The Buffalo Bills and New York Jets close out Week 1 tonight, but after a full Sunday slate of NFL football, there has been no shortage of speculation and predictions for how the rest of the season will turn out.
Here are the five teams that should leave Week 1 the most concerned looking ahead.
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- New York Giants
Saying that the New York Giants should be worried after Sunday Night Football is an understatement. They were laughably inadequate to the point where it didn’t even seem possible for an actual NFL team to look as bad as they did. Yes, the Dallas Cowboys are one of the better teams in the NFL, but 40-0? The Giants won a playoff game last season, for crying out loud, and made numerous upgrades this offseason! Daniel Jones just signed a $160 million contract to remain the Giants’ quarterback through 2026, and now it looks like that signing couldn’t have gone worse. Coming into the season with playoff expectations, the Giants are now met with a critical game on the road against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2. With a loss, they would definitively be the worst team in football.
- Pittsburgh Steelers
I’ll admit, I was high on the Pittsburgh Steelers coming into the season and in Week 1. The San Francisco 49ers are one of the top five teams in football and proved that Sunday, but what was that from the Steelers? The Steelers netted a single yard through their first five offensive drives as the 49ers were sitting with a 20-0 lead. A single yard! Many expected Kenny Pickett to take the infamous second-year leap after a promising preseason and strong showings throughout training camp. Still, he couldn’t have left the Steelers faithful with a worse taste in their mouths. Defensively, we expected TJ Watt to uplift the entire unit in 2022, but despite his monstrous three-sack, two-forced fumble performance, the rest of the defense didn’t come ready to play. Mike Tomlin isn’t a losing coach, so in all likelihood, the Steelers will be prepared for the Week 2 test against the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football, but it’s a must-win from a confidence standpoint.
- Seattle Seahawks
Many predicted the Seattle Seahawks as a sleeper team to win the NFC West this season and even potentially come out of the NFC, but boy, what a discouraging game they had. Offensively, Geno Smith looked like he regressed to the old Geno Smith again. He couldn’t get anything going in the pocket against a Rams defense that, frankly, isn’t very talented aside from Aaron Donald. Defensively, they were supposed to take the leap led by a talented young secondary led by Tariq Woolen, but they got torched. Matthew Stafford passed for 334 yards without Cooper Kupp, as Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell made names for themselves. There’s one thing to signal a panic button, but in Seattle, everything they needed to break their way didn’t, causing a massive alarm to go off. This season has a lot of time to go, but it’s hard to have confidence after yesterday.
- Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow became the highest-paid player in the sport’s history only days ago and may have put together the worst performance in his career. Yes, the Cleveland Browns defense showed elite traits, but this is Burrow we’re talking about. He is being paid to compete and win against these defenses. He went 14/31 on pass attempts for only 82 yards. Not being an embarrassment should come with the job description. It’s only Week 1, so Burrow should bounce back, but in a loaded AFC where every loss could make or break your playoff chances, there is more pressure on the Cincinnati Bengals.
- Philadelphia Eagles
Listen, the Philadelphia Eagles won Sunday and are deservedly the front-runner to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. However, it’s clear we minimized the Eagles losing their coordinators, who each called the plays on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. It was sometimes ugly and head-scratching after the Eagles jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the first quarter, as their talent was still able to get the job done. Offensively, there was no clear direction with the plays being called by Brian Johnson. It looked as if Jalen Hurts was left out to dry far too often. Mac Jones and the New England Patriots had a good game plan, but Sean Desai struggled to adjust when the Pats continually beat the Eagles in the middle of the field. Losing both coordinators is the cost of being good in the NFL, so they must get their act together fast before the Eagles’ schedule gets more challenging.
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