NFL overreactions: Recapping an insane Week 1 of football
There was no shortage of drama in Week 1 of the NFL season and Sports Seriously’s Mackenzie Salmon is here to catch you up on everything that went down.
Sports Seriously, USA TODAY
Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs kicked off the NFL season, dropping 44 points last week against the Arizona Cardinals, showing no signs of missing former receiver Tyreek Hill.
Rising star Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers might not have scored as much, but he threw three touchdowns while new edge rusher Khalil Mack had three sacks to start 1-0 in the AFC West race with a 24-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Now, Mahomes and Herbert will take center stage in the marquee quarterback matchup of Week 2 when the Chiefs host the Chargers on “Thursday Night Football.”
“I have a lot of respect for Patrick. He’s an incredible quarterback, has had a lot of success in this league over the past few years,” Herbert said of Mahomes this week.
“Any time you get to play against him, it’s always a great opportunity to learn, to watch. I just have so much respect for his game.”
The Chargers have won their last two games against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, while Herbert has thrown seven touchdowns with a 129.55 passer rating in those games.
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The first of those games came at the end of the 2020 season, where Mahomes didn’t play because the Chiefs had clinched the AFC’s best record.
But the second matchup was like this week’s game: an early season affair that opened the Chiefs eyes to another formidable team in their division.
“They’ve won here so they’re not going to be scared coming here to play,” Mahomes said this week. “They’re going to jump on us early and carry that momentum. So, we have to match that with our momentum.”
While football fans will be tuned in to see a potential shootout between two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, this matchup will come down to how the other guys on both offenses impact the result of the game.
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As the Chiefs have navigated life after Hill, who signed the richest contract for an NFL receiver with the Miami Dolphins, their model for success has now become strength in numbers.
Mahomes’ favorite receiving target, tight end Travis Kelce, is very much still in the mix. But Mahomes has no problem utilizing his teammates to make his offense even stronger.
From new receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and rookie Skyy Moore to returning contributors like running backs Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon and receiver Mecole Hardman, Mahomes is not at a shortage of weapons without Hill.
“All of the guys catching passes [and] running the football, there’s going to be some short gains, there’s going to be the deep passes, and that makes us a hard offense to stop,” Mahomes said.
The thing is, the Chargers feel the same way, too.
Just look at the production from Chargers starters that you might have drafted to the fantasy football leagues this season:
Receiver Keenan Allen, who left the opener with a hamstring injury, had four catches for 66 yards. Receiver Mike Williams, the No. 2 behind Allen, had two catches for 10 yards on four targets. And running back Austin Ekeler had 14 carries for 36 yards on the ground and four catches for 36 yards.
Now look at the players who Herbert found in the end zone against the Raiders:
Fullback Zander Horvath caught a 1-yard checkdown near the goal line. Speedy receiver DeAndre Carter caught a 23-yard seam down the middle of the field between two defenders before halftime. And tight end Gerald Everett extended a play and backpedaled past the goal line with a defender on his back.
And Herbert has plenty of trust in his other playmakers like receivers Jalen Guyton and Joshua Palmer, tight end Tre’ McKitty and running backs Joshua Kelley and Sony Michel to get the job done.
Herbert will need their help with Allen not expected to play on the short week.
“It’s always tough when you lose a player like that,” Herbert said of Allen. “But I think, thankfully, we have the guys behind him that are able to step up and do their best to kind of replace what he brings to the table.”
And did we mention Mack, one of the NFL’s best edge rushers who joined the Chargers this offseason, got off to a fast start with defensive end Joey Bosa and safety Derwin James.
Mahomes surely is aware of the Chargers’ new defensive weapon.
“This is a great defense, a great challenge for us early in this season. I’m just sad Khalil came back,” Mahomes said of Mack. “I thought he was out of the AFC West, and now he’s back getting sacks again.”
The Chiefs and Chargers matchup, which kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET, could be another stellar Thursday night game like the Bills-Rams opener last week.
