Top Stories From Week 1 of the NFL Season

1. New England Patriots suffer humbling opening day loss:

No doubt, the biggest headline of the week came Thursday night when the defending Super Bowl champions were run out of Gillette Stadium by the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL’s season opener. Most believed that this retooled Patriots team would have little to no problem dispatching the Chiefs on opening night, and for almost three quarters they were in total control of the game. Then came the last thing the Patriots wanted to deal with, more injuries. Both Danny Amendola and Dont’a Hightower left the game and did not return. With Julian Edelman sidelined with an ACL tear, Amendola was set for a big time role as the heavily featured slot receiver in this Patriots offense, whereas Hightower is their most important defensive player and is no doubt the leader of that unit. With those key players lost, the Patriots went on to play timid, uninspired football against a talented team that clearly wanted it more that night. Their defense, which allowed just 15.6 points per game last season, gave up an astounding 42 points and allowed rookie running back Kareem Hunt to go for 246 total yards and 3 touchdowns. Overall, it was a very poor showing for a team some pegged to finish the year at 19-0, but nothing to worry about if you are a Patriots fan. They are on to New Orleans now.

2. Arizona Cardinals lose star running back David Johnson for 8-12 weeks :

This was a pretty deflating loss for a team that many believe will return to the playoffs after following up their appearance in the 2016 NFC Championship game with a very disappointing and injury riddled 7-8-1 season. Not only did the Cardinals blow a fourth quarter lead to the Detroit Lions, but also lost their stud running back for the foreseeable future. The latest information we have on his injury came from straight from Cardinals coach, Bruce Arians, who stated “I’m hoping we can possibly get him back by Thanksgiving or Christmas.” If it does take Johnson that long to return, it may be too late to save the Cardinals’ season, as he is undoubtedly their most important player and was a legitimate MVP candidate this season. It will be nearly impossible to expect anyone to replicate Johnson’s production from a year ago when he rushed for 1,239 yards, caught 80 passes for 879 yards, and scored 20 total touchdowns. With David Johnson out for most of the season, the Cardinals’ playoff hopes seemingly rest on the very shaky shoulders of a 37 year old Carson Palmer. Yikes.

3. Houston Texans go with Deshaun Watson over Tom Savage:

When the Houston Texans traded up to draft Deshaun Watson 12th overall in this year’s draft, we knew it was only a matter of time before he was named as the Texans’ starter. Despite all his success in college, and a pretty impressive preseason, Texans’ Head Coach, Bill O’Brien, named the veteran, Tom Savage, the opening day starter. That lasted for exactly two quarters, as Savage was yanked at halftime in favor of the rookie who proceeded to score a touchdown on his very first NFL drive. The rest of his day was fairly pedestrian as he completed 12 of 23 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown and added 16 rushing yards on two carries. Watson will start Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals and will look to improve on his performance from this past weekend. Only time will tell if Watson can earn the starting gig permanently.

Written by Ryan Scimone