Steelers, Giants and the other big letdowns of NFL Week 1

After waiting for Week 1 of the NFL season for several months, certain players and teams played like they didn’t know the regular season had begun. It was tough for certain rosters to get anything going, and they’ll go back to the drawing board to re-assess their plan. We’ll shine a spotlight on the disappointing aspects of the first week.

Even though the San Francisco 49ers were widely thought to have the better team, many believed that the Steelers would be formidable enough to hang in the game. Instead, Pittsburgh was never in the contest, as their defense allowed the 49ers to march up and down the field. Quarterback Kenny Pickett also came crashing back to Earth after a stellar preseason.

The electric rookie running back played well in his NFL debut, but leave it to the Atlanta Falcons to decide to go away from another highly drafted offensive player. Robinson’s first professional game could have been even more special if not for the significant usage fellow runner Tyler Allgeier received.

It’s hard to point the finger at one person for the Bengals’ atrocious performance against the Cleveland Browns, but Higgins had a horrendous day. Quarterback Joe Burrow targeted the talented wide receiver eight times, but Higgins still couldn’t record one catch. We can expect the squeaky wheel to be greased next week and for both players to bounce back.

The Minnesota Vikings were confident enough to let Dalvin Cook walk this offseason, and elect not to sign a veteran back to replace him. This was because of the faith they had in Mattison, who had an uninspiring game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He reached the endzone thanks to a powerful push, but was largely bottled up for most of the day.

The Tennessee Titans have a formula that they need to stick to in order to win games, and Tannehill’s three interceptions against the New Orleans Saints was not part of that equation. The Titans aren’t an explosive offensive team, and couldn’t afford to give New Orleans extra possessions. Those turnovers proved costly, as Tennessee lost by one point.

Even though the Saints won their Week 1 game, they have to be feeling awfully nervous about their backfield for the next couple of games. Williams was brought in to carry the load during Alvin Kamara’s three game suspension, but he had a lackluster performance. Rookie Kendre Miller missed Week 1 due to a knee injury, and might be back in time for next week’s contest.

This was the perfect opportunity for the Chicago Bears to show that they were about to turn the page in the NFC North, and they laid an egg. With Aaron Rodgers no longer in Green Bay, Chicago was supposed to dismantle the Packers and start their season off strong. Instead, the Bears once again played second fiddle to the team that has owned them in recent years.

NFL fans were extremely curious to see how the Philadelphia Eagles’ backfield would shake out in Week 1, and it unfolded in somewhat of a surprising way. The team made Penny a healthy scratch, after they signed him to a decent-sized contract in free agency. In fact, D’Andre Swift also got little work after the team traded for him during the NFL Draft.

Losing to a Los Angeles Rams team without Cooper Kupp at home is nothing short of a travesty for the Seahawks. Seattle let receivers Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell run wild all over the field, which set Los Angeles up with a big offensive day. It was one of the more stunning results of Week 1, and will leave a bad taste in Seattle’s mouth heading into their next game.

Sunday Night Football was expected to be a competitive affair between NFC East rivals, but it turned into a complete massacre for New York. The Dallas Cowboys put unrelenting pressure on the Giants in all three phases of the game, which ended up in a 40-0 drubbing. There weren’t many positives to take away from the contest for Big Blue.