2026 NFL Week 1 Recap

14 Sep 2026 · 1 h 41 min · 45 chapters

Ask about this episode

Ask anything about it. ChatGPT or Claude reads this page and answers with the times it was said.

Connect VO and ask about every podcast you hear, including the moments you saved. Add to ChatGPT · Add to Claude

In short

NFL Week 1 recap focused on key finishes, offensive/defensive turning points, and notable player performances across multiple games (Bills-Texans, Vikings-Packers, Lions-Saints, Bears-Panthers, Eagles-Commanders, Cardinals-Chargers).

Guests

Greg Rosenthal (host), Jordan Rodrigue, Nick Shook (NFL Daily “big three” Sunday night crew). No other guests are named in the transcript.

Guest backgrounds

All are NFL analysts/hosts associated with NFL Daily and iHeart’s NFL coverage; they discuss game film, win-probability, and scheme (e.g., referencing All-22, Brian Flores’ defenses, and defensive coordinator roles).

Key claims

  • Bills beat Texans 36-31 because Josh Allen was poised (20/29, 334 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT) and Dalton Kincaid’s big plays plus Houston’s “almost” moments and defensive breakdowns.
  • Vikings beat Packers 39-22 despite being down early because of penalties, Kyler Murray’s concussion, Brian Flores’ pressure/turnovers, and Green Bay’s inability to close.
  • Lions beat Saints 31-30 in OT; Tyler Shuck’s late heroics and Lions’ defense/OT execution overcame a blown 21-0 lead.
  • Bears routed Panthers 59-37 behind Caleb Williams’ efficient passing and explosive rushing; Panthers defense allowed massive run success.
  • Eagles survived Commanders’ late surge; Eagles’ defense held early and rookie Sonny Styles stood out.
  • Cardinals beat Chargers; Trey McBride’s red-zone production and a blocked punt (Semih Fakhoko) plus defensive stops swung momentum.

Notable examples

  • Bills: Greg Rousseau strip/knockaway finish; Allen-to-Josh Palmer TD on 3rd-and-11; Kincaid 96-yard drive.
  • Vikings-Packers: win probability 80-20 at halftime; illegal contact/roughing passer flips; Packers’ 15 QB hits; Jefferson TD catch.
  • Lions-Saints: Saints’ failed 2-point try; Olave 10-182-2; Gibbs 186 yards/2 TD.
  • Bears-Panthers: Williams 21/29, 269 yards, 2 TD; Panthers allowed 224 rushing yards and 4 rushing TDs.
  • Eagles-Commanders: Eagles’ 2-point stand; Styles’ sack and tackle-for-loss plays.
  • Cardinals-Chargers: blocked punt leading to McBride TD; Herbert interception; McBride 9-95.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

Tap a time to open that second in VO

NFL Week 1 Highlights

2:46 to 4:12

Recap of the Bills vs. Texans game and key highlights.

“I am so excited to be here in the studio.”

Josh Allen's Performance

4:12 to 8:12

Analysis of Josh Allen's incredible performance against the Texans.

“That was Ian Eagle and Ross Tucker on the call.”

David Montgomery's Impact

8:12 to 11:02

Discussion on David Montgomery's contribution to the Texans offense.

“And these are the types of plays that Houston talked about all season last year.”

Vikings vs. Packers Recap

11:02 to 14:01

Analysis of the surprising outcome of the Vikings vs. Packers game.

“any of these division games that happen in week one, I'm going to say it all season long.”

Vikings' Backup Quarterback Situation

14:01 to 15:00

Discussion on the Vikings' reliance on backup quarterbacks after Murray's injury.

“I can understand why the defender did that.”

Packers' Offensive Struggles

15:01 to 16:19

Analysis of the Packers' offensive line issues and Jordan Love's performance.

“Kevin O 'Connell was talking postgame about how this seems like it's something they're going to, quote unquote, feel for a long time or the game itself will have repercussions.”

Jordan Love's Potential

16:20 to 16:44

Despite struggles, moments of brilliance in Jordan Love's game are highlighted.

“was already making fun of us for in the newsroom.”

Packers' Adversity and Inability to Overcome

16:45 to 18:28

Discussion about the Packers' failure to respond to adversity and recurring issues.

“He loses a fumble in the fourth quarter, and then he throws an interception that he should absolutely regret.”

Carson Wentz's Impact

18:29 to 19:19

Examining Carson Wentz's contributions and highlights in the Vikings' game.

“That's kind of the thing with the Packers, too.”

Lions vs Saints Game Recap

19:20 to 20:47

Recap of the thrilling overtime game between the Lions and Saints.

“become because the very play a couple plays before they scored a touchdown on the ground, he throws an interception that's called back by penalty.”
Show all 45 chapters

Key Moments in the Lions' Victory

20:48 to 22:22

Analyzing the pivotal plays and decisions in the Lions' comeback win.

“and the Saints, who get the ball second, really get a big-time advantage going second.”

Shuck's Performance and Game Dynamics

22:23 to 24:01

Tyler Shuck's pivotal role and execution during the game are discussed.

“Saints fans are pointing this out, but it would have been Olave with leverage where if you hit him in stride, he just has to beat one guy.”

Saints' Struggles and Takeaways

24:02 to 24:58

Discussion on the Saints' performance and their struggles despite close game.

“The Saints offense kept just giving the ball back to the Lions over and over.”

Defensive Challenges and Player Performances

24:59 to 25:56

Examining the defensive struggles and standout performances in games.

“but they also managed to overcome the fact that the Saints almost had a game-winning field goal.”

Bears' Offense and Caleb Williams' Potential

25:57 to 28:00

Analysis of the Bears' dominant offense and Caleb Williams' standout performance.

“holes in the secondary and Shuck was just, he was going crazy.”

Bears vs Panthers: A Dominant Performance

28:00 to 35:37

Discussion on the Bears' impressive offensive showing against the Panthers, highlighting Caleb Williams' performance and the struggles of the Panthers' defense.

“The Saints, they came very close, didn't get it done on the road.”

Bears vs Panthers: A Dominant Performance

35:42 to 36:34

Discussion on the Bears' impressive offensive showing against the Panthers, highlighting Caleb Williams' performance and the struggles of the Panthers' defense.

“On any single play, it takes all 11 guys to execute it successfully.”

Eagles vs Commanders: Insights on the Game

36:34 to 42:00

Analysis of the Eagles' game against the Commanders, focusing on key plays, player performances, and defensive strategies.

“Nationwide is so much more than a great insurance company.”

Assessing the Game's Key Moments

42:00 to 45:30

A breakdown of pivotal plays and player performances in the game.

“I believe that was to Antonio Williams for a big play that got them unlocked.”

Examining the Cardinals' Upset Victory

45:30 to 48:40

Discussion on the surprising performance of the Arizona Cardinals against the Chargers.

“This is, it's a bigger win for Philadelphia than it is a bad loss by, by any means, but for Washington, they just needed to escape and they need to get Terry McLaurin a little more involved.”

Bengals vs. Buccaneers Recap

48:40 to 56:01

Analysis of the Bengals' victory over the Buccaneers and defensive plays.

“And yeah, if you're checking us out on YouTube, we have all these highlights.”

Bengals Defense Shines in Season Opener

56:01 to 58:00

Learn how the Bengals' defense made a strong impact in their season opener.

“They went out and got, yeah, I mean, boy, mafia had a big play in this.”

Baker Mayfield's Rollercoaster Performance

58:01 to 59:35

Explore Baker Mayfield's performance that highlighted both strengths and weaknesses.

“You know, I think they have a lot to be proud of outside of the turnovers.”

Impact of Rookie Josiah Trotter

59:36 to 1:01:20

Discover how rookie Josiah Trotter made headlines with his impactful debut.

“at least in this game, which is very encouraging.”

Lamar Jackson's Dominant Show

1:01:21 to 1:03:15

Examine Lamar Jackson's impressive performance leading the Ravens to victory.

“Lamar finds Zay Flowers with tons of room to run.”

Running Back Showcase: Henry vs. Taylor

1:03:16 to 1:05:26

Compare the performances of Derrick Henry and Jonathan Taylor in a thrilling matchup.

“That's not really allowed, but like the interviews will start happening because everything you could hope for, Jordan, it was better.”

Ravens Defense and Game Strategy

1:05:27 to 1:09:06

Analyze the defensive strategies employed by the Ravens and their effectiveness.

“Like it was as good as I've seen Jonathan Taylor look.”

Lamar Jackson's Performance

1:10:00 to 1:11:14

Analyzing Lamar Jackson's crucial plays in the game against the Colts.

“But I will say that I knew, like, it was a different Lamar Jackson when early in the game he had a rushing touchdown.”

Steelers vs Falcons Recap

1:13:56 to 1:16:14

A detailed review of the Steelers' defensive performance against the Falcons.

“When we last left off NFL Daily's week one recap, we heard the Baltimore Ravens taking care of business on the road.”

Browns vs Jaguars Analysis

1:16:15 to 1:21:49

Discussion on the Jaguars' dominant victory over the Browns and concerns for Cleveland.

“I would say it's probably leaned more toward on Metcalf.”

Jaguars' Strong Start

1:21:50 to 1:24:00

Highlighting the Jaguars' impressive performance and standout players in their game.

“like that, the defense could take a step back while the offense doesn't really look that good.”

Jaguars' Impressive Start

1:24:00 to 1:25:10

Analyzing the Jaguars' strong performance and key players in their opening game.

“And yet not many people had them winning the division coming into it this year.”

Watson's Struggles and the Future

1:25:10 to 1:26:15

Discussion on Watson's performance and potential changes in the team's strategy.

“It does sound like he kind of, at least according to the reporters reporting the story, kind of was like, no, I don't want to negotiate anymore.”

Geno Smith's Resurgence

1:26:15 to 1:27:46

Exploring Geno Smith's return to form and the Jets' game strategy.

“It's New York, where Geno Smith is back.”

Game Analysis: Jets vs Titans

1:27:46 to 1:28:46

Breaking down the Jets' game against the Titans and their possession strategy.

“And then also Gino Smith didn't get sacked.”

Offensive Challenges for Titans

1:28:46 to 1:30:12

Discussing the Titans' offensive struggles and quarterback challenges.

“but that does not diminish how important he was to this team.”

Raiders' Solid Performance

1:30:12 to 1:32:08

Reviewing the Raiders' win against the Dolphins and key player performances.

“I ran through this one already, and I just, as I was watching, I was thinking, like, I don't feel like I've seen them hand the ball for a positive gain in ages.”

Kirk Cousins and the Vikings' Strategy

1:32:08 to 1:34:06

Analyzing the Vikings' approach and Cousins' performance in their recent game.

“What a great first game for our guy, Clint Kubiak.”

Encouraging Signs for Raiders

1:34:06 to 1:36:11

Discussing the Raiders' running game and their overall competitiveness.

“I think in 2027, 2028, they haven't paid a person on a second contract for five years.”

Giants' Dominant Win

1:36:11 to 1:37:40

Examining the Giants' commanding victory over the Cowboys and key plays.

“It was a great thing to have Mike Washington in there to spell him every once in a while, and then setting up with those more physical runs, setting him up to work in space as well.”

Giants vs Cowboys: Game Dynamics

1:37:40 to 1:38:00

Analyzing the game dynamics between the Giants and Cowboys and player contributions.

“going to do ever since the moment where he couldn't land the backflip this offseason.”

Giants' Surprising Dominance Over Cowboys

1:38:00 to 1:41:03

The Giants showcased an aggressive performance against the Cowboys, surprising many with their control of the game.

“Play after play, whether it was him, whether it was Jackson Dart picking up runs when he needed to, and then also finding Isaiah likely for a couple of touchdowns.”

Analysis of Dak Prescott and Cowboys' Struggles

1:41:03 to 1:43:17

The discussion focuses on Dak Prescott's discomfort during the game and the Cowboys' inability to adapt to the Giants' game plan.

“game because you finished the game, giving up three straight touchdowns.”

Cowboys Built for a Lead: A Tactical Examination

1:43:17 to 1:44:55

Exploring how the Cowboys' offensive construction relies on having a lead, which they failed to maintain in this game.

“But ultimately, they did enough to survive in this.”

Week 1 Recap and Injury Updates

1:44:55 to 1:47:05

The hosts recap the week's games and discuss key injuries affecting various teams moving forward.

“This year, once again, they are clearly built to play with a lead, essentially.”
Hear the part that matters, and keep it.Open this episode in VO. Double tap your headphones to save a moment as you listen.
Get VO free

Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:00Jourdan Rodrigue:This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human. How do you turn 16 games, injury reports, team notes, betting lines, and matchup trends into one clear weekend preview? Chat GPT work can help. Give it the goal, plus real inputs like notes, files, data, and project plans. It can help turn them into an analysis, tracker, deck outline, or workflow you can keep shaping. You stay in control, reviewing the work, and choosing the final result. Put ChatGPT to work on your most ambitious ideas and projects. Get started at ChatGPT.com by selecting Work Mode. Available on Plus and Pro plans. Football is the ultimate team game.

0:40On any single play, it takes all 11 guys to execute it successfully. And whether they're pounding the A-gap or taking a deep shot, the best teams win in multiple ways. That's why Bet365 is giving fans options all season long with their early bird special cash out availability or early payout. Bet 365 offers a bunch of different ways to play. Whether it's boosted profits before the game or getting paid out when your team goes up big, there's no shortage of exciting options. Plus, you can cash out anytime. Bet 365, where winning is everything. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET.

1:17Must be 21 plus and present in a state where Bet 365 operates. Please gamble responsibly. Restrictions and terms and conditions apply. Void where prohibited. Download the app today.

1:28Nick Shook:Nationwide is so much more than a great insurance company. They're one of America's largest financial services companies. Just like I'm so much more than quarterback Peyton Manning. I'm also Peyton Manning. Insurance and financial services together, it's a masterpiece. Peyton Manning does it again. For your insurance and financial needs, Nationwide is on your side. Nationwide Investment Services Corporation, Ember Finra, Columbus, Ohio. Lowe's knows Sundays are for football. So tackle your home improvement projects by Saturday and earn your Sunday with great deals on LG and Bosch appliances, select Ego, DeWalt, Filtree products, and more.

2:12Nick Shook:Then once your to-do list is done, get ready to kick back, relax, and enjoy the game. Shop in-store or online now and earn your Sunday with help from Lowe's, official partner of the NFL.

2:33Welcome to NFL Daily, where points are back. The Chargers Chargering, it's back. And Sunday Night Recaps in the Chris Wesseling Podcast Studio is back. I'm Greg Rosenthal. I am so excited to be here in the studio. It's the big three. Myself, Jordan Rodrigue and Nick Shook. That's going to be our Sunday night crew. I don't know who LeBron is in this situation and who's Kyrie and who's Kevin Love. Almost forgot Kevin Love. Let's go. That's me. I'm out. No, you're not. Almost forgot. You're not. Maybe Jordan's LeBron because she knows how to pick the best games of the week. I did. I got great games.

3:15Over-indexing at the top of the show, including the game we got to start with. It was an early game. It was in Houston. Another great one between the Bills and the Texans.

3:25Nick Shook:They got two downs to make this happen. So that's, look at the Bills. So now they got to go out of bounds or end zone. Out of bounds or end zone. Trout bubbles the ball. It's free. And it's over. Rousseau knocks it away. Bernard on the recovery. and Buffalo slams the door shut in Houston. In a game that was dominated by offense, yes, including C.J. Stroud, and yes, including the Texans' defense struggling, it was a defensive play by Greg Russo that finishes off the Texans. The Bills go to Houston. They eliminate some of the gremlins in Josh Allen's head when it comes to this matchup. They get the win 36 to 31.

4:12That was Ian Eagle and Ross Tucker on the call. You notice for week one, we got broadcasters. Just because of, you know, we don't have the radio guys this week. We'll get them back next week. And I love those two. And I love this game, Jordan. When you think of how this game ended and how we got to that point, what is going to stand out in your head the most?

4:31Jourdan Rodrigue:It's two things at once. It is Josh Allen was absolutely incredible and really more calmly and presently handled this Texans defense than I'd ever seen him before. He was 20 of 29 for 334 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions. His connection with Dalton Kincaid made the difference in this passing game. We'll talk about DJ more in a moment as well, but 130 yards for Dalton Kincaid and just really understood his spots, where to take risks, challenged the Texans defense in so many ways. Texans defense did not look like themselves at all. It was a little striking which defensive group ended the game.

5:08Jourdan Rodrigue:It's the Bills defensive line, Deion Walker, setting that play up before with a sack for a loss, moving them outside of the sort of goal to go situation. And then obviously the turnover, CJ Stroud's second last fumble of the game. Otherwise, he played pretty well. And I want to hear about how the Texans defense struggled. But what's going to stand out to me is, you know, there's a couple times in the fourth quarter where the Texans defense, who's getting so much help from their offense for once has a chance to put their stamp on the game. They give up a longer field goal drive, but it was only a field goal, but they did give up the lead.

5:40And then at the end of the gate, you mentioned Kincaid had a monster catch on that final drive, 96 yards over seven plays. And it felt like it was a game and definitely a drive there of like almost for this Texans.

5:51Jourdan Rodrigue:Well, that was the entire game. I have that written as the title of this game on the Texan side is the game of almost and immediately followed by the way, by big bills plays, because the Bills capitalize after every single quote-unquote almost by the Texans. Jalen Petrie almost picked off a screen in the first half. Josh Allen sneaks in a touchdown on the very next play. Reed Blankenship dives for a pick on a pass intended for DJ Moore. Almost gets it, barely whiffs. It's a wide-open touchdown instead. And Kamari Lasseter has a chance to close the game off of a Josh Allen YOLO ball into the end zone on second and 11.

6:24Jourdan Rodrigue:The ball bounces on his hands. It's the game-winning touchdown, the very next play to Josh Palmer on 3rd and 11 with a minute 41 left. Let's go ahead and hear that one.

6:36Nick Shook:Allen on 3rd and 11. The head of the rush. He throws it downfield. It's caught. Palmer, touchdown Buffalo. Josh Allen delivers with a fourth quarter potential dagger.

6:51Jourdan Rodrigue:Just incredible. Again, on third and 11, and you have to go back to week three of 2024 to find the last time the Houston Texans gave up more than 34 points in one game.

7:03Nick Shook:The demons of 23 to 19 last year washed away in quick succession. And you think about it, like pressure wise, you don't need a touchdown there. You're only down a point, but it's so much more emphatic to go in there and get that touchdown to thread the needle between two defenders and send the Texans fans home a little upset. Of course, we're going to mention this all season long. Like how big luck is a factor in how these narratives are built? Because everyone would be killing Josh Allen for that YOLO ball he threw. It was a really bad decision. It reminded you of the playoff. Josh Allen. Blast it or didn't finish the play.

7:36But it makes Josh Allen special that the very next snap he told Evan Washburn after the game, you know, he never throws that ball to Josh Palmer. He's not supposed to throw that ball to Josh Palmer. Essentially, you're not going to make a living throwing that ball because it's too dangerous. but he saw the safety cheating in this play, in this case, Kalen Bullock. And yeah, it's a game where they couldn't finish. And there were a couple of years ago before I needed to be convinced that this is like a potential all time defense. The Texans had chances to finish games even last year, like in week one against the Rams.

8:05They've had chances to win games. And if you want to be considered an all time defense first, you can't give up 36 points, but you got to have a, you got to finish the game when you, when you have a chance.

8:13Jourdan Rodrigue:Exactly. And these are the types of plays that Houston talked about all season last year. And really it's striking because a this entire weekend for the most part was like almost as if 2025 never happened because it's all back to offense now. First of all, then second of all, this did not look like the Houston Texans defense, even of last year, even shades of last year. What was really effective for what for the bills and what Josh Allen did that changed the entire dynamic of his poise and how he was collected against this group was how he would throw on the move, how he would throw out of structure.

8:46Jourdan Rodrigue:the connection with Kincaid, I cannot overemphasize, including on a play where he moved out of structure to get him like this insane catch that, that Dalton Kincaid made to me, that really was a game changer, including at one point the, the, it was like the Texans forgot that they normally spy Josh Allen in some of these plays where all the eligibles are out. And it was, it was really striking to me. Sometimes the off season hype is true. Kincaid five for one 30. Everyone said like, finally he's built for a big season. And DJ Moore goes over 100. It's really pass heavy. You know, it's disappointing.

9:21CJ Stroud, like, even going into today, he's such a focus of the insider reports. He doesn't get the contract extension. They're fighting over on ESPN about, like, this guy's a disappointment. He deserves it. And CJ Stroud ends up kind of kicking the can contract-wise, even though it sounds like he had a decent offer and betting on himself. And it sounds like, for the most part, like it was a good bet today. They just came up a little short.

9:48Jourdan Rodrigue:He played well today. Again, the turnovers can't have that happen, cannot have that sack late. But the right side of his offensive line, Eddie Ingram and Trent Brown had an awful, awful day. The thing that really settled this offense down was David Montgomery. David Montgomery was outstanding. He goes on paper 60 yards on 20 rushing attempts. He gets two touchdowns and adds a receiving touchdown and he's falling forward every time he makes contact. And the touchdown was really cool. I think we have that call. David Montgomery was really the difference maker early in this game.

10:21Nick Shook:13th play of the drive. Third drive of 12 or more. Stride. Wide open. Caught by Montgomery. Touchdown, Texans. 1, 2, 3 for David Montgomery. He was outstanding in this game. I think their rushing attack per snap isn't amazing. But the fact that he goes for a couple touchdowns is big. The offense can feel better, and yet they're probably not going to feel that much better overall. So that's a huge conference win out of the Buffalo Bills to go on the road, beat Houston to start the season. Another game that's going to matter at the end of the season, any of these division games that happen in week one, I'm going to say it all season long.

11:09It's like winning a game and a half. The Packers, in a game they dominated for most of it, could not hold on. Let's go to Minnesota.

11:19Nick Shook:Third and five. He still has it. He's got Jefferson over here in the flat. Jefferson going for the yardage and dives for the pylon. Soars through the air, and it's a touchdown. Oh, my goodness. What a play by Justin Jefferson. He didn't want the first down. He wanted the touchdown, and he got it. the Minnesota Vikings somehow someway won by 17 points in a game where like into the fourth quarter they're getting doubled up in yardage getting doubled up in yards per play and yet they win 39 to 22 it was great to see Justin Jefferson out there making Justin Jefferson plays had a fantastic touchdown earlier in the game and yes the Packers Nick Shook are going to be wondering how did this happened.

12:07How did this happen?

12:08Nick Shook:Well, I can tell you exactly how it happened because it was one specific drive in which Packers fans might have a bit of a gripe. They ended up on the wrong side of a couple of flags, some flags that really bought the Vikings fresh sets of downs, allowed them to continue moving down the field. But even then, the win probability metrics on next gen didn't believe in the Vikings, and rightfully so, because through two and a half, three and a half quarters of this game, the Packers were the better team. They just didn't close in the right spots. Let me give you an example here real quick on this specific drive in which the Vikings end up taking the lead.

12:38Nick Shook:Well, actually, we'll start at halftime. Win probability 80-20 in favor of the Packers. The first penalty on that drive, illegal contact. It was on a stop and that then buys the Vikings a fresh set of downs. Still 67 % in favor of Green Bay. There's a roughing the passer call that then buys them another fresh set of downs. And at that point is the first time all game that win probability dips below 50 % for the Packers. And then from there, it was a runaway train, except Carson Wentz got billed out one more time when he threw an interception in the end zone. The Vikings scored then, and then all nightmares happen for the Packers from there because of Brian Flores' defense.

13:10Nick Shook:It's a great example of a game in which one team for so much of it looks superior and then manages to lose by 17 points. Right, and they had a lead throughout the game. They built it to, what, 22 to 10, as you mentioned, but they weren't going away with it. You mentioned Carson Wentz. I kind of buried the lead here. Kyler Murray leaves this game with a concussion on the second drive. It couldn't have been a bigger nightmare start for Kyler Murray. On the very first throw he has as a Viking, he just tosses one up against the blitz. He's under pressure, just throws it to no one, essentially, it's just a hope ball, gets intercepted, and then he gets hurt on a play where he rolls out and was a little indecisive whether he should run or pass.

13:57It's a third and long. He ends up running, takes kind of a dirty hit. I don't know.

14:01Nick Shook:Yeah, I mean, he got down late. I can understand why the defender did that. It was Bullard that ended up making the hit. It concusses Kyler Murray. He's out for the game. And suddenly the Vikings are right back where they were last season, which is we have to rely on a backup quarterback. And for a while there, it looked as bad as it did offensively last year. And the defense was keeping them in the game. And then the defense slammed the door on the Packers from there because they got so much pressure in Jordan Love's face. They forced two turnovers in the next two Packers possessions. And before you knew it, the team that, again, look like they were one stop away from closing a week one win.

14:32Nick Shook:That counts as a win and a half, according to your metrics, divisional game. It does going home with a loss because, you know, the Vikings are one win away here. Like if they beat the Packers next time from, from sweeping this, it is annoying a little bit that like from this entire off season of like talking about who's going to be the backup to Minnesota, to, to, uh, Kyler Murray, that Carson Wentz like is immediately in the game. And we're back to this world.

14:57Jourdan Rodrigue:Yeah, Carson Wentz is like, it's not just me on paper. I'm actually going to get into the game. I don't. Kevin O 'Connell was talking postgame about how this seems like it's something they're going to, quote unquote, feel for a long time or the game itself will have repercussions. And the allusion to that seems sort of about Kyler's injury. You obviously hope that he's OK. I think a lot of us were really excited to see what that was going to be. Was there enough time to kind of get a feel for how he was playing? No, it was pretty bad. What was a disaster? It was two disastrous drives. How about the Packers offensive line in this game?

15:34Jourdan Rodrigue:Not getting their hands down when they needed to. I'll tell you that. So many issues with this group.

15:39Nick Shook:We know that they don't have a lot of time spent together. We know that it was one of the concerning points with this team going into the season. But the way that they failed to handle Brian Flores' pressure looks, and I'm talking about double mug looks in the A-gap, you know he's bringing guys. He's sending them early and often. They blitzed it over 78 % by the end of the game. even higher than his usual average was around 50%, which is already a league high. They could not handle it. They couldn't handle blitzes. They couldn't handle blitzes with stunts involved. And Love was basically, as soon as he got the snap, multiple times, just looking out and being like, I have to throw this away just to save my life.

16:11I want to get to like the victory that Carson Wentz helped lead this Vikings team to and like give them props. But I will do the thing that our producer, Eric Roberts, was already making fun of us for in the newsroom. I like watching the games, by the way, with Jordan's nearby, Shook's way down at the other end. He's a little too far away, but Eric is very close, and he's like, oh, the excuses are going to come out for Jordan Love again, because up until late in this game, Jordan Love was playing absolutely outstanding, but then they turn it over on downs. He loses a fumble in the fourth quarter, and then he throws an interception that he should absolutely regret.

16:51And yet, here comes the defense. All this lousy offensive line play. Here are some of the connections that Jordan Love had in this game. The yardage. This is against a Vikings defense. 23 yards. 30 yards. 32 yards. 42 yards. 43 yards. And yes, 81 yards. That's such a good number. Let's actually listen to the call of him hitting Christian Watson.

17:13Nick Shook:As Love's looking for his first completion. He's got it to Watson. Watson taking off. Down the sidelines. He goes. and Watson is not going to be caught. Wow. Where does that leave you? That's Jim Nance and J.J. Watt. For a second, I was about to say Tony Romo because it kind of sounded like him there in the moment. How much, like, what is your takeaway? Because Marcus Goldingos for 95 yards. Watson ends up with 147, but the running game doesn't work. The defense, you tell me, how are you feeling about the Packers? I'm telling you, before this sequence that I just described, I felt like, wow, this is a legitimately strong win for them because, like you said, No running game to speak of.

17:51Nick Shook:This is really all on Jordan Love and finding open guys. Those five numbers that you listed, five completions of 20 or more yards, two to Tucker craft, two to Christian Watson and one to John who Smith. Welcome back to the conversation. And he's doing everything within his power to keep this offense moving and keeping them one step ahead of the Vikings. But what was so disappointing about this whole experience was that once adversity struck, they once again had no ability to overcome it. It looked like those losses in Chicago late last year. It's the same thing. They spend the entire offseason focusing on how we can tear this down to the studs and start like it's a year one install and, you know, make sure that the personalities, everybody knows what their roles are.

Read the full transcript

18:26Nick Shook:And this is all going to be fixed. And then when adversity struck, they were the same team they were before. That's kind of the thing with the Packers, too. Yeah. Like, you know, you talk about some teams. Oh, like something bad happens to them. They fight back right away.

18:37Jourdan Rodrigue:Yeah. That is not the Packers. They gave up 15 quarterback hits today. Dallas Turner had seven on his own. Not sure. I've seen many seven quarterback hit days. So he was getting a lot of pop in camp, too. I just think that that is exactly the story of the Packers that they can't shake. They cannot battle through adversity. And that's frustrating. They can't close. That has been frustrating. I think it's frustrating for their fan base. You know who can close. And we're going to move on to the next game. But if you get a chance to watch this Carson Wentz two-point play. Actually, we have so many great Carson Wentz highlights.

19:13I'm a little annoyed we're not showing more. of them. But the Carson Wentz two-point play was such a great example of what Carson Wentz has become because the very play a couple plays before they scored a touchdown on the ground, he throws an interception that's called back by penalty. But then he rolls out against pressure. When you're watching the TV copy, there's like three different defenders in the way and he threads the needle between all three of them. Those are that's a die. And at the time, I thought maybe that's going to be the difference in the game. They end up winning by a lot.

19:44Nick Shook:And you know when it's a breath of fresh air for more than any other person on this planet for Justin Jefferson. Yes. Finishes with two touchdown catches. He matches last season's total in one game and he can thank Carson Wentz for being healthy enough and skilled enough to find him on the field.

19:56Jourdan Rodrigue:Somebody's getting him the ball. And the 39-yard touchdown to Jefferson, too, was on a truly gorgeous throw that was a free play and maybe Wentz wouldn't have thrown it otherwise, but he's capable, I think, for short stretches of getting you by. The emphasis there is on short. He's like a golfer who only has one club he can still hit, and it's the driver. Speaking of short, let's talk about the game I had. Let's go to Detroit. Transition. The Saints and the Lions. The longest game that happened today. Yeah, like so many of the games today, it was one-sided until it wasn't.

20:34Nick Shook:Saints going for two. There you're going to see a rubber out up at the top. Chuck looking. He throws to the end zone. Incomplete. The Lions win it. What a game. Indeed.

20:57Jonathan Vilma. Kenny Albert on the call. Indeed, it was a great game. 31-30. The Lions win it in overtime. The overtime score, 7 for the Lions. and the Saints, who get the ball second, really get a big-time advantage going second. The analytics, I think, are right about that because they went for a fourth and five that I don't think they would have gone for in a different situation. They get it. They move down the field. They go for the two-point conversion, in large part because there's still 90 seconds left on the clock. I saw a lot of people give Kellen Moore a lot of credit here for just, like, having the stones to go for it.

21:34I agree, but actually with 90 seconds left, you actually almost have no choice. The way that the Lions offense was playing that day, you have to assume there's a good chance we're giving up a field goal here. So we have a much better chance of going for the two and they don't get it. And it's an example, Jordan, of the last play of the game, not being symbolic, unfortunately, of like the rest of it. Cause Tyler Shuck after such a slow start to this game where they did nothing for eight straight drives ends up with an incredible game with so many clutch plays. And yet when you look at that game, that play and the dots afterwards, it looked like he had Chris Olave in the flat.

22:17If he was just a little quicker and more decisive, he doesn't throw it. And I think he saw an underneath defender. Saints fans are pointing this out, but it would have been Olave with leverage where if you hit him in stride, he just has to beat one guy. I think he scores that touchdown and he'll have a little bit of regrets on a day where he made so many clutch plays and ends up with over 400 yards and three touchdowns on this game.

22:43Jourdan Rodrigue:Yeah, I'm literally looking at the moment the ball leaves his hand on my screen right now. And he also has Travis HN on the left. On the backside of the play where he's probably not going to look. So he's not going to look. But to my point, the job is to clear an extra defender out. So that defender is maybe supposed to let, you know, Bryce Lance come a little bit free a little bit earlier in the series. then he maybe doesn't see Olave or maybe he does and see something else. You know, he sees DJ Reed maybe right behind him, ready to jump down, come down in front of the end zone on the play. I think it is maybe an omen or a sign in itself a little bit, Greg, because he's throwing it to Bryce Lance.

23:24A good omen, even on an unsuccessful play.

23:27Jourdan Rodrigue:A good omen because even on an unsuccessful play, he's throwing to a guy he really had a strong end zone connection with, especially in the tight red area, the two-point conversion area. You heard about this. I saw it in person. Like, he really, they have a strong. So, to me, it's like, okay, yes, they lost this game, but there's stuff here. There's stuff here that they trust to work. I like that take, and I like this game process-wise for the Saints, as long as they can keep it going better, because their defense ultimately looked better than the 31 points that they gave up. It was only seven in the first half.

24:02The Saints offense kept just giving the ball back to the Lions over and over. There were short fields. There were a ton of big plays for the Saints where there weren't a ton for the Lions. But I also don't want to do the thing where we're just talking trash about the team that won the game. The Lions ultimately get the ball back in overtime. And you could say the Saints defense played better than it looked like. The Lions and Jared Goff go right down the field. Jameer Gibbs, I don't think he's going to be able to hold up this way, Shooki. but he ends up with 186 yards on 34 touches with two touchdowns.

24:36So yes, that was a smart first pick overall in fantasy if you had it.

24:39Nick Shook:Yeah, it's like I felt like every time I peeked over and saw this game, Jameer Gibbs was doing something with the football in his hand. He was so good. And you're right that the reliance on him is disproportionate. But I have to give the Lions credit because, yes, did they blow a 21-0 lead in the second half? Yes. And did they have this game in hand and then suddenly the other team woke up and they didn't know what to do to respond to that? Yes. but they also managed to overcome the fact that the Saints almost had a game-winning field goal. If Daniel Carlson is able to keep that thing on line, they get the ball in overtime and they go down the field in their style and score a touchdown and then get the stop on the two-point conversion.

25:13Nick Shook:I mean, there's something within that credit wise that yes, this was ugly and it was, it was kind of on the edge of our seats, but we still come away victorious. I have kind of a larger theme for all these games in this week to keep in mind, which is these games feel like they're one game for two and a half, three quarters in week one. Just flip. But I think it's partly because it's week one. Everyone is so gassed. Now, this is an indoor game, but a lot of these games are played in high humidity. But more importantly, none of these players have played any real football. And I do think you see, especially on defense and the points, as I alluded to up top, were just through the roof today.

25:49In the fourth quarter of these games, like these defenses are gassed and the Lions, they're secondary after like they couldn't get quick pressure on Tyler Shuck, you saw some serious holes in the secondary and Shuck was just, he was going crazy.

26:06Jourdan Rodrigue:Well, that's what we know about him is if he has time to stand in there and he will take the sack, but if he has time to stand in there, then he is going to find the holes in the zones. 10 catches, 182 yards for Chris Olave. And I do want to give Shuck credit. Six 20 plus yard plays in this game. There were so many moments late in this game, you were thinking, if Shuck doesn't make a play here, whether it's a fourth down, they had a number of fourth downs with the game on the line, or when he needed to get a touchdown late in the game, he makes this throw. They get the ball back with two minutes, 32 seconds left.

26:39He gets this drive done so quickly that they actually have time to get the ball back and set up that field goal. But I want to play this Tyler Shuck throw to Chris Olavi because it was an absolute thing of beauty.

26:52Nick Shook:The Saints trail 21-0 in the third quarter. They scored 17 consecutive points. And now Shook is going deep. Olave, he's got it. What a catch. Olave is that dude. 10 catches, 182 yards. And the thing I loved about that play was Tyler Shook was taking a hit as he delivered. Aiden Hutchinson, monster game. Two sacks, four QB hits, 10 pressures. Derek Barnes, a great game with an interception and a sack. The Lions were out here doing things. And even if Goff was kind of held by that Brandon Staley defense to a lot of short passes, I still think he was effective overall. So they get out of there with a victory.

27:40And while we're doing themes here, Jordan, I don't know if you noticed, it was a little bit of like an NFC North, NFC South, you know, grudge match today. And I was thinking like everyone expects the NFC North to have a bunch of playoff teams or have a bunch of good teams. And the NFC South is not going to be great. And this was a chance for the NFC South to maybe steal a couple wins. The Saints, they came very close, didn't get it done on the road. Could the Panthers win at home against the Bears? Williams, four for four on the drive.

28:12Nick Shook:Pumps, pressured, gets away from the traffic. Wide open space. There goes Caleb Williams to the end zone. His second rushing touchdown of the day and Chicago takes the lead. Congrats to everyone who drafted Caleb Williams in fantasy, too. The idea of him as a difference-making runner, I think, is going to pick up. Who is faster than Caleb Williams right now? Ten rushes for 65 yards, part of a monster rushing day. 291 yards by the Bears. They put up 59 points on the Panthers. I mean, poor Bryce Young. He puts up, like, the game of his life, and they lose by 22 points. He was great. We got to start with the Bears offense here, Jordan.

28:57What was so special about them today?

29:00Jourdan Rodrigue:I mean, Caleb Williams was just dazzling. Just dazzling. Really made your Riptide look solid today. Oh, yeah. Put him on QB Island. You know, he was also 21 for 29 passing, 269 yards and two touchdowns. And very, very importantly, a 72.4 completion percentage. Ben Johnson threw out there that he wants Caleb Williams over 70 % all year, which is such a lofty thing. But when you see him do this, what he did today, you know what else he threw out there that he wants to set the all time record for points. He's on pace. It's just incredible. And really, a couple of things really stood out to me about how Caleb, first of all, ran the ball, but then also how he just overall operated the game.

29:40Jourdan Rodrigue:It was so clean from him. So he protected the ball really well this year. Obviously, this year he started this way, the same way. but when he's running with the ball, he's doing these things that are so interesting. Like he's changing up his pace. He's moving his eyes so that the defenders hesitate a little bit. He's not only creating space for himself, but he's also sort of navigating if he does want to get the ball and end up going downfield. And, and one of these plays Ben Johnson has talked a lot about needing to clean up their second quarter, late second quarter, especially right before the half operation.

30:11Jourdan Rodrigue:And here Caleb Williams on third and 11 hits Kalief Raymond for 28 yards on an off platform throw. So then he runs in that first of two rushing touchdowns. That's a good call. That was at the end of the second quarter. The second quarter. That's exactly like he Ben Johnson. You are manifesting. We see you. And like they had a score, you know, not too far before that. They finished the game strong. I apologize to Kalief Raymond, by the way, because I was like, OK, you're going to try to have the highest scoring offense of all time. And Kalief Raymond is like your two slash three. It's like actually today, Kalief Raymond was their one.

30:46to eight catches, 84 yards. They scored this many points without a single catch from Colston Loveland. Is there a point, Shook, just kind of looking from the outside too, that like at some point, like a Giro Evero in this Panthers defense, like I know it was the Bears' tough week one opponent, but you do want, you spent a lot of money this off season. You want to see more out of that.

31:07Nick Shook:Yeah, and I kind of had some concerns about this as soon as they lost Nick Scorton to injury early in camp. Like you knew that was going to be part of it. But yeah, this is going to be disheartening for anybody who's a defensive coordinator. I mean, Ejiro Evero has given up 59 points, I believe, in week one before. He also was the coordinator a couple of years ago, as Josh Norris pointed out, of the defense that gave up the most points of all time. Like, what is your panic level of just, like, how much of it was on the Panthers defense?

31:31Jourdan Rodrigue:I mean, a lot of it was on the Panthers defense. If you're wondering whether you can still run the ball on the Carolina Panthers, the answer is yes, you absolutely can still run the ball on the Carolina Panthers. They gave up 224 rushing yards and four touchdowns just to running backs. Caleb Williams added another 65 yards and obviously the touchdowns and the defense allowed a 60 % success rate when trying to defend the run. And they had a 50 % success rate allowed on all plays, including 552 yards of offense allowed on them. It is absolutely insane. I don't care how elite your offense is playing.

32:06Jourdan Rodrigue:If you can't at least show up to the game, that is unacceptable for the entire. This was the place they invested in the Panthers. And really what it is, too, is Bryce Young, you mentioned it. Bryce Young did play a very good game. Through interception, it was late in the second quarter. You know, there were a couple fumbles. There was a muff punt recovered by the Bears. There was a Tetrault McMillian fumble. So they lost the turnover battle. But at the same time, and Bryce Young played very, very well. 361 and three touchdowns. And the touchdowns were really smart. One of them was a scramble throw.

32:38Jourdan Rodrigue:One of them he ran in himself. Like it just, one was a really tough completion probability wise for to Jalen Coker, Cokehead shout out, you know, it is really, really tough to go up and have this type of game where there was a point where they were going shot for shot with each other, these two teams. But like I mentioned about sometimes with the bears run game, especially felt like last season, it became this like overwhelming, like monolithic thing that just was going to completely smother you. And the thing that really struck me was, yes, it was explosive. Yes, it was productive. It was smooth.

33:14Jourdan Rodrigue:It was so smooth for the Bears, for Caleb Williams, for Ben Johnson, for that entire group. And for the Panthers, it was just like knife through butter. Like, we'll see if the Bears defense can hold up, you know, when they, when giving up this many points, 37 points, like, isn't that big of an issue. But a lot of the concerns for the Bears in the preseason, injury-wise, Like Odunze has a big, long catch. Manungai missed most of camp. He has a monster game. DeAndre Swift, they signed to a really cool contract extension. I've been amazed to see DeAndre Swift's development into a guy that I don't think his coaches trusted in Detroit.

33:55I think us as analysts didn't really love watching him. Like, it was very hit or miss. And he's been a different runner. And they gave him a really nice contract this weekend before this game. and then he shows up with 18, you know, rushes 124 yards in three touchdowns. And then Burden, who is out for most of the camp, like he's out there making a ton of plays. Like I've mentioned, they didn't get anything from Loveland. Let's actually go to the break and let's go to the break on a highlight for our first break on the first week one game of the year. This was just an incredible throw and catch by Caleb Williams, an early firing shot in the MVP race.

34:36Okay, that's a little too hard for that. We'll be back in just a minute after the break.

34:41Nick Shook:Now you set up in the high red area if you're Chicago with three tight ends. Another fake to Monungay. Williams sets up, throws a new double coverage.

34:52Jourdan Rodrigue:It is Cole Comet holding on for the touchdown. What do you mean Colston Loveland didn't do anything?

34:57Nick Shook:It's another home run, Caleb Williams, to the former Irish baseball player.

35:09How do you turn 16 games, injury reports, team notes, betting lines, and matchup trends into one clear weekend preview? Chat GPT work can help. Give it the goal, plus real inputs like notes, files, data, and project plans. It can help turn them into an analysis, tracker, deck outline, or workflow, you can keep shaping. You stay in control, reviewing the work and choosing the final result. Put ChatGPT to work on your most ambitious ideas and projects. Get started at chatgpt.com by selecting work mode. Available on plus and pro plans. Football is the ultimate team game. On any single play, it takes all 11 guys to execute it successfully.

35:50And whether they're pounding the A-gap or taking a deep shot, the best teams win in multiple ways. That's why Bet365 is giving fans options all season long with their early bird special cash-out availability or early payout. Bet365 offers a bunch of different ways to play. Whether it's boosted profits before the game or getting paid out when your team goes up big, there's no shortage of exciting options. Plus, you can cash out anytime. Bet365, where winning is everything. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET. Must be 21 plus and present in a state where Bet365 operates. Please gamble responsibly.

36:28Restrictions and terms and conditions apply. Void where prohibited. Download the app today.

36:34Nick Shook:Nationwide is so much more than a great insurance company. They're one of America's largest financial services companies. Just like I'm so much more than quarterback Peyton Manning. I'm also Peyton Manning. Insurance and financial services together? It's a masterpiece. Peyton Manning does it again. For your insurance and financial needs, Nationwide is on your side.

37:22Shop in-store or online now and earn your Sunday with help from Lowe's, official partner of the NFL.

37:32Back on NFL Daily's Week 1 recap. I'm so happy right now. I was happy also to hear that the Tom Brady gains he's made as an analyst, I think continued into Week 1. He had the Commander's-Eagles matchup, a game that for a while didn't think was going to be great, but once again got super weird in the fourth quarter. Let's go to Philly. Hurts third down over the middle.

37:58Nick Shook:There's Dallas Goddard. Good move. Dallas Goddard on his horse. And in. Touchdown. That's the second touchdown to Goddard where the commanders just have not been ready for it. They're up there disguising at the line of scrimmage and they don't get back there to play their responsibility. Back up to an eight-point game. Another two-touchdown game from Dallas Goddard. How about my goat actually getting trenchant analysis into the highlights? Trenchant. Probably the last time because we'll have the radio guys back, but that was good. Durante Jones is the new coordinator for the Commanders. For the most part, he sent a lot of stuff that gave the Eagles a lot of problems.

38:36It was a very cool game, I believe, to go back and watch on NFL Plus with the All-22. There was a lot going on schematically on both sides, but that was a fitting way for the Eagles offense, at least to do their part in the fourth quarter, because even though it was uneven, there were a lot of three and outs. There were a lot of punts by the Eagles. There were a lot of big plays and it was a clean game from Jalen Hurts. This is the type of winning performance I think you want out of Jalen Hurts where he ran the ball really well. He made plays on his own. He didn't make any mistakes. And when the commanders gave him an opportunity like there, Jordan, you know, he took advantage of it.

39:17Jourdan Rodrigue:Yeah. And they are going to throw so much stuff at you pre-snap. And it sort of bit them there. I almost wonder if there was an adjustment or something where the Eagles and Sean Mannion and the coaches said, hey, we got to get off the ball faster because they are going to take a little bit of a second here early in this new defensive install to try to get all of these players into their correct assignments. And the communication is notorious all along this entire defensive system that Brian Flores is the architect of. So to me, I wonder if that was a little bit of a, maybe an advantageous opportunity that they tried to take advantage of.

39:51They were playing fast at times. And it was really telling, like there's a lot of telling stats in this game. The Eagles only had 10 first downs, which is crazy. Like their running game was pretty bad, but they still ended up with 318 yards, still ended up with 24 points. So when they hit it, they hit big plays. Like their first touchdown of the year was like four verts with like a couple, like it was like a beautiful, like very non-Eagles type of play in a condensed formation. Like they did a lot of cool things and yet their defense seemed to get tired late in the game. The commanders drive down at the end of the game and the commanders score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make the Philly crowd really sweat.

40:34And the game ends up coming down to a two-point conversion by the commanders. Let's listen to where it went wrong for Jaden Daniels. Daniels, little shuttle pass inside.

40:46Nick Shook:Bates, he is stuffed! Not gonna get there! Mauro Ojomo with the big play, and the Eagles make the stand they needed. You are not the Chiefs. Yeah, what did you think about that call, Shane? That's a tough call, but you're getting a little creative. You think maybe you're gonna catch him off guard in a situation like that where you absolutely need the two-point conversion, maybe a little bit of desperation, but also the fact that you got there, you feel like, all right, we're playing fast and loose. Let's just dial it up and see if we catch them off guard. Look, I got to give the commanders credit for hanging in this game.

41:13Nick Shook:This is a team that a lot of us didn't have high opinions of going into this week. They made it tough on the Eagles who, yeah, we thought their offense would be better. But as we said last week, Greg, what was the one thing we could count on in this game? Out of all four units, it was the Eagles defense. It was the Eagles defense for three quarters. And then I really do believe the weather was a factor. And just like the not playing in the preseason was a factor. But these players all look gassed in the fourth quarter. And the commanders and Jaden Daniels started making plays. There was a third and 14, and he just hadn't hit anything all game.

41:49He ends up with decent numbers, but it was really ugly through about three quarters. Jihad Campbell kind of gets caught, like, taking the cheese, and just his eyes were in the wrong place. And Daniels hits a third and 14. I believe that was to Antonio Williams for a big play that got them unlocked. Stefan Diggs ends up scoring a touchdown later in that drive. And then he has another drive, which set up that two-point conversion, where ultimately he was making a lot of good decisions. So I know they lost, but I do feel like the way this ended, he'll at least feel a lot better. David Blau will feel better that they fought back a little bit late in this game.

42:28Jourdan Rodrigue:Yeah, and the problem with this two-point conversion, I've got my screen grab again as soon as he sort of pitches the ball here, is that Mauro Jomo is able to detach from Nick Allegretti, the guard, so quickly when he's seeing the play come into the tunnel, essentially. And Jaden Daniels is not able to hold the ball, pull, and roll to the left side, which had the less defenders on that side or fewer defenders on that side because Jalex Hunt is sitting right there. So it's like, yes, they were gassed, but in that short area, the Eagles, I'm going to count on them nine times, nine and a half, nine and three quarters times out of ten to be able to read and react to those plays in the short area.

43:09Jourdan Rodrigue:They're just more experienced than the group is.

43:11Nick Shook:And what is that a product of? Continuity and familiarity with McFangio's defense. And you would think, all right, well, maybe Dan Quinn might get the same thing from his defense. Most of his defense is rebuilt from what they had last year. And you had an example of Jahad Campbell maybe taking the cheese a little bit. On that touchdown to Dallas Goddard, that's Sonny Stiles taking a little bit of the cheese as well. Yes. You know, just not being in the right position at the right time. Glad you mentioned Sonny Stiles. Sonny Styles, other than that play, was absolutely incredible in this game. It was the most impressive rookie defensive player I got to watch on Sunday.

43:39I don't know if you guys had any that stood out like that. He had one play where he absolutely truck-sticked Saquon Barkley and then got the sack after that. He had another couple plays that he really disrupted. Two tackles, four loss total, but also I think was active at times in pass defense. Yeah, he was. And Jaden Daniels, he was not seeing the field well. And I think on that last play, he says it's an option to throw to Rashad White. And he said his pre-snap read, like how the Eagles were playing it, took him off Rashad White. If you do look at the dots in the play, like he had Rashad White pretty open there.

44:16Nick Shook:Yeah, but you know what? I don't like this whole Zapruder film breakdown. Because even in the Detroit game. It's just called watching the tape. There's no guarantee that they still get across the goal line in that scenario. That's fair. They also had some time left on the clock. So even if they had hit that two-point conversion, the way that the Eagles defense or offense was playing, I wouldn't have been surprised if they went down the field. Duntavian Wicks had a big 64-yard catch in this game early. They need to get the Sean Mannion run game going, though, because Saquon Barkley was getting hit in the backfield a ton.

44:47The final stats look okay that he ends up with a 42-yard gain and then 15 for 83. three but for the most part uh until that last drive where they did actually get it going uh the running game was hitting the backfield like over and over and over again i think just typically

45:05Jourdan Rodrigue:with this system if it is what i think it is and we don't quite know exactly what it knows it will be because it's week one yes it's self-aware brand new it is self-aware um but i think by like week six we'll know whether this is going to work or not honestly and i would imagine because of the players that they have available for this particular run game that it would, but it just takes some time for it to actually function the way that we, so I'm, I'm patient with this. With all these new coordinators. I agree. This is, it's a bigger win for Philadelphia than it is a bad loss by, by any means, but for Washington, they just needed to escape and they need to get Terry McLaurin a little more involved.

45:46Didn't have a catch until late in this game. Chigal Conquo went down with an injury late in this game. So that's something to watch as well. let's move on. That was close to being the biggest upset, you know, to that point in the game. But no, the biggest upset actually went down right across the way here in SoFi. It's the Jordan Rodrigue Arizona Cardinals getting it done.

46:09Nick Shook:They've had red zone trips today, but only gotten one touchdown. Second down goal to the end zone. Touchdown. It's McBride. and he beat Derwin James. Ooh, how about Jacoby? Points at him. How about Trey McBride? You want to put me in the top 15 players in the entire NFL? Maybe I should be even higher. Nine catches, 95 yards. Like, he's on pace to break another tight end reception record.

46:39Jourdan Rodrigue:At one point, argued for his own first down. Like, they moved the chains for him. It was incredible. I guess the crazy part is not just that the Cardinals won this game, Jordan. It's that if you just change the uniforms, like there didn't seem to be anything fluky about it. They just seemed like the better team in every way from start to finish. Well, I knew it was the Arizona Cardinals because they still couldn't finish with touchdowns every time they got into the red zone. You're saying they're charging a little bit there? But this was a crazy game, you guys. I had so much fun actually watching this game, because in parts I just really could not believe what was happening.

47:18Jourdan Rodrigue:That Trey McBride touchdown was set up by a blocked punt by former Los Angeles Chargers, Semih Fahoko. And then Justin Herbert threw an interception on a deep pass. It was Andrew Wingard of the Cardinals. Then this sequence happened. The Chargers were down 23-14, and their offense takes over. They were not moving the ball well outside their opening scripted drive. Then they get a penalty, a penalty, a penalty, a pass breakup. Then they have to burn a timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty, pass for 12 yards on third and 30. They're short on a pass on fourth and 18, a penalty, and then a turnover on downs.

47:56Jourdan Rodrigue:What most surprised me about this, because I have thought that the Cardinals' skill players and the Cardinals' offense was going to be quite exciting to watch this year. I've been honking about it all offseason. What I was extremely surprised about was the defense. Because, again, after that opening scripted drive where it felt like the Chargers were using two fields to create that amount of space that they had. They had plays like they had a goal line stand that was a field goal. They forced a fumble that they turned into a field goal on the other side. Again, they couldn't get into the end zone a ton.

48:26Jourdan Rodrigue:They got into the backfield on early downs. They forced the punt that led to the block. The second that they sort of settled in and started getting weird again with what they run on defense, they were a handful for this Chargers team. Yeah, where do you think it went most wrong for Herbert. He throws that late interception. And yeah, if you're checking us out on YouTube, we have all these highlights. And he didn't look at least pressure rate-wise and QB hit sacks. It didn't seem like it was necessarily the offensive line. Where do you think it went wrong for him in the offense? Well, it really went wrong for him in the offense with what actually the Cardinals offense did on the other side because what they did was they played a lot of ball control.

49:10Jourdan Rodrigue:The time of possession ended up being 37 minutes and 31 seconds to 22 minutes. They played Harbaugh ball. They literally played Harbaugh ball, except they passed it the crap down the field. They weren't a run-heavy team. They were just pass, pass, pass, and aggressive and pushing the ball. And they just kept building these really, really long drives. The Chargers only ran 51 offensive plays. They were 2 of 8 on third down. That combination is going to sink any team in the NFL. I don't care who you are or how exciting your new offense is.

49:43Nick Shook:Yeah, that's an exact formula for loss. Like if you just look at it based on just strictly the numbers, you're like, oh, two turnovers, lost time of possession by 15 minutes. Yeah, this is how you lose games, especially in the fourth quarter like that. Not to mention the highlight that we just played with Justin Herbert throwing the ball interception to Andrew Wingard. There's two guys downfield. Who are you throwing that to? Are you trusting your arm that much that you can make that play when you got two defenders back there? No, it's not necessarily uncharacteristic of this team. It's just as if because of what happened last year, and it is week one, that maybe they're still trying to figure out exactly who they want to be.

50:15Jourdan Rodrigue:Well, it felt like the Cardinals, the way that they controlled the ball and they did have an identity and they were aggressive. It felt like it crunched the Chargers into pressing so early in this game. Like with their play calling, you mean? Just with just how they felt. They just felt like they couldn't execute. There was sloppiness on defense. It was almost stunning, I think, to see Jacoby Brissett push the ball as aggressively on the field as he did to all these skill players. The energy was very much on the Cardinals side. Like they're talking at each other. You're loving this. Like it was it was crazy.

50:51Nick Shook:But how how do you apply that pressure? You take an early lead. You take a lead at the halftime. You build on that lead. You make it a nine point lead on the road. Home opener. Fans suddenly they came in there thinking we're playing the Cardinals. This should be an easy win. Now everybody's tense. That starts to filter down to the sideline. And they're playing tense as well. And the other thing is... It's a quiet sofa. Because Cardinals don't really travel. So it's a rare game where the opposing team is not really there. So nobody's there. It's a mausoleum. And you get a little bit of a bump with a new coach.

51:18Nick Shook:First game, everybody's bought into what he's selling. How irresponsible, Jordan, are you going to get this week with the Mike LaFleur agenda? Not at all.

51:29Jourdan Rodrigue:Not at all. Because it's week one and weird. weird they're already 25 the way there to hitting their uh win total over under for the year all i'm saying is that the skill guy if you you forget other than a couple of things and again the red zone was one of them you forget that this was the arizona cardinals that are only projected to win four games watching them play football today it is week one it's also playing against a chris o 'leary group where historically this system will say okay we don't want you to throw over the top of us we will allow X number of yards. We will allow, but, but what the Cardinals did that seemed to really frazzle what Chris O 'Leary was doing was first of all, Jacoby Brissett was like, yeah, I don't really care if you blitz me.

52:15Jourdan Rodrigue:I am going to get knocked on my back, but I will get the ball out. I mean, how many systems does he have to look good in before we just accept Jacoby Brissett's good? He's been in like 16 different systems. But they, what was cool was the, again, justice for Jacoby. To my point, he had so many answers and it was all through the air. Like Jeremiah Love brought the juice early. He had some great bursts. I think they just eventually thought, okay, we're winning through the air. And so we don't have to use so many carries on this young player who's coming back from an injury. Tyler Algier got in the game and he was good too.

52:46Jourdan Rodrigue:But it was interesting because they would do exactly the thing that this defense was almost baiting them to do, which was take big chunks out. But it was also some tight window throws and some really tough perimeter throws. And like Jacoby Brissett was like, I do not care if you're going to hit me. I will get the ball out. and it was just one of those formulas that really, really worked against what the defense was trying to do today and they had confidence. You could see it, you could feel it even through the TV screen, just the way that these players were carrying themselves versus how confused the Chargers players and the coaches seemed, frankly.

53:18Biggest upset of the day, it's going to be the biggest panic, I think maybe of any team after week one

53:23Jourdan Rodrigue:could be the Chargers. Mike McDaniel was the guy who was supposed to light it up and you get 14 points with Mike McDaniels, like, yeah, we could have Greg Roman do this. Let's go to Cincinnati, where the Bengals avoided having a panicked fan base after week one. The Wesslings were watching this game, and overall, they approve.

53:48Nick Shook:All right, Carissa Baker Mayfield under pressure. Troubled down, he goes, the ball's out. Loose ball on the turf, and it's scooped up. A scoop and a score for Demetrius Knight. And the Bengals take the lead in Cincinnati. Ooh, talk about omens.

54:06Jourdan Rodrigue:Baker may have had the chips, but the Bengals were scooping. Going to be tough to top that tonight. The Bengals win 33 to 27 in a game where, yeah, their defense turning the ball over was probably the key when they weren't giving up points. It's a high scoring game, but for Demetrius Knight, The beleaguered second-year linebacker getting the touchdown early. One of four times that they turned the Buccaneers over Baker Mayfield with some big mistakes. Joe Burrow and the offense did just enough. And so did the defense to hold off Tampa 33-27. And, yes, that was Kevin Kugler on the call.

54:48Nick Shook:So did the defense. I mean, come on. The offseason narrative. The Bengals' defense is rebuilt. they're giving Joe Burrell problems. They're going to be great this year. And then they deliver. You want to know how the first four? I mean, they gave up 27 points. I don't care. You want to know how the first four possessions ended for the Buccaneers? Field goal because the drive stalls. Fumble, fumble, fumble. What's that caused by? The Bengals defense. What was the lead for the Bengals after that? 21 to three. They are the reason that the Bengals were able to win this game. Yes, they finished closer than you'd like for comfort's sake.

55:19Nick Shook:But look, you can buy in. I know it's only one week, but I'm buying into the narrative now because what I saw from this unit was a team that played with aggression and confidence and intent and an understanding of what they were supposed to do, which is what the Bengals have not been defensively for so long, and it leads them to it. It's just, it's great that they are making plays. Like, that's what it's all about. They didn't force a punt. Like, there was only eight drives in this game, so they either gave up a touchdown or they gave up a score or they, you know, forced the turnover, which is a tough way to live in the NFL long term, but were there things before we get to the Bengals offense, like on a snap to snap basis or like which any players that stood out to you shook like from the defensive, from the Bengals.

56:01Jourdan Rodrigue:They went out and got, yeah,

56:03Nick Shook:I mean, boy, mafia had a big play in this. Miles Murphy was part of that sack that forced that fumble. Barrett Carter had eight tackles. He led them with in tackles and half of a sack. He split that one with Miles Murphy, Dax Hill. We know about him already, but Demetrius night is up there in the stats as well. It was a group that played cohesively and that's just such a departure from what they've been in recent years. And I know, again, it's only one week, but a lot of storylines in the offseason, we get to the regular season and they don't come true. This one came true for the season for the first time, maybe in the Zach Taylor era.

56:32Nick Shook:It was a Bengals team that actually started as if they knew what they were supposed to do and didn't get caught in some crazy, weird game with a crazy ending. They just went out there. And because their defense got them so many opportunities early, they were able to finish this one off and have a win to be really proud of.

56:45Jourdan Rodrigue:What I really liked about this, like looking at the stat sheet from them at the end, is what I really disliked about the way the Panthers lost for the Panthers, because they went out and invested in a position group that I don't want to say they no-showed, but they really got run all over and passed all over all day. The Bengals, the guys that they went out and invested in, Dexter Lawrence, Boyamafe, Brian Cook, they were disruptive all game. And so for me, I'm like, yes, this is an example of when your front office is aggressive and then everything else actually shows up and does its part on the other side.

57:21Jourdan Rodrigue:We've been saying all offseason, this front office is sending the signal out there. Go do your job now. We're going to finally go out and take these big swings and invest in these players. And they did. And it worked out for them today. And sometimes it was maybe, you know, speaking of chips with Baker, maybe having a little too much dip on his chip. There was the play. I think he was scrambling. They were down early. What was it? 14 to three. And he's trying to run it in for the end zone. He picks up a first down. You're like, great, Baker. And then he fumbles the ball. And that ends the drive.

57:56So Baker giveth and Baker taketh away. Before we get to the kind of the Bengals offense, what did you think about what Tampa showed offensively?

58:02Nick Shook:You know, I think they have a lot to be proud of outside of the turnovers. Look, you live by the Baker. You die by the Baker. This is one of those games in which you died more than you lived. But I think they should feel largely confident in what they had so far. You know, running game wise, I like what Bucky Irving did. I like Kenny game. Well, it's small sample size, but I like his fit in this offense. And, you know, the passing game, I think, has a little bit of room to improve. It didn't feel like they really got Godwin involved that much. Ted Hurst gets three catches late, all like in succession, but otherwise wasn't involved.

58:31Nick Shook:Kate Otten had a drop early that they need to clean that stuff up. But it could have been a lot worse, I think. So they should feel fine. And again, six point loss, not a huge deal, but you got to clean up the turnover. How did you think Burrow looked with this, you know, quote unquote, new offense? He looked comfortable. This whole idea of, oh, he's got to spend more time under center. What's he going to do? How's he going to handle it? He was fine. He did too. I saw a number, I think of the first 22 snaps. It was almost split evenly under center versus shotgun. I don't know if that kept up throughout the game.

59:04It's going to, but even that, like having any stretch where it's close to 50-50 is pretty dramatic for this for this team so you thought it was different because it is surprising to see a game where like Mike Gasicki goes for you know 78 yards that was a receiver like Jamar Chase doesn't do much of anything like it wasn't

59:21Nick Shook:an explosive pass no but in the moment in which they needed it most they went back to their trusted guys it's second and ten they're looking for one more first down to put the game away and he finds T Higgins with a contested catch for a gain of 18 that essentially seals it for them so they're still the Bengals and they'd still know where to go in a time of need. It's just that they don't only have to rely on that anymore, at least in this game, which is very encouraging. Let's give a shout out to Josiah Trotter, the rookie. The linebacker for the Bucs, brother Jeremiah, who is on the Eagles right now, had an outrageous game.

59:54A pick six as a rookie off Joe freaking Burrow to turn the game around and really give his team a chance to win. But that's not it. Eleven tackles, a sack. I guess that interception counts as his pass defense and two tackles for loss. I mean, that is an absolutely ridiculous first game for him. Did anyone else stand out like that for you?

1:00:17Nick Shook:I mean, largely for this defense, it's a lot of usual suspects. I think I would go back to the Bengals defense and give a hat tip to Jonathan Allen, who, you know, made a nice impact as well. But I mean, Trotter was the story of the day for this group, just with what you listed. Historical context, he did something special, too, as well with that. His one sack and one interception return for a touchdown is the first time since at least 1982 in which a player recorded a sack and a pick six in their NFL debut. Yeah. And he joined Paul Tripoli as one of only two Tampa Bay Buccaneers players with a pick six in their NFL debut.

1:00:50Nick Shook:Name and some dudes. Wait, so like he's the first one. I was like, of course he's the first one. That would be outrageous if anyone had done that. Well, they only started tracking sacks in 1982. I was just like, yeah, either way, that is an outrageous performance by him. But yeah, Baker, like the box score looks pretty good, but he lost three fumbles and that will get you beat. Just got to rein himself in most weeks. Yeah. I mean, we're on what year eight of that, something like that. Let's go to a man who doesn't have to rein himself in, just needs to stay healthy. And he's going to be pushing for that MVP award.

1:01:24Once again, it's Lamar Jackson.

1:01:27Nick Shook:Lamar finds Zay Flowers with tons of room to run. Flowers turns it into another gear. Zay is gone. Touchdown. 54 yards. and Flowers is flying in Indy. You know what helps you win awards? When you have cool formations like Zay Flowers coming out on a choice route from the backfield and you only have to throw the ball about 12 yards. And Zay Flowers is weaving through the defense like, I don't know, like prime Michael Vick or something. That was incredible. Zay Flowers had a career high in receiving yards and he left the game for good in the second quarter with a hamstring injury. He didn't deserve to get paid.

1:02:09Right. Well, I don't know. The haters could say, well, he did leave with a hamstring injury. After 150? Yeah, he had a hamstring injury throughout camp. Yeah, he gets 150 yards. And they were injured at wide receiving. Jacoby Lane hurts his wrist and leaves this game. And it doesn't matter. The Baltimore Ravens put up a 40-burger on the Colts. 41 to 23. Just outrageous numbers for Lamar, who throws for over 300 yards for only the 10th time in his career. That's kind of surprising. despite throwing the ball only 25 times. So it was a bunch of big plays. He ran the ball fantastically, including a rushing touchdown, 40 yards on the ground.

1:02:46But the thing I like most about this game was that they took a three-score lead in the fourth quarter and then they just like held it. Like John Harbaugh could never, at least when he was the Ravens.

1:02:57Jourdan Rodrigue:They simply kept a lead. They just kept it. And it was just a totally normal fourth quarter where both teams scored and it stayed about the same. You mean to tell me that Ravens fans maybe have a reason to let go of their trust issues? You can do that. Declan Doyle. Declan Doyle is the new offensive coordinator. He is going to get hired about week five. That's not really allowed, but like the interviews will start happening because everything you could hope for, Jordan, it was better. And I think Lamar is going to get all the attention in this game. Derrick Henry looked awesome in the running game.

1:03:29Looked awesome.

1:03:30Jourdan Rodrigue:Well, I want you to tell me about it because Greg, I sit a cube desk in front of you And I just kept hearing you make these noises when Derrick Henry would do something insane. 144 rushing yards, three touchdowns, six yards per carry on 24 carries. Like between him and Zay Flowers, it's almost 300 scrimmage yards just from two players. Right. And again, Flowers left in the second quarter. He had a chance to, in theory, break the all time receiving record in this game. I mean, he was on pace and they're going to need him to get healthy because it's just a thin group. So Derek Henry, I made one of those noises.

1:04:05It was actually on.

1:04:07Jourdan Rodrigue:Here's what it was. The screen pass that he took 19 yards where it like, I'd have to go like study this. Someone, if they want to do like an inside the play where they fake one play, they fake another way and they bring him out the backside. And it was just like, at that point in the game, Doyle and the Ravens offense was in their bag. But the reason I think they held the 18 point lead so easily was once they got to the bread and butter late, they just could run the ball very conventionally and they did not miss Tyler Linderbaum like the Raiders very happy to have Tyler Linderbaum but the Ravens um did not miss Tyler Linderbaum and yeah it was it was a lot it was impressive one of my things that I was hoping for was a very respectable game between the two uh like you know I guess like icons that they're still going of the run game and that is Derek Henry and also on the other side Jonathan Taylor who did add two touch two touchdowns and was relatively productive, I guess, for the Colts.

1:05:06I would challenge anyone throughout the course of the season. And if you're looking for an NFL plus game, like this is a great game. It's not, it's not close at the end, but there was just so much cool stuff. I don't know if we'll see a better game played by two running backs all year. I kept like as good as Derek Henry was. I think Jonathan Taylor was better in this game. He looked so explosive. He made so many incredible cuts. Like it was as good as I've seen Jonathan Taylor look. And I know like he didn't have the 80 yard touchdown like he normally has. And he ends up with 120 something yards total.

1:05:37But like he and the running game look good. Their offensive line was more of an issue pass protecting for Daniel Jones, who you didn't see him running much. There was one or two times he moved and it was OK. I think it was more that he was playing a Jesse Minter defense. and they, after the first drive where the Colts went right down the field and looked explosive, he found Josh Downs a couple times on that drive. There were just no big plays to be had. They didn't play that badly, I didn't think. Offensively, they just couldn't keep up with this Ravens attack and they couldn't hit big plays. That's what Jesse Minner and this defense did a good job doing.

1:06:13Nick Shook:It was a classic case of getting off of your script because the game dictates that. It requires you to try to make up for a deficit that's been created by some mistakes. You had an interception for Jones And then you also had a Taylor fumble that was kind of just a weird fumble that the Ravens recover. And suddenly they're down 22 points and they're trying to scramble and claw their way back. So they get completely out of their comfort zone. And so things get weird, you know, when it comes to your script offensively. But overall, yeah, I agree. I mean, Jones, he looked fine for somebody coming back from injury.

1:06:42Nick Shook:He looked fine. So did Alec Pierce, by the way, coming back from injury. They didn't give him a full compliment of snaps, but he was on some in cuts that they don't typically have him do. And I thought he looked good. They probably are a one receiver short. They're not ready yet to keep up in a shootout like this. And I think it was because the Ravens defense has more dynamism this year than they did a year ago. The best pass rusher in this game was Tavarius Robinson of the Ravens, who had a sack, a number of hurries. Trey Hendrickson also had, I think, five or six hurries. Didn't show up in the box score with a sack or a quarterback hit, but he was around the quarterback.

1:07:20He made Daniel Jones step up, according to Next Gen. Yeah, like, I don't know who to trust these days. Pressure rate over 50 % for them as well. And you know what I noticed most about this Ravens defense? I trust your eyes. No, I know. I don't know who to trust, like, the Next Gen. Because I love Next Gen. Proximity. They're, like, very loose with the pressures. They're, like, GPS.

1:07:38Jourdan Rodrigue:They're, like, GPS. Right. And then PFF, they had five pressures for Hendrickson. That felt more right to me. Like, it's like they actually made an impact on the play. I don't know.

1:07:47Nick Shook:Yeah. But the one thing that I think was most impressive to me about this Ravens defense more than anything is how many times they were contesting attempts on catches, like a passes, third down, pass breakup, pass breakup. It just felt like every time I got to the next play, pass breakup. Humphrey, great game. Marlon Humphrey, who got banged up late, but came back in. He had a forced fumble, like a classic forced fumble on Jonathan Taylor, where he ended up ripping it away. Malachi Starks, easily the best game of his career. Jonathan, rather, Jesse Minter, at the very end of the game, when they needed to finally get a stop, like sent the entire house.

1:08:20Like he had been showing so much pressure, but not always sending it. And he showed it. And then at the end, he sends it. And it was a game ceiling sack by Malachi Starks. Like a lot of different players. Kyle Hamilton had good games for them. And on the flip side, I am going to be curious to see how this game ages for the Ravens. Because I'm a little worried that a lot of offenses are going to score a lot of points on the Colts based on what I said. Yeah. Yeah. We'll see. We'll see. That's a fair concern. It's just one game. but Charverius Ward, not great effort on a couple plays, looked quite slow on a couple plays.

1:08:53And Justin Wally was getting absolutely cooked by Zay Flower. The secondary, Halsey is another player there. It's like, yeah, you have Sauce Gardner.

1:09:01Jourdan Rodrigue:Just stay away from him. They did. They put Zay Flowers inside and they moved him all around so they avoided Sauce Gardner. I have one real... You just can't play like that anymore. No, you can't.

1:09:13Nick Shook:You can't because teams are going to find ways to beat you. I have one real question left for you though Greg of the catch and run touchdowns we've seen this week Jackson Smith and Jigbo Zay Flowers which one was better oh Zay Flowers that's one of the that's gotta be one of the best catch and runs of the year like that was cool how he wove in and out of three or four

1:09:30Jourdan Rodrigue:and you're not just saying this because the other one was against your New England Patriots I'm not I mean that was just like he caught it and he ran Zay Flowers was epic sure okay Greg do you know it's the way Just downplay it. If I'm going to argue something, I'm going to argue it. Just caught and ran. Anybody could do that. Speaking of, like, weaving in and out, like, we got to go to the next game. We can't even show you the Lamar Jackson Houdini scramble before because I want to get to this next game. But I will say that I knew, like, it was a different Lamar Jackson when early in the game he had a rushing touchdown.

1:10:09and then it's third and 16 and two Colts defenders are all over him, including DeForest Buckner and he ducks under both of them. They like crash into each other. He breaks a tackle and he runs for a 16 yard first down and that leads directly to points. We're not going to another game until we take a break. Let's put a pin in it and we're going to come back with the Ravens division rival. A good day at the top of the AFC North.

1:10:39Jourdan Rodrigue:Not the NFC South. And not the bottom of the AFC. They'll get there, too. Big penalty.

1:10:45Nick Shook:Backs up Baltimore with the play clock at three. Jackson. Feeling the pressure. And he stays on his feet. Lamar now is going to take off. Jackson at the 30. To the outside. And he comes close to a first down. What a play by Lamar Jackson. 17-yard run. And they are moving the chains.

1:11:13How do you turn 16 games, injury reports, team notes, betting lines, and matchup trends into one clear weekend preview? ChatGPT work can help. Give it the goal, plus real inputs like notes, files, data, and project plans. It can help turn them into an analysis tracker, deck outline, or workflow you can keep shaping. You stay in control, reviewing the work, and choosing the final result. Put ChatGPT to work on your most ambitious ideas and projects. Get started at ChatGPT.com by selecting work mode available on plus and pro plans. Football is the ultimate team game on any single play. It takes all 11 guys to execute it successfully.

1:11:54And whether they're pounding the A gap or taking a deep shot, the best teams win in multiple ways. That's why Bet365 is giving fans options all season long with their early bird special cash out availability or early payout. Bet365 offers a bunch of different ways to play. Whether it's boosted profits before the game or getting paid out when your team goes up big, there's no shortage of exciting options. Plus, you can cash out anytime. Bet365, where winning is everything. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET. Must be 21 plus and present in a state where Bet365 operates. Please gamble responsibly.

1:12:32Restrictions and terms and conditions apply. Void where prohibited. Download the app today. Lowe's knows Sundays are for football. So tackle your home improvement projects by Saturday and earn your Sunday with great deals on LG and Bosch appliances. Select Ego, DeWalt, Filtrete products and more. Then once your to-do list is done, get ready to kick back, relax and enjoy the game. Shop in-store or online now and earn your Sunday with help from Lowe's, official partner of the NFL. The people have spoken and McDonald's listened. Back by popular demand, McDonald's is firing up your taste buds with the return of spicy McNuggets, plus mighty hot sauce to turn up the heat.

1:13:15That's right. McNuggets just got hotter. You can taste it now. The crispy crunch of a McNugget, coated and seasoned perfectly with aged cayenne and chili peppers, then dialed up and dipped in the mighty hot sauce with a little more kick and just a touch of sweetness. You can taste it now, right? McDonald's packs plenty of flavor and spice into each bite, and that should get your attention. So grab some extra napkins, get yourself to a McDonald's now, and spice up your day with the hot combo of spicy McNuggets and mighty hot sauce. After all, you can take the heat, right? Get them while they're literally hot at participating McDonald's for a limited time.

1:13:56When we last left off NFL Daily's week one recap, we heard the Baltimore Ravens taking care of business on the road. The Pittsburgh Steelers at home in a game. They learned that they were going to be facing Cooper Rush over the weekend. Not only Cooper Rush, but Cooper Rush with back spasms. They better take care of business. Second and 10 out of the timeout.

1:14:21Nick Shook:It's picked off and it's won. Watt, he's all over the place. T.J. Watt still going to the end zone. It's a touchdown, and it's T.J.

1:14:32Jourdan Rodrigue:Watt at his best. It's a whiplash for me. I'm just not used to hearing Joe Davis on football. I'm used to it on, you know, Miggy Rojas home runs for the Dodgers. No, that was T.J. Watt. That was a great defensive performance by the Steelers. They get out of Dodge with a 20-13 victory over the Falcons. Shook, are you more impressed by Watt and the defensive performance or like mildly disappointed that this game was so close until the last few minutes? You know, I think both things can be true.

1:15:07Nick Shook:Okay. First off, who does TJ Watt think he is? Aiden Hutchinson? Just kidding. This is a guy who has done this plenty in his career and it was fitting for him to do this and kind of finally push the Steelers further enough ahead that they wouldn't have to worry about potentially losing this game to Cooper Rush and the Falcons because for a long stretch in this game, it was just a grind it out. How are we going to get to the end here? Are the Falcons ever going to mount a serious push because they were so limited offensively? But the Steelers defense, what was the number one thing that jumped out to me?

1:15:35Nick Shook:Their pass rush. Alex Highsmith, Herbig, Watt, this whole group just looking really strong. And I think that's the backbone of their team because the offense certainly doesn't bring that much to the table. Aaron Rodgers tried plenty to get in touch with DK Metcalf. Ten targets, four receptions. The Conspiracy Bros not really producing that much, but he did have a vintage moment in which he threw a touchdown pass to Pat Frymouth in the back of the end zone. A little off-platform, a little flick of the wrist through traffic for a touchdown that felt like vintage Rodgers. Otherwise, it's more of the same, which is potential.

1:16:07Nick Shook:Might get there, might get there. Don't finish the drive. But luckily, they were playing Cooper Rush in the Falcon. Do you think it was more on Metcalf or more on Rodgers? I did see the deep shot where I thought Metcalf should have made that. I would say it's probably leaned more toward on Metcalf. He had one where he was interfered with and they didn't call it. They should have. And there's another one where he just didn't catch the football. I think it's something that they have to continue to work on. I wouldn't put that much on Rodgers. And on the Falcon side, you can't run your whole offense through Bajon Robinson when Cooper rushes your quarterback because the Steelers are going to know that.

1:16:35Nick Shook:They did it early. Well, I mean, you kind of can. He had 173 yards from scrimmage. And they have 13 points. Yeah. Eight catches, 90 yards. Yeah. And a touchdown and then ran the ball well, too. But just.

1:16:48Jourdan Rodrigue:173 scrimmage yards from Bajon Robinson of 238 total offense. He's like, I see you, JSN, he's saying, and I will raise you like how much of the offense I am. That is outrageous. It's kind of tough because did you think the Falcons defense showed something that you could be excited about? Because Aaron Rodgers only averaged, and I don't know if this is more on Rodgers or more on the defense, a little over five yards per attempt, which we used to call back in the around the NFL days, the Gabbard zone between five and six yards per attempt is the gap. Actually, I looked at not to this is not the question that

1:17:26Nick Shook:you I'm supposed to be answering, but I looked at Cooper Rush's air yards per attempt early in the game and the vast majority were behind the line of script, which kind of told you what this game went. But yeah, no, I thought their defense did well. I really do. The success rate for the Steelers overall was thirty three point three percent that a lot of that credit is to the Falcons defense, which kept them in this game. They forced turnovers, a turnover. And it was a low scoring, kind of an ugly war of attrition game that ultimately they just didn't have enough offense to win. How, yeah. I wonder how this Joey Porter Jr.

1:17:57situation is playing there. Look, I don't really believe in like, quote unquote, distractions affecting the rest of the team. But I do think it is telling that we get a report before week one that Joey Porter Jr. could still be traded and they list him as a co-starter.

1:18:17Jourdan Rodrigue:Interesting. You were on the tiny table. You could be dancing on the tiny table forever. You predicted he would get traded to the Cowboys. I think you said this week. I just said they should do it. They should do it. They should do it. And then they rule him out for this game. Just a weird situation. And reporters kind of can't spot him for a long time before he finally appears on the sideline. And a back injury. Like at this point, I kind of would be surprised if we see Joey Porter Jr. again in a Steelers uniform. Which would be a really sad ending considering his father's history with that team.

1:18:48Nick Shook:But I think it's a case of player overvaluing himself as opposed to how the team... No, because he's going to... Well, yeah, having a different value because he's going to get his money from someone else. And so they don't particularly want to give him that contract, apparently, and they're going to. Yeah, neither team gets over 300 yards. Neither team averages more than 4.2 yards per play. This probably is not going to be first on my list of games. I mean, it'd be a quick watch, but in the end, you watch them all. So sometimes you watch the bad ones first just to knock them out. You know what wasn't like a competitive game?

1:19:23And yet I am very curious to watch your brownies because it included the Jacksonville Jaguars, who I believe are one of the most watchable teams in the NFL right now. Let's go to Jacksonville.

1:19:34Nick Shook:Lawrence out of the gun, drops back to pass. Pressure's coming again. Gets away from it. Trying to run away from it. And just to the line of scrimmage, he throws back in the end zone.

1:19:43Jourdan Rodrigue:Caught. Touchdown, Jacoby Myers. Of course. Trevor Lawrence went right up to the line. He let it fly for 32 yards. We were trying to come up with which highlight to use here, Chuck. And you were just like, well, you got to go with the last one because of LOLs. Yeah. Also an awesome throw by Trevor Lawrence, but the kind of borderline cocky throw that's like, well, I'm playing the Browns and we're up by four scores. What the heck? That was pretty sweet, though. I cackled at my desk when this happened

1:20:17Nick Shook:just because it was so fitting of how the game was going. 34-10, the Jacksonville Jaguars get it done in a game. Yeah, at one point they led 31-0. The offense for the Browns looked to be as bad as the defense for the first three quarters of this game. I told you. I had the Jags win this game 30-9. And you said I was speaking with my heart. And Browns fans told me that I wasn't giving them a shot. That's really close. They lost 34-10. I was too generous for a long stretch of this game. It was 31-0. I mean, come on. Look, all credit due to the Jaguars. They are the superior team here. They played great football.

1:20:54Nick Shook:Trevor Lawrence, the offense, looked like they didn't miss a beat from where they were last year. The first touchdown pass was a beautiful catch by Parker Washington diving into the end zone. He threads the needle on his second touchdown pass in traffic to Cameron for a score. Cam Little gets on the board with a field goal. Brenton Strange scores. Everything was as easy as it possibly could be for this Jaguars offense. And luckily, they were playing the Browns who didn't put up much of a fight. The Jim Schwartz defense of last year is not the defense that you have this year. And your offense is even worse.

1:21:22That was always going to be the risk that you don't hire Jim Schwartz. You choose Todd Munkin. I guess he's choosing Deshaun Watson. but you set up a scenario like a no win scenario and you are basically choosing to add a way higher chance that your defense gets significantly worse with a first time coordinator. And I know they also don't have miles Garrett. That's a big deal too.

1:21:44Jourdan Rodrigue:Well, neither do the Rams right now. Right. We'll mention that later. But yeah, like that, the defense could take a step back while the offense doesn't really look that good. I saw everything I was ever going to need to know about this football game from a post by my colleague, Zach Jackson, when he said, yeah, that was the same interception we saw thrown almost every single day in training camp, and here it is again. And I knew exactly who he was talking about and exactly what this was. And I am curious. I know you did suffer through this entire, although it must have been fun to watch the Jaguars, suffer through this entire game.

1:22:20Jourdan Rodrigue:You know, you're no longer in, like near in the proximity of the Browns. You kind of put some distance. Do you feel free that it just didn't happen while you were in the city? Do you feel like you can recover a little bit?

1:22:30Nick Shook:No, you know, I felt I was always free from it because I had emotionally removed myself years ago. Detached. But what's most important, I think, the lesson we can all learn is setting expectations and how it can help you move from one day to the next. Because if you were a Browns fan that came into this game with any sort of expectations, you were lying to yourself. And if you didn't have any expectations, you cruised through this one because Deshaun Watson was just as bad as you would anticipate. Third throw of the game or of the season, I believe, pick right over the middle, could see it clear as day.

1:22:58Nick Shook:It was just an ugly operation. Let's see that play.

1:23:01Jourdan Rodrigue:The outstanding tight end, Fannin, is on the right side of the offensive line.

1:23:04Nick Shook:Watson under pressure. Chipped. He closed his left. Intercepted at the 20-yard line right out of the gates. And the Jaguars will get the football. Deshaun Watson was leading a comfortable drive. But Oluwakian was able to come in and snuff that one out. That is what you call a bad omen for that to happen on the first drive of the game. That's Tom McCarthy. It's also Foye Aluokun with the Devin Lloyd interception special. And Foye Aluokun is one of the more underrated linebackers in the league. And they kind of chose to pay him in a way over Devin Lloyd. And he's a good player. So shout out to the Jaguars.

1:23:44Jourdan Rodrigue:Was that Ventrell Miller who did the cartwheel? 51. He did like a cart. It was a cartwheel pressure. It was insane. best early celebration of the season. I do want to give the Jaguars their flowers. Chuck, like what impressed you the most about this team that won 13 games a year ago. And yet not many people had them winning the division coming into it this year. You know, Jordan and I have our Superbowl champion in the, in their same division. Doesn't mean we don't like the Jaguars too, but this is an impressive way to start their year. Speak for yourself. I have the Jags. Okay. There you go. Come on.

1:24:17Jourdan Rodrigue:Patrick Claiborne had him winning the Superbowl. Yeah,

1:24:20Nick Shook:let's go. Let's do it. Why not? I mean, it's more of the same and more of the same good. You know, it was getting Brian Thomas involved a little bit. It was getting Jacoby Myers a touchdown. It was obviously Parker Washington. Basial Tootin looked good as the lead back for the first time in his career. It was just, it was a complete picture. They looked very prepared. They looked like they didn't have an offseason. And so that's very encouraging for them. But also, you know, defensively, they got after Watson all day. I think they had five total sacks. Josh Hines Allen and Trevon Walker combined for three of those five sacks.

1:24:54Nick Shook:So just a complete performance. Lawrence had five incompletions, four touchdowns. Wow. That is incredible. Parker Washington goes five for 83-1 after he more or less does miss me with that mid-tier wide receiver money. It does sound like he kind of, at least according to the reporters reporting the story, kind of was like, no, I don't want to negotiate anymore. I'm not going to take the contract offer you had bet on bet on yourself because worst case franchise tag sets you up for monster payday.

1:25:27Jourdan Rodrigue:That may be true, but I would not put it past the Jaguars to actually keep these negotiations. Keep raising. I think I think they'll come. Yeah, I think they will. And Watson's final numbers actually look decent. And it's so they lied. So misleading. It was a lot of garbage time. It was cool to see Denzel Boston get a long touchdown late in this game and represent a little bit for that rookie class that we are excited to watch. Todd Monken was asked after the game, like if he's going to continue with Watson. He didn't exactly say yes, which is usually a bad sign. He said it was not all on Watson and that we all struggled.

1:26:03We could have called plays better for him. But you never know when you don't declare it right after the game. Sometimes there is a change. I tend to think he will get one more game. You know who is definitely getting one more game? Where there's no quarterback controversy. It's New York, where Geno Smith is back. The genosance is on. Got a chance inside the five-yard line. Little misdirection. End-of-round play. Sadiq bangs it in for the Jets' touchdown. Who hands the ball off like Geno Smith? Nobody. That's Spiro Ditas. 23 to 10. What a normal game. What a professional performance. The Jets outgained the Titans by 172 yards.

1:26:47The most that they've outgained another team in week one since 2014. Probably the most they've done, period. And honestly, the final stats flatter the Titans because they had a late drive that, you know, in garbage time that made it look a little closer than it really was. It was 359 to 130 before that. Dino Smith wasn't spectacular in this game. He did have a drive where he goes 31 yards to Garrett Wilson and 40 to 80 Mitchell back to back. And you're like, all right, we're cooking with gas. But for the most part, he just took what the defense give him. They held onto the ball the whole time and like they could run the ball.

1:27:23The defense was dominating. They looked awesome. And I know they were playing the Titans, but they weren't going to look like this last year playing against any team. So a really encouraging first week for the Jets.

1:27:35Jourdan Rodrigue:Yeah. Two things really stand out to me. it's similar to the previous game we were talking about the time of possession. It's like a 17 minute discrepancy and 38 minutes. And it was even more dramatic in the first half. It was crazy. Yeah. And then also Gino Smith didn't get sacked. So I think that the two things combined together, like you're going to be able to play a little bit of possession football. And I like this. They got a bunch of playmakers involved. He was distributing to a bunch of different guys. Like you said, handing the ball off really, really well, making plays. And Kenyon Sadiq was out there, which I wasn't necessarily expecting.

1:28:05Sadiq had three catches for 21 yards. Their other rookie, Omar Cooper, made a 30-yard catch, I think, on the first drive of the game, but then left with an injury. So that is something to watch because it doesn't sound amazing. There was some confidence after the game that it wasn't a long-term injury, but we will see. And then they also get A.D. Mitchell involved. It was just a very composed game by Geno Smith. They honestly should have won this game by a little more. I think they didn't take advantage of some of their drives in the first half. but ultimately you can't really be too annoyed when it's 23 to three midway through the fourth quarter.

1:28:39Nick Shook:And I know that that highlight was just a little unsatisfying for you because you wanted it to be a big Gino throw for a touchdown, except that didn't exist, but that does not diminish how important he was to this team. Because like you just said, he spread the ball 80 Mitchell, the whole not comeback, but Ascension season begin. Yes. Now. Well, I mean, we, we do have something what we're calling, you know, what we call in the business of VO. So, you know, While we're talking, you can see the 40-yard throw that Geno Smith had down the field to A.D. Mitchell. It is really an audio medium here.

1:29:12Jourdan Rodrigue:Did you get a sense on TV copy what the environment was like? Because I heard that it was a very, very Jets crowd. They chanted J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets, after the second Jets touchdown. And I was already thinking, if this is the bottom of Robert Sala's Titans career, that would be a good thing. because if it gets any lower than that, it's like pretty low for Robert Sala to be listening to the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets chant for Nashville. Like, it's rough. And at the beginning of the fourth quarter, this thing was emptying out. All the Titans fans pretty much left the building. Anything on Cam Ward?

1:29:49Everything that you heard and expected from the preseason happened. They just didn't look... No. It wasn't as, like, embarrassing. It was more the running game that was embarrassing. They didn't have a successful run until the third quarter. Like, Cam Ward wasn't making mistakes, but it was a lot of, like, run-run pass where it's third and eight, and he checks it down for five yards on third and eight, and then you punt. Like, just a ton of, like, third and longs and unsuccessful third and longs.

1:30:16Nick Shook:I ran through this one already, and I just, as I was watching, I was thinking, like, I don't feel like I've seen them hand the ball for a positive gain in ages. Well, you've already watched the condensed version of this game while prepping for this show when this wasn't your game.

1:30:28Jourdan Rodrigue:If he still worked for a team, he'd say, I just chopped through the tape.

1:30:32Nick Shook:I just grated the tape. I'm a real tape dog. It's really disappointing from a... I felt like Robert Sala's defense, they were overmatched, but they fought for him. The offense had no life. The drive summaries, they start with a field goal, they fumble on their third possession, there's a billion punts in between, and they end with a touchdown that doesn't matter. It was rough. The most surprising and most exciting thing I'll leave you guys with on this game. Like, I have a Geno Smith text thread.

1:30:57Jourdan Rodrigue:Of course you do. Wow. It's the Geno Hive. It's me, Steven Ruiz, and Mina Kimes. And we were like, Geno looks faster. Like, he legit looks faster this year. Like, we saw it in the preseason. He looks faster. Went and checked the NGS. He went over 20 miles an hour on one of his shows. He is faster. Best shape of his life. So now we're using NGS. Yes. Okay. Let's go to his former team. I think everyone is happy with how the Geno Smith for Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza trade worked out on both sides. Everything's good.

1:31:26Nick Shook:Cousins will look for the end zone. No, he'll dump it high for Gentry, who's going to get into the end zone. And Aston Gentry has his second touchdown of the day. So we talked about the New York Jets. Just feeling so much better after one week than they did a year ago because they played a professional football game, not too flashy, but just beat a bad opponent easily. How about the Las Vegas Raiders doing the exact same thing? Similar scoreline, 27 to 13. Ashton Gentry goes for 147 yards from scrimmage, including six catches, two receiving touchdowns, over 100 yards on the ground. Our guy Malik Washington gets in the mix, like Mike Washington, rather.

1:32:11What a great first game for our guy, Clint Kubiak.

1:32:14Jourdan Rodrigue:Yeah, they looked very competent. They looked like they knew where they were supposed to be and what the intent of the plays were. Now, yes, it is the Dolphins, the rebuilding Dolphins, famously. But Ashton Gentry specifically was the story of this game to me because he just really, the confidence in this system, first of all, that he clearly has, and the way that it also is, unlike last year, designed and blocked for him specifically to be a factor, not just on the ground, like you said, but also in the past game. There were wheel routes. There were Texas routes. There was things where he's like tunneling up the middle.

1:32:50Jourdan Rodrigue:He's in space matching up against different types of players that are a clear mismatch, like linebackers or bigger safeties. And this to me was like a, hey, you have this player who really, really runs well in space. And after the ball is in his hands, design something for him and then operate it with a line that actually looked like it was there to play football. Unlike last season, Tyler Linderbaum, I think just settling that entire group down. Yeah, we talked about a win-win. That's a win-win to me because there was just, like I said, a competence to this group. Creditable offense by the Raiders.

1:33:26Jourdan Rodrigue:Yes, it was the Dolphins. But the Dolphins' defense, actually, they fought. They scrapped. It's not going to be perfect. And one of their young corners got picked on for a lot of the game. Johnson got picked on by a lot of the game. For a lot of the game. Chris Johnson, their first-round pick. But at the same time, it wasn't just like they rolled over. This was a Raiders defense that did out scheme and out play through this game. Yeah. Kirk Cousins throws a couple of interceptions in this game. You said win-win. How about that Michael Mayer contract? Was surprised to see that over the weekend.

1:33:57So he's, you know, formerly the highest tight end taken in a very good tight end class and hasn't always lived up to his billing statistically, but they give him$15 million a year over the weekend. A, because they need to pay someone. I think in 2027, 2028, they haven't paid a person on a second contract for five years.

1:34:16Jourdan Rodrigue:Yeah. And teams, by the way, to your point, teams have to spend that money. Right. For a second, a certain second. But I think it shows maybe they believe how he's going to fit with Brock Bowers long term in a too tight end offense. He ends up with six catches in this game, only 32 yards. But, you know, Kirk Cousins, they're not asking him to go down the field too often. On the other side, I know you want to germ Malik Willis update was not great. Wasn't the easiest How dare you? Six for 39 on the ground with a nice little touchdown run was nice. Well, if you just let me continue, Greg, instead of just jumping in here.

1:34:46Jourdan Rodrigue:But yes, he had the touchdown run was awesome. He looked fantastic when he was running and he he threw a couple of nice passes to. But one of the things that was confusing to me was they kept having him really push the ball, like push the ball to the point where 16 of his 27 attempts were either on intermediate or deep passes. Yes, they were playing from behind for quite a bit of this game, but it wasn't that far behind to where you can't settle and either design to have like the easier outlets or to actually take them. To me, that's not something that should be happening if you're trying to play a sustainable offense is making your quarterback push the ball like that.

1:35:24Yeah, and look, he's a quarterback who likes to push the ball down the field, hasn't actually shown the ability, and he hasn't been in the game that much, at an NFL level, to take the easy ones. And that might be something he needs to work on. And he's got Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell as his starting receivers, two third-round rookies. So it's going to take some time. Yeah. It's going to be a very interesting test throughout the course of the season. Like, how competitive are they? Does everyone just beat up on the Dolphins easily? Either way, I think it's a really encouraging first game for the Raiders, just that they can do it to anyone, and especially that they could run the ball consistently.

1:36:04Jourdan Rodrigue:Well, with Gentry, too, the thing that was noticeable about him that wasn't always last year was he was falling forward. He was turning and grinding for extra yards. It was a great thing to have Mike Washington in there to spell him every once in a while, and then setting up with those more physical runs, setting him up to work in space as well. There was an insane hit on him where he flipped sideways and over and then fell on his hip. He's out for one play. He comes right back in. Like, it just, to me, he just looks like he's got this confidence that I didn't necessarily see because of how many times he was running or trying to run, and he was already getting two defenders behind the line of scrimmage.

1:36:41Nick Shook:You know what that sounds like to me? What?

1:36:43Jourdan Rodrigue:A trope. Change in the culture. Oh, I don't know. We'll see. No, I love that for a first game for the Raiders, fans. A good Raiders team makes the NFL better. Jack Bech even scored a touchdown. Yeah. First score of the year. Early score for Bech. That's the Raiders. Let's go now to our final game in the slate. Sunday night football in New Jersey.

1:37:09Nick Shook:Scadamoo walks into the end zone. Touchdown Giants. All you gotta do is follow Patrick Ricard. You're gonna find the football on the other end of these things. There they go. Likely's going to go right behind him. And Scadaboo's just going to stroll in. He had no... Look at Likely. Somebody! I want to hit somebody! Come on! Oh, it only took a couple of drives until we saw the backflip touchdown celebration that Cam Scadaboo was inevitably going to do ever since the moment where he couldn't land the backflip this offseason. He landed it this time and he landed a lot of successful runs in a 28-20 victory by the New York Giants.

1:37:54Scadaboo winds up with 81 yards on the ground, but it was the way that they just controlled the clock. Play after play, whether it was him, whether it was Jackson Dart picking up runs when he needed to, and then also finding Isaiah likely for a couple of touchdowns. It surprised me, Shook, how much the Giants offense dominated this game. I know it says only 28 points, but they barely had any possessions. If not for a Tyrone Tracy fumble, and then they finished the game with the ball, like this team could have gone over 40 points.

1:38:29Nick Shook:I sat down and caught myself thinking, what world are we living in in which the Giants are dictating the tempo and the level of aggression to the Dallas Cowboys? We're living in the year 2026. This is the John Harbaugh Giants, and they dominated the Cowboys, at least when it came to aggression and physicality. And it's really built on the style of players that they've acquired, whether it's, you know, Patrick Ricard, as Chris Collinsworth liked to highlight repeatedly, especially in the second half. Cam Scadaboo, we know what he does. He likes to headbutt people and run people over and also do a backflip in pads, but can't do it out of pads.

1:38:58Nick Shook:The physics of that still don't make sense. And it's Isaiah Likely with two touchdown catches. The new guys, the familiar face in Cam Scadaboo, all coming together to kind of embrace this new identity and take it to the Cowboys in a fashion that we haven't seen in a long time. And it was likely that had the key third down catch to seal the game when they're up by eight. It was likely who had a pretty difficult catch to score. What I thought was the most important sequence of the game, Jordan, where Dak Prescott trying to throw the ball out of bounds was a little bit of a fluky interception with under a minute to go in the first half.

1:39:30At that point, it's just seven, seven. He doesn't get the ball out of bounds. It's an incredible play. And then Jackson Dart goes down the field for the score. And then they score coming out of the break. And suddenly you're up 14 points.

1:39:40Jourdan Rodrigue:Yeah. Well, and the Cowboys only possess the ball two times in the second half, which is absolutely insane. It's just that play. Yes, it was a little fluky. It was a little bit weird, but it was indicative of a little bit of that, like lack of crispness in a lot of different elements of, for the Cowboys. Like normally, yeah, you sail that enough, you know, away from, from danger to where that's not happening to you or to the players, at least out of bounds when they intercepted, but all game, whether it was missing tackles or starting really sloppily, starting with penalties, clean, clean the penalties up.

1:40:13Jourdan Rodrigue:the Cowboys did in the second half and in the first half started with a bunch of penalties. And it was crazy to me to see them just get pushed back off the line of scrimmage. It wasn't crazy to me to see that happen to them, uh, defensively, which the, the giants did all game. But in terms of just not being able to get off the field, this was, it was crazy to watch the giants basically do the same thing to them every single play and, and, or excuse me, do, yeah, do the giants do the same thing to them every single play and then they brought a safety down once the safety gets knocked back like everything is is not working for them it is insane I'm glad you brought up the two possessions for the Cowboys in the second half so after that interception they only got the ball two more times I mean they did have like a three-play you know drive where they kneeled you know right at the end they got one first down at the end of the first half but then they go touchdown touchdown in the second half and they lose the game it really felt like a 2025 Cowboys game because you finished the game, giving up three straight touchdowns.

1:41:12And the frustrating thing shook is how like it's, it was the same play to the flat so that it felt a little bit like coaching in addition to just not physically being up for it. Yes.

1:41:24Jourdan Rodrigue:That drove me nuts. That drove me so nuts sitting there watching the giants basically run a flat route three times in a row to single Terry in, in the exact same spot. And, and I mentioned at one point, They bring Jalen Thompson down. He gets on third and nine. He gets knocked the heck back. So Singletary picks up a couple of yards. It's another flat route. It is a touchdown to the left. You saw the opening touchdown with Cam Scadaboo also to the left side. It was like they could not solve this area of the field. And just physically, anything they did was just getting pushed backwards. They could not adjust well enough to it.

1:42:02Jourdan Rodrigue:And, you know, hat tip to Nate Tice, who pointed this out. five for five for two touchdowns on flat routes. Are you kidding me? Yeah, it's embarrassing. And yet I don't want to take away from what Dart did because on the less easy plays, I'm thinking of the scrambles in the first half that kept the drives alive. There was a couple of good runs in the second half. And then like the drive to end the first half, like those were out routes. And you started to see a little bit of the vision for this offense where fields and likely have a physicality to them. Likely was outstanding in this game. Maybe their MVP.

1:42:40Neighbors gets very active. Six catches for 69 yards. He felt like he was getting back into it. And even Mooney had one nice sideline catch there. So between that and ball control, and they had some Greg Roman-y schemed-up plays that worked pretty well against these Cowboys. You were like, they were putting Dart in a position to succeed. They weren't afraid to run him. He had a couple of design runs, too. And so overall, the offense was really exciting. And then on the defensive side, like, look, they weren't incredible. The Cowboys barely had the ball. But Abdel Carter had five pressures in this game.

1:43:13Shook, I don't know if you saw anything out of the defense in particular. It was a lot of penalties, which is why the Cowboys only ended up with 244 yards. But ultimately, they did enough to survive in this.

1:43:25Nick Shook:Yeah, I have some concerns about their young secondary and whether it'll hold up over the long term. But man, that front and especially the little NASCAR package with Thibodeau, Burns and and Abdul Carter. I mean that they make a difference there. They can get after guys. At the end, the cornerbacks got injured. Their starters, Deontay Banks and Greg Newsome, who were their starters. They were out there competing. They actually, I thought, displayed like a pretty big drop off when they went out. And then the guys you expected were going to start Colton Hood. And who was it?

1:43:58Jourdan Rodrigue:Drew Phillips is in there. Paulson Adebo went in at the end, their big free agent pickup. But either way, like it was really the offense kind of setting up the defense. Yeah, well, this first of all, the Cowboys offense is built to play with a lead. And the Giants, obviously, because they can rush the passer so well, they don't want you to play with a lead. They would like you to have to throw the ball on them. They would like you to to not run the ball on them. And they'd like to rush the passer. At one point, they're up 21-7 on the Cowboys. and Dak Prescott had been facing pressure on 45.5 % of dropbacks per next gen of those, of those throws.

1:44:35Jourdan Rodrigue:He was two of nine for 15 yards with an interception. And at that point to me, it's like, okay, not only do the giants want to be able to play ball control, the Cowboys themselves are not built to overcome a lead like that clearly because last year, their defense could not force takeaways and get off the field. They could not create like havoc or splash plays. they couldn't penetrate. This year, once again, they are clearly built to play with a lead, essentially. To almost reverse ball control and acquiesce yards in time if that's the only way that the opposing offense can get down the field, minus the explosives.

1:45:12Jourdan Rodrigue:And that only works if you already have the lead to begin with. If you can sort of like basically use the other team's weapon against you. But if you're only built to play with a lead, you're not going to be a good team. Exactly. Exactly. You're not. That's what I'm saying. That's my point. I just, I saw more of the same, except like a less productive offense.

1:45:30Nick Shook:And it was so telling. I think if you watch this game and you didn't see the numbers and you didn't even see the score, but you just watched the body language, you could already tell exactly what was going on because Dak Prescott never really looked comfortable throughout most of this game. And then in the fourth quarter, when the giants are just draining clock, they held time of possession for nearly 13 of the 15 minutes in the fourth quarter. There's multiple shots of Dak Prescott on the sideline, just staring, waiting for his opportunity. distance and never into the middle.

1:45:54Jourdan Rodrigue:Exactly.

1:45:55Nick Shook:Basically into, into nothing, into the void, because he's realizing I'm not going to get the ball again and have an opportunity to go try to tie this game. Yeah. Four drives over five minutes, two over eight minutes to start the second half. And then they killed the clock to end the game, which is just so satisfying for John Harbaugh in his first game. Really disappointing. And Schottenheimer wears this too. He doesn't go for a fourth and inches early and I can't really kill the offense. And even if you look at the numbers is like, yeah, Dak Scott's numbers aren't that crazy. They had six drives.

1:46:25They had about 100 yards and pass interference penalties. Like if you score 20 points on six drives, like, you know, you'd be the best offense in the history of the NFL. This is on the Cowboys defense. Like so many games over the last handful of years. Look, you said something right before we started. As we say goodbye, Jordan, the hype teams didn't do too well this week.

1:46:43Jourdan Rodrigue:No Rams. Cowboys, a lot of hype. They lost Chargers. There's a lot of offseason attention with Mike McDaniel. A big L. I mean, some of the hype teams, maybe one out there. Hold on. Yeah. I'm not going to let you slide. Texans also lost. Yeah, I know. I know. At least they were playing a good team, Shook. That was a lot of fun. That was our week one recap. Look, a lot's happening injury wise out there. And we'll get people updated throughout the week, including Omar Cooper of the Jets has a high ankle sprain. Jacoby Lane of the Ravens has a broken wrist that could take a little while. And then Miles Garrett is going to injured reserve is going to miss a month.

1:47:25So that, you know, injury that he was talking about, he needs to get back and get healthy. It's going to take surgery for him to possibly get healthy. A rough Sunday for the Rams as they watch a poorly timed 60 minutes feature play about their greatness. It was less about the timing of it going up, but just that they're showing that on CBS all day long of like, watch tonight to see how great the Rams are. And then there's a clip of Sean McVay, tough spot. But it's one week in the NFL, and we know things are going to turn around fast. We're already off and flying. I'm giving us a W for week one.

1:48:01Let's get out of here. We are going to be here Monday night, every Monday night. Jordan Rodriguez and I will be live on YouTube. Join us when we go and we talk about the final game of the week, the Chiefs, the Broncos, accounts for one and a half wins for whoever wins it. And then we'll be back hitting all the injuries and all the fun stuff during the week with Colleen. Previews, we're off and running.

1:48:29Scams don't always look like scams anymore. AI can make a fake ticket offer look legit or a sportsbook text sound official. And once an identity thief gets your personal information and starts using your name, then what? LifeLock helps detect potential identity threats and suspicious activity. And if identity theft happens, LifeLock's restoration specialists help restore your identity. Guaranteed, it's identity theft protection for the life you are building. Get LifeLock at LifeLock.com. Use the code football for up to 30 % off your first year. That's LifeLock.com, code football, because isn't your identity worth protecting?

1:49:07Nick Shook:Did you know every 36 minutes a child in the U.S. is diagnosed with cancer? Which means some of the bravest warriors you'll ever meet aren't professional athletes or superheroes. They're the kids in this fight. That's why I'm proud to support Hyundai Hope on Wheels. For the past 28 years, with support from Hyundai, their dealers, and every new Hyundai sold, Hope on Wheels has contributed over$300 million to childhood cancer research, helping save more than 40 ,000 kids. But we're not done yet. Let's bring every warrior home. Join our fight at HyundaiWarriors.com.

1:50:06Nick Shook:Adelaide requires hardware installation. Clear view of the sky for 36 month commitment. This is the story of the one. As a shipping manager, he's running the dock, stocking supplies, and making sure every order goes out on time. And Grainger helps him stay prepared. From shipping supplies to PPE to hand tools, he counts on Grainger to keep products moving and trucks rolling. So his operation runs smoothly no matter the shift. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

1:50:38Jourdan Rodrigue:This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.

From the publisher

Gregg Rosenthal, Jourdan Rodrigue and Nick Shook recap every game from Sunday's Week 1 action. The crew breaks down Josh Allen and the Bills finally winning in Houston, how two-point conversions decided the Commanders and Eagles and Lions and Saints games, the Bears and Panthers putting up video game numbers in an all-time shootout, and so much more from Week 1 in the NFL. 

NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcasts

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More from NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal

All 390 episodes
2026 NFL Week 1 RecapNFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal · 1 h 41 min
Listen in VO