Sunday Rundown: Key takeaways from Week 1 in the NFL

Sunday Rundown recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.

Rodgers gets his revenge

Did anyone out there have the Steelers and Jets combining for 66 points? This was shockingly the most entertaining game of the early slate, with both offenses showing far more than we possibly could have expected. In the end, Aaron Rodgers got the best of his former team in the juicy Week 1 matchup.

Still, there are plenty of reasons to be concerned about the ceiling of this Steelers offense. A 41-year-old Rodgers doesn't have many answers when the pocket starts to collapse, and averaging 2.7 yards per carry in the run game isn't exactly the most spectacular support system. But Rodgers' arm is still there. The impressive debut marks the first time a Steelers quarterback has thrown four touchdowns since Ben Roethlisberger in 2020. Assuming the defense can bounce back from a frustrating opener, Pittsburgh will at least be competitive in the AFC playoff picture.

Fields shows promise

Result aside, there was a lot to like in our first look at the Jets' new offense. The run game was as advertised, with quarterback Justin Fields joining Breece Hall and the rest of a talented backfield to post a combined 182 yards and three touchdowns. That element of the game provides New York with a solid foundation. The ceiling was always going to be determined by Fields' contributions as a passer. So far, so good.

The new Jets quarterback completed 16 of 22 passes for 218 yards and one score. His 119.1 passer rating is his highest since October 2023. While asking him to pick apart a defense as a pure dropback passer is probably never going to produce good results, there's certainly a way to maximize his skill set working off this kind of run game. Fields connecting for the occasional chunk gain, as he did several times against the Steelers, could be enough to give New York the best offense we've seen from it in a long time. I don't know how many wins this team will ultimately produce, but it might be more interesting than people expected.

Bengals avoid disaster

A win is a win, right? Considering the way they've started pretty much every other season in the Zac Taylor era, the Bengals will happily take Sunday's victory in Cleveland. But does a one-point win over the Browns, aided by two missed kicks from Andre Szmyt, really get anyone excited about this team?

Preseason reps for the starters did little to help the offense start fast, as Joe Burrow completed 14 of 23 passes for just 113 yards. Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase were limited to a combined five catches for 59 yards, while Chase Brown averaged only 2.0 yards on 21 carries. And with the defense picking up right where it left off last year, the Bengals lost the yardage battle 327-141. Although a Week 2 matchup with Jacksonville will provide another opportunity to get things rolling, this kind of performance isn't going to fly in the challenging stretch that follows.

Anarumo sets record straight

Lou Anarumo being scapegoated for last season's defensive performance in Cincinnati seems even more ridiculous now. Indianapolis' defense looked like a brand new unit in the veteran coordinator's debut, putting the clamps on Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa throughout.

Tagovailoa managed just 114 yards on the day - his lowest output since September 2022 - while serving up a pair of picks and taking three sacks. The dominant defensive performance was the driving force in Indy's first Week 1 win since 2013. But it wasn't the only factor ...

DJ shines in debut

I was among the many who thought the Colts were making a big mistake by starting Daniel Jones over Anthony Richardson. The logic seemed pretty simple: if a quarterback who was just run out of New York is your only other option, you should probably play the kid. At the risk of overreacting to one game against a bad Dolphins team, it sure seems like Jones has a chance to prove all the doubters wrong.

The former first-round bust was surprisingly solid in his Colts debut, completing 22 of 29 passes for 272 yards and one score. Jones also made an impact as a runner, taking seven carries for 41 yards and finding the end zone twice. According to TruMedia, it was the fifth-best game of his career by EPA/dropback. Is it possible that the fresh start and better support system open the door for a Sam Darnold-like redemption story? Next week's meeting with a ferocious Broncos defense should tell us a lot.

Smash the panic button in Miami

All due credit to the Colts aside, that opener was an unmitigated disaster for the Dolphins. This matchup presented the perfect opportunity for Miami to silence all lingering concerns about the organization's direction. Instead, we're immediately left wondering how long it'll be before this team tears it all down.

Tagovailoa's poor day is just the latest example of a regressing offense under McDaniel. And considering the talent issues in the secondary, this defense is in no position to do the heavy lifting. It may not be long before we start hearing about this club as a likely trade-deadline seller. And with the Chiefs already short on receivers, there would appear to be at least one extremely obvious fit for Tyreek Hill.

Dart on deck?

I've been approaching the Giants' quarterback situation as if it's going to be a while before we see Jaxson Dart. Russell Wilson was expected to provide at least a modest upgrade of New York's recent quarterback play, and Dart's prospect profile suggested he might be better off sitting and learning for much of his first season. One game in, I'm starting to reconsider both positions.

Of course, part of that is a result of Dart's encouraging preseason. You want to avoid overreacting to the potentially deceiving reps we see during the summer, but there's no denying that the Ole Miss product is further along in his development than many expected. There's a reason he beat out Jameis Winston for the backup job coming out of camp. Add in an absolute dud from Wilson in the opener, and it's fair to wonder how long the Giants can keep their promising young quarterback under wraps. Dart's mobility would at least give New York some options as the offensive line continues to struggle.

Coward decision of the week

Mike Vrabel is a good football coach. There are plenty of reasons to believe that his ability to get the most out of his players will soon have New England headed back toward playoff contention. However, he's not perfect, and it took just one game for his conservative decision-making to show up and hurt his team.

Punting the ball to the Raiders while trailing by 10 points with less than five minutes to play in the fourth quarter is one of the worst fourth-down calls you'll see all year. Coaches have all the data they could need to avoid inexcusable calls like this. It's tough to believe that we're still doing this.

Mixed bag for Coen's offense

A convincing win over the Panthers was a nice way to start the Liam Coen era in Jacksonville. The even more encouraging part is that there appears to be ample room for growth.

Coen's offense didn't quite find a rhythm in the pass game in Sunday's opener. Trevor Lawrence averaged just 5.7 yards per attempt, Brian Thomas Jr. had only one catch, and Travis Hunter's six receptions produced all of 33 yards. But the run game delivered with a 200-yard day, and the defense did its part by forcing two turnovers. Still, it may only be a matter of time before the Jaguars' superstar receiver tandem starts to take over games. If and when that happens, Jacksonville could be a surprisingly frisky team.

McCaffrey looks just fine

Christian McCaffrey's late-week absence from practice due to a calf issue caused the fantasy football world to panic. As it turns out, there was nothing to worry about.

The 49ers didn't hesitate to lean on McCaffrey in their season-opening win over the Seahawks, and the star running back turned his 31 touches into 177 total yards. His nine catches were five more than any other player on San Francisco's offense. That high-volume workload may tick up even further if George Kittle misses time with the hamstring injury he suffered Sunday.

A preseason mirage?

I happily joined in the excitement and optimism surrounding the Seahawks' offense coming out of the preseason. A new system and an upgraded offensive line seemed to have the potential to pave the way for a highly productive ground game. Sunday's loss to the 49ers wasn't a good start on that front.

Zach Charbonnet led the way with 12 carries for 47 yards, while Kenneth Walker managed just 20 yards on 10 attempts. Opening against a Robert Saleh defense isn't the most favorable matchup, so there are probably better days ahead. Either way, Seattle needs this group to be better. Sam Darnold can't be doing the heavy lifting if the offense is going to be a suitable complement for what Mike Macdonald has built on the other side of the ball.

Rams pass the test

Matthew Stafford appears to be managing that back injury quite nicely. A 14-point output probably seems a little underwhelming on the surface, but a season-opening matchup with the Texans' defense is a tough draw. The important part is that the Rams star didn't seem the least bit limited.

Considering he's had little more than two weeks of practice since making his return, this offense should probably be trending up from here. Stafford developing a strong connection with Davante Adams, who posted four catches for 51 yards in his Rams debut, could make this an even more dangerous offense than in years past. Don't sleep on the defense, either. Keeping C.J. Stroud and the Texans out of the end zone may only be the beginning of a breakthrough year for this talented young group.

Packers defense shines

I went with the Packers for my preseason Super Bowl pick. One game in, I'm feeling pretty good about it.

Green Bay's offense did its part, but the defense was the story of Sunday's win over the Lions. The Packers got to Jared Goff for four sacks, took the ball away with a crucial interception, and allowed just 46 yards on the ground - Detroit's lowest output since October 2023. And this was all with Micah Parsons still settling in as a rotational player. Give the superstar trade acquisition some time to ramp up and take on a lead role, and this could be one of the best defenses in the game. I think the Packers are easily the biggest threat to the Eagles in the NFC.

Dan Wilkins is theScore's senior NFL writer.