The Cowboys are for real? Back-to-back No. 1 Draft picks for Carolina? NFL Week 1 takeaways
By Ben Morse, CNN
(CNN) — There are 17 weeks of the 2024 NFL regular season remaining, but there are some things we can learn from Week 1 of the new campaign.
A few of the favorites had strong starts and several of the teams who had been hoping for improvement struggled.
Here are the main takeaways from Week 1.
The Dallas Cowboys look like contenders
The Dallas Cowboys under head coach Mike McCarthy have been regular season juggernauts without much playoff success to show for it.
‘America’s Team’ has suffered consecutive humiliating postseason defeats under McCarthy, ramping up the pressure on the 60-year-old ahead of the new season.
That spotlight only intensified with a contract holdout involving star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and questions over quarterback Dak Prescott’s future.
But those issues were resolved – Lamb signed a new contract two weeks before the regular season kicked off while Prescott agreed to his new extension, becoming the highest-paid player in NFL history, just hours before Week 1 began.
And Dallas played like a team freed from the weight of pressure against the Cleveland Browns in their season-opener, romping to a comfortable 33-17 victory where every facet of the team shined.
Prescott, Lamb and the rest of the offense moved the ball proficiently against a stacked Browns defense, Micah Parsons and his defensive teammates wreaked havoc while kicker Brandon Aubrey is slowly cementing himself as the heir-apparent to the Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Tucker as the league’s best kicker.
They even got a punt-return touchdown early in the third quarter from KaVontae Turpin as the icing on the cake in Ohio.
All-in-all, it was an impressive performance which begins laying the foundation for the Cowboys’ Super Bowl aspirations after a turbulent offseason.
There are still plenty of hurdles for the team to overcome, with the ever-watching eyes of owner Jerry Jones resting on McCarthy, but it was the perfect start for Dallas as it seeks to win its first Lombardi Trophy since 1996.
The AFC South has an exciting future
For years, the AFC South has struggled for relevancy, but that might all be about to change.
Sunday’s Week 1 clash between the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts offered an insight into what could come for the division with both teams boasting young, exciting second-year quarterbacks, each with a promising future.
Houston’s CJ Stroud enjoyed a historic rookie season last time out, while Indianapolis’ Anthony Richardson showed glimpses of brilliance as he battled injuries.
When the two faced off in Lucas Oil Stadium, they showed why they were so highly sought after in the 2023 Draft – Stroud went No. 2 overall while Richardson got selected two picks later.
Stroud missed just eight throws all afternoon, racking up a 115.9 QB rating as he threw for 234 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, in an almost flawless performance to begin his second season with a bang.
Richardson, on the other hand, showed some of the inexperience he still possesses – he only had 13 career college starts and played in just four games last year – but also why he is being tipped for future stardom.
The 22-year-old only completed nine passes and had a head-scratching interception but also had some of the most impressive throws of Week 1, most notably two long touchdown passes – one for 60 yards which set social media alight and another for 54 yards. The young Colts signal-caller also ran for another score.
After the defeat, Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen was full of praise for Richardson, saying there’s “not many guys” who can produce what he can.
“”I thought he made some big-time plays for us,” Steichen told reporters, per the Colts website. “Obviously, that opening touchdown pass to Alec (Pierce), I don’t think I’ve seen a throw like that.
“And then he hit another big one to Alec right there at the end on the two-minute drive, to get down there and score. He had Ashton on the in-cut. Then fourth down, got to have it. I mean, he just powered his will to go get in. I thought he did some really good things coming back.”
The pairing of Stroud and Richardson could set the AFC South up nicely for years to come with some titanic battles on the horizon. And with former No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville, it’s anyone’s guess which team has the brightest future.
Another long season ahead in Carolina
After a 2-15 season last year, 2024 was meant to be a new era of hope for the Carolina Panthers.
However, things got off to the worst possible start in Week 1 with a humbling 47-10 defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints.
Last year’s No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young – who Carolina acquired by trading wide receiver DJ Moore and multiple first round picks – looked lost, despite a new head coach calling his plays.
Dave Canales was appointed in the offseason after rejuvenating the careers of Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield in Seattle and Tampa Bay respectively with the hopes he could have a similar impact on Young.
But the early signs were worrying for Young and Canales against the Saints, with the quarterback throwing an interception on his first play and another at the start of the second half. The 23-year-old looked overwhelmed throughout the game and, with New Orleans holding a huge lead in the second half, was benched for veteran Andy Dalton to prevent any further damage.
And if things couldn’t get any worse for the Panthers, news came out on Monday that arguably the team’s best player, defensive tackle Derrick Brown, could miss the remainder of the season after suffering a meniscus injury in the loss to the Saints.
“Definitely a huge loss,” Canales said, per the NFL. “He’s one of our best players. That’s big shoes to fill.”
The Panthers traded for the first pick of the 2022 Draft to acquire Young, earned last season’s top pick – which had been traded to the Bears in the deal for the second-year QB – and could be in line for the 2025 NFL Draft’s No. 1 pick if the season doesn’t improve quickly.
Full Week 1 scores
Away vs. home (winners in bold)
Thursday
Baltimore Ravens 20-27 Kansas City Chiefs
Friday
Green Bay Packers 29-34 Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday
Pittsburgh Steelers 18-10 Atlanta Falcons
Arizona Cardinals 28-34 Buffalo Bills
Tennessee Titans 17-24 Chicago Bears
New England Patriots 16-10 Cincinnati Bengals
Houston Texans 29-27 Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars 17-20 Miami Dolphins
Carolina Panthers 10-47 New Orleans Saints
Minnesota Vikings 28-6 New York Giants
Las Vegas Raiders 10-22 Los Angeles Chargers
Denver Broncos 20-26 Seattle Seahawks
Dallas Cowboys 33-17 Cleveland Browns
Washington Commanders 20-37 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Los Angeles Rams 20-26 (OT) Detroit Lions
Monday
New York Jets 19-32 San Francisco 49ers
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