The first week of the 2024 NFL season was full of surprises.
The New England Patriots defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in a surprise road game, the Atlanta Falcons’ revamped offense was disappointing, and the Tennessee Titans lost a game in which their defense allowed only 104 passing yards. The New Orleans Saints scored a whopping 47 points.
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Although Week 1 is of course only one week, it could provide a roadmap for the rest of the season. Here at Newsweek Sportswe examine all the storylines from Week 1 with our three biggest overreactions from the 16 games played.
1. The Cincinnati Bengals are in trouble.
When you lose to a team that’s going to fight for the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft, it’s bad. When it happens at home in Week 1, it’s even worse. When you only score 10 points with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase on the court, you panic.
The Bengals looked like one of the worst teams in the league on Sunday and now have to travel to Arrowhead to face the Kansas City Chiefs in a playoff-like atmosphere. Tee Higgins is not expected to play again while Chase is playing without a contract extension. An 0-2 start could make things very interesting in Cincinnati.
2. Cooper Kupp is back to his old self from 2021.
In 2021, Cooper Kupp emerged as the NFL’s best receiver. The Los Angeles Rams wide receiver won the league’s receiving triple crown, leading the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947), and touchdown catches (16). He won the league’s Offensive Player of the Year award and finished third in MVP voting.
Kupp has battled multiple injuries over the past two seasons, but he’s finally healthy again and it showed on Sunday night when he had a career-high 14 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. Matthew Stafford targeted him 21 times.
Before the start of this season, Kupp told ESPN that he believed he could return to his 2021 level of play.
“I don’t know if I would still be playing if I didn’t think I was still that way. That’s what I think of myself. … I rely on me to be there for my teammates, they rely on me to be there on Sundays,” Kupp said in May. “And I believe the work that I do, the things that I do, how I prepare, all of that will contribute to being the productive player that I am.”
Kupp proved on Sunday that he can do it.
3. Deshaun Watson has the worst contract in NFL history.
Nick Cammett/Getty Images
On the field, Watson is still a shadow of his former self. Since signing a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract ahead of the 2022 season, Watson has started 13 games for the Browns, throwing for 2,386 yards with 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. On the ground, he has rushed for just 356 yards and two touchdowns.
In his final season with Houston in 2020, Watson led the league with 4,823 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He ran for another 444 yards and three touchdowns and made three straight Pro Bowls.
Although Watson looked significantly worse off the field than the nearly 40-year-old Joe Flacco who managed the Browns, another civil lawsuit was filed against him for sexual assault and battery. In the summer of 2022, 24 more civil lawsuits were filed against him.
The Browns traded three first-round picks and six total draft picks and gave him $230 million guaranteed. Aside from his off-field issues, he was a below-average quarterback. It’s the worst contract in NFL history.
