Week One is in the books. Here are five takeaways from the first week of the 2016 season.
Five Takeaways From NFL Week One
1. The Vikings Are Not That Good
The Minnesota Vikings beat the Tennessee Titans by a final score of 25-16. Their offense struggled big-time in this game, however. Running back Adrian Peterson had 19 carries for just 31 yards, an average of 1.63 yards per carry.
Not only that, but the Titans outdid Minnesota in just about every category. They recorded 19 first downs to the Vikings 15. The Titans had 316 yards of total offense to the Vikings’ 301. The Vikings finished 0-3 in the red zone and the Titans finished 2-3.
The only real reason that the Vikings came out with the win was because of turnovers. The Titans turned the ball over three times. The Vikings returned two of the turnovers for a touchdown.
2. Dak Prescott Did Not Get Exposed
Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott impressed everyone in the preseason. Everyone also said that he would be “exposed” when he played in the regular season. He proved that wrong Sunday.
He finished with 227 passing yards and came very close to throwing a touchdown pass to Dez Bryant. Had Terrance Williams run out of bounds as time ran down, the Cowboys would have had more time to gain more yards – possibly through the air – and Dan Bailey could have kicked the game-winning field goal.
As far as Prescott’s off-target throws, the offensive line, which is proclaimed to be the best in the NFL, didn’t help him much in the second half. After a first half where he didn’t get hit, he got hit seven times in the second half. Had the offensive line given him more time to throw, he would have made more plays.
Nonetheless, Prescott has proven that he can do what he did in the preseason in the regular season.
3. Denver has a Dominant Defense
The Denver Broncos defense hit Tom Brady 33 times in total in their AFC Championship game meeting back in January. In the 2016 NFL season opener, the Broncos defensive line proved that they are still dominant, despite missing some pieces.
Denver lost Malik Jackson to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency during the offseason. They also lost a few other key pieces on defense. Many thought that meant the Broncos defense wouldn’t be as good as it was. They proved that wrong Thursday night.
4. No Brady, No Problem
Most thought that the Patriots had no chance to beat the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday with no Tom Brady or Rob Gronkowski. Brady is serving a four-game suspension. Gronkowski sat out with an injury.
The Patriots came into the desert and won, despite all the injuries. Jimmy Garappolo threw for 264 yards and a touchdown against one of the top defenses from 2015. The Cardinals were the toughest opponent the Patriots will face during Brady’s suspension. The Patriots could possibly go 4-0 in Brady’s absence.
5. Megawho?
The Detroit Lions played very well in their game against the Indianapolis Colts. After wide receiver Calvin Johnson aka Megatron retired, fans thought that the Lions would plummet. That’s not what happened. Matthew Stafford threw for 340 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Megatron wasn’t there to help out, either.
