All four NFC East teams have finished their respective games for Week 1 of the regular season. All teams won their matchups with the exception of the Dallas Cowboys. Here’s a look into the results as well as a grade for each team.
Week 1 Roundup: Grading Each NFC East Team
Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Commanders
Week 1 matchup: Won 28-22.
Carson Wentz’ long awaited rematch against Head Coach Doug Pederson was perhaps a little closer than it should have been.
The Commanders took a respectable 14-3 lead after Wentz threw two touchdowns. However, two consecutive interceptions and 19 unanswered points from the Jaguars put Ron Rivera’s team in a bad spot. Wentz responded right away with a 49-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Terry McLaurin, but missed the two-point attempt.
The defense, despite three turnovers from the offense, managed to hold the Jaguars to just 22 points (10 points from directly after turnovers). This allowed Washington to orchestrate a 13-play, 90 yard drive that took five minutes out of the fourth quarter. Rookie receiver Jahan Dotson scored the game winning touchdown (his 2nd TD of the day) with less than two minutes remaining. Trevor Lawrence forced an interception on his last play which sealed the victory for the Commanders.
It wasn’t the prettiest win, but it’s only the first game in the season. Washington’s defense saved their team in the end despite three turnovers from the offense. That being said, Wentz did throw four touchdowns and threw for over 300 yards. Give the guy some credit as he starts in a new system for the second year in a row. It’s also important to mention running back Antonio Gibson, who in the offseason was working on his ability as a pass-catcher. He caught 7 passes for 72 yards, while running 14 times for 58 yards (4.1 avg). Gibson provided a reliable option to dink-and-dunk through the field.
The Commanders visit the Detroit Lions in week 2. The 2016 first overall pick Jared Goff will once again face the second overall pick Carson Wentz, but both players will be playing for different teams.
GRADE: B
Player of the Game: Darrick Forrest: Game sealing interception, two pass deflections, forced fumble, five tackles.
Philadelphia Eagles at Detroit Lions
Week 1 matchup: Won 38-35
Dan Campbell is a fighter, and his team came close to almost defeating the Eagles in Sunday’s matchup. Unfortunately for the Lions, A.J. Brown wasn’t going to let that happen.
The former Titans 2nd round pick came in clutch for the Eagles, catching 10 passes for 155 yards. Safe to say that if Brown wasn’t playing, the Eagles would have lost that game. When not throwing to Brown, quarterback Jalen Hurts was 8-22 with 88 passing yards. Ouch. Hurts had a successful day on the ground (17 attempts for 90 yards and a touchdown), but when it comes to passing, he’s still the same player he was in 2021. He looks for one option, runs out of the pocket, and bails too quickly despite receivers being open. Devonta Smith was only targeted four times, Quez Watkins not once.
He made good use of Dallas Goedert, who caught 3 passes for 60 yards, almost scoring a touchdown after a nice 22-yard gain in the 3rd quarter. He protected the ball though and offensive penalties throughout the game didn’t help him either.
The Eagles defense started the game on a good note. The Lions got off to a hot start after a 50-yard run from D’Andre Swift, setting them up for a touchdown on the opening drive. This is typical for a defense with many new additions (James Bradberry, Kyzir White, Haason Reddick, Jordan Davis, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Nakobe Dean, etc.) and the Eagles defense buckled down for the rest of the first half. Bradberry’s pick six helped propel the Eagles to victory. In the 2nd half, things got a little uglier as Detroit rallied for a potential comeback. Miles Sanders shut down those hopes with a big 24-yard gain on a 3rd & 2 at the 27 yard line. Sanders had a solid performance, racking up 105 yards from scrimmage on 15 touches (13 carries, two catches) and scoring a touchdown in the 2nd quarter.
Overall, a good game for the Eagles, but they still have a lot to work to do for this upcoming Monday Night Football match at Minnesota.
GRADE: B
Player of the Game: A.J. Brown: The Eagles would not have won this game without the star wideout making explosive plays.
New York Giants at Tennessee Titans
Week 1 matchup: Won 21-20
The Giants won their first Week 1 matchup since 2016, and they did it on the road too! Like the Commanders and Eagles, it wasn’t spectacular, but they got the job done.
It’s been awhile for Saquon Barkley since he’s had a game like this, and it was what the Giants needed to pull through. He averaged nearly 10 yards per carry, and scored the two-point conversion that ultimately won the game. However; the G-Men got off to a slow start offensively, only getting 116 yards of offense and a fumble in the first half. Daniel Jones was accurate thanks to his checkdowns. He under-threw a pass to Sterling Shepard that would have made his touchdown easier, but he got away with it. He also fumbled the ball early in the second quarter, making way for a Titans field goal to make it 13-0.
The defense pulled through in limiting the Titans offense, who are amiss without A.J. Brown. They forced no turnovers, had only one sack, and got a lucky break when Randy Bullock missed a 47-yard field goal. But they did keep the Titans down to just one touchdown in the second half, and kept Derrick Henry quiet. Henry had a nice 18-yard run, but remove that and he averaged 3.2 yards per carry, an impressive feat for the Boys in Blue. The defense deserves credit for the victory on Sunday.
The Giants will host the Panthers on their home-opener in their week 2 matchup. They need to address offensive issues heading if they hope to go 2-0.
GRADE: C
Player of the Game: Saquon Barkley: Scored the game winning-two point conversion and the only factor that kept the Giants offense alive. He needs to be healthy if the Giants want to win games this year.
Dallas Cowboys vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 1 matchup: Lost 19-3
There’s no shame in losing to a playoff-bound team with the greatest quarterback of all time on their roster. It is, however, a shame to be stymied offensively in a game that could’ve been won. The pieces were in place. Tom Brady wasn’t his usual self, as the seven-time Super Bowl champion stuggled to adjust without Rob Gronkowski and an injured Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. The defense even forced an interception and a pair of sacks. All the Cowboys needed was some offensive flare and this game was theirs.
Unfortunately, Dak Prescott played one of his worst games before suffering an injury to his right thumb. The offensive gameplan was mind boggling. 42 passes and only 18 carries (two carries from Prescott scrambling)? Surely a backfield starring Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard deserve more touches than this. Speaking of Pollard, the fourth-year running back seemed to regress, averaging a measly 1.3 YPC and only catching the ball twice. and CeeDee Lamb was targeted 11 times only to catch the ball twice for only 29 yards. Not a good start for a supposedly star-studded offense.
Outside of Micah Parsons, the defense was nothing to write home about. Good interception by Donovan Wilson early in the fourth to breathe some life into the game, but it was too little, too late. There was no answer for running back Leonard Fournette, who racked up 127 yards on the ground. Veteran WRs Mike Evans and Julio Jones made big plays throughout the game, including a nice 48-yard catch by the latter that set up another Bucs field goal. CB Trevon Diggs was relatively quiet throughout the game. He was beaten by Mike Evans, who scored the lone touchdown in the matchup. Diggs may have led the league in interceptions in 2021, but he was also one of the worst CBs statistically, according to PFF. He may just get exposed this season.
The Cowboys host the Bengals in week 2. Both teams were sluggish in terms of offense, and not having Dak Prescott could give the Bengals the edge they need to win this one.
GRADE: D
Player of the Game: Micah Parsons: The 2021 first-round pick shows Dallas fans more and more every time he plays. He’s the glue holding the whole team together.
