NFL Week 1 Four Takeaways
Nfc west is stacked
Heading into the season, the NFC West was viewed as one of the toughest divisions in the league and they showed that to be true as all four teams won in dominant fashion. Seattle, San Francisco and Arizona had impressive road wins with explosive offensive performances while the Los Angeles Rams and newly acquired QB Matthew Stafford took care of business at home. All four teams look the part of a playoff team and it will most likely come down to the wires as to who wins the division. Don’t be surprised if at least two teams come out of the West in the playoffs.
Second year quarterbacks impress
One of the main storylines entering the 2021 NFL season has been the development of the top second year QBs including three former first round picks and a former second round pick. Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow had a great performance vs Minnesota after missing most of his rookie season with a leg injury and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa took down AFC East rival New England and rookie Mac Jones showing off his accuracy and scrambling ability including a rushing TD. Los Angeles’ second year sensation, Justin Herbert, continued right where he left off last year beating a strong Washington defense and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts had maybe the most surprising performance of the week as the former Oklahoma QB led the Eagles to a dominating win over Atlanta. While its only been one week, its safe to say the 2020 QB class looks as good as advertised and it will be fun to see if this continues throughout the season.
Time for fields to start
One team that did not have a good offensive performance in week 1 was the Chicago Bears led by Head Coach Matt Nagy and veteran QB Andy Dalton. While Dalton didn’t have a bad performance, it was apparent throughout the entire game that the Bears were not playing the more talented QB, rookie first round pick Justin Fields. Fields played only 5 snaps during the game including a rushing TD giving Bears fans a small glimpse into what they can expect from the former Buckeye. If the Bears offense continues to underwhelm with Dalton as their starter, sooner or later the city and its fans will grow impatient and the idea of sitting the rookie for an entire season will not be an option. There will be a point where Nagy has to decide its time for Fields to take over the offense and I think we will be that time in the next few weeks.
Saints look legit with Jameis at QB
The New Orleans Saints had one of the more interesting QB situations entering the season after long time veteran and future hall of famer, Drew Brees, retired, leaving head coach Sean Payton with two options at QB- Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill. After the Saints named Winston the starter, many wondered if the former #1 overall pick could to his Florida State self and lead the Saints back to the playoffs. In the Saints matchup vs the Green Bay Packers, Winston led the Saints on 5 TD scoring drives and shocking the NFL world in the process as the Saints steamrolled the Packers 38-3. Not only did Winston have command of the offense but he looked confident and if he continues to impress in this same fashion, the Saints could be one the more explosive offenses in the NFL.