SCOREBOARD
Monday, Sept. 10
New York Jets at Detroit, 7:10 p.m. EDT. The only first-round draft pick starting at quarterback in his team’s opener will be New York’s Sam Darnold. Matt Patricia, longtime defensive coordinator in New England, makes his head coaching debut for the Lions.
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Los Angeles Rams at Oakland Raiders, 10:20 p.m. EDT. The return of Jon Gruden to the sideline as he coaches the Raiders against the powerfully stocked Rams. Gruden traded away his best player, linebacker Khalil Mack, who was holding out for a new contract. Los Angeles did the opposite, giving star DT Aaron Donald a long-term deal.
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STARS
Passing
- Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buccaneers, highlighted a 417-yard, four-touchdown performance with two scoring strikes of more than 50 yards, and Tampa Bay stunned New Orleans 48-40.
- Tom Brady, Patriots, threw for 277 yards and three touchdowns to lead the defending AFC champion New England Patriots to a 27-20 victory over the Houston Texans.
- Drew Brees, Saints, was 37 of 45 for 439 yards and three TDs in New Orleans’ 48-40 loss to Tampa Bay.
- Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs, passed for his first four NFL scores in leading Kansas City to a 38-28 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
- Joe Flacco, Ravens, threw three touchdown passes, one to each of the new receivers Baltimore - John Brown, Michael Crabtree and Willie Snead - before being replaced in the third quarter by rookie Lamar Jackson in a 47-3 rout of Buffalo.
- Philip Rivers, Chargers, was 34 of 51 for 424 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in Los Angeles’ 38-28 loss to Kansas City.
- Aaron Rodgers, Packers, threw three touchdown passes in the second half after returning from a knee injury, helping Green Bay overcome a 20-point deficit for a 24-23 win over Chicago.
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Rushing
- James Conner, Steelers, scored two touchdowns while running for 135 yards - just 9 fewer than he gained as a rookie last season - in Pittsburgh’s 21-21 tie at Cleveland.
- Saquon Barkley, Giants, had 18 rushes for 106 yards, including a spectacular 68-yard TD run, in the Giants’ 20-15 loss to Jacksonville.
- Joe Mixon, Bengals, carried 17 times for 95 yards and added five catches for 54 yards in Cincinnati’s 34-23 win at Indianapolis.
- Lamar Miller, Texans, ran 20 times for 98 yards in Houston’s 27-20 loss at New England.
- Adrian Peterson, Redskins, rushed for 96 yards and a score in his debut with Washington in a 24-6 victory at Arizona.
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Receiving
- Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara, Saints. Thomas set a single-game franchise record by catching 16 passes for 180 yards and a TD in New Orleans’ 48-40 loss to Tampa Bay. Kamara caught nine passes for 112 yards and one touchdown to go with two TD runs.
- DeSean Jackson and Mike Evans, Buccaneers. Jackson caught scoring passes of 58 and 36 yards to highlight his five-catch, 146-yard day in Tampa Bay’s 48-40 win at New Orleans before leaving with a concussion. Evans caught seven passes for 147 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown.
- Tyreek Hill, Chiefs, had 169 yards and two TDs on seven receptions in Kansas City’s 38-28 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
- Rob Gronkowski, Patriots, had seven catches for 123 yards and a touchdown in New England’s 27-20 win over Houston.
- Odell Beckham Jr., Giants, caught 11 passes for 111 yards in New York’s 20-15 loss to Jacksonville.
- Randall Cobb, Packers, had nine receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown in Green Bay’s 24-23 victory over Chicago.
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Special Teams
- T.J. Watt, Steelers, blocked Zane Gonzalez’s 43-yard field-goal attempt with 9 seconds left in OT as Pittsburgh held on for a 21-21 tie at Cleveland.
- Jakeem Grant, Dolphins, scored on a tiebreaking 102-yard kickoff return with 14 minutes to go and Miami overcame two weather delays to win the longest game since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, beating the Tennessee Titans 27-20.
- Tyreek Hill, Chiefs, had a 91-yard punt return for a score in Kansas City’s 38-28 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
- Darius Jennings, Titans, returned a kickoff 94 yards for a TD in Tennessee’s 27-20 loss at Miami.
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Defense
- T.J. Watt, Steelers, had four sacks in Pittsburgh’s 21-21 tie at Cleveland.
- Clayton Fejedelem, Bengals, jarred the ball loose from Jack Doyle with less than 35 seconds left, scooped it up and sprinted down the sideline 83 yards for a touchdown to seal Cincinnati’s 34-23 victory at Indianapolis.
- Von Miller, Broncos, sacked Russell Wilson three times, forced two fumbles and recovered one to help Denver hold off Seattle 27-24.
- Mario Addison, Panthers, had a strip-sack of Dallas’ Dak Prescott with 1:23 left to seal Carolina’s 16-8 victory.
- Denzel Ward, Browns, intercepted Ben Roethlisberger twice in his NFL debut as Cleveland tied Pittsburgh 21-21.
- Myles Jack, Jaguars, scored on a 32-yard interception return early in the fourth quarter and Jacksonville defeated the New York Giants 20-15.
- Mike Hughes, Vikings, returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown - the first by a rookie in a Minnesota season opener - in a 24-16 win over San Francisco.
- Khalil Mack, Bears, had a 27-yard interception return for a score, a sack and forced fumble in his debut with his new team, a 24-23 loss at Green Bay.
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ANTHEM
Dolphins teammates Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson were the only two players to kneel during the national anthem on the NFL’s opening Sunday, and Colin Kaepernick offered his thanks to them via social media. “My Brothers (Stills) and (Wilson) continue to show their unwavering strength by fighting for the oppressed,” Kaepernick said in his tweet. “They have not backed down, even when attacked and intimidated. … Love is at the root of our resistance.” While Stills and Wilson were kneeling during the anthem, teammate Robert Quinn raised his fist. Niners receiver Marquise Goodwin did the same at San Francisco’s game at Minnesota. Before the late games, Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas and linebacker Brandon Marshall, and Seahawks linemen Duane Brown and Quinton Jefferson, retreated to their respective tunnels while the anthem played. In Los Angeles, Chargers left tackle Russell Okung raised his fist.
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MILESTONES
Tampa Bay’s Ryan Fitzpatrick joined Washington’s Mark Rypien (1991 vs. Atlanta) as the only QBs in NFL history to pass for at least 400 yards, four touchdowns and no INTs and rush for a touchdown in a single game. Fitzpatrick threw for 417 yards and four TDs in the Buccaneers’ 48-40 win at New Orleans. … Rob Gronkowski had seven catches for 123 yards and a touchdown in New England’s 27-20 win over Houston for the 27th regular-season 100-yard game of his career, second-most for a tight end in NFL history. Tony Gonzalez had 31, but Gronkowski also had four in the postseason - and Gonzalez had none. … Patriots coach Bill Belichick earned his 251st regular-season win, passing Tom Landry for third on the NFL’s all-time list. … New Orleans’ Drew Brees passed for three touchdowns against Tampa Bay, giving him 37 in season-opening games to surpass the previous record of 34 held by Peyton Manning. … Michael Thomas’ career-high 16 catches for the Saints were the most by a player on opening weekend in NFL history, surpassing the previous record of 15 by the Chargers’ Keenan Allen in 2015 vs. Detroit. … Washington’s Adrian Peterson has 12,372 yards rushing and 100 TD runs, becoming the seventh player in NFL history to record at least 12,000 yards rushing and 100 rushing scores. He joins Marcus Allen, Jim Brown, Marshall Faulk, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and LaDainian Tomlinson.
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STREAKS & STATS
The combined 88 points in Tampa Bay’s 48-40 win at New Orleans set an NFL record for a regular-season opener, narrowly eclipsing Philadelphia’s 45-42 victory over Washington in September 1947. … Cleveland ended its 17-game losing streak Sunday with a 21-21 tie against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who prevented the Browns from getting their first victory since 2016 when linebacker T.J. Watt blocked Zane Gonzalez’s 43-yard field-goal attempt with 9 seconds left in OT. The Browns remain winless since Dec. 24, 2016, but at least they have a positive after going 0-16 last season, just the second team in league history to lose all 16 games. … Tyrann Mathieu became the first Texans player with an interception and a fumble recovery in the same game since Tim Dobbins did it in 2012. … DeAndre Hopkins has a reception in all 80 games of his career. … San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suffered his first loss in eight games as an NFL starter, falling 24-16 at Minnesota. … Kansas City extended its winning streak over the Chargers to nine with a 38-28 victory. … Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald had seven catches for 76 yards in the Cardinals’ 24-6 loss to Washington, giving him at least one reception in 212 consecutive games to surpass Tony Gonzalez (211) for the second-longest such streak in NFL history. Jerry Rice holds the mark with at least one catch in 274 consecutive games from 1985-2004. … Buffalo linebacker Tremaine Edmunds became the first Bills rookie with a sack in the season opener since 2002 and first with a forced fumble since 2013.
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ALL TIED UP
Pittsburgh and Cleveland played to a 21-21 tie Sunday, the first in a Week 1 game since 1971 when Denver and Miami tied 10-10. This was the eighth tie in the NFL since 2000. Pittsburgh’s last tie came in Week 10 of the 2002 season against Atlanta (34-34). Cleveland had its last tie in Week 11 of the 1989 season against Kansas City (10-10).
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STAYING LATE
Jakeem Grant scored on a tiebreaking 102-yard kickoff return with 14 minutes to go, and the Miami Dolphins overcame two weather delays to win the longest game since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, beating the Tennessee Titans 27-20. Delays for lightning lasted a total of 3 hours, 59 minutes, and the game took 7 hours, 10 minutes to play. The previous longest game since 1970 was a Bears overtime victory against the Ravens in 2013 that took 5 hours, 16 minutes.
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MR. DO-IT-ALL
Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill had seven catches for 169 yards and two touchdowns, including a 58-yard touchdown catch, and a 91-yard punt-return touchdown in the Chiefs’ 38-28 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers. Hill joined the Cowboys’ Bob Hayes (1968 vs. Pittsburgh) and the Rams’ Tavon Austin (2013 at Indianapolis) as the only players in NFL history to record a TD catch of 50 or more yards and have a punt return of 90 or more yards for a TD in a single game. Hill has 13 touchdowns of at least 50 yards (six receiving, four punt returns, two rushing, one kick return) in 32 games and is tied with Gale Sayers and Devin Hester for the most TDs of 50 or more in a player’s first 35 games in NFL history.
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LUCK RETURNS
Andrew Luck was 39 of 53 for 319 yards with two TD passes and an interception on his first official throw of the season - an underthrown pass to Jack Doyle inside the Bengals 5 - in Indianapolis’ 34-23 loss to Cincinnati. It was Luck’s first regular-season start in more than 20 months after having shoulder surgery.
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BACK IN ACTION
Ryan Tannehill, playing for the first time since a knee injury in late 2016, went 20 for 28 for 230 yards with two scores and two interceptions in Miami’s 27-20 victory over Tennessee.
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UGLY
Making his third NFL start, Buffalo’s Nathan Peterman went 5 for 18 for 24 yards and two interceptions for a quarterback rating of 0.0 in a 47-3 loss at Baltimore. After the Ravens followed two Buffalo miscues with a pair of touchdowns for a 40-0 lead, coach Sean McDermott turned to rookie Josh Allen, who went 6 for 15 for 74 yards in Buffalo’s most lopsided defeat since a 56-10 loss to New England in November 2007. “Obviously, it wasn’t a good showing,” Peterman said. “We’ve got to do a lot better, starting with me.”
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SHUT DOWN
Making its debut under defensive coordinator Don Martindale, Baltimore held Buffalo to 33 yards and no first downs in going up 26-0 at halftime of a 47-3 victory. Baltimore had six sacks and yielded 153 yards overall.
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INSTANT IMPACT
In his first game with the Bears, Khalil Mack had a 27-yard interception return for a touchdown and a sack and forced fumble as Chicago fell to Green Bay 24-23. Mack was traded by Oakland on Sept. 1 with a 2020 second-round pick to Chicago for 2019 and 2020 first-round picks, along with future draft picks. Mack then signed a six-year deal worth $141 million, including $90 million guaranteed, to become the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.
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SIDELINED
Three-time Pro Bowl tight end Delanie Walker suffered a gruesome injury to his right leg Sunday night late in Tennessee’s loss in Miami and was carted off the field. Titans coach Mike Vrabel said Walker was not in the locker room after their 27-20 loss. Walker was the third Titans starter to leave the game with an injury. Two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan left with a concussion, and quarterback Marcus Mariota was pulled with an elbow injury after a pair of interceptions in a game that lasted 7 hours and 8 minutes - the NFL’s longest since the league’s merger in 1970 with the AFL. … Carolina tight end Greg Olsen ended up on the sideline on crutches wearing a walking boot on an injured foot after going to the locker room in the second quarter of the Panthers’ 16-8 win over Dallas. He missed nine games last season with a Jones fracture in his foot, though coach Ron Rivera said it wasn’t the same injury. … Jacksonville running back Leonard Fournette hurt his hamstring in the second quarter and never returned to the Jaguars’ season-opening 20-15 win over the Giants. … Seattle wide receiver Doug Baldwin was knocked out of the game against Denver with an injured right knee. He was hurt in the first quarter when a Denver player he was attempting to block rolled over his leg. He walked off under his own power and came back briefly before leaving the game. Baldwin missed all of August with a left knee injury. … Patriots running back Jeremy Hill did not return after a knee injury with 12:09 left in the third quarter of New England’s 27-20 win over Houston.
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SPEAKING
“There is nothing to be excited about, nothing at all. We don’t come to work to get ties. It’s the equivalent of a loss to me.” - Cleveland wide receiver Josh Gordon after the Browns ended their 17-game losing streak Sunday with a 21-21 tie against Pittsburgh but failed to get their first victory since 2016.
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“I’m happy to announce: FitzMagic is alive and well. Quite a start, huh?” - Tampa Bay coach Dirk Koetter after 35-year-old Ryan Fitzpatrick highlighted a 417-yard, four-touchdown performance with two scoring strikes of more than 50 yards in a 48-40 win at New Orleans.
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