The first week of the 2024 NFL season was full of surprises.
The New England Patriots took down the Cincinnati Bengals in a shocking road upset, the new-look Atlanta Falcons offense was underwhelming, and the Tennessee Titans lost a game in which their defense allowed just 104 passing yards. The New Orleans Saints scored a whopping 47 points.
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While Week 1 is, of course, just one week, it could provide a roadmap for how the rest of the season will go. Here at Newsweek Sports, we’re examining all the Week 1 storylines with our three biggest overreactions from the 16 games played.
1. The Cincinnati Bengals are in trouble.
When you lose to a team expected to compete for the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft, it’s bad. When you do it in Week 1 at home, it’s even worse. When you score just 10 points with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase on the field, you start to panic.
The Bengals looked like one of the worst teams in the league on Sunday, and now have to head to Arrowhead to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in a playoff-like atmosphere. Tee Higgins isn’t expected to suit up again while Chase continues to play without a contract extension. An 0-2 start could make things very interesting in Cincinnati.
2. Cooper Kupp is back to his 2021 self.
In 2021, Cooper Kupp emerged as the best receiver in the NFL. The Los Angeles Rams wideout won the league’s receiving triple crown, leading the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yards, (1,947), and touchdown catches (16). He won the league’s Offensive Player of the Year award and finished third in MVP voting.
The last two seasons, Kupp has dealt with multiple injuries. However, he’s finally healthy, and looked it on Sunday night, reeling in a tied-for-career-high 14 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. Matthew Stafford targeted him 21 times.
Heading into this season, Kupp told ESPN that he believes he can get back to his 2021 level of play.
“I don’t know if I would be still playing if I didn’t think that that was still who I was. That is who I believe myself to be. … I am counting on myself to get there for my teammates, they’re counting on me to be there on Sundays,” Kupp said in May. “And I believe that the work that I do, the things that how I prepare, all that stuff’s going to be there to be the productive player that I know that I am.”
On Sunday, Kupp proved that he can do it.
3. Deshaun Watson is the owner of the worst contract in NFL history.
CLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 08: Deshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns looks on after the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 08, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cowboys defeated the Browns 33-17. Watson’s struggles headline our Week 1 overreactions.
Nick Cammett/Getty Images
On the field, Watson continues to look like a shell of his former self. Since signing a five-year, fully-guaranteed $230 million contract ahead of the 2022 season, Watson has started 13 games for the Browns, throwing for 2,386 yards with 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He’s added just 356 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
In his final season with Houston in 2020, Watson led the league with 4,823 passing yards to go along with 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He ran for another 444 yards and three touchdowns, and made three straight Pro Bowls.
While Watson has looked significantly worse than an almost 40-year-old Joe Flacco leading the Browns, off the field, another civil lawsuit was filed him against him for sexual assault and battery. Twenty-four other civil lawsuits were filed against him in the summer of 2022.
The Browns traded three first-round picks, six total draft picks, and gave him $230 million guaranteed. Off-the-field issues aside, he’s been a below-average quarterback. It’s the worst contract in NFL history.
