6 minSports
NFL Week 1 Takeaways: Bengals Flash Contender Form as Bears Erupt and Packers Falter
Cincinnati's defense and a healthy Joe Burrow have the Bengals looking like a top-five Super Bowl contender after Week 1, while Chicago's offense exploded for a historic opener and Green Bay's second-half collapse raised familiar concerns.
The Cincinnati Bengals opened the season looking like a team capable of competing for a Super Bowl, and the reason starts with a defense that delivered a performance far better than the final score suggested. Tampa Bay managed 27 points, but one touchdown came on a pick-six and another arrived against a prevent defense with Cincinnati already leading by two scores. The Bengals held the Buccaneers to 282 yards and forced four turnovers, a combination that gave Joe Burrow a short field and kept the offense in control.
Burrow was sacked just once, a significant improvement for a quarterback whose health has defined Cincinnati's ceiling in recent seasons. If the defense is genuinely this disruptive and Burrow stays upright, the Bengals have the look of a top-five contender in the AFC. The win was not flawless, but it offered the kind of complementary football that separates playoff teams from early-season pretenders.
Chicago delivered the most explosive offensive performance of the weekend, scoring at a rate that produced the highest-scoring season opener in NFL history. Caleb Williams accounted for four touchdowns, and the Bears got two 100-yard rushers in D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, who combined for 224 yards on the ground and four scores. That level of production is absurd regardless of opponent, but it also qualifies as a clear outlier. Anyone expecting Chicago to regularly post 50-plus points is overreacting to a historic afternoon. Still, the volume of weapons on that offense gives Ben Johnson plenty to work with, and a finish among the league's best units is a reasonable expectation.
Green Bay left Week 1 with the opposite feeling. The Packers led 22-10 in the third quarter against Carson Wentz, who was playing only because Kyler Murray was nearly decapitated on a previous play, and still could not close the game out. Surrendering a second-half lead has become a recurring issue for Green Bay, and the Packers need to identify why it keeps happening before it costs them again in a division race that figures to be tight.
Detroit's near-historic collapse against New Orleans looks less alarming in hindsight because the Saints may be better than expected. The Lions blew a 21-0 second-half lead, but Tyler Shough threw for 410 yards, Chris Olave played at an elite level and New Orleans erased the deficit despite committing three turnovers. Detroit still ran for 165 yards, sacked Shough five times and stopped a potential game-winning two-point conversion. The secondary is a concern, but the comeback said more about the Saints than about a Lions team that remains dangerous.
Buffalo produced the most meaningful win of the day, going on the road against one of the AFC's best defenses, trailing in the fourth quarter and responding with a 96-yard game-winning drive. Josh Allen accounted for four touchdowns and won in Houston for the first time in five tries. The Bills defense then sealed the result with a strip-sack after the Texans reached the Buffalo 9-yard line. That is how a legitimate AFC contender closes a football game.
Elsewhere, Baltimore overpowered Indianapolis behind Derrick Henry, who ran for 144 yards and three touchdowns at age 32. His second score moved him past Marcus Allen into third place on the NFL's all-time rushing touchdown list, behind only LaDainian Tomlinson and Emmitt Smith. The Ravens gained 506 yards and controlled the game whenever they chose to.
Pittsburgh beat Atlanta, but neither team should feel encouraged. Neither offense produced more than 264 yards or 13 points, and T.J. Watt supplied the Steelers' second touchdown with a pick-six. The Falcons at least had the excuse of missing Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. to injuries, while Pittsburgh's offense was essentially at full strength and still unimpressive.
Cleveland's quarterback situation remains the league's most glaring problem. Deshaun Watson's third pass was intercepted and returned for a Jacksonville touchdown, the Browns fell behind 31-0 and his lone scoring throw came with 1:52 remaining. He looked lost throughout, and the argument for starting Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel grows stronger by the week.
Tennessee and Miami both face long seasons. The Titans were outgained 367-195 at home by a Jets team starting Geno Smith, managing 112 yards through three quarters before Cam Ward's only touchdown came in garbage time. Miami was even worse, going 2-of-10 on third down, allowing five sacks and gaining just 259 yards against a Raiders team that threw two interceptions. At least Tennessee is rebuilding around a young quarterback. Miami's direction is far less clear.
