NFL Week 1’s big questions and takeaways from every game: Huge days for Sam Darnold, Joe Mixon

The 2024 NFL season is here, and Week 1 has been wild. In the early window, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams won his NFL debut, Jerod Mayo earned his first win as the New England Patriots head coach and Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings shut down the New York Giants.

Our NFL Nation reporters are reacting to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you might need to know for every team. Let’s get to it.

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TEN-CHI | NE-CIN
MIN-NYG | GB-PHI | BAL-KC

Bears

What went wrong for the offense in Caleb Williams’ debut? Williams became the first quarterback drafted No. 1 overall to win his NFL debut since 2002 but didn’t look very comfortable throughout. That was reflected in the first half by three off-target incompletions on throws of 15 or more yards and multiple passes that were batted down by defenders. The Bears won the game despite generating just 148 yards of offense and had to rely on special teams (three field goals by Cairo Santos and a blocked punt that safety Jonathan Owens returned for a touchdown) and a pick-six to generate their scoring output.

Describe the game in two words: Late breakthrough. Chicago’s defense put the finishing touches in the fourth quarter when a third-down blitz led to a 43-yard pick-six by Tyrique Stevenson. The defensive breakthrough came after the unit, which ranked No. 1 against the run last season, let Tennessee rush for 115 yards in the first half. There’s plenty to clean up, but the defense delivered at the end.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Not enough run support. The coaches implored Williams to play point guard on early downs. It’s hard to do that when the run game failed to provide the rookie with much support. Chicago totaled 84 rushing yards (3.8 yards per attempt), and it wasn’t until Williams scrambled for a first down in the third quarter that the run game had any effect against the Titans. — Courtney Cronin

Next game: at Houston (Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET)

Titans

Where was the passing game after adding two big time WRs? The Titans’ passing attack fell short of expectations after adding the top free agent receiver in Calvin Ridley and veteran slot specialist Tyler Boyd. Bad protection and a banged-up DeAndre Hopkins were part of the problem. Quarterback Will Levis missed a big opportunity on a deep throw to Ridley in the second quarter, and the offense went cold after ending the first half with a 17-3 lead. Levis finished 19-of-32 passing for 127 yards and a touchdown. He also threw two interceptions, and no receiver caught more than five passes.

Describe the game in two words: Oh no! That’s what Titans coach Brian Callahan was thinking after three plays changed the game. The last one was a pick-six after Levis tried to throw the ball away. Chicago got another touchdown on a blocked kick that was returned. The momentum started to shift in the second quarter on a 66-yard punt return.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Special teams execution. The unit was a big problem, which led to two scores for Chicago. The first score came after DeAndre Carter returned a punt 66 yards to set up a 40-yard field goal. Then there was Owens’ touchdown return on the blocked punt. — Turron Davenport

Next game: vs. Jets (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Patriots

What can the Patriots do to generate more explosive plays? Without an elite separator among their skill-position players, the Patriots’ best chance at success is to string together sustained drives and wear down the opposition. That was the plan against the Bengals, and in opening a 10-0 first-half lead and finishing plus-2 in the turnover differential, they played most of the game on their terms. But this is a tough way to live in the NFL over a 17-game season. Their longest completion to a receiver was to Tyquan Thornton for 17 yards.

Describe the game in two words: Mayo mentality. The Patriots want to be a hard-nosed, disciplined and fundamentally sound team under new coach Jerod Mayo, and those were the ingredients that contributed to Mayo earning his first career victory.

Buying or selling defensive end Keion White‘s breakout performance: Buying. The second-year versatile defensive lineman/edge rusher, who is elevating into an expanded role following the trade of Matthew Judon, totaled 2.5 sacks. The pass rush, led by White, made life challenging for Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. — Mike Reiss

Next game: vs. Seahawks (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Bengals

Can quarterback Joe Burrow push the ball downfield more often? The preseason carried over into Week 1. Coming off a wrist surgery that ended his season a year ago, Burrow was hesitant to push the ball downfield toward the end of training camp. On Sunday, 16 of his first 20 pass attempts were within five yards of the line of scrimmage, per ESPN Stats & Information. In the third quarter, he finally unleashed a deep pass down the right sideline to Andrei Iosivas, which prompted a pass interference penalty.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Planning for Week 1. The Bengals started out stale again. For the second straight season opener, the Bengals were held scoreless in the first half. In fact, they trailed by 10 or more for the third straight season and haven’t scored a touchdown in the first half of the opener since 2021. The chemistry, especially on offense, wasn’t there — with the absence of WR Tee Higgins (hamstring) noticeable.

Eye-popping advanced stat: At one point, Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson had more than 24 rushing yards over expectation, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Cincinnati was unable to stop New England’s rushing attack early in the game, which allowed the Patriots to build and protect a lead. — Ben Baby

Next game: at Chiefs (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)

Vikings

Is this the real Sam Darnold? In his first Week 1 start in three years, Darnold produced one of his best NFL games, completing 19 of 24 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns. Before his arm was hit on a fourth-quarter pass, forcing an interception, he had a passer rating of 142 — which would have been a career high. No conclusions should be drawn off of one start, but Darnold did everything the Vikings could have hoped for, most notably throwing a pinpoint 44-yard pass to receiver Justin Jefferson and keeping his cool against an active Giants pass rush. It was the kind of game that should remind everyone why Darnold was the No. 3 overall pick of the 2018 draft.

Buying or selling Andrew Van Ginkel‘s breakout performance: Buying. The linebacker didn’t get much attention among a flurry of free agent signings this spring, but Sunday showed how valuable he can be to Brian Flores’ defense. He recorded a sack and a pick-six, sniffing out QB Daniel Jones‘ short pass while gearing down his pass rush accordingly. It was no surprise to those who have seen him make similar plays in training camp.

Describe the game in two words: New beginning. The 22-point win was the Vikings’ largest margin of victory since coach Kevin O’Connell was hired to start the 2022 season. They have won 20 games over that stretch, but 17 of them have been by one score. In a year when pundits have universally picked them to finish last in the NFC North, it was a notable development. — Kevin Seifert

Next game: vs. 49ers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Giants

Is this a sign of what’s to come for the Giants this season? The Giants were blown off the field by Minnesota in the opener. They heard boos after their second offensive play, again while leaving the field at for halftime and consistently throughout the second half. The problem is New York and Jones looked very much like last season with their offensive struggles, which included one pick-six and another interception. There is no getting past this reality: Next week vs. Washington is already a must-win game or else this season will get ugly.

Describe the game in two words: Profoundly disappointing. How else can you describe getting smoked at home by Darnold and the Vikings? It took the Giants’ defense until 1:15 remaining in the first half to force an incompletion. The fate of this team (specifically the defense) rests on its pass rush. Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux combined for four tackles, one QB hit and no sacks.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Where were the downfield passes the Giants spent all summer practicing? They didn’t attempt a single pass over 20 air yards in the first three quarters. They had six attempts (three completions) on intermediate routes (10-20 yards). The offense didn’t look any different with Brian Daboll as the playcaller than it did last season with Mike Kafka. — Jordan Raanan

Next game: at Commanders (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Eagles

Is this what we should expect from RB Saquon Barkley moving forward? It was as good of a debut as the Eagles could have hoped for with Barkley rushing for over 100 yards and scoring three touchdowns. He impacted the game as a runner and a receiver, highlighted by his 18-yard touchdown reception along the left sideline in the second quarter. With top-end playmakers like Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith on the roster, Barkley knows there will be quieter nights ahead, personally, to allow for others to shine. But Friday sent a message to the league that Barkley intends on making his seventh NFL season one to remember.

Eye-popping advanced stat: Hurts and the Eagles struggled against the blitz last season, but Friday’s performance offered promise that things could be turning around. Hurts was 6-of-8 for 91 yards and a touchdown against the blitz while also scrambling once for eight yards and a first down. With center Jason Kelce retiring, Hurts has assumed more of the protection responsibilities. He passed his first test.

Buying or selling linebacker Zack Baun‘s breakout performance: Buying. Baun led the way with 15 tackles, two sacks and a pair of quarterback hits. His takedown of QB Malik Willis with three seconds remaining sealed the win for Philly. The former Saint played mostly on the outside in New Orleans, but defensive coordinator Vic Fangio believed he had the skill set to excel at off-ball linebacker. Early returns suggest his instincts were on point. — Tim McManus

Next game: vs. Falcons (Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET)

Packers

Can the Packers win without QB Jordan Love? General manager Brian Gutekunst didn’t think they could with Sean Clifford as the backup coming out of training camp — or at the very least, he thought Malik Willis was a better option because he traded for him at the end of camp. While Clifford was re-signed to the practice squad, Willis served as the backup in the opener and took the final two snaps after Love left injured. Whoever fills in for Love over the next 3-6 weeks, while he recovers from the MCL sprain in his left knee, will at least have playmaking skill-position players around him in running back Josh Jacobs (18 touches for 104 total yards) and receivers Jayden Reed (four catches for 138 yards plus a 33-yard touchdown run), Romeo Doubs (four catches for 50 yards) and Christian Watson (one touchdown).

Describe the game in two words: International injury. The Packers have played two games as part of the NFL’s international series, and both times left that country with an injured quarterback. Two years ago, Aaron Rodgers broke his thumb on the final play of the 2022 loss to the Giants in London, and it impacted him for much of the rest of the season. They were the last NFL team to take part a regular-season game out of the country, and after doing it twice in three seasons, probably hope they stay stateside for the next several years.

Eye-popping advanced stat: New Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has preached an aggressive style, but at times it backfired. He blitzed Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts nine times, according to ESPN Stats & Information, and Hurts completed 75% percent of his passes for 91 yards and a touchdown and scrambled for eight yards and a first down on plays when Hafley sent extra pass rushers. Last season, Hurts threw eight interceptions against the blitz. — Rob Demovsky

Next game: vs. Colts (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Chiefs

Is the big play really back? The Chiefs are off to a good start in that category. They had five pass plays of 23 yards or more against Baltimore, with yards after the catch being a bigger factor than downfield passes. Kansas City should benefit when they get Marquise Brown back in its lineup. One of their faster receivers, Brown didn’t play against the Ravens because of injury. Xavier Worthy‘s 21-yard touchdown run was longer than all but one of their rushing TDs last season.

Buying or selling Worthy’s breakout performance: Buying. Worthy scored a touchdown on a 21-yard run the first time he got the ball in an NFL game. He later caught a 35-yard touchdown pass. While he won’t always score twice in a game, look for Worthy to have this kind of impact. He won’t necessarily get a high volume of touches but he will make the most of those he gets.

Eye-popping advanced stat: Wide receiver Rashee Rice, who caught seven passes for 103 yards, had 69 of those yards after the catch. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was often able to find him when he was moving up the field with a defender trailing him. — Adam Teicher

Next game: vs. Bengals (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)

Ravens

How do the Ravens rebound from an emotional last-second loss to the Chiefs? Baltimore has to move on quickly because of its tough early schedule. The Ravens’ next four opponents combined for a 40-28 record (.588) last season. After next week’s home opener against the Raiders, the Ravens play two division winners: at the Cowboys and home against the Bills. Baltimore then plays at the Bengals, who are considered the Ravens’ chief competition in the AFC North. There’s little margin for error for the Ravens, who traditionally start strong under coach John Harbaugh.

Are you buying or selling tight end Isaiah Likely‘s breakout performance? Buying. Likely was QB Lamar Jackson‘s favorite target in the opener, setting career-highs in receptions (nine) and receiving yards (111). Likely nearly caught his second touchdown with no time remaining to potentially win the game for the Ravens, but his right foot was ruled out of bounds. This performance was a carryover from last season, when Likely scored six touchdowns in his final seven games.

Biggest hole in the game plan: The Ravens’ short passing game. In the first half, Jackson got rid of the ball quick in the flats to average 1.3 air yards per pass attempt, which limited big play opportunities. But, when trailing in the second half, Jackson began to stretch the field more, averaging 10.7 air yards per attempt and leading to 10 points in the fourth quarter. — Jamison Hensley

Next game: vs. Raiders (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)