NFL Week 1 was great -- if you're a Niners, Cowboys, or Tua fan. A healthy 49ers offense with Christian McCaffrey ready to run through walls? Woof. Dallas' 40-0 rout of the Giants in New York, from here on out known as The City That Never Should Have Paid Daniel Jones? Ouch. And Tua's masterful performance against the Chargers already puts his name on the ballot for league MVP voting -- maybe all quarterbacks should practice jiu-jitsu in the offseason.
For the rest of the league, it was more of a mixed bag. There were plenty of wins to go around, but everyone -- especially fantasy football players -- knows Week 1 doesn't mean squat.
It's a step higher than preseason, as Kenny Pickett and the Steelers found out the hard way, yet teams would much rather pick up steam throughout the year than fizzle out after a loud bang.
We cannot stress this enough: it's only Week 1. Overreactions are overreactions because they are, by nature, over the top. With an absurdly small sample size in mind, here are four teams that won in Week 1 but may screech by to an ugly season record.
NFL Week 1 Winner, Season Loser No. 4: Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens will absolutely bounce back after a sluggish offensive performance against the Texans, there's no question about that. We'll chalk up Lamar Jackson's performance to rust more than anything else; however, the Ravens suffered from more than just mediocre quarterback play.
On Sunday's 25-9 win against the Texans, a whopping four key starters suffered injuries of some kind. RB1 J.K. Dobbins tore his Achilles and will be out for the season, his second serious injury in the last three years. The Ravens are awaiting tests on center Tyler Linderbaum, offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, and safety Marcus Williams; Williams is suspected to have torn his pectoral muscle.
One season-ending injury to a top skill player would have dampened any playoff contender's hopes, but to tack on three more devastating blows to crucial players across the field?
Baltimore simply may not have the depth to recover. With Mark Andrews and Marlon Humphrey still nursing their own wounds, a twist of cruel fate may have hit the Ravens yet again in 2023.
In a jacked-up AFC North gauntlet, winning records are far from guaranteed. Even if the Ravens find their rhythm by Week 2, the injuries may prove too catastrophic to overcome.
NFL Week 1 Winner, Season Loser No. 3: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Oh, Baker Mayfield. We've missed you. It came as a mild surprise when one of the most polarizing (and sensitive) quarterbacks in the league made the throws he needed to make to lift the Buccaneers to victory against the Vikings on Sunday. No one's mistaking him for Tom Brady, but there may be hope for Tampa Bay this year.
Then again, the NFC South isn't as in the dumps as it was in 2022. The Saints came marching to a gritty win over the Titans despite a virtually non-existent running game. The Falcons basically did the opposite of the Saints and used their star running back duo to generate most of their offensive production in a divisional victory over the Panthers.
Tampa Bay may have taken the poorly-prepared Vikings off guard in Week 1 -- count that as a rare win. The Bucs will likely smooth out inefficiency issues with running back Rachaad White and a disgruntled Mike Evans is still on the team, but one narrow win over last year's biggest playoff pretender aside, this squad is far from playoff-caliber.
When Tom Brady retired, the Bucs knew they were in for at least a few see-sawing seasons of mediocrity. Remembering Mayfield's track record will help curb their expectations after Week 1's upset.
NFL Week 1 Winner, Season Loser No. 2: Las Vegas Raiders
All we'll do is insert Mina Kimes' bio here: Quarterback wins are not a stat.
In Week 1, Jimmy Garoppolo and the Raiders won, 17-16, over the Broncos. While Jimmy G may have been the curious X-factor in Sunday's win with his game-winning 75-yard drive at the end of the fourth quarter, the ex-49ers quarterback is hardly known for his elite passing. Back in San Francisco, offensive stars like Deebo Samuel and George Kittle did most of the heavy lifting, and the 49ers became an NFC powerhouse that won games in spite of Garoppolo's deficiencies, rather than because of him.
On Sunday, Garoppolo generated impressive chemistry with Jakobi Meyers and got praised for his "mental toughness" by head coach Josh McDaniels, a dream-like start to his Raiders stint. That's all it is, Raiders fans. A dream.
Las Vegas is the only AFC West team with a tally in the win column, but rest assured that will change in the coming weeks.
The team will benefit from Garoppolo's grizzled leadership and aplomb -- admittedly, he has recorded 11 total game-winning drives in his NFL career. Still, the Raiders, universally recognized as one of the worst teams in their division, will need more than a quarterback with a head on his shoulders to make the playoffs in 2023.
NFL Week 1 Winner, Season Loser No. 1: Green Bay Packers
Not too long ago, an NFL pundit said Bears fans will be "terrified" if Packers' Jordan Love turns out to be good this season. So far, a bit of terror is certainly creeping in.
Love rocked the Bears in the first game of his eponymous era in Green Bay, recording 245 yards for three touchdowns and no interceptions. Even without top target Christian Watson, Love -- aided by a few breakaway Aaron Jones runs -- looked comfortable and in control in the pocket spreading the ball around to his young cohort of receivers.
Amid worries of a painful transition from a Rodgers-led offense to a Love-led one, the newly minted franchise quarterback made most of Green Bay's passing plays look seamless, able to pick apart the Bears' defense with zipped passes in the middle of the field and calm and collected poise in the red zone.
The only caveat is: Love was playing the Bears, a franchise with old habits that never die. The Bears have gone from being owned by Rodgers to being owned by Love and clearly still have kinks to work out with Justin Field under center.
In Love's debut as the Packers' full-time starter, he may have outplayed the likes of Rodgers and Brett Favre in their respective debuts for the team, but he's not out of the woods yet. The NFC North contains the much-improved Lions and Jefferson-led Vikings who can humble Green Bay once or twice this season, not to mention the Packers may have to monitor Aaron Jones' hamstring cramp.
Love had a delightful start to the season in Week 1. No denying that, and hats off to him. The next two matchups against slightly more dangerous teams in the Falcons and Saints may pose a better test for the young QB and should reveal extra clarity on the Packers' 2023 season trajectory.
