win over the 49ers.
NFL Star Performers of the Week – Offense
- QB Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) – 30/39, 360 yards, 5TD, 0INT
- QB Justin Herbert (Chargers) – 26/34, 279 yards, 3TD, 0INT
- RB Saquon Barkley (Giants) – 18 Rushes, 164 yards, 1TD
- RB Jonathan Taylor (Colts) – 31 Rushes, 161 yards, 1TD
- RB D’Andre Swift (Lions) – 15 Rushes, 144 yards, 1TD
- WR Justin Jefferson (Vikings) – 9 Receptions, 184 yards, 2 TD
- WR Davante Adams (Raiders) – 10 Receptions, 141 yards, 1TD
- WR Cooper Kupp (Rams) – 13 Receptions, 128 yards, 1TD
- WR A.J.Brown (Eagles) – 10 Receptions 155 yards
NFL Star Defenses of the Week – Defense
- Minnesota Vikings – Held the Packers to just seven points and Rodgers to just 155 yards.
- Buffalo Bills – Blunted the much-vaunted Rams offense to allow for a comfortable road win.
- Chicago Bears – Kept up the pressure on the 49ers all game, nullifying their main threats.
- Pittsburgh Steelers – Forced 5 turnovers against Bengals to lay the foundation for the win.
- New York Giants – Forced Titans to kick field goals and forced a number of key punts.
NFL Rookies Of The Week
Who were the stars of the 2022 NFL Draft that made a big impression in their first ever week of NFL action?
- WR Jahan Dotson (Commanders) – 3 receptions, 40 yards, 2 touchdowns
- RB Isiah Pacheco (Chiefs) – 12 carries, 62 yards, 1 touchdown
- EDGE Travon Walker (Jaguars) – 4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception
- K Cade York (Browns) – 4/4 Field Goals, 2/2 Extra Points, 58-Yard Game Winning FG.
NFL Key Injuries
- WR Tee Higgins (Bengals) – Concussion – Could miss next week’s game.
- QB Dak Prescott (Cowboys)– Thumb – Prescott needs surgery to repair his thumb and is expected to miss multiple weeks of action.
- WR Keenan Allen (Chargers) – Hamstring – Will likely miss Week 2 and could be out for longer.
- QB Mac Jones (Patriots) – Back – Jones had a back x-ray after the game and his injury status is not yet known for Week 2.
- EDGE T.J.Watt (Steelers) – Pectoral – TJ Watt is expected to miss several weeks after suffering a suspected torn pectoral in overtime against the Bengals.
NFL Bonehead Play of The Week
Tennessee Titans Offensive Coordinator Todd Downing saw his team on 3rd and 1 on their own 41 yard line against the Giants, with a chance to drive into Giants territory with a conversion and perhaps at least kick a field goal to make it a two-score game in the fourth quarter.
However, instead of handing off to a fit-again monster RB Derrick Henry, Downing called a crazy TE sweep to Chig Okonkwo, a play that saw the Titans pushed four yards further back. Forced to punt, they could not stop the Giants from scoring and rather than go for the tie, the Giants went for two and got it to claim the win.
NFL Matchday 1 – Results
- Buffalo Bills 31-10 Los Angeles Rams
- Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 Detroit Lions
- San Francisco 49ers 10-19 Chicago Bears
- Pittsburgh Steelers 23-20 Cincinnati Bengals (OT)
- New England Patriots 7-20 Miami Dolphins
- Cleveland Browns 26-24 Carolina Panthers
- Indianapolis Colts 20-20 Houston Texans (OT)
- New Orleans Saints 27-26 Atlanta Falcons
- Baltimore Ravens 24-9 New York Jets
- Jacksonville Jaguars 22-28 Washington Commanders
- Green Bay Packers 7-23 Minnesota Vikings
- New York Giants 21-20 Tennessee Titans
- Las Vegas Raiders 19-24 Los Angeles Chargers
- Kansas City Chiefs 44-21 Arizona Cardinals
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19-3 Dallas Cowboys
- Denver Broncos 16-17 Seattle Seahawks
NFL Standings After Matchday 1
| NFC North | NFC West | NFC East | NFC South | ||||
| Vikings | 1-0 | Seahawks | 1-0 | Eagles | 1-0 | Saints | 1-0 |
| Bears | 1-0 | Cardinals | 0-1 | Commanders | 1-0 | Buccaneers | 1-0 |
| Lions | 0-1 | Rams | 0-1 | Giants | 1-0 | Panthers | 0-1 |
| Packers | 0-1 | 49ers | 0-1 | Cowboys | 0-1 | Falcons | 0-1 |
| AFC North | AFC West | AFC East | AFC South | ||||
| Steelers | 1-0 | Chargers | 1-0 | Dolphins | 1-0 | Texans | 0-0-1 |
| Ravens | 1-0 | Chiefs | 1-0 | Bills | 1-0 | Colts | 0-0-1 |
| Browns | 1-0 | Broncos | 0-1 | Jets | 0-1 | Titans | 0-1 |
| Bengals | 0-1 | Raiders | 0-1 | Patriots | 0-1 | Jaguars | 0-1 |
NFL Matchday 2 – Fixtures & Betting Tips
Thursday 15th September
- Los Angeles Chargers (1-0) @ Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)
Sunday 18th September
- Miami Dolphins (1-0) @ Baltimore Ravens (1-0)
- New York Jets (0-1) @ Cleveland Browns (1-0)
- Washington Commanders (1-0) @ Detroit Lions (0-1)
- Indianapolis Colts (0-0-1) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) @ New Orleans Saints (1-0)
- Carolina Panthers (0-1) @ New York Giants (1-0)
- New England Patriots (0-1) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)
- Atlanta Falcons (0-1) @ Los Angeles Rams (0-1)
- Seattle Seahawks (1-0) @ San Francisco 49ers (0-1)
- Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) @ Dallas Cowboys (0-1)
- Houston Texans (0-0-1) @ Denver Broncos (0-1)
- Arizona Cardinals (0-1) @ Las Vegas Raiders (0-1)
- Chicago Bears (1-0) @ Green Bay Packers (0-1)
Monday 19th September
- Tennessee Titans (0-1) @ Buffalo Bills (1-0)
- Minnesota Vikings (1-0) @ Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
NFL Matchday 2 – Top Betting Tips With Bet365
- Eagles to win and Over 51.5 total points (v Vikings) – 23/10
- Lions To Reach 25 points first (v Commanders) – 11/8
- Steelers to beat the Patriots by between 13-18 points – 9/1
- Chiefs to beat the Chargers and over 54.5 points to be scored – 9/5
NFL – Power Rankings (After Week 1)
- Buffalo Bills (1-0)
- Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)
- Los Angeles Chargers (1-0)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0)
- Los Angeles Rams (0-1)
- Baltimore Ravens (1-0)
- Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
- Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)
- Minnesota Vikings (1-0)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)
- Green Bay Packers (0-1)
- New Orleans Saints (1-0)
- Miami Dolphins (1-0)
- Cleveland Browns (1-0)
- Indianapolis Colts (0-0-1)
- San Francisco 49ers (0-1)
- Las Vegas Raiders (0-1)
- Washington Commanders (1-0)
- Dallas Cowboys (0-1)
- Denver Broncos (0-1)
- Chicago Bears (1-0)
- New York Giants (1-0)
- Seattle Seahawks (1-0)
- Tennessee Titans (0-1)
- Arizona Cardinals (0-1)
- New England Patriots (0-1)
- Houston Texans (0-0-1)
- Detroit Lions (0-1)
- Atlanta Falcons (0-1)
- Carolina Panthers (0-1)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)
- New York Jets (0-1)
Join me next week when we take a look at how all the Week 2 games went and how that affects our power rankings and predictions for week 3’s games!
Featured image from Daniel X O’Neil on Flickr
