Morgan Creighton
The National Football League is one of the most exciting sports leagues in the world, and the first five weeks of the 2024 season did not disappoint. There were some impressive performances, surprising results, and some weird moments.
Week 1
Best Performance: New England Patriots
The New England Patriots defeated the Cincinnati Bengals by a final score of 16-10. Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett went 15-24 and threw for 121 yards while running back Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown. New England’s defense was also strong in the win, forcing two fumbles and three sacks.
Great Day: Houston Texans Offense
The Houston Texans offense played well in their 29-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud threw for 234 yards and two touchdown passes. Running back Joe Mixon, who played for the Bengals last season, rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown. Former Buffalo Bill Stefon Diggs caught two touchdown passes. In total, the Texans gained 417 yards in the game.
Below Expectations: Atlanta Falcons Quarterback Kirk Cousins
In his first game with the Atlanta Falcons, quarterback Kirk Cousins had a shaky performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He threw two interceptions, including a costly pick with 2:47 left in the fourth quarter. The Steelers ultimately defeated the Falcons 18-10.
Worst Team of the Week: Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers did not look good in their 47-10 loss against the New Orleans Saints. Second-year quarterback Bryce Young only completed 13 out of 30 passes and threw two interceptions. The Panthers offensive line allowed four sacks. Carolina converted 10 percent of third down conversions compared to 53 percent for the Saints.
Weird Moment: Safety!
In their game against the Denver Broncos, the Seattle Seahawks gave up two safeties in the second quarter. After Seattle safety Julian Love intercepted a pass, the Seahawks started their possession with the ball on the one-yard line. On the next play, offensive lineman Anthony Bradford was called for holding on a passing attempt. Because this penalty occurred in the endzone, it resulted in a safety, and two points were awarded to the Broncos. About eight minutes later, Broncos punter Riley Dixon pinned the Seahawks at their one-yard line again. This time, running back Zach Charbonnet was tackled inside of his own end zone for another safety. The Seahawks somehow managed to defeat the Broncos by a score of 26-20.
Week 2
Best Performance: New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints dominated the Dallas Cowboys to win by a final score of 44-19. Alvin Kamara was impressive with four total touchdowns. He had three rushing and one receiving that went for 57 yards. Quarterback Derek Carr had two passing touchdowns plus a one-yard rushing touchdown. The Saints defense also contributed to the win with two interceptions: one from Paulson Adebo and one from Tyrann Mathieu.
Great Day: Arizona Cardinals Wide Receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
The fourth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft Marvin Harrison Jr. was unstoppable against the Los Angeles Rams. He grabbed two touchdown catches in the first quarter. The rookie from Ohio State had 130 total receiving yards. The Arizona Cardinals defeated the Rams 41-10.
Below Expectations: Indianapolis Colts Quarterback Anthony Richardson
The Indianapolis Colts had high expectations for quarterback Anthony Richardson this season, but he failed to deliver in a 16-10 loss against the Green Bay Packers. Richardson threw three interceptions and completed only 50% of his passes. He fumbled twice but both times the ball was recovered by the Colts. Time of possession was another factor in the game as the Colts had just 19:49 of possession compared to 40:11 for the Packers.
Worst Team of the Week: Denver Broncos
While the Carolina Panthers had another poor showing in their 26-3 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Denver Broncos were even more disappointing. The Broncos failed to score a touchdown in their 13-6 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix threw two interceptions and struggled to find open receivers. Denver converted on only 16% of third downs.
Weird Moment: 17 Men on the Field
In their matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Detroit Lions were hoping to add some points to their total right before halftime. Quarterback Jared Goff completed a pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown with twelve seconds left and the clock running. Goff tried to spike the ball to stop the clock, but the Lions were penalized for having too many men on the field. The Lions field goal unit was coming on the field at the same time, so there were 17 players on the field at the time of the snap instead of the allowed 11. The penalty resulted in a ten-second runoff and the half was over. This mistake proved costly as the Buccaneers won 20-16.
Week 3
Best Performance: Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings improved to 3-0 with a 34-7 win over the Houston Texans. The Vikings performed well in all three phases of the game. Offensively, quarterback Sam Darnold proved his doubters wrong by throwing four touchdown passes. Linebacker Jonathan Greenard picked up three sacks. On special teams, rookie kicker from Alabama Will Reichard nailed a 58-yard field goal.
Great Day: Washington Commanders Quarterback Jayden Daniels
The second pick in the 2024 NFL Draft had a monster game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. He went 21-23 passing for a total of 254 yards. Additionally, the rookie out of LSU scored three touchdowns including a 27-yard pass to wide receiver Terry McLaurin. The strong play from Daniels was key in the Commanders’ 38-33 win.
Below Expectations: Jacksonville Jaguars Quarterbacks
It was a disappointing performance from the Jacksonville Jaguars as they lost 47-10 against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence struggled and threw an interception in the first quarter. The Bills fans went crazy when safety Damar Hamlin got the first interception of his career. Lawrence was replaced by former New England Patriots QB Mac Jones in the fourth quarter after the game was out of hand. Jones went 5 for 8 and lost a fumble.
Worst Team of the Week: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
While there were many contenders for the worst team of Week 3, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got selected because they lost to the previously winless Denver Broncos. The Bucs defense made Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix look like he was Peyton Manning. Nix threw for 216 yards and had a three-yard rushing touchdown. Offensively, the Buccaneers had a performance they would like to forget. The offensive line allowed 7 sacks. Tight end Cade Otton lost a fumble on the Broncos 16-yard line. Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw one touchdown pass and one interception. The Buccaneers scored 7 points but allowed the Broncos to score 26 points.
Weird Moment: Oldest to Youngest
In a matchup against the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football, Aaron Rodgers threw a touchdown pass to Braelon Allen. Rodgers is the oldest active player in the NFL at age 40 and Allen is the youngest active player at age 20. Another weird moment involving Rodgers occurred in the third quarter when he threw a touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson. This was the first time in Rodgers’ career that he threw a touchdown pass to a wide receiver drafted in the first round. The Jets defeated the Patriots 24-3.
Week 4
Best Performance: Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions improved to 3-1 after defeating the Seattle Seahawks 42-29 on Monday Night Football. Lions quarterback Jared Goff played a perfect game completing all 18 of his pass attempts. Goff even caught a touchdown pass from wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Apart from allowing a late safety and three touchdowns to Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker, the Lions played an outstanding game. They look to be one of the contenders to win the Super Bowl this year.
Great Day: Indianapolis Colts Quarterback Joe Flacco
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco had an impressive performance in a 27-24 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Flacco entered the game in place of Anthony Richardson, who exited in the first quarter with an injury. Flacco threw for 168 passing yards and two touchdowns. The former Ravens quarterback is in his seventeenth NFL season at age 39.
Below Expectations: New York Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers struggled in a 10-9 loss against the Denver Broncos. The rain hindered the play of both offenses, with each team losing a fumble in the first quarter. Rodgers completed 24 of 42 passes for a completion percentage of 57%. He failed to lead the Jets on a touchdown drive throughout the whole game, leading to the loss.
Worst Team of the Week: Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are the worst team of Week 4 after losing 20-16 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Both teams’ offenses struggled in this game, but the Raiders did just enough to secure the victory. Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson threw an interception in the third quarter and was sacked three times. The Browns only scored one touchdown on offense during the loss.
Weird Moment: Crazy Raiders Fan
In the second quarter of the Las Vegas Raiders 20-16 win over the Cleveland Browns, the television cameras panned to one of the Raiders fans during a stoppage in play. This fan was wearing a giant Raiders chain and holding a fake leg of a Browns player. He was seen taking a bite out of the leg before cameras turned back the game.
Week 5
Best Performance: Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the New Orleans Saints 26-13 on Monday Night Football. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 331 passing yards. In his second stint with the Chiefs, running back Kareem Hunt ran for 102 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Travis Kelce contributed to the win with 70 receiving yards. The Chiefs defense held the Saints to 46 rushing yards.
Great Day: Baltimore Ravens Quarterback Lamar Jackson
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was very impressive in the 41-38 overtime win against the Cincinnati Bengals. Jackson threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for 55 yards on 12 carries. In the fourth quarter, Jackson made an incredible touchdown pass. He fumbled the snap, picked it up, and stiff-armed defender Sam Hubbard before throwing it to Isaiah Likely in the endzone.
Below Expectations: Buffalo Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott made some questionable clock management decisions in a 23-20 loss against the Houston Texans. The Bills got the ball on their three-yard line with 32 seconds remaining in a tie game at 20. The Bills ran three passing plays, and all three were incomplete. This left the Texans with seven seconds to get into field goal range. They ran one play and called a timeout with two seconds left on the clock. Then Ka’imi Fairbairn nailed a 59-yard field goal to give the Texans the win. Some fans were calling for McDermott to be fired after the loss, but he remains the Bills head coach.
Worst Team of the Week: Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks lost 29-20 against the New York Giants at home. The Seahawks were horrible in all phases of the game. The defense allowed 420 total yards. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns while running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. ran for 129 yards. Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf had a disappointing performance losing a fumble. Seattle only earned 102 rushing yards for the game. Special teams were a disaster for the Seahawks. They had a chance to tie the game at 23 late in the fourth quarter with a 47-yard field goal from Jason Myers, but the kick was blocked and returned for a Giants touchdown.
Weird Moment: Jordan Love’s interception
In the second quarter of the 24-19 win over the Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love made a play that left fans scratching their heads. Love was scrambling in his own end zone while being chased by Rams defender Byron Young. Love decided to throw the ball without looking and it was intercepted by Jaylen McCollough, who walked four yards into the end zone for an easy touchdown.
All stats and scores are from NFL.com.
