12 Grueling Truths we learned from week 1 of the 2022 NFL season

What we learned

Week 1 is always full of surprises. This season was no different as the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Colts tied the Texans, and the football was generally crazy the entire day. The funniest thing to do in week one is to watch the overreactions by fans who, if their team wins, is going to the Super Bowl and if they lose the coach needs to be fired, and their season is now over. Check out the top football betting strategies.

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1. The Cowboys are really in trouble

The Cowboys’ offense was most concerned about a lack of talent in their wide receiver corps and injuries to their offensive line. After Sunday’s game, the unit as a whole remains a concern. The most concerning concern are Dak Preston’s health. After he smashed his helmet against Barrett’s helmet, the quarterback will require surgery. Prescott had struggled before that. After failing on 15 of his 29 attempts, Prescott finished the night with a 47.2 rating. He and Cooper Rush were both sacked four times. The new No. 1 wide receiver, CeeDee lamb only two catches. Yes, it’s early. The Buccaneer’s defense was excellent, but the Cowboys were terrible. Dallas already had a shortage of weapons in the passing game and with Prescott ready to miss significant time the Cowboys fans who are sounding the alarms are right as the Cowboys are in trouble.

2. The Steelers are in trouble

Yes, they won, but losing TJ Watt for significant time may be the end of the season for a Steelers team that showed promise on defense yesterday shutting down the Bengals offense. Najee Harris was also injured so even though they won the Steelers have issues they may not be able to recover from.

3.Patrick Mahomes is still Patrick Mahomes

No Tyreek Hill, no problem, as Mahomes completely directed the Cardinals’ defense leading to a blowout win on the road on opening day. The Chiefs defense played well also, and that could just be a product of playing a woefully inept Cardinals defense but I am guessing that Mahomes is just that good, and the demise of the Chiefs has been greatly exaggerated.

4. Kliff Kingsberry will be fired before the season is out

I am still amazed Kingsberry even got the job with the Cardinals. But, now his time is coming to a close, and the Cardinals set themselves back big time by extending Kyler Murray, who is nowhere a franchise quarterback. The NFC West looks like a mess right now with no clear favorite as the 49ers struggle with Trey Lance, the Rams looked bad on Thursday night, and Geno Smith is the starter in Seattle. The NFC West looks to be the worst division in all of football.

5. These are the Packers

Aaron Rodgers was upset early on as the Packers took a conservative approach to play calling and Rodgers was a putrid 1-6 out of the gate. Rodgers is an all-time great quarterback, but he no longer has the weapons around him to get it done. The offensive line because of injuries was terrible, and the skill players are non-existent.

6. The Vikings will win the NFC North

This may be my overreaction for the week, but the NFC North looks weak with the Packers’ lack of weapons, and that’s one thing the Vikings have plenty of. WR Justin Jefferson may be the best receiver in the NFL right now. Jefferson had a monster game with six receptions for 158 yards and two TDs … in the first half. Four of those catches went for 20-plus yards. Justin Jefferson accounted for 90.9% of the Vikings’ air yards in the first half. He led the NFL in Air Yards share in 2021 (45.2%).

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7. Saquon Barkley is back, and the Giants finally have the right coach

The Giants behind Barkley out-toughed the Tennessee Titans on the road on Sunday and gave Brian Daboll his first head coaching victory in the NFL. If Barkley stays healthy, this team could make some noise. Daboll seems to bring the toughness out of the Giants who hasn’t been seen in a decade in New York. Do I think the Giants are a playoff team? Probably not, but they may only be a year away from that.

8. Trey Lance is not the guy in San Fran

Lance missed a host of passes and tossed an ugly INT when he stared down the wideout. The QB completed just 13 of 28 passes for 164 yards and took two sacks. Jimmy G. should be the starter, but the Niners brass has other ideas, and once the Niners run game was shut down in the second half, Lance had no answers.

9. The Patriots are going to have a losing season

Bill Belichick is the GOAT, but he lacks the players to win more than 6 or 7 games this season, no matter how great he coaches. Last year was a miracle run to the playoffs for a below-average team. Mac Jones is not the answer in New England, and that will become obvious as the season rolls along. QB Tua is now 4-0 against the Patriots in his career.

10. A.J. Brown takes the Eagles offense to a whole new level

Brown was a difference-maker on Sunday. He caught 10 of 13 targets and ran 155 yards. Jalen Hurts always looked to Brown when he needed a big play. This looks like a great year in Philly with the Hurts to Brown combo. The defense was concerning for the Eagles, but the Eagles are about to fly in an NFC East division that looks to be there for the taking.

11. The Lions are no longer a joke

The Lions gave the Eagles all they could handle on Sunday and came up a little short, 38-35. The Lions ran for well over 200 yards on the ground, and Jared Goff was solid. D’andre Swift rushed 15 times for 144 yards (a whopping 9.6 YPC) with a TD. He also added three catches for 31 yards. Swift needs a few more carries than just 15, and I am sure after yesterday’s performance that we will see Swift touch the ball even more in the upcoming weeks. The Lions as an organization seem to be finally moving in the right direction. Check out the top football odds.

12. Jameis Winston steps up

Winston and the Saints’ offense was stagnant for three quarters on Sunday, but when they went up-tempo in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons, that all changed quickly.  The pacing was too much for a Falcons defense that had dominated for the first three quarters, and its young secondary finally succumbed to the talented receiving corps of Jarvis Landry ( seven receptions for 114 yards), Michael Thomas (five catches for 57 yards and two touchdowns) and rookie Chris Olave (3/41) as Atlanta’s pass rush died down. The next question is why the Saints did not come out playing at this pace in the past. Winston has had great success in up-tempo offenses. If the Saints can play at this uptempo pace more often, they will be a dangerous team.