Football is back! Fans rejoice! For those that may have missed a few games, or were busy on Sunday, I’m here for you. I’m going to give a lighthearted recap of each game that happened over the NFL weekend and give my reaction to each as well. So cue up the Raines Reaction of NFL Week 1, with a little preview for week 2.

Mitchy Biscuits struggles while both Defenses dominate

Packers 10 – Bears 3

Neither QB played as expected, both defenses lived up to the hype, each dominating the game. Photo Credits to chicago.suntimes.com

You can call it was, but the Bears did not look good and were not as entertaining to watch as they were last year. Tarik Cohen did not have one carry, Trubisky got sacked 5 times, rookie David Montgomery carried the ball 5 times, and Khalil Mack did not have 1 sack. Trubisky was missing open receivers all night as well. Sure the Bears might figure it out as the season progresses, but the Packers will be a serious contender with a defense that is new and improved. On top of the improved D, Aaron Rodgers looked healthy and played an important role in managing the game for Green Bay. I know it’s only week 1, but this game showed that the NFC North division race will be interesting all year.

The Sammy Watkins and Gardner Minshew Show

Chiefs 40 – Jaguars 26

Two names nobody thought would make headlines for this game. But, out goes Nick Foles with a broken left collarbone, and in comes the rookie Gardner Minshew from Washington State. And for a rookie backup, he impressed with 275 yards and no turnovers. He also threw for 2 TDs and only lost by two scores to the impressive Kansas City Chiefs. But the big story for this one was the loss of Tyreek Hill for the Chiefs. Even with the loss of his top target, Mahomes just kept chugging along. Sammy Watkins was the beneficiary of the Hill injury with 200 receiving yards and catching 3 touchdowns.

For the Jaguars, they better figure out the QB situation and quick or an AFC South championship could be out of the cards. For Mahomes and the Chiefs, another MVP could be in store for Mahomes, and the AFC West is Kansas City’s to lose.

The Falcons and Kirk Cousins battle for King of the Stink

Vikings 28 – Falcons 12

Less than 100 yards passing and a W for the Vikings. Shocking nonetheless, but Vikings fans have to be liking that. Photo Credits to hashsports.com

Kirk Cousins threw 10 passes and completed 8 of them for less than 100 yards. That is Minnesota’s $84 million dollar man. I shouldn’t say Kirk Cousins is in the conversation for king of the stink, but for $84 million, you have to throw more than 100 yards a game. Just have to. As underwhelming as Cousins was, was as good as Dalvin Cook and the rest of the Vikings running game was. The Vikings had over 170 rushing yards against what was supposed to be an improved Falcons defense. For the Falcons on offense, I could smell the stench just a state south in Wisconsin. Matt Ryan threw 2 interceptions, Devonta Freeman had a fumble to add up for 3 turnovers for Atlanta.

I had mentioned the tough NFC North in the Bears-Packers review, and the Vikings running game and tough defense catapults them into the conversation of winning the division. But, Cousins cannot throw for less than 100 yards. I do not like that Kirk sorry. And Atlanta, well I said it in my Over/Unders, they have the talent, but can never put it together, maybe this week was just a fluke, but 3 turnovers does not make it too promising.

The more Baker speaks, the bigger the target on Cleveland’s back

Titans 43 – Browns 13

Baker and the Browns took a huge loss to the Titans at home. Not a strong start to what was a hyped up season. Photo Credits to giphy.com

Baker Mayfield openly criticized Giants rookie, Daniel Jones, and that was only the start of a massive target that started to build on the Brown’s back. A new coach, grabbing the super talented Odell Beckham Jr., the second year of Baker, don’t get me wrong, I loved the Browns and bought in to the hype that was around them. You know who didn’t? Mike Vrabel and the Tennessee Titans. The Titans went into Cleveland and beat the Browns by 30. Derrick Henry had over 150 yards from scrimmage and the Titans D picked off Baker 3 times and one went for six. After the game, Baker said the NFL fans are going to throw the Browns in the trash and underrate them, to which I have to say, SHUT UP. You just lost by 30, move on and look forward to next weeks Monday Night Football matchup against the Jets.

There is no other way to describe the Jets in Week 1 than the classic ‘Big Daddy’ scene

Bills 17 – Jets 16

After the addition of Le’veon Bell and C.J. Mosley, the Jets had a lot of hype surrounding them, but they still blew a late 16 point lead against Buffalo. Photo Credits to goflagpost.com

After his holdout from the NFL, Le’veon Bell came back and caught a touchdown. But that was not enough to hold off the friskiness of Josh Allen and the Bills defense. The Jets defense looked improved, forcing 4 turnovers. However, it was not enough to beat the young and improving Bills. Both teams are in a division that is the Patriots to lose, but a wild card spot is a possibility for both. So coming back and winning this week 1 matchup is a big win for Sean McDermott.

When will we stop doubting Lamar Jackson?

Ravens 59 – Dolphins 10

Lamar Jackson was 17-20 with 324 yard and 5 touchdowns, which was good enough for a perfect quarterback rating. 158.3. You read that right, 158.3 for the guy that critics wanted to play receiver at one point last year. The Ravens additions of Mark Ingram and Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown boded well for Baltimore. In total contrast of how dominant the Ravens were, the Dolphins sucked. And when I say sucked, I mean Hollywood Brown was catching touchdowns with not a Dolphins player within 10 yards of him. The offense was not much better either. The Dolphins played so bad, that some players requested a trade after the game, not wanting to play for a rebuilding team. I said it before, and I will say it again, the Dolphins could very easily join the infamous club of NFL teams that have went 0-16 in a season.

Desean Jackson is timeless

Eagles 32 – Redskins 27

Desean Jackson is back on the Eagles, although he is a little older, the speed has not diminished. He was a key piece in the second half comeback against the surprising Case Keenum and the Redskins. Jackson had over 150 receiving yards with 2 touchdowns. The Redskins were up 13 at halftime, but in the second half, the Eagles responded by outscoring the Redskins by 18. A big story developing for the Redskins is former LSU running back, Derrius Guice, could miss time with a knee injury, the second season in a row where the young running back could be out for a significant amount of time.

Christian McCaffrey does it all but doesn’t do enough

Rams 30 – Panthers 27

McCaffrey had a very impressive 200+ all purpose yards for the Panthers, but with Newton’s sub-par performance, the Panthers could not do enough to pull out the win. For the Rams, Goff and Gurley only combined for 1 TD. But backup running back, Malcolm Brown added in 2 touchdowns. If the Panthers can get a playoff spot and ‘Run CMC’ can add in over 150+ all purpose yards a game, McCaffrey could have a very intriguing case for NFL MVP. For Gurley and the running game, the Rams almost staggered their running backs, and in crunch time, used Todd Gurley as the so-called closer in what was an impressive win for boy-genius Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams.

Melvin who?

Chargers 30 – Colts 24 in OT

Who needs Melvin Gordon when you have Austin Ekeler? Ekeler had 3 total touchdowns, and ran for what was the game winner. Gordon has been holding out for his contract, but the Chargers knew they had a good one in the undrafted RB out of Western State Colorado. For the Colts, Brissett was no Andrew Luck, but he did not turn the ball over and threw for 2 touchdowns. Brissett was good, but he was not the headliner in what was a impressive Colts offense. Marlon Mack put in a strong performance behind his 174 rushing yards and touchdown. It will be an interesting NFL season for both teams in this game, but both teams looked as if they were not missing their superstar in what was one of the more entertaining football games of week 1.

Bengals impress in loss against new look Seattle D

Seahawks 21 – Bengals 20

New coach Zac Taylor had a system for the Bengals and it worked. He used the speed and athleticism of his receiving core of John Ross III, Tyler Boyd, and C.J. Uzomah to attack the improved Seattle defense with a solid combination of a downfield air attack and quick passes. It was another entertaining game on what was a less than entertaining slate, coming down to the last drive for Andy Dalton and the Bengals. Dalton threw for more than 400 yards, but the Bengals top rusher, Joe Mixon went down with an injury. For Seattle, the chance on D.K. Metcalf paid off in week 1. His big body was easy to throw to for Russell Wilson, connecting with him 4 times for 89 yards. Sure the Bengals offense looked improved, but Seattle made a stop when they needed to, kicking off their NFL season with a W.

Dak Prescott proves he deserves every penny of his new contract

Cowboys 35 – Giants 17

Dak was the second QB of the day to hit the perfect passer rating. Completing 25 out of his 32 passes for 405 yards and 4 TDs was enough for the Cowboys to beat up on what is a below average Giants team. Barkley was unable to find the endzone. The defense was torn apart by Prescott and his new toys. Eli looked okay, throwing for over than 300 yards, but only throwing 1 TD. The big sight to see for the New York Giants, was rookie Daniel Jones taking a few snaps behind center, he did lose a fumble, but throwing the ball, he was 3 out of his first 4 passes in the NFL. So something to look forward to for Giants fans. For Dallas, the team looked unstoppable on offense and that was with Zeke only getting 14 touches. Lot to look forward to for ‘America’s Team’.

Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Suckaneers

49ers 31 – Buccaneers 17

I called them the Suckaneers because they sucked on Sunday. Photo Credits to tenor.com

‘New coach Bruce Arians will fix Jameis’, those are words many has said. But like others have said, you can’t make chicken salad out of chicken shit. And Jameis, well he is far from chicken salad. Winston threw more touchdowns to the 49ers than he did to the Bucs. He had 1 passing touchdown, he had 2 pick sixes. I may be overreacting to what Tampa showed on Sunday, but I’ve seen this story, I know how it ends. So Tampa fans prepare for another long season. The 49ers didn’t look much better on offense, but the defense made up for it, creating the 2 possession difference. In what was a game that was full of penalties and turnovers, it takes the cake for the worst game of the week.

The Patriots will go 17-0 barring injury

Patriots 33 – Steelers 3

Another 30 point drubbing to an AFC North team happened this week. The Steelers got beat up on by Brady, Belichick and Co. Brady threw for 343 yards and 3 touchdowns. And as good as the offense showed they could be, they played without one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. So look out league, because the New England Patriots did not come to play around this year. The defense is legit, locking up the Steelers, and holding them to only 32 rushing yards, and the offense, well the offense is stacked behind one of the greatest receiving corps of all time.

The Saints and Texans played in the Game of the Year (so far)

Saints 30 – Texans 28

DeAndre Hopkins caught 2 touchdowns, Watson threw for 3 touchdowns and ran for another, and the Texans offense was clicking. No Lamar Miller was no problem, they ran for a total of 180 yards. But all of that offense was not enough to stop Drew Brees and the Saints. Kenny Stills caught a touchdown with less than a minute left putting the Texans up one after an interesting 2 extra point attempts. But Drew Brees lead a late charge that ended up with Will Lutz kicking his longest career field goal, a 58 yarder, to clinch a victory in the Saints opener.

I Hate that the Raiders are moving out of Oakland

Raiders 24 – Broncos 16

Oakland fans have stuck with the Raiders through the good and the bad, and the Coliseum is always packed with black and silver. Photo Credits mercurynews.com

After the Raiders won on Monday Night Football, Jon Gruden was running around and celebrating the big victory with the ‘Black Hole’. On top of that after the Raiders opening drive was a touchdown, the fans were chanting ‘F**K AB’ and it was very audible while watching the broadcast. The fans are some of the best in the NFL, so the fact they are leaving Oakland stinks.

More on the game, rookie Josh Jacobs impressed with 85 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. The Raiders D were able to lock up the rushing attack of Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay, and held them to less than 100 yards rushing. Derek Carr proved he did not need AB and threw for over 250 yards and a touchdown.

On a personal note, the Lions ripped my heart out once again

Lions 27 – Cardinals 27

Ever since I have watched football, the Lions have been my team. I grew up with a lot of family members from Michigan, so I have always been a big fan of the Lions. Even after 0-16, after Calvin Johnson retired, after the disappointing playoff games. But every year I come back and expect something different. And well, another year, and another disappointing opener against a rookie QB. But my reaction is changed after watching the Patriots, nobody will beat them, so I will just put some of my initial reactions on twitter about how much disappointment the Lions caused me.

When I die I want Matt Patricia and the Lions to lower the casket. So they can let me down one more time. — Cole Raines (@craines38) September 8, 2019

We were up 24-3. Hockenson is a stud. Stafford has 300+ yards. Patricia sees that and says you know I think I could blow this. — Cole Raines (@craines38) September 8, 2019

I didn’t think it could get any worse than what the Lions did in their opening week last year. But boy oh boy they outdid themselves — Cole Raines (@craines38) September 8, 2019

That is just a few of the slew of tweets I had put out about how the Lions have ripped my heart out once again. I knew I shouldn’t of been high on the Lions, they are always prone to break my heart. Always. But after watching Trubisky struggle and the Bears lose, Cousins throw for less than 100 yards, and the Lions strong play in the first half, I thought something had changed, thought we had a chance at playoffs. I mean a healthy Stafford, Kerryon Johnson was healthy again, the front 7 was better, and T.J. Hockenson is an absolute star, what was their not to like. And then the 4th Quarter and OT happened and we tied. TIED! Once again Detroit, never fails to rip my heart out.

I say all this now, but at the same time next week, my loyalty will shine through, as I watch Philip Rivers and the Chargers beat us at Ford Field.

What we can look forward to in NFL Week 2

Vikings vs. Packers

Both teams’ defenses looked improved from last year. With the improved defense, maybe Rodgers can work out the kinks on offense and capitalize on more opportunities, and put up better offensive numbers. And hey, maybe Kirk Cousins will top 100 yards this week.

How bad will the Patriots beat the Dolphins?

I do not think Belichick has the capability to forget about what happened with the Miami Miracle last year. So that memory will be fresh in everyone’s mind as Brady and company look to steamroll over the Fins. The Ravens beat them by 49, but can the Patriots top that?

The Vic Fangio revenge game

What will probably be a tough game to watch, the Broncos defense and the Bears defense are some of the top defenses in the NFL. Fangio will be at home against his former team, the Bears. Like I said, it will be a defensive dominated game, but still an interesting matchup nonetheless.

The Saints can get some revenge on the Rams

Who can forget about the no call that the happened in the NFC Championship game? I know for a fact the Saints have not, and going into LA, they will be out for blood.

Will the Gardner Minshow ensue? Or is it Houston’s time to shine?

The Titans were the only AFC South team with a win last week, but in week 2 we get a matchup of the Jags and the Texans. In what is a key divisional matchup early, we get to see how Deshaun Watson reacts to a devastating loss against the Saints.

And that was Week 1. Some great games to watch, and some games that were absolutely abysmal to watch, looking at you Jameis. Lot to look forward to in what should be the Pats season to lose. Week 2 starts Thursday night with a NFC South matchup, the Buccaneers in Carolina against the Panthers. So get the chips and queso ready, the hot dogs, the burgers, whatever the go to football food is for you, because the NFL season has just begun.

Featured Image. NFL 100th Season. Photo Credit NFL.com.