NFL – 2024 WEEK 1 – STATS THAT STICK OUT
PASSING – TUA TAGOVAILOA (QB – DOLPHINS) JAX 17 at MIA 20
Tagovailoa entered his fifth year in the NFL with the highest of expectations after signing a massive four-year, $212.4 million contract extension ($167.1m guaranteed) in the off-season. Safe to say, Miami sees the 26-year-old Hawaiian native as their franchise QB for the foreseeable future. And the former Alabama alum started off the season affirming the team’s confidence in his abilities. During Week 1’s contest with Jacksonville, the QB passed for 338 yards, completed 23 of 37 attempts (62.2% CMP), averaged 9.1 yds per attempt and scored 1 TD with zero interceptions or turnovers. But perhaps more important than his exceptional performance on the field Sunday was the leadership Tagovailoa displayed in the locker room at halftime when his team trailed by 10 points. He reportedly inspired his teammates and coaches with a “fiery” and “animated” speech that helped bring about a winning comeback late in the third quarter starting with a defensive turnover and culminating in an 80-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Afterwards, Tagovailoa said his speech was a way to hold himself and his team “[accountable]” which is something Head Coach Mike McDaniel had indicated he had planned to do before his QB “beat [him] to the punch”. McDaniel went on to say, “I was really pumped to hear [Tua] constructively lead. It wasn’t, ‘Let’s win’ or ‘Let’s make plays.’ It was, ‘Let’s adhere to our standard,’ which is what a captain and a franchise quarterback have to be that voice to echo… If he wouldn’t have said it, I probably would have very closely, holding all of us accountable. And I think it was a cool opportunity for him in his growth and what this team definitely needs, and he knew it.”
RUSHING – JOE MIXON (RB – TEXANS) HOU 29 at COLTS 27
Joe Mixon played seven years with Cincinnati before they traded him to the Texans in March for a seventh-round pick. It was surprising news at the time, because the 28-year-old veteran back had finished the 2023 season as one of the top rushers in the league and, was the third all-time leading rusher in Bengals history. Mixon also proved his allegiance to the team in 2023 by his willingness to take a pay cut to help with cap savings and ultimately, to stay in town. Still, the Bengals traded Mixon earlier in the year likely for financial reasons (Mixon would be due an extremely high salary cap amount for the position and performance numbers not up to the standard for that cost). So, after his stellar performance during Sunday’s Week 1 game versus the Colts (159 rush yards, 30 attempts, 1 TD, 5.3yds/average, 178 total scrimmage yards), it was not a shock to learn that Mixon had directed some spicy words towards his former team. When asked if he wished the Texans played the Bengals this season, he said, “No… I don’t, actually because I just wanna leave them where they’re at, just like where they left me.” In the end, Mixon certainly showed up Cincinnati as the Bengals only had 70 TOTAL rush yards all day in their loss to the Patriots, which is less than half of Mixon’s total yardage with his new team.
RECEIVING – JAYDEN REED (WR – PACKERS) GB 29 at PHL 34
Jayden Reed may only be 24 years old and in the sophomore year of his NFL career, but he’s already breaking records. During Week 1 of the 2024 season, in 5 targets the Michigan State alum caught for 138 yards and had 1 TD and he also rushed for 33 yards for a 1 TD, totaling a career-high 171 total scrimmage yards. The receiving TD was for 70 yards and the rushing TD 30+ yards, which makes him only the third player in the last 40 years to achieve this feat in one game. The other two were Ezekiel Elliott and Herschel Walker. In addition, Reed has nine total receiving TDs and 3 rushing TDs in his first 17 career games as a Packer making him the first player to reach these numbers in that timeframe since 1961 (the first in the Super Bowl era). These outstanding stats carry forward the historic rookie season Reed had in 2023. With his 912 total yards from scrimmage (793 receiving + 119 rushing), and 10 total TDs (8 rec, 2 rush), Reed had the third most receiving yards by a Packers rookie WR in history. His 10 total TDs by a rookie is also third all-time. And he also set a Green Bay franchise rookie record with 64 receptions (beating Sterling Sharpe’s mark of 55 catches in 1988). The sky seems to be the limit for this young player and his potential. It just seems a shame that starting QB Jordan Love is expected be out for several weeks due to a knee injury he sustained towards the end of Week 1’s game. It could affect Reed’s overall record as a receiver since Week 2’s named starter is third-year backup Malik Willis – he’s only ever played in 12 games, has 0 TDs and 52.2% completion in 67 total attempts.
TACKLES – ZACK BAUN (LB – EAGLES) GB 29 at PHL 34
Outside of New Orleans, Zack Baun may not be a name NFL fans are familiar with. But they may soon be. The 27-year-old linebacker entering his fifth career year and playing his first game as an Eagle had a tremendous start to the season in Week 1 with 15 combined tackles (4 assists, 9 solos), 2 QB hits and 2 sacks, including the final sack of the game that helped seal the win for Philadelphia. The performance was an affirmation of sorts for Baun, who left the Saints in free agency this offseason after four seasons where he felt his skillset went underappreciated. Selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft by New Orleans, Baun would play most of his time with the Saints as a hybrid “off-ball” linebacker and special teams pro. But he had been looking for bigger opportunities to start games consistently and get more involved in the pass rush. He finally got the chance in 2023 when injuries opened new avenues for Baun in the roles he had been seeking with the Saints. And Baun shined. But, when he became a free agent in 2024, the Eagles’ new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and GM Howie Roseman saw Baun’s underrated potential and scooped him up immediately. And Baun was only too happy to go to the City of Brotherly love and show the promise he knew he had. Now the change is paying off in dividends. Baun said yesterday, “Everyone wants to be wanted, whether that’s in life, that’s in football, or anything. Everyone wants that sense of belonging. Since I’ve been here [in Philadelphia], it’s been this overwhelming sense of confidence in me and I think that’s allowed me to play at a really high level and play free and fast and allow me to be myself and not worry about mistakes during the game.” If Baun continues a similar path the rest of the season, opposing teams should be put on notice – especially New Orleans when the Eagles take on the Saints Week 3 at the Caesars Superdome.
FIELD GOALS – CHRIS BOSWELL (K – STEELERS) PIT 18 at ATL 10
Like a fine wine, sometimes kickers in the NFL just get better with age. And that appears to be happening with Chris Boswell, the 33-year-old Texas native entering his tenth season as the Steelers kicker. He has always been a solid professional kicker through the years, but during Week 1 of the 2024 season, Boswell did something very special. Not only did he account for ALL the points for his team with his 5 field goals (57, 51, 44, 56, 40, 25) and help the Steelers win, but he also became the first player in Steelers history to kick 3 field goals 50 yards+. Boswell also stepped up and kicked his first career punt (for 43 yards) after filling in for Cameron Johnson who experienced a season-ending knee injury in the fourth quarter. As a result, Boswell was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. It just goes to show that perhaps a legit NFL team doesn’t necessarily need a franchise QB to win games, but instead have a championship defense and kicker who can boot extra-long drives on repeat.
DUBIOUS DISTINCTION – LACK OF YARDAGE WIN (CHICAGO BEARS) TEN 17 at CHI 24
It’s hard to believe an NFL team won a game without passing for more than 93 yards and rushing for 84 yards, but the Chicago Bears achieved this improbable accomplishment in Week 1. In fact, Bears QB Caleb Williams did not lead the team to a passing TD in this game. Instead, he became the first No. 1 overall draftee to win in his debut since 2002 and the first Bears rookie QB to win a season opener since 1950. Unfortunately (and dubiously), Williams’ 93 yards passing was also the fewest by a No. 1 drafted QB who started an opener since 1983. So how did Chicago get to 24 points and overcome a 0–17-point deficit during the game against the Titans? Defense and Special Teams carried the day (3 field goals and 2 defensive TDs). But Chicago’s offense was not the only one that was lackluster during Week 1. Overall passing across the league during the opening week of the season reached its lowest level (for any week) in the NFL since 2007. Additionally, according to AP News, more than half the starting QBs during Week 1 failed to reach 200 yards passing in a game. And three rookie QBs combined for only 415 passing yards (including Caleb Williams, of course). It wasn’t just the first-time passers that struggled in the air, high paid veterans toiled in the trenches in Week 1, too. Happily, rushing was up, with teams running the ball 121.5 yards on average. To put that in perspective, 39.2% of all offense in Week 1 was from rushing, which is the second highest total since the start of the 2012 season. Perhaps less footballs in the air will help create more of an equalizer for teams on the bubble down the road? It’s definitely something to keep in mind…
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