Every fan, player, coach and pundit will tell you to not overreact to anything you see in Week 1 of NFL action – and they’re mostly right.
After all, these teams may have been drawing up special game plans for months as opposed to days and, with most top players sitting the pre-season, many still have to get up to game speed.
But we need to talk about the Dallas Cowboys defence and its Week 1 performance against the New York Giants.
After getting rid of more than a dozen players from a defence that was among the worst the league had seen in years, there was some hope that the turnover would help raise this unit up at least towards the league average.
That didn’t happen. In fact, it was actually worse.
According to Expected Points Added (EPA) per drive, the Cowboys defence had the fourth-worst game of anyone since the beginning of last season and it was worse than all but one of their games last year.
That’s what happens when you give up four touchdowns on seven drives – one ended in a punt, another on a fumble recovery and the kneel-downs to end the game.
It wasn’t just the numbers, either, as the Cowboys defence certainly failed the eye test for Cris Collinsworth.
The commentator called out Dallas’ defence after tight end Isaiah Likely scored his team’s second touchdown near the end of the first half.
“I thought I saw some bad defence out of the Cowboys last year, but that sequence was as bad as it gets,” Collinsworth said on the Sunday Night Football broadcast. “They’re going to leave this corner completely wide open.
“I don’t know who’s blowing these coverages,” the former receiver added, “but they had two guys chasing the receiver three yards down the field and nobody on the corner route in behind.
It wasn’t a good look for a Cowboys defence that drafted stud safety Caleb Downs in the first round, signed defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to a huge extension and brought in new defensive coordinator Christian Parker from the Eagles.
Up next, Dallas will be at home against the Washington Commanders and if there isn’t some marked improvement, there could be some big trouble in Big D.
Did Madison Beer curse the Chargers?
But while the Cowboys did themselves no favours, there was one team that had a disastrous debut when you consider their pre-season expectations: The Chargers.
John Harbaugh’s squad was facing a Cardinals team expected to be in the running for the top pick in next year’s draft, but instead of handling the visitors with ease as many expected, it was the Chargers that had no juice.
While Justin Herbert’s pop star fiancée Madison Beer received plenty of attention on social media, many also were wondering if she had cursed the QB and taken his attention away from prepping for the season. The couple had already gone viral during training camp when they were caught cuddling up on the field during a practice session.
On Sunday, she was seen dancing after a touchdown from one of the boxes at SoFi Stadium, but the celebrations were few and far between for her and L.A.
Herbert was just 17-of-27 passing for 209 and was outplayed by journeyman Jacoby Brissett – not a great look for a player touted as a potential MVP candidate.
With a tough slate of games coming up, the Chargers are another supposed contender that must get things together before it’s too late.
What teams should you target in Week 2?
We’d be foolish to fully write off any teams yet, but there are few to target this coming week when making your picks.
In their home opener on Thursday night, the Bills should be able to light up the Lions defence. Detroit’s defensive secondary should remain one to target when it faces top-end QBs until it gets some key members back from injury.
While the Bears offence made a lot of headlines by putting up 59 points in their win over Carolina, don’t forget that their defence also gave up 37 points – the third most in Week 1.
So if you’re looking for some high-scoring games and fantasy players to target, look towards the Bears and their opponents in the coming weeks.
Between Cooper Rush and the injured Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa, I’m not entirely sure who the best option is at quarterback for the Falcons this season. Penix will get his chance when he’s healthy, but giving the keys to an offence with the types of weapons Atlanta possesses seems like malpractice.
And speaking of awful QB situations, Cleveland is sticking with Deshaun Watson for at least one more week, which gives us all at least one more opportunity to pick against the disgraced former star.
The Browns were dominated 34-10 by the Jaguars and should receive similar treatment when they go on the road to face the Tampa Bay Bucs this week.