Every NFL season, we see the same chatter. Let’s cut through the nonsense.
For some teams who lost in Week 1, there’s no cause for concern. In a few cases, they lost to terrific opponents. In others, the losers are rebuilding anyway, and this season’s success isn’t going to be judged in the standings.
But for others, there’s a real reason to be worried. The same is true for coaches and individual players, whom we learned plenty about through 60 minutes of action.
To determine who is who, we went deeper and broke it down, highlighting three panic situations and three which deserve some grace.
Panic: Antonio Pierce’s decision-making
Since 2000, there have been 47 interim coaches in the NFL. Of those, only 11 earned the permanent job, including Pierce. Their combined record in those posts? 222-289-1 with six playoff wins and zero Super Bowl appearances. Additionally, 80 of those victories (and two postseason wins) came from Jason Garrett with the Dallas Cowboys.
History isn’t on the side of hiring Pierce, and he didn’t make owner Mark Davis look good when he called for one of the more cowardly punts in recent memory. Trailing 16–10 with 7:15 remaining in the fourth quarter and facing fourth-and-1 from the Chargers’ 43-yard line, Pierce elected to punt.
Los Angeles then took the ball, drained the clock and scored the game-clinching touchdown, sending the Raiders to take on Baltimore with 0–2 staring them in the face.
For Pierce, the decision is brutal in more than just the moment. All offseason, he’s talked tough, constantly saying how the Raiders were going to be remade in a gritty image. Tough to sell that when you’re punting in one of the most obvious go-for-it situations imaginable.
Patience: Ravens’ offensive line
It wasn’t pretty last Thursday night in the season opener. Lamar Jackson was often scrambling to extend downs, resulting in 122 rushing yards for the reigning MVP, while Derrick Henry only found 46 yards on 13 carries.
However, Baltimore’s newfangled front might not face a tougher challenge all year. The Ravens trotted out three new starters along the line with a combined 37 starts for their careers. And their first challenge included the league’s best defensive tackle in Chris Jones, along with the league’s loudest stadium and a four-time Super Bowl champion in Steve Spagnuolo dialing up his scheme.
This week, the Ravens will be at home, albeit against a tough Raiders front, including Christian Wilkins and Maxx Crosby. Still, considering the confines and the less-aggressive style of Las Vegas defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, look for Baltimore’s front wall to settle in a bit better.
Panic: Kirk Cousins's mobility
Just watch the film of Kirk Cousins trying to throw the ball last weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He can’t move.
Clearly, coach Raheem Morris knows this. The Falcons didn’t ask Cousins to run a single play-action the entire game, and when put in the shotgun, Atlanta had Cousins throw the ball every time. It’s clear he’s not all the way back from a torn Achilles he sustained at midseason last year, but putting him on the bench to continue his recovery creates another set of issues.
If Cousins gets sidelined and first-round quarterback Michael Penix Jr. does well while replacing him, fans will lose their minds if Penix is put back on the bench. Furthermore, Cousins is due $180 million over the next four seasons, including $100 million guaranteed. The Falcons can’t just move on. And if Penix struggles, general manager Terry Fontenot looks foolish for drafting a 24-year-old backup quarterback with the No. 8 pick.
It’s a brutal, brutal spot for Atlanta.
Patience: Rookie quarterbacks
For every rookie quarterback that took the field in Week 1, the result wasn’t ideal.
While Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears got a win, Williams was hideous. He completed 14-of-29 passes for 93 yards, often throwing inaccurately. In Seattle, the Denver Broncos generated little offense, with Bo Nix averaging only 3.3 yards per attempt on 42 throws, including two interceptions and three others that were dropped.
Jayden Daniels did the best of the bunch, going for 272 total yards and two scores, although it came in a lopsided loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
All told, patience is most certainly required here. Williams must be better considering the level of talent around him, but for Nix and Daniels, there’s not much to work with. This week, Daniels draws the New York Giants while Nix makes his home debut against the Steelers. Let’s see if the arrow starts pointing up for them.
Panic: Rams' eroding health
The Rams have ample talent, especially offensively, but the start to their season couldn’t be much worse.
After losing on Sunday night to the Detroit Lions in overtime, Los Angeles placed star receiver Puka Nacua (knee) on injured reserve, while guard Steve Avila (sprained MCL) could land there as well. If that’s the case, both would be out for at least the next four weeks. Over that span, the Rams take on the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, all conference games, including two divisional tilts.
Considering the defense is trying to overcome the retirement of future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald while working in a pair of rookies in Jared Verse and Braden Fiske, the injuries couldn’t come at a worse time. Los Angeles must stay afloat, at least winning a couple of those aforementioned matchups.
Patience: Giants fans
What else can the Big Blue faithful do?
Daniel Jones is going to continue starting. If he’s benched, that means we’re either looking at Drew Lock or Tommy DeVito, neither of whom are making anybody confuse this squad with a contender. If New York supporters are honest, this campaign is about seeing how the rest of the roster plays, specifically young players who could be cornerstones for the future.
Come the end of the season, Jones is going to almost assuredly be released, and the Giants will move forward with a new room. From there, general manager Joe Schoen (or his replacement) can then find a quarterback in the first round, whether that’s Quinn Ewers, Carson Beck or somebody else.
There’s no reason to panic in the Meadowlands simply because the end of New York’s competitive phase in 2024 has already passed us by.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Week 2: Panic or Patience? Raiders, Falcons Could Be in Rough Shape.
