We are one week into the 2024 NFL season. Here are five notable storylines of the week that was.
5) 49ers win easily without Christian McCaffrey.
You would have thought the 49ers would be challenged a little bit by the New York Jets with Christian McCaffrey out of the 49ers lineup with a calf/Achilles injury. Wrong. Brock Purdy still threw 234 passing yards, and McCaffrey’s replacement, Jordan Mason of Gallatin, Tennessee, had 28 rushes for 147 rushing yards and a major score. San Francisco easily beat the Jets 32-19 on Monday night.
4) Caleb Williams wins his debut.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams accomplished something on Sunday that has not been done in 22 years. According to Ricardo Klein of Newsweek, Williams became the first no.1 overall quarterback pick to win his debut since 2002. Williams accomplished the feat in a 24-17 Bears win over the Tennessee Titans. Williams only had 93 passing yards, but the Bears still came through with the win thanks to a 21 yard blocked punt return by safety Jonathan Owens of St. Louis, Missouri and a 43 yard pick six by cornerback Tyrique Stevenson of Miami, Florida. The first overall pick in 2002 to win his debut was Houston Texans quarterback David Carr of Bakersfield, California, who beat the Dallas Cowboys 19-10.
3) Solid Texans debut for Stefon Diggs.
There were some question marks heading into the season for Stefon Diggs. His 1183 receiving yards he had last season were the least he had in his four seasons in Buffalo. On Sunday, in his Houston Texans debut, Diggs might have only had six catches for 33 yards, but two of the catches turned into touchdowns. Houston beat Indianapolis 29-27.
2) Great Eagles debut for Saquon Barkley.
For the first time ever, the NFL had a regular season game in South America. On Friday night, the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers 34-29 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was a great Eagles debut for running back Saquon Barkley of Bronx, New York after six seasons with the New York Giants. Barkley had 24 rushes for 109 rushing yards and two touchdowns, along with two catches for 23 yards and another major score.
1) Patriots deliver huge upset.
Yes I am out in my two survivor pools after week one. On Sunday, the Patriots were a 7.5 point underdog, and came through with the biggest week one upset in six years. Cincinnati turned the football over three times, and could not stop Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson of Las Vegas, Nevada, who had 25 rushes for 120 rushing yards and one touchdown. As a result, New England won 16-10 on the road.
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