NFL Sunday Week One: Chiefs, Buccaneers dominate, kickers struggle
It was one wild opening Sunday to kickstart the 2022 NFL season.
After the offseason we’ve had, what did we expect? The NFL has a knack of producing the unexpected at every opportunity.
It was strange seeing Tyreek Hill in the aqua blue of the Miami Dolphins, or the Green Bay Packers without Davante Adams this weekend. But there was nothing strange about the excitement and buzz over football’s return.
Upsets, miracles and plenty of drama were the core ingredients for Week One. It’s only the early stages, yet already we’ve got a sense of what is to come for the rest of the year.
Chiefs set the pace, Vikings and Dolphins impress
Patrick Mahomes looks like he’s back to his very, very best.
The Chiefs blew away the Arizona Cardinals as Mahomes showed no sign of slowing down without Tyreek Hill. Infact, the star QB threw five touchdown passes as Kansas City ran out 44-21 winners in Phoenix.
Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Dallas Cowboys with a dominant defensive performance in Sunday’s late game, winning 19-3.
It was a disappoint evening for the Cowboys after a poor offseason. To make things worse, they’ll now be without starting quarterback Dak Prescott for a number of weeks, who needs surgery on a fractured thumb which he injured late into the game.
There were other dominant wins for the Minnesota Vikings and the Miami Dolphins, who overcame divisional rivals to claim a first victory.
Justin Jefferson dominated the show for the Vikings against the Packers in Minneapolis, as back-to-back MVP winner Aaron Rodgers failed to throw a touchdown pass in a 23-7 loss. Miami meanwhile blew away a disappointing looking Patriots side for the fourth time in a row.
The Baltimore Ravens also ran away with triumph without conceding a touchdown to the New York Jets.
Kicking drama galore
The game of the day came from the recently named Paycor Stadium, as the Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals in a dramatic affair.
The Steelers defense was on form as Pittsburgh, as Joe Burrow turned the ball over five times in a game to forget for the young QB.
It was the kickers on both teams who stole the headlines, with Evan McPherson missing a late extra point conversion to steal a last-minute win for the Bengals. In overtime, he and Steelers kicker Chris Boswell would both miss a field goal each, before Boswell eventually ended proceeding with a 57-yarder as time expired.
In fact, it was a day to forget for NFL kickers. Rodrigo Blankenship missed a 42-yard game winner as the Colts and Texans tied in overtime, while the Titans’ Randy Bullock missed a late 47-yard attempt wide left, gifting New York their first opening day victory in six years.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom though. Chiefs safety Justin Reid was forced into duty as a kicker after the Chiefs lost Harrison Butker to injury in the first quarter of their game against the Cardinals. Reid made the extra point, but missed wide right on a second kick.
Bears and Giants headline major upsets
Elsewhere, there were some surprise results from across the league in Week One.
The Chicago Bears edged the San Francisco 49ers 19-10 at a drenched Soldier Field on Sunday, as Trey Lance quickly found out how tough life as a starting NFL quarterback can be. For the Bears, it was the perfect return to the field after a difficult offseason in Chicago.
Meanwhile, the New York Giants came from behind to beat the Tennessee Titans, as Saquon Barkley put the league on notice with an outstanding rushing display at Nissan Stadium.
The Texans let slip a 20-3 lead over the Colts as the AFC North rivals drew 20-20 in Houston.
Full results of Sunday 11th September games:
Detroit Lions 35 – 38 Philadelphia Eagles
Chicago Bears 19 – 10 San Francisco 49ers
Cincinnati Bengals 20 – 23 Pittsburgh Steelers
Miami Dolphins 20 – 7 New England Patriots
Carolina Panthers 24 – 26 Cleveland Browns
Houston Texans 20 – 20 Indianapolis Colts
Atlanta Falcons 26 – 27 New Orleans Saints
New York Jets 9 – 24 Baltimore Ravens
Washington Commanders 28 – 22 Jacksonville Jaguars
Minnesota Vikings 23 – 7 Green Bay Packers
Tennessee Titans 20 – 21 New York Giants
Los Angeles Chargers 24 – 19 Las Vegas Raiders
Arizona Cardinals 21 – 44 Kansas City Chiefs
Dallas Cowboys 3 – 19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
