The majority of Super Bowl teams have at least one bad video game the next season. Sometimes it happens in Week 1.
Maybe well look up at the end of December, maybe even the end of September, and the San Francisco 49ers opening-game loss to the Arizona Cardinals will appear like a blip in another successful season. Hopefully for 49ers fans, it was simply a one-off.
Whatever happens next, Sunday wasnt a fluky loss. Arizona had 29 first downs to 18 for the 49ers. The Cardinals outgained the 49ers 404-366. The 49ers were 2-of-11 on third-down conversions and 0-for-2 on fourth down. Arizona should have the win.
It might not be a problem if it wasnt for the Super Bowl hangover, which may include Jimmy Garoppolo.
Given that the 1997 season, both Super Bowl individuals have won their particular divisions just when. That says either the Kansas City Chiefs or 49ers are likely to not win another department title, and we all saw how excellent the Chiefs looked in Week 1. Its a pattern that cant be ignored.
There wasnt much concern from 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. He said that problems on 3rd down and in the red zone were the factor San Francisco found itself in a close video game. He was mainly great with how the 49ers played otherwise.
” I thought we began out extremely well. Thought we had a possibility to run away with it a bit in the very first half,” Shanahan stated. “Anytime you average eight yards a play and youre holding them respectable on the other side of the ball, I believed we d have more points to reveal for it than what we did.”
The focus will be on Garoppolo, reasonable or not. When the 49ers blew a lead in the fourth quarter of last seasons Super Bowl, Garoppolos overthrow of Emmanuel Sanders in the final minutes got more attention than all of the 49ers protective mistakes integrated. Thats the life of a quarterback.
Garoppolo didnt have actually injured receivers Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk on Sunday, and tight end George Kittle was clearly affected by a knee injury suffered in the first half. Garoppolo wasnt bad, but he couldnt rally the 49ers for a winning score on their last drive. So he will take an inordinate quantity of the blame. Again. The San Francisco Chronicles column on Monday had the heading, “49ers Jimmy Garoppolo has another 4th quarter to forget as hangover clangs on.” Its not the sort of attention you desire after a long, long offseason.
The 49ers need to be fine. They can still run the ball. Their pass catchers ought to get much healthier, though Kittles injury is worrisome. Shanahan can coach. The defense is still great. Sundays loss was not a great method to start the season, but it wasnt a cause for panic.
In the meantime, the 49ers ought to still be considered one of the NFCs finest teams, just one that began in an 0-1 hole. Again, if Sunday was an indication of things to come, the 49ers would sign up with a very long list of groups that couldnt regain their magic after reaching a Super Bowl.
Possibly Im overreacting to one week, but that was a horrendous performance and Im not sure why itll get any better. There are really couple of blue-chip gamers on either side of the ball and Adam Gase isnt an excellent coach. Aside from that, things are going actually well for the Jets.
Carolina set up 30 points and lost. That will be a style this season. The Panthers are going to quit a great deal of points, however they have a lot of playmakers on offense, consisting of Robby Anderson, who had 115 backyards and might have a huge season away from Adam Gase. Itll be a fun team to enjoy.
Joe Burrows debut was OK, not terrific. He missed a few throws he required to make to raise the Bengals to a win. His fourth-quarter interception was a bad novice error. Theres room for growth, and at least Burrow looked like he belonged.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0, LW: 32).
Gardner Minshew II was excellent, completing 19-of-20 passes for 173 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions in Jacksonvilles upset win. The Jaguars set about the offseason like they were tanking for Trevor Lawrence, however they might be great with Minshew.
28. Washington Football Team (1-0, LW: 31).
Chase Young had 1.5 sacks in his debut, and Washington had 8 sacks as a team. An outstanding protective line can help a restoring group win a couple of more video games than it should, and Washington appears to have one.
27. New York City Giants (0-1, LW: 27).
I cant even blame the Giants. Monday night appeared like it was a lot more about the Steelers playing well than New Yorks issues. Still, the offending line has a long way to go and it much better occur fast.
26. Miami Dolphins (0-1, LW: 25).
Christian Wilkins had maybe his finest day as a pro, with six tackles, two deals with for loss, a sack and 2 passes tore down at the line. Wilkins, a 2019 first-round choice, had a quiet rookie season so Sundays efficiency was a great indication.
25. Detroit Lions (0-1, LW: 23).
Matt Patricia can be upset over being questioned over the Lions blowing method a lot of fourth-quarter leads throughout his time, however its his defense that let Mitchell Trubisky to look like a star and rattle three fourth-quarter touchdowns in a Bears win. It was a truly bad method for Patricia to start a season in which he presumably has to reveal something favorable.
24. Cleveland Browns (0-1, LW: 16).
Odell Beckham Jr. had 3 catches for 22 backyards on 10 targets, and 16 of those lawns began one catch. Its fair to give Beckham a pass because the Ravens might simply be that excellent, but itll be very worrying if he doesnt look better against the Bengals today. The same can be stated about the Browns as a group.
23. Denver Broncos (0-1, LW: 15).
They had method too lots of ruthless mistakes, like rookie Jerry Jeudys two drops, not getting in the end zone on fourth down at the 1-yard line, an interception taken off the board due to a defensive charge and Melvin Gordons essential fumble in the first half. The Broncos had plenty of heartbreaking losses last season, and thats how this season began, too.
22. Los Angeles Chargers (1-0, LW: 22).
Austin Ekelers season opener: One target, one catch for three yards. If the Chargers offense is going to be even typical, that has to alter. Getting Ekeler the ball in the death video game, where hes at his finest, will be their focus of Week 2.
21. Indianapolis Colts (0-1, LW: 13).
Marlon Macks season-ending injury likely just implies more work for Jonathan Taylor, and that was most likely going to occur at some time anyhow. Eroding the running back depth might change the Colts total viewpoint a bit. And Im not sure you want Philip Rivers being the centerpiece of the offense moving forward.
20. Las Vegas Raiders (1-0, LW: 24).
Derek Carr had a normal Derek Carr video game: 239 lawns, one touchdown, no significant mistakes, absolutely nothing all that fancy (though his TD pass to Nelson Agholor was wonderful) … and everybody will instantly forget all the positives the very first time Carr slips up this season.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1, LW: 9).
The Saints are an extremely excellent team and the Buccaneers were adjusting to a lot of changes. Lets wait to see how they look against the Panthers this week.
18. Atlanta Falcons (0-1, LW: 26).
All three Falcons receivers had at least nine catches and 114 yards. And they were never really competitive in a Week 1 home loss. Thats a really bad sign for a team that has left to slow starts the past couple years.
17. Houston Texans (0-1, LW: 20).
Its recurring to keep hammering Bill OBrien for the DeAndre Hopkins trade. But you cant get away from it when Houston has a hard time to stay up to date with Kansas City and after that Hopkins dominates for Arizona in its upset win. Its still hard to believe that trade occurred, and it will be a story as long as OBrien is Houstons coach. Its that bad.
16. Minnesota Vikings (0-1, LW: 18).
This was not the year, without a preseason, to turn over a cornerback group. The Vikings new cornerbacks were torched by Aaron Rodgers. Minnesota will get better on defense since Mike Zimmer is a great coach, however it likewise may take a bit longer than normal.
15. Chicago Bears (1-0, LW: 21).
After 3 quarters, it appeared tough to believe that Mitchell Trubisky would be the Bears starter in Week 2. To call Trubiskys great fourth quarter a job-saving efficiency might be an understatement. The concern is if Trubisky can build off that success, or a minimum of if it provides him a bit more job security if things go inadequately in the next game or more.
14. Philadelphia Eagles (0-1, LW: 14).
The Eagles were so beat up at running back, wide receiver and the offensive line that its hard to evaluate them after one week. No matter the injuries, its bad to blow a 17-0 cause a Washington team expected to be among the NFLs worst. A Week 2 home game versus the Rams takes on a lot more significance than it need to for Philly.
13. Arizona Cardinals (1-0, LW: 19).
We knew the offense would be excellent, especially with DeAndre Hopkins. The defense wasnt excellent on Sunday, but it was great enough. It can win the NFC West if Arizona plays defense to that level all season.
12. Dallas Cowboys (0-1, LW: 6).
The call on Michael Gallup was regrettable, but officials missed out on a call on Aldon Smiths hands to the face that led to a Dallas interception. Calls usually will level. What the Cowboys require to be focused on is why their ballyhooed offense produced almost no dynamite plays and simply 17 points.
11. Los Angeles Rams (1-0, LW: 17).
The Rams hit Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott 7 times on Sunday. Its either Joe Greene or Donald for the title of greatest protective deal with ever, and Donald is going to keep adding to his resume.
10. Tennessee Titans (1-0, LW: 8).
Stephen Gostkowski has actually had a great career. Unless you have no heart, or are a Broncos fan, you had to feel good about Gostkowski having the ability to kick the winning basket on Monday night after missing out on three basket and an additional point earlier in the game. That would have been one awful airplane ride home had Tennessee lost.
9. New England Patriots (1-0, LW: 12).
Webcam Newton had 15 rushing efforts, his most because 2015, and 14 of them were developed runs, according to Pro Football Focus. It was excellent to see Newton look effective in that role and for the Patriots to play to his strengths, but its fair to question if Newton can hold up all season if thats the weekly strategy.
8. San Francisco 49ers (0-1, LW: 4).
In general with the power rankings, its not clever to overreact to one video game. Jacksonville will not be ahead of Indianapolis, and Washington will not be ahead of Philadelphia after one game either. In some cases Week 1 upsets signify a real change that sticks all season.
7. Green Bay Packers (1-0, LW: 11).
Its not like Aaron Rodgers is incapable of classic performances like he did on Sunday. He had a game like that versus the Raiders last season, too. When a defense has a cornerback that can at least complete versus Davante Adams, well have to see what takes place. Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (who did have two drops to accompany 2 touchdowns) were great on Sunday, but theyll have to keep passing tests before anybody is convinced they can be above-average matches to Adams.
6. Seattle Seahawks (1-0, LW: 10).
Jamal Adams launching: 12 takes on, 2 quarterback hits, one sack. The Seahawks paid a lot to get the All-Pro security, but hes going to have a substantial impact on their defense this season.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0, LW: 7).
Having actually seen the Steelers defense blast Saquon Barkley for 4 quarters and Ben Roethlisberger throw it along with he did, Im tempted to move Pittsburgh up even further. That team appeared like it can win a Super Bowl (though, they might not win the department).
4. Buffalo Bills (1-0, LW: 5).
Social media had enjoyable with Josh Allen missing an easy touchdown pass in the end zone, however anyone who saw the Bills dissect the Jets knows how good Allen was on Sunday. That will always be a part of his game.
3. New Orleans Saints (1-0, LW: 3).
Every missed throw is a reason to wonder if hes striking the wall because Drew Brees is 41. The Saints won easily on Sunday, but it wasnt a fantastic Brees performance. He had simply 160 lawns and averaged 5.3 lawns per attempt. It doesnt matter excessive yet due to the fact that the Saints won quickly, but its worth keeping an eye on Brees over the next few games.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0, LW: 2).
Clyde Edwards-Helaire currently looks like the genuine deal. Preparing a running back in the preliminary is arguable but that was the right scenario for it: The Chiefs didnt have numerous other requirements, it was the final choice of the preliminary and Edwards-Helaire includes a dangerous dimension to the Chiefs offense. Like the offense needed more assistance.
1. Baltimore Ravens (1-0, LW: 1).
Lamar Jackson will be an MVP candidate once again. Marquise Brown looks like hell have a second-year breakout. Mark Andrews is one of the finest tight ends in football. J.K. Dobbins could have a big rookie season. And the defense is still nasty. The Ravens are not going anywhere.
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Since the 1997 season, both Super Bowl individuals have won their respective divisions simply as soon as. When the 49ers blew a lead in the 4th quarter of last seasons Super Bowl, Garoppolos overthrow of Emmanuel Sanders in the final minutes got more attention than all of the 49ers protective mistakes combined. The Broncos had plenty of heartbreaking losses last season, and thats how this season started, too.
Austin Ekelers season opener: One target, one catch for 3 backyards. If Arizona plays defense to that level all season, it can win the NFC West.
