NFL Week 1 is nearly in the books, and there is plenty to overreact to. While Monday Night Football tonight between the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets is sure to make plenty of headlines itself, there is too much from Sunday to not talk about it now.
Every single Monday here at FlurrySports is reserved for Overreaction Monday since that is what the rest of the talking heads in the industry will be doing today.
While many fans and analysts overreact in earnest, we should make it clear that this article is mostly for fun and to poke fun at the people who are swayed by the last thing they see. That isn’t to say we don’t believe any of these overreactions, however. Additionally, I will post on Twitter every single week looking for your overreactions as well, so follow me and bring the heat for next week!
Overreactions to NFL Week 1
Kadarius Phoney?
After another offseason in which Kardarius Toney was hyped up to be the new cheat code for his offense, he was a major reason why the Kansas City Chiefs lost on the opening night of the NFL season. Often injured, Toney surprisingly was healthy enough to play in Week 1, but after his pathetic display, which featured many drops, Chiefs fans wish he was sidelined instead.
New York Giants fans laughed from Thursday to Sunday night, but their laughs quickly turned to tears.
It’s the Dallas Cowboys’ Year!
Typically, there is a point in every preseason when the Dallas Cowboys are hyped up on ESPN to be Super Bowl contenders. That didn’t happen this season, which was suspicious. Then, on Sunday Night Football, big Mike McCarthy kept one eye on his playsheet and the other on his team beating the brakes off of the Giants in a prime-time spot. After the most lopsided victory of the weekend, with the rest of the division looking crappy, no longer are Cowboys fans asking if Dallas can win the NFC East, since that’s obviously a given. Now, Dallas is Super Bowl-bound, especially if Dak Prescott can learn to play average football.
Brock Purdy MVP, Anthony Richardson ROTY
We’ve seen enough. We’ll entertain the remaining games of the NFL season, but we’ve seen all we needed to see on Sunday. Brock Purdy went to Pittsburgh and earned himself the NFL MVP. There is no doubt that the San Francisco 49ers have their franchise quarterback for the long term, and absolutely nobody played better than him on Sunday. Hell, go spit in the face of Myles Garrett and tell him to bow down to the king in San Francisco, which he will respect since Brock Purdy is NFL royalty.
As for Indianapolis, the final score doesn’t matter. After a college season in which everyone said he was inconsistent, we saw everything we needed to in this small sample size. Anthony Richardson locked up the NFL Rookie of the Year this week, posting a QBR of 23.5(!) and averaging a whopping four yards per carry. If he ran the ball three times in a row, you’re moving the chains, and that’s award-winning football right there.
Packers Have Another HoF QB in Jordan Love!
The Green Bay Packers found a way to dig deep and beat the worst team in the NFL from a season ago … on THEIR home turf! Yes, despite wishing them a Happy Father’s Day a few months ago, it looks like Jordan Love also owns the Chicago Bears, and he did it by posting a 123.2 passer rating.
There is no need to watch the film on this one. Simply, read the box score and get the full picture, much like Jordan Love’s 63-yard touchdown throw last season that was definitely all him. All of the Green Bay owners are smiling because this team and this quarterback cannot and will not be stopped. Obviously. Maybe tune into Lombardi Sweep this week to hear my real thoughts.
Fire These Coaches Yesterday!
You cannot start the year with a loss. Statistically speaking, there has never been a team in NFL history to win a game while scoring fewer points, and that is exactly what too many coaches did in NFL Week 1. Brandon Staley of the Los Angeles Chargers and Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings in particular are firmly on the hot seat.
Sure, O’Connell overachieved last season and got the most out of a mediocre roster, but this Week 1 performance against Tampa Bay was not good. Brandon Staley… actually yeah, he probably shouldn’t have the job he does.
