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Who were the biggest Winners and Losers from Week 1 of the NFL?

By: Joshua Shippen

You guys the NFL has started and week 1 is over, which means every single blessed writer has to give us their hot takes, so who am I to deny such a demand? Week 1 has had some very interesting results which I am hoping to dive into today. Quick disclaimer, this is week 1 bias, by no means do we have proof that David Johnson will go for 7 yards a carry each week, or that Sam Darnold’s arm will always look like it’s chained to the ground as he’s throwing. But anyway, let’s jump right in.

Week 1 Winners and Losers

Russell Wilson threw out a figure yesterday in an interview, but was the number too much?
Russell Wilson looked fantastic yesterday against the Falcons.

Winner: Russell Wilson

As a Falcons fan, this first one is a tad hard for me to admit because Wilson absolutely used the Atlanta team as a doormat, but nonetheless he did. 322 yards, 4 touchdowns, a near perfect passer rating, and an 88.6 comp. % really says it all. Yes sir Mr. Unlimited himself truly looked unlimited yesterday, so is there really any reason for them to be anything less than 12-4 at this rate? Very good look for Wilson.

Loser: Every Browns starter not named David Njoku/Jarvis Landry/Kareem Hunt

Finally the Browns hype has come to pass! Even though the Browns lost by 32 points they still looked grea…. Oh shoot wait that’s not right let me check my script ;). The Browns just cannot have nice things! Even against the Ravens, the Browns moved the ball on one drive, and never scored again after a missed Austin Seibert PAT (sound familiar?). The Ravens conversely, moved the ball all over the Browns for the 38-6 romping we love to expect from the beloved Cleveland 4-12’s.

Winner: Gardner Minshew II

Will someone PLEASE tell me why a QB who beat out the 2017 Super Bowl MVP, and started playing extremely well ever since he hit the field has to be replaced by Trevor Lawrence?! GM2 threw for 19/20 completed passes which is insane, and 173 yards and a 3-0 touchdown ratio. So will everyone please shut up about the Jags and Trevor Lawrence until the season ends and it’s proved that they need him? The Jags have a lot of needs (hello RB) and a QB isn’t one of them until proven otherwise.

Loser: Texans Offensive Line

Whoa, YIKES! Talk about being pressured! The offensive line on the Houston Texans let Chris Jones, Derrick Nnadi, and Frank Clark tear it to pieces on Thursday with 14 pressures. Thank heavens for Deshaun Watson’s mobility, and can we get some offensive lineman for this team O’Brien?!

Winner: Cam Newton

Well it looks like Cam Newton will be making fools out of quite a lot of people given his Sunday performance. He wasn’t anything special in passing, 15/19 for 155, no TD/INT, but the rushing game is what was special. Cam gave us 15 rushes for 75 yards and 2 touchdowns, basically reminding us that he is one of the best rushing QBs in the NFL. All he has to do is stay healthy from here on out and we can look for the Patriots to make the playoffs. Again.

Loser: Alvin Kamara’s Stat Sheet

I unfortunately did not have a chance to watch the Saints game, so naturally when I looked at the box score I was immediately disappointed, but after watching Kamara’s two touchdowns and a deep pass by Taysom Hill, I am fully sold that we have the old Kamara back. The explosion this guy has makes him one of the funnest players to watch and I am excited for more

Winner: Aaron Rodgers

The off-season was all gritted teeth and clenched fists for the former MVP when they chose to use their first round pick on Jordan Love, QB for Utah State. Seems kind of weird to draft a QB who threw 17 interceptions in 13 games to replace the best QB in football over the 2010’s but what do I know. Rodgers went absolutely berserk on Sunday throwing for 364 yards, and 4 touchdowns, all while maintaining a 127.5 passer rating. Was this a fluke or will Rodgers repeat this incredible feat?

Loser: The Entire Giants Offense

Three words: out of sync. That pretty much explains the night that this Giants offense had in a nutshell. Daniel Jones was throwing all around the field looking for receivers that just weren’t there, Saquon Barkley just kept getting stuffed, and the offensive line once again looked terrible. Luckily, the Giants do not play the Steelers every week so maybe there’s room for improvement as time goes on..? 

Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Winner: Clyde Edwards-Helaire

No rookie RB had a better game than CEH who looked absolutely dominant against the Houston Texans on Thursday. This guy has the perfect mix of speed and power, and watching him sort of reminded me of Alvin Kamara in a way in the sense of him being ridiculously fun to watch. As if the Chiefs needed another weapon than the number 1 QB and TE and a top 5 WR, now they have Edwards-Helaire. Watch for a Super Bowl repeat from this white hot Chiefs offense

Loser: Phillip Rivers

I considered putting Andy Reid’s face shield for my last pick but Rivers seemed more fitting. After looking at all these pieces in the off-season saying that Rivers only needed an offensive line, we see that in fact Rivers will do what he normally does. Blow games in embarrassing losses by throwing interceptions in the fourth quarter when it really matters. Sorry Indy, looks like your QB problems didn’t change all that much with Rivers, and to all Indy fans I wouldn’t be holding your breaths for a playoff berth anytime soon…

Damond Talbot

NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com

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