Here are 32 insights from the opening week of the 2024 NFL season:

1. This year’s NFL season is heavily influenced by the six rookie quarterbacks picked in the first 12 selections of the draft. On Sunday, three of them—Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears), Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders), and Bo Nix (Denver Broncos)—made their first starts. This marked just the fourth instance since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger of at least three rookie quarterbacks starting Week 1. None performed exceptionally well, but they have the opportunity to improve, although time may not be on their side as it once was.

2. Despite a rocky start, Williams is the first No. 1 overall draft pick to win his NFL debut in 22 years, following David Carr of the Houston Texans. He completed only 14 of 29 passes for 93 yards in a 24-17 victory, thanks mainly to Chicago’s strong defense and special teams. Fans of the Bears are happy with the win.

2a. From Carr to Williams, the fifteen quarterbacks selected first in drafts since then had a combined starting record of 0-14-1.

3. A total of 10 teams had different starting quarterbacks compared to their openers in 2023, with four achieving victory.

4. Marvin Harrison Jr., wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, had only one reception for minimal yardage, making him the candidate for the most underwhelming rookie debut.

5. New England Patriots rookie head coach Jerod Mayo, who won a championship with the Pats in 2014 under Bill Belichick, holds a *briefly* superior win percentage after clinching his first victory (16-10) over the struggling Cincinnati Bengals.

6. It’s worth noting that Cincinnati’s rookie punter Ryan Rehkow had an impressive outing, averaging 64.5 yards on his first four punts, including an 80-yarder.

7. The seven other head coaches debuting with new teams had mixed results, with a 2-5 record. The victories came from Mike Macdonald of the Seattle Seahawks and Jim Harbaugh of the Los Angeles Chargers, the latter defeating the Las Vegas Raiders and new head coach Antonio Pierce.

8. Travis Etienne’s fumble in the third quarter, while heading for the end zone and a substantial lead for the Jacksonville Jaguars, was a costly mistake—especially when Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill scored on the next play. The Dolphins eventually won the game with a last-minute field goal, 20-17.

9. For Tyreek Hill, it was a day of contrasts, as he found himself in handcuffs due to a traffic issue on his way to the game. However, he put on a show on the field, catching seven passes for 130 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown. This marked his 12 career touchdowns of 75 yards or more, leaving him just two shy of Devin Hester’s all-time record.

10. In contrast to Hill’s distractions, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott received significant attention for his new contract, becoming the highest-paid player in NFL history with a $240 million extension over four years. However, his performance on the field was quieter, with just 179 yards and a touchdown after leading the league with 36 touchdowns last season.

11. The focus of Dallas’ 33-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns was its defense. Coordinated by Mike Zimmer, the unit limited the Browns to just 230 yards, sacked quarterback Deshaun Watson six times, and forced two turnovers.

TB12. Additionally, Tom Brady made his debut as Fox’s number one NFL analyst on Sunday. Early reactions? It doesn’t matter; Brady’s already secured another Super Bowl appearance, as Fox will broadcast the event from New Orleans in February.

13.Did you know? Drew Bledsoe, once a teammate of Brady with the Patriots, revealed he’d much rather back up Brady than Tony Romo, who now works for CBS rival network. During an ESPN segment, Bledsoe remarked on Romo’s change in demeanor after becoming a starter.

14. Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell deserves the AFC special teams player of the week award. He scored all 18 points for his team, nailing six field goals, with three of them over 50 yards, as they won by eight points. Additionally, he filled in well for the injured Cameron Johnston with a solid 43-yard punt in the fourth quarter.

14a. As of Sunday night, league-wide, there were 19 field goals from at least 50 yards made, setting a new record for any week in NFL history.

15. Justin Fields, a native of the Atlanta area and previously speculated to be a target for the Falcons, started for Pittsburgh due to Russell Wilson’s ongoing injury. While not outstanding, Fields was efficient, completing 17 of 23 passes for 156 yards and rushing for 57 yards without any turnovers, and he performed better than Kirk Cousins. After a compelling yet inconsistent training camp performance, it will be fascinating to see how Fields continues to develop.

It’s uncertain how soon the Steelers will consider returning to Wilson, if they do at all.

15a. Coach Mike Tomlin stated that we can inquire about it on Tuesday.

16. Meanwhile, after Cousins’ two-interception debut with the Falcons, it won’t be long before the supporters of Michael Penix Jr. start calling for the veteran’s position — fairly or unfairly. (And it’s unfair. For now.)

17. It would be beneficial if more Falcons fans came out to cheer for their team instead of letting Mercedes-Benz Stadium be filled by Steelers stars like OLB T.J. Watt.

18. New Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who was Atlanta’s head coach for the last three seasons before his dismissal, gained a small measure of vengeance on Sunday. Next weekend could present an opportunity for Wilson to redeem himself if he can secure a win against the Broncos in Denver during Week 2.

19. The New Orleans Saints scored 47 points in their victory on Sunday, marking their highest total for a season opener and yes, that’s significant even if it came against the (still) struggling Carolina Panthers.

20. In another milestone, CB Alontae Taylor became the first defensive back in the Saints’ 58-year history to record three sacks in a single game.

21. The Broncos may have lost to Seattle, but they did achieve something notable by becoming the first team in seven years to record multiple safeties in a single game.

22. The NFL’s new “dynamic kickoff” strategy has been rather uneventful during preseason and the opening weekend. However, an exception appeared on Sunday in Orchard Park, N.Y., when the Buffalo Bills saw a 53-yard return by Brandon Codrington. This was quickly surpassed by the Cardinals’ DeeJay Dallas, whose 96-yard touchdown marked the first kickoff return under a 2024 format heavily influenced by a previous XFL approach to this risky play.

22a. The new rule is indeed influencing statistics, as more kickoff return yards have already been accumulated before all the opening games wrapped up than in any week last season.

23. It was a remarkable comeback for Chargers RB J.K. Dobbins, who had missed 42 of 51 regular-season games over the last three seasons due to various knee and Achilles injuries in Baltimore. He’ll always remember his debut with the Bolts, where he rushed for 135 yards – the second-best performance of his career – on just 10 carries in the second half and scored on a 12-yard run in Harbaugh’s successful debut.

24. Who says a Wolverine (Harbaugh) and Buckeye (Dobbins) can’t work positively together? “It’s great. We’re on the same team now,” Dobbins shared, reflecting on his past battles against Harbaugh’s Michigan teams while playing for Ohio State. “That’s all I have to say, and we’ll keep collaborating.”

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield is on track to set an NFL record with 68 touchdown passes this season after throwing four in a 37-20 win over the Commanders. It’s still early in the season.

26. The Philadelphia Eagles offense will likely look very different come 2024 – and it’s not just due to RB Saquon Barkley (who scored 3 TDs in Friday’s win against the Green Bay Packers in Brazil) being new and retired C Jason Kelce being absent.

27. A team that used the least amount of pre-snap motion (35.1%) in the league in 2023 effectively doubled that in OC Kellen Moore’s first game as play-caller, according to Next Gen Stats.

27a. Regarding Barkley, he made history by becoming the first Eagles player in two decades to score three touchdowns in his debut, the last being Hall of Fame WR Terrell Owens.

28. No “WR1” for the Packers, Matt LaFleur? That might be a valid point. However, Jayden Reed achieved a unique feat by becoming the first player of the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to score touchdowns covering at least 30 yards, both rushing and receiving, in Week 1.

29. The greatest rushing quarterback in NFL history? The Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson ran for 122 yards in Thursday’s defeat – marking the 55th game in which he rushed for at least 50 yards, breaking Michael Vick’s quarterback record. Jackson is the only quarterback to surpass 1,000 rushing yards in a season on two occasions.

29a. Jackson requires 730 more rushing yards this season to surpass Vick’s all-time record among quarterbacks (6,109).

30. Get used to players wearing Guardian Caps during games; Patriots S Jabrill Peppers and Steelers G James Daniels are among those leading this new trend following an allowance made in the offseason.

31. Weekly uniform insights – and remember, as Deion Sanders is known to say, “If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play well. If you play well, they pay well.”

31a. The Seahawks (in throwbacks) and Eagles (in a new black combination to impress the residents of São Paulo) both looked sharp – and came away with wins.

31b. The Bengals (decked out in pumpkin-like attire) and New York Giants (celebrating their 100th anniversary with an unfortunate alternate uniform) didn’t impress – neither visually nor in performance. Not at all.

31c. It certainly didn’t seem like Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson wanted the Giants jersey of fellow LSU alum Malik Nabers after their matchup on Sunday.

32. MVP of the week (so far): Bills QB Josh Allen. He was responsible for four touchdowns (2 passing, 2 rushing) in what is expected to be a less dynamic offense given the number of wide receivers lost in the offseason.

32a. Allen has now recorded four career games with multiple rushing and passing touchdowns, tying him with Hall of Famer Steve Young for the all-time record.

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Follow YSL News Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.