Week 1 of the 2015 NFL season isn’t over yet as there’s still two games slated for Monday night, but many observations can be made based on the action from Sunday. The below takeaways are aside from noting that the New York Giants, thanks to head coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning, practically gift wrapped a win for the Dallas Cowboys, and wondering what in the world Pete Carroll (one of the best coaches in the league) was thinking when he elected to begin overtime against St. Louis with an onside kick. Those are just two happenings on the first Sunday of the 2015 NFL season that made me scratch my head. Below are some observations that may have a larger impact on the season as a whole.
THREE TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 1 OF THE 2015 NFL SEASON
PEYTON MANNING PICKED UP WHERE HE ENDED THE 2014 SEASON
Peyton Manning finished last season on a bit of a downward slide. Many NFL fans, including myself, figured Manning struggled down the stretch in 2014 due to some ailments. But on Sunday, Manning and the Denver Broncos offense managed to put up only 244 total yards of offense. The former Tennessee Volunteer threw for only 175 yards on 24 of 40 passing, with an interception (returned for a touchdown) and no touchdowns. The offense didn’t actually find the end zone at all against the Baltimore Ravens. The Broncos’ lone touchdown came from a pick-six, courtesy of cornerback Aqib Talib. The only other scoring came from four field goals off of the foot of Brandon McManus.
This isn’t to say that Manning is done, or that he’ll be terrible this season. He’s too intelligent of a quarterback for that to be the case. Plus, he and new head coach Gary Kubiak need time to get on the same page. It’s way too early to draw any definitive conclusions, but the five-time MVP ended the 2014 season not looking like his MVP self, and him playing like he did on Sunday does not bode well for the Broncos’ Super Bowl chances.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS LOSING DOES NOT HELP KAM CHANCELLOR’S CHANCES FOR A NEW DEAL
I saw many people making the argument online that the Seattle Seahawks losing will help safety Kam Chancellor’s get a new deal, after the St. Louis Rams beat the Seahawks in overtime. Sure, safety Dion Bailey, who was starting in place of Chancellor as the talented safety continues his hold out for a restructured contract, slipped and fell which allowed Rams tight end Lance Kendricks to score a 37-yard touchdown. That touchdown sent the game into overtime, where Seattle eventually lost the game. Yes, the Seahawks’ vaunted defense is better when Chancellor, who may be the best safety in the NFL, is on the field. No one would question that.
But the loss, and even that game-tying play, isn’t all on Bailey, and none of it gives Chancellor any more leverage to secure a better contract than his current one. Each game the stellar safety sits out costs him $267,941.17, not to mention all of the money he’s forfeited by missing camp, among other financial hits his holdout is causing him to take. At this time, his holdout has hit his bank account to the tune of $1.87 million, and he will continue to lose $267,941.17 for each game he misses. Plus, he still has three years left on his current deal. The Seahawks have almost no incentive to cave and give Chancellor a new deal right now. They hold almost all of the cards right now, and Chancellor needs to realize that. I am all for players maximizing their earning potential while they are in the league, but in this case Chancellor will continue to lose money, and he will ultimately lose this battle. The Seahawks losing in overtime to a good divisional opponent does nothing to change that.
IT IS TOO EARLY TO BELIEVE IN THE CINCINNATI BENGALS
Yes, the Cincinnati Bengals have made the playoffs the last four seasons, and they more than took care of business against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, winning 33-13. But the main points here are that the Bengals, and more specifically, their quarterback Andy Dalton, usually don’t struggle in low profile, afternoon games, and this game was against the Raiders.
Oakland has been terrible for years, and it will be more of the same in 2015. The Bengals did nothing more than take care of business against a team that they should beat, whether or not the game was on the road. Cincinnati and Dalton need to keep the winning games they are supposed to, and start winning the prime time games against really quality opponents. Then they ultimately need to win at least one playoff game. Once they do that, then fans can talk about how those of us (me included) who said the Bengals would take a step back this season were wrong. There is a lot of football left to play this season, and the Bengals could be better than I suspected before the season began, but I need to see much, much more before I truly believe that.
These are some of my observations from the first Sunday of the 2015 NFL season. Let me know if you agree, disagree, or if you had different takeaways.
