2022 NFL Week 1 Overreactions
After the inaugural Monday Night Football showdown between Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos against his former team, the lowly Seattle Seahawks, Week 1 of the 2022 NFL Season will be complete. Naturally, that calls for some leaguewide overreactions. Let’s dive into them!
Trey Daubert
Brian Daboll is going to be a damn good coach: This Giants roster is terrible. Daniel Jones is without question one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. They arguably have the worst contract in the league with Kenny Golladay. The Giants don’t go into Tennessee and win this game with the Joe Judge clown show — it just doesn’t happen. I’m not a Titans believer but they’re at least respectable. That was a coaching clinic by Daboll. There was a plan. The offense looked organized. The guys wanted to play for him. Even the two-point conversion attempt was awesome. Has Jones ever been more efficient? Maybe the Giants will be scrappier than I first imagined. I thought they had no shot to win this Titans game.
Matt Hanifan
Patrick Mahomes will be the runaway MVP: I’m admittedly not a big overreactions person but let’s overreact to the Kansas City Chiefs! Mahomes has been one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks since he became a full-time starter in 2018. But there was plenty of consternation about how the Chiefs offense would change without Tyreek Hill. Would it look better? Worse? How would it look? Well, Mahomes looked as dominant as ever in Week 1, albeit against a bad Cardinals secondary — completing 30-of-39 passes for 360 yards and five touchdowns en-route to a majestic 44-21 win. Arizona didn’t stand much of a chance at all Sunday, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Mahomes wins his second MVP if he continues to put up ungodly numbers. After somewhat of a roller coaster 2021 season, the Chiefs offense might be all the way back, y’all. You’ve been warned, NFL.
Jack Sabin
Packers won’t make the playoffs this year: Green Bay is nowhere near having a dynamic enough offense right now, even with Rodgers. I know their two tackles were out but that doesn’t excuse the fact they seemed to have no spark offensively and couldn’t move the ball down the field. The receiving core left a lot to be desired and I don’t think Lazard coming back will fix that. The defense (specifically the secondary) looked lost at times with Jefferson having a field day. The rest of the NFC North looks a lot better now as well, and teams like the Lions and Bears won’t be such guaranteed wins anymore.
Chase Racherbaumer
Matt Rhule will be fired by Week 6: It’s no overreaction that Matt Rhule is on the hot seat with his tenure so far as Carolina’s head coach. Following the Panthers’ loss to Jacoby Brissett and the Browns, Rhule’s hot seat warms up even more. The Panthers were held to 261 yards of offense on the day, under their season average last season of 299 which was the third-worst in the league. Carolina’s next six games consist of the Giants, Saints, Cardinals, 49ers, Rams, and Buccaneers which won’t help the matter at all. After that stretch, Rhule will be relieved from duties while the Panthers season goes down the drain as they hope to land a top pick in a quarterback-rich draft headlined by Bryce Young and CJ Stroud.
Chiefs are better without Tyreek: Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs put on a display against the Cardinals in Week 1. Many thought Mahomes and the Chiefs offense would have struggles compared to the offense they once had, but Mahomes instead throws for five touchdown passes in three quarters, showing the entire NFL that he’s still the league’s QB1. The Chiefs offense might be even better than years past with Mahomes spreading the ball around and doing what the defense gives him instead of forcing the ball to Tyreek Hill. The offense drove down the field at ease against Arizona all game and the defense gave the Cardinals offense and Kyler Murray fits.
Garrett Burroughs
The Steelers very well could be a playoff team: I say very well, because they have a MASSIVE hole on this team and his name is Mitch Trubisky. All offseason, I tried to spin it to where he could actually be decent for this team. Boy was I wrong. This defense will keep them in games, and if they can squeak out a few they have no business winning, they could steal a Wild Card berth.
Saquon Barkley is back: Brian Daboll is going to do wonders for this Giants team, and there’s no better evidence than Barkley. He was a monster for this offense this past weekend, upsetting the Titans. He could be setting himself up for a massive payday this offseason.
James Herrick
D’Andre Swift will rush for 1,500 yards: D’Andre Swift had a great game against the Philadelphia Eagles, finishing the day with 144 rushing yards with one touchdown on 15 carries. He added three catches for 31 yards in the air as well. Swift’s production against a quality Eagles defense makes his season-long outlook appear promising. Last season, Jonathan Taylor was the only player to eclipse the 1,500-yard marker. In 2022, Swift seems poised to reach that number. On Sunday, every time the ball was in his hands it felt like he could break a big play. This explosiveness translated to consistent success. Not only did Swift play well, but so did the Lions’ offensive line. If Swift can stay healthy and the offensive line continues to open holes, Swift will have a ridiculous stat line after 17 games.
Julio Jones will produce for Tampa Bay: Julio Jones had a productive game for Tampa Bay in their season opener, finishing the game with three catches on five targets for 69 yards. Tampa Bay also got him involved in the run game as he had two carries for 17 yards. I am not saying that Jones will return to his All-Pro form, but he is far from washed. If Tampa Bay can effectively manage Jones’ workload to help him stay healthy, he could provide a quality season. This seems possible as Jones only played 52 percent of Tampa Bay’s offensive snaps, according to Pro Football Reference. Jones will never jump Mike Evans or Chris Godwin on the depth chart, but he has good play left in the tank.
What were your top Week 1 overreactions?
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