Welcome to the Riker Report, where I’ll open up my game day files each week and share a quick-hitter observation or development from each of the eight NFL divisions. A hectic Week 1 featured rookie quarterback debuts, furious comebacks and thrilling finishes. NFL fans, we’re back.
AFC East: Patriots kick off Jerod Mayo’s head coaching debut with weekend’s most stunning victory
New England’s massive upset over the Cincinnati Bengals was astounding in its own right, but consider the game’s context: a team that moved on from the most successful head coach of the Super Bowl era playing in its first game — a road game, at that — against a Super Bowl contender. First-time head coach Jerod Mayo could not have asked for a better start to his tenure in following up six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick. And given Mayo’s background as a linebacker on Belichick’s dominant teams, the way the Patriots won made sense — a gutsy 16-10 affair in which the Patriots accumulated almost fifty more yards on the ground (170) as through the air (121). Journeyman quarterback Jacoby Brissett outmaneuvered NFL royalty, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, though the result certainly reflected on the Bengals’ lack of Week 1 cohesion and the wacky outcomes of the early regular season as well. Of all of the coaches to earn their first win this weekend, Mayo’s sure seemed to be the sweetest.
NFC East: Dak Prescott signs richest contract in NFL history, then his teammates steal the spotlight
It’s hard to imagine a better September day for an NFL quarterback than Dak Prescott’s Sunday: become the NFL’s all-time highest-paid player in the morning, then pummel a playoff contender in the afternoon. The Cowboys registered yet another lopsided Week 1 victory in dismantling the host Cleveland Browns, 33-17, and, for once, the league’s highest-paid man didn’t have to lift his team across the finish line. On Sunday, Dallas’ special teams and defensive units took over. On special teams, returner KaVontae Turpin returned a third-quarter punt 60 yards for a touchdown, while kicker Brandon Aubrey knocked in four field goals. Dallas also intercepted Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson twice and tallied six sacks. The playoffs are the ultimate test (and one the Cowboys have repeatedly failed in recent years), but as far as September games go, the Cowboys have to feel great about themselves.
AFC North: Ravens’ overhauled offensive line falls short in season-opening loss
The NFL nailed its primetime matchups to start the season, and the game that kicked off the season, a rematch of the AFC Championship, had plenty of substance. The Chiefs outlasted the Ravens 27-20 at home, but Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson passed for 273 yards and led all rushers with 122 yards on the ground. The Ravens’ defense also has reason for optimism in coordinator Zach Orr’s debut, which included intercepting otherworldly quarterback Patrick Mahomes in check and holding Kansas City to almost 100 fewer yards from scrimmage. The offensive line, though, should give Baltimore fans reason for real concern. The unit surrendered a single sack but struggled to keep pass rushers out of the pocket — tight end Mark Andrews had to shift into pass protection during the game — and the refs repeatedly dinged left tackle Ronnie Stanley for formation violations. New addition Derrick Henry garnered just 46 yards on 13 carries with limited rushing lanes. The offensive line was a major question mark for Baltimore throughout the offseason, and it’s a question mark that is only more prominent after one game of action.
NFC North: Quarterback Jordan Love’s injury headlines Green Bay’s disastrous trip to Brazil
Few things in life are as disastrous as a trip or vacation gone haywire (I was on the Daily Northwestern game day desk for a couple years, so I know). The Green Bay Packers’ Week 1 trip down to Brazil proved that travel in the NFL is no different. Simply losing to the Philadelphia Eagles, a solid 2023 playoff entrant in their own right, and becoming the first NFL team to lose in the Southern Hemisphere would have been respectable, but it got worse for the Packers. Quarterback Jordan Love suffered an MCL sprain on the Packers’ final drive of their 34-29 loss to Philadelphia and is expected to miss at least three weeks, and quite possibly more. Green Bay has a manageable schedule for that stretch — Indianapolis, Tennessee and Minnesota might be the three most winnable games on the Packers’ slate this season — but the dropoff from Love to unproven backup Malik Willis is steep. With Detroit eking out an overtime win over the Rams on Sunday Night Football and Chicago rallying to top the Titans, the Packers will have a real challenge in keeping pace with the rest of the division while weathering their most difficult storm in years.
AFC South: Texans re-establish themselves as the class of the AFC South
Of the three divisional games played on the regular season’s opening weekend, the Texans-Colts clash was the most entertaining and, quite possibly, the most meaningful. Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson displayed flashes of absolute brilliance with his arm and kept Indianapolis in the game, but the Texans’ offense thrived and showed off its new additions. Running back Joe Mixon rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown in his Texans debut, while wide receiver Stefon Diggs found the end zone twice and tallied six receptions in his first game with Houston. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud also outplayed Richardson, completing 15 more passes and finishing without a turnover in a pivotal road win. The Chargers’ win over Las Vegas made for a cheerful postgame scene with new head coach Jim Harbaugh and New Orleans’ 47-10 demolition of Carolina was the week’s most definitive win. Still, Houston accomplished a great deal by going on the road and finishing off a very capable and talented opponent.
NFC South: Falcons offense sputters in Kirk Cousins’ welcome to the ATL
Projections forecasting Atlanta to finally win the NFC South in 2024 underscored the Falcons’ improvement at quarterback as a key reason, along with possible improvements in the coaching staff. That premise seems shaky after the Falcons scored just 10 points on offense and fell to the mediocre Pittsburgh Steelers in their own building. If marquee free-agent signing Kirk Cousins’ two interceptions wasn’t bad enough, Atlanta lost to Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Arthur Smith — the guy who served as their head coach for the previous three seasons. Running back Bijan Robinson amassed more than 100 yards from scrimmage and Atlanta’s defense held Pittsburgh without a touchdown, but losing at home to a backup quarterback (Pittsburgh’s Justin Fields) and underdog team after so much offseason fanfare is a tough outcome for Falcons fans to digest. The Falcons should remain in the NFC South race until the regular season’s final month, but if Cousins isn’t at full health and the offense can’t get going against Philadelphia and Kansas City over the next two weeks, an 0-3 start is a real possibility.
AFC West: Broncos’ sweeping offseason changes yield familiar results in Bo Nix’s debut
If the Broncos had more optimism entering the 2024 season than 2023, it was more of a byproduct of their conviction in rookie quarterback Bo Nix than the actual quality of the roster. Russell Wilson is gone (though his cap hit is not), but the Broncos haven’t solved many of the issues that plagued them last season and struggled mightily against the middle-of-the-pack Seattle Seahawks. Asking Nix to win his rookie start in the notoriously loud Lumen Field in Seattle while still getting up to speed with his teammates and the Sean Payton system was a tall ask, but his two interceptions were downright brutal. Of course, pinning the blame on Nix isn’t fair. Denver couldn’t reach 100 yards on the ground and didn’t provide its rookie passer open targets downfield, and no rookie quarterback aced Week 1. From the offensive line to the linebacking corps to the secondary, is there a position on the roster that the Broncos have clearly upgraded since 2023? This loss isn’t catastrophic and doesn’t derail Denver’s long-term goals. In all honesty, the performance seems like a fair assessment of where the Broncos stand right now and the distance between themselves and playoff contention.
NFC West: San Francisco is the class of the NFC, even without Christian McCaffrey
Fantasy football owners of consensus top pick Christian McCaffrey may have been in even more pain than the Panthers and Giants on Monday afternoon, after McCaffrey was downgraded from questionable to out of the 49ers’ Monday Night Football tilt against the New York Jets due to a calf/Achilles injury. That didn’t matter much on the field, though, as the 49ers handled the Aaron Rodgers-led Jets and scored 32 points on the top-rated New York defense. Backup running back Jordan Mason erupted for 147 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Brock Purdy played mistake-free football to earn the 49ers’ first victory of the season. Whether or not McCaffrey returns to action in the coming weeks, San Francisco has the pieces to dominate opponents in an upcoming stretch that pits them against the Vikings, Rams, Patriots and Cardinals. As Mason’s outburst demonstrated, fantasy footballers might need McCaffrey more than his own team does in churning out victories — though the 49ers will eagerly await adding him back to the mix.
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