NFL Week 1 live updates (2024)

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The first Sunday of the 2022 NFL season is here! Check in with The Athletic for the latest on the day's top matchups, injury news, fantasy analysis and more.

• Complete Week 1 schedule and scoreboard can be found here.
• Week 1 game lines and over/unders can be found here.

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(Top photo of Justin Jefferson: Jeffrey Becker / USA Today)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Chargers opened their season with a 24-19 win over the Raiders on Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium.

Here are my takeaways.

MINNEAPOLIS — About a half-hour before his first game as a head coach in the National Football League, Kevin O’Connell found Justin Jefferson.

The rookie head coach had been making his way up and down the sideline, hugging Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, playing catch with wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell and shaking the hand of his quarterback, Kirk Cousins.

Jefferson was readying for pregame drills when O’Connell stopped him. The coach patted No. 18 in purple on the shoulder, chatted with him for a few seconds, then slapped Jefferson’s helmet with a smile as if to say: You are special.

The football world knew this before the Vikings’ convincing 23-7 victory over the Packers on Sunday, but Jefferson’s nine-catch performance for 184 yards and two touchdowns further cemented his limitless potential in a new system designed to highlight his ability.

“He’s probably going to be the No. 1 receiver (in the league),” veteran edge rusher Za’Darius Smith said after the game.

Against one of the NFL’s most vaunted secondaries, Jefferson, 23 years old and in his third season, amassed 158 yards in the first half — a record for a franchise that counts Cris Carter and Randy Moss as alumni.

At times, Jefferson was surrounded by so much grass and so few defenders that even he said he was surprised.

“Kind of,” he said.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — In perfect synchronization, three Arizona Cardinals defenders — linebacker Isaiah Simmons, cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. and star safety Budda Baker — exuded the same body language, the ultimate display of what it feels like to be amid an embarrassing defeat.

The trio, in the middle of the third quarter against the Chiefs, bowed their heads after yet another completion from superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes. They shook their heads. And then, with their hands on their hips, the three players looked up at the large JumboTron inside State Farm Stadium, watching the replay to see how they let Mahomes complete an intermediate pass to star tight end Travis Kelce, who was wide open.

Mahomes, at just about every moment in his performance Sunday, a 44-21 spanking by the Chiefs, left the Cardinals irritated, overwhelmed and, finally, demoralized.

The Cardinals, the unfortunate opponent the NFL selected to open the season against the Chiefs, were really just a conduit for a larger, quite explicit message Mahomes wanted to convey to the rest of the league: Even without star receiver Tyreek Hill, one of the league’s most potent skill-position players, the Chiefs will still be an offensive juggernaut.

Davante Adams was incredible. The star receiver made 10 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown in a brilliant Raiders debut against the Chargers. Despite his efforts, though, the offense was underwhelming in Sunday’s 24-19 season-opening loss at SoFi Stadium. While the addition of Adams gives the Raiders offense a dynamic ceiling, it’s clear that his presence alone isn’t enough for the unit to reach that potential.

“We gotta do a lot better,” coach Josh McDaniels said, “and we can.”

That starts with the offensive line. The Raiders used four different O-line combinations against the Chargers and made six substitutions overall. It’s highly unusual for that to happen in one game — especially when none of the adjustments were due to injury — and is an indication that the coaching staff is still searching for a competent unit up front.

Read more here.

This all can be prefaced by saying that the Steelers were playing their first game, on the road, with a new offensive line, a new offensive line coach, a new quarterback and an offensive coordinator who all of a sudden can call what he wants to call with the correct personnel around him.

Heading into the season opener at Paycor Stadium against the defending AFC champion Bengals, it made all the sense in the world for the Steelers to do whatever was in their power to protect an offensive line that was quite terrible in all three preseason games.

As I said, it made all the sense in the world, especially with a new quarterback who won the starting job because he was most likely the one who — let’s face it — wouldn’t make the mistakes that put the defense in a bad position against one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL.

And Trubisky didn’t do that. He didn’t turn the ball over once and took only one sack. He never made the defense defend a short field, and that’s exactly what they want from him.

“It was enough,” Tomlin said. “We are 1-0, just like special teams and defense. We win together, we lose together. I’ll comb through it from an analysis standpoint on Tuesdays like I always do.”

But was it the game plan put in place for Trubisky or the offensive line?

Read more here.

Jaylon Johnson acknowledged last month that he didn’t buy into the “HITS” principle right away.

Sunday, the cornerback credited “HITS” for the Bears’ 19-10 upset win over the 49ers at Soldier Field.

“I felt like it really won us the game,” Johnson said. “I thought we had some turnovers — started off with the punchout on the first turnover. And then Eddie (Jackson)’s pick. Really just keep finishing, going at them, keep attacking. That’s what got us the game — keep wearing on them, keep going, and they ended up breaking down.”

The defense keeping the Bears in the game while the offense was flailing was nothing new, but as quarterback Justin Fields started making plays, the defense didn’t let up. Last year against the 49ers, it did. This time, with some help from a torrential downpour, the defense poured it on.

After kicking a field goal to start the second half to go up 10-0, the 49ers were shut out. They punted, threw a pick and turned it over on downs twice. Jackson’s interception came when it was only a three-point game, but it felt like the Bears had a commanding lead.

So a nine-point lead with seven minutes to go was insurmountable.

Patrick Mahomes posted his sixth career game with five or more touchdown passes on Sunday.

That’s tied for the fourth-most such games in NFL history.

Most 5-Pass TD Games – NFL History

Drew Brees -- 11

Tom Brady -- 9

Peyton Manning -- 9

Patrick Mahomes -- 6 (incl. Sunday)

Ben Roethlisberger -- 6

Dan Marino -- 6

A sign dangled above A.J. Brown’s locker stall back in South Philadelphia, serving equal parts declaration and reminder: “ALWAYS OPEN.” It’s more often found outside a 24/7 diner, but the spirit is applicable for a No. 1 wide receiver. Brown played coy about the locker ornament getting noticed this week, although he didn’t disagree with the premise.

In Brown’s mind, even when he’s covered, he’s open.

After the Eagles’ 38-35 win over the Detroit Lions in Sunday’s season opener, it’s hard to argue. Brown totaled 10 catches for 155 yards, the most by any player in an Eagles debut. The performance broke Donte’ Stallworth’s 2006 record while also surpassing the debuts of high-profile acquisitions such as Terrell Owens and Alshon Jeffery.

“I know there are some greats that played here before me,” Brown said. “It’s kind of overwhelming to scratch my name in that book.”

The record helps for posterity, but the story Sunday wasn’t in the statistics. Watching Brown offered affirmation for why the Eagles traded a first- and third-round pick and signed the Pro Bowl wide receiver to a four-year, $100 million contract. He’s different, the type of special talent that is hard to find and a priority to acquire. If you had flashbacks to Owens, you likely weren’t alone. The Eagles were willing to pay the price with the expectation that he’s the type of weapon who can change an offense.

Welcome back, football.

The Bengals and NFL wasted little time reminding everyone why they are the most popular sport in all the land.

It might be time to break out the rankings of the wildest games in the history of this stadium. Near the top of the list is the Meltdown at Paul Brown, Gus Johnson yelling the name of Brandon Stokely until he nearly lost his voice in the 2009 opener, clinching the division against Kansas City last year and basically every time the Packers have come to Cincinnati.

All those are hard to top, but 2022 opener with its twists and turns belongs in the conversation. Openers always end up like Christmas morning for content. Sunday was like Christmas morning at the home of the $1.5 billion Powerball winner.

There were questionable decisions, devastating injuries, the worst game of Joe Burrow’s pro career, 94 offensive plays, a game-winner the Bengals passed on and another made in improbable walk-off fashion and, of course, the long-snapping acumen of Mitch Wilcox at the heart of it all.

Let’s unpack the 10 wildest aspects of Sunday.

Alec Pierce dropped a touchdown pass. Matt Ryan fumbled multiple snaps. And Rodrigo Blankenship missed a game-winning field goal in overtime.

The Colts did everything they could to lose Sunday’s season opener at Houston and although they didn’t lose, they didn’t win, either.

Indianapolis left NRG Stadium with a 20-20 tie against the Texans to avoid its ninth straight season-opening loss but in doing so, placed itself squarely in no man’s land. The last time a Colts game ended in a tie was Dec. 19, 1982, another 20-20 draw against the Packers. Back then, the Colts were based in Baltimore and 37-year-old Ryan wasn’t born yet.

Linebacker E.J. Speed didn’t mince words when asked how it felt to play 70 minutes for an outcome that wasn’t meaningless or gratifying.

“It’s definitely some bulls–t,” Speed said. “But it’s just part of the game, you gotta respect the game. It’s a long season. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes … ”

The Athletic's Matt Schneidman learned by speaking with Packers star CB Jaire Alexander that the Packers game-planned for him to stay on one side of the field even as Vikings star WR Justin Jefferson continually motioned or started on the other side in the first half of Sunday's game.

We witnessed the result.

Four teams – Colts (trailed by 17), Saints (16), Giants (13) and Bears (10) – overcame double-digit deficits to win or tie in Week 1.

Per the NFL, there haven't been more such comebacks to win or tie on Kickoff Weekend since 2002 (five).

Everyone warned Ron Rivera about the Carson Wentz experience.

NFL insiders from around the league are aware of the roller coaster ride with this quarterback. Fans from Indianapolis and Philadelphia, Wentz’s previous two stops, have the mental scars to prove it. The debate rages on over whether the Washington Commanders’ March trade for their new starter was worth the risk. The consensus is that Wentz will be good and bad game to game, quarter to quarter, and snap to snap.

Wild Wentz did not disappoint in his Washington debut, a thrilling 28-22 rally over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He threw interceptions on consecutive plays and then rebounded with two touchdown passes, including the go-ahead strike to first-round pick Jahan Dotson with 1:46 remaining.

That was just the fourth quarter.

It makes one wonder how the 60-year-old coach will handle 16 more games of this.

“I’ll take antacids,” Rivera deadpanned postgame.

If you pay close attention, Dan Campbell will tell you more with his pauses than he does with his words. In Campbell’s final scene with HBO’s “Hard Knocks” crew late last month, the Detroit Lions’ second-year coach was asked a simple question. Fill in the blank: “The 2022 Detroit Lions will be … ?”

After taking a deep breath and an even deeper pause, Campbell stopped and said bluntly:

“The team that can, and will.”

Worry about the second part of that later. The first part — the “can” — that’s the focus here. On Sunday, Campbell’s second Lions squad made its official debut. And in many areas, on both sides of the ball, Campbell’s club proved during a 38-35 loss to Philadelphia the “can” part much better than at this time a year ago.

The Eagles were a playoff team in 2021 and improved quite a bit heading into 2022. The Lions were one of the worst teams in the league last year and they, too, got better heading into 2022 — they are closer to being where they want to be. But they’re also still facing some of the same challenges that rode with them every day last season.

“We were this close, that’s what you can take away from it,” Campbell said before doubling back to reality. “(But) if we just take this whole approach where every week it’s like, ‘Well, we played (hard) and lost by three, we played (hard) and lost by three,’ … then what are we doing?

“We’ve got to clean stuff up.”

And therein lies the biggest question for Campbell’s Lions in 2022: Is this roster deep enough and talented enough at the right positions — and, more to the point, at the quarterback position — to “clean up” all that little stuff and actually take the next step?