Recap: NFL week one

After the long wait for the NFL season, the first week is over in the blink of an eye. 30 teams played their first regular season game between Thursday and Monday, but two teams didn’t get their first week in.

Due to hurricane Irma, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Miami Dolphins were not able to play their week one game. Luckily, both teams had a week 11 bye, so their game got rescheduled to play then. This means that both teams will now be playing 16 games in a row.

The season got kicked off on Thursday, September 7th as the Kansas City Chiefs played the New England Patriots. The Chiefs were able to take down the defending champs 42-27.

On the first Sunday of the season, 24 teams kicked off, only five of the home teams were able to win. The Cincinnati Bengals were the only team to be shut out during the opening week.

Instead of only one game being played on Monday night, like it is the rest of the season, two games were played. In the first game, the Minnesota Vikings played the New Orleans Saints and former Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. In the second game, the Denver Broncos played the San Diego Chargers.

We saw some rookie players making a big impact for their team this week and some former players playing their old team. Starting on Thursday, running back Kareem Hunt was able to rack up 148 rushing yards, 98 receiving yards and three total touchdowns, he also fumbled on his first carry. Hunt had the most scrimmage yards by a player in their NFL debut since 1970, according to nfl.com.

Another big game for a running back was rookie Leonard Fournette for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Fournette carried the ball 26 times and gained 100 yards and a touchdown. He also was able to add 24 yards on three receptions.

T.J. Watt, rookie defensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers, had a huge impact in his game against the Browns. He came up with two sacks, six tackles and an interception in his debut.

The Vikings rookie running back, Dalvin Cook, had a solid NFL debut. He carried the ball 22 times and gained 127 yards, breaking the Vikings record for most rushing yards by a rookie in their season opener.

These four rookies had a huge impact in their games and looked strong in their NFL debuts. Hopefully they can continue to play well and punish teams.

For the Bengals, rookie running back Joe Mixon did not have the start he would’ve wanted to. Mixon carried the ball eight times and was only able to rack up nine yards. He was also able to gain 15 yards on three catches.

The Carolina Panthers rookie running back Christian McCaffrey, didn’t have a strong start either, he was only able to gain 47 yards on 13 carries. He reeled in five catches for 38 yards but failed to find the endzone.

The Browns, who have yet to find a starting quarterback that can consistently play well, might’ve found someone. They started rookie DeShone Kizer who was able to complete 20 out of his 30 throws for 222 yards along with one touchdown and one interception.

For the Houston Texans, Tom Savage started at quarterback but after a dreadful 1st half, the Texans sent in rookie Deshaun Watson. Watson was able to lead the Texans to a touchdown on his first drive and put up 102 yards on 12/23 passing but he also threw an interception.

Eddie Lacy, former running back for the Green Bay Packers, is now running for the Seattle Seahawks. This week the Seahawks travelled to Green Bay and Lacy did not make an impact in the game, he finished with five rushes for three yards. Lacy, who has been struggling with his weight this season, did not start the season off well.

In the Monday night contest, Peterson played against his former team, the Vikings, and didn’t make much of an impact. After gaining nine yards on his first carry, he finished the game with only 18 yards on six carries.

Neither running back was able to punish their former teams and will want to pick their game up for the rest of the season.

There were some big injuries that happened to some big name players during the first week of the season.

In the Thursday game, Eric Berry, cornerback for the Chiefs, ruptured his achilles and is out for the season.

Allen Robinson, wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars, has torn his ACL and is out for the rest of the season.

Kevin White, wide receiver for the Chicago Bears, has only played in five games since he got drafted in 2015 and that number will stay the same for the rest of this year after fracturing a bone in the backside of his shoulder.

Danny Woodhead, running back for the Baltimore Ravens, who recently just came off an ACL tear, injured his hamstring and could be out for some time. Woodhead is new for the Ravens offense and looked to be a big part in their passing game.

There were some big name players who weren’t even able to start the season. Andrew Luck, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts missed the first week and is out for week two with a shoulder injury from last season. Also Odell Beckham Jr., wide receiver for the New York Giants, had to miss the first week because of an ongoing ankle injury.

Week 2 kicks off on Thursday, September 14th when the Texans (0-1) travel to Cincinnati to play the Bengals (0-1).