PFF broke down the numbers immediately after every NFL Week 1 game, including scores, rookie standouts, offensive line performances and more.
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BUF@LAR | BAL@NYJ | NO@ATL | NE@MIA | CLE@CAR | PIT@CIN
SF@CHI | PHI@DET | IND@HST | JAX@WSH | KC@ARZ | LVR@LAC
GB@MIN | NYG@TEN | TB@DAL | DEN@SEA
Buffalo Bills 31, Los Angeles Rams 10
Offensive spotlight: Bills quarterback Josh Allen was the star of the show. He went 24-of-29 for 279 yards and three touchdowns from a clean pocket and finished the game with two big-time throws. He added 56 yards and a touchdown from 10 rushing attempts, too.
Defensive spotlight: Von Miller‘s Bills career got off on the right foot, as the 11-year veteran recorded two sacks and three hurries from 25 pass-rush snaps. Per PFF's first review of the game film, he beat his blocker once every five snaps he played.
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Baltimore Ravens 24, New York Jets 9
Rookie spotlight: Sauce Gardner continues to look like a cornerback no quarterback will want to target with frequency. He saw just two targets on the day, breaking up one and allowing a catch on the other for only eight yards.
Offensive line spotlight: The Jets' offensive line combined to allow a whopping 20 pressures on first review. Laken Tomlinson was the main victim, surrendering seven hurries and losing another seven reps that didn't become pressure.
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New Orleans Saints 27, Atlanta Falcons 26
Offensive spotlight: Boy, is it good to see Michael Thomas back healthy. While he did drop a couple of passes, Thomas hauled in five of eight targets for 57 yards and two scores in his first game back from injury. They eased him in, playing him nearly exclusively in passing situations. Of his 35 snaps on the day, 33 were pass plays.
Defensive spotlight: The Saints' new safety duo made their presence felt Sunday. Marcus Maye didn’t allow a reception on his lone target, while Tyrann Mathieu allowed one catch on two targets for one yard.
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Miami Dolphins 20, New England Patriots 7
Offensive spotlight: Tyreek Hill looks like he will be a high-volume threat for the Dolphins. He had 12 targets and eight catches, and both marks were at least double the next-best mark from a Miami receiver. Hill ended up with 94 yards, but his PFF grade will suffer for fumbling the ball out of bounds while carrying it with the wrong hand, leaving it vulnerable to being knocked loose.
Defensive spotlight: Miami’s defense had little in the way of pressure, but the unit did combine for five forced incompletions. Nik Needham allowed three catches — the most among Dolphins cornerbacks — but those passes went for just 38 total yards and he forced an incompletion.
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Cleveland Browns 26, Carolina Panthers 24
Offensive spotlight: Baker Mayfield‘s revenge game didn't go exactly as planned, and the Panthers quarterback is set to earn a sub-55.0 passing grade after making two turnover-worthy plays and one big-time throw.
Defensive spotlight: Myles Garrett ensured rookie left tackle Ikem Ekwonu didn't enjoy his NFL debut. The pass-rusher racked up six pressures, including two sacks, and earned a 94.4 pass-rushing grade on first review.
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Pittsburgh Steelers 23, Cincinnati Bengals 20
Rookie spotlight: After a red-hot preseason, Steelers wide receiver George Pickens was kept in check during his first regular season game. On 24 offensive snaps, he saw three targets, which yielded just one catch for three yards.
Offensive line spotlight: New Bengals offensive lineman Alex Cappa had a decent first game as the team’s starting left guard. His initial 62.7 PFF grade was second-best on the team and third-best in the game overall. He did not yield a sack, and his 67.7 initial pass-blocking grade was higher than each of his averages the past two seasons.
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Chicago Bears 19, San Francisco 49ers 10
Rookie spotlight: Edge defender Dominique Robinson played only 20 defensive snaps, but he was a constant disruptive factor along the Bears’ frontline. The fifth-round selection from Miami (OH) had three total pressures, including two sacks, during his NFL debut to earn a pending 77.2 pass-rushing grade.
Offensive line spotlight: Tevin Jenkins was more of a run-blocking factor than a pass-blocking one, but he still finished with an 81.7 offensive grade on 32 total snaps, pending review. His pass-protection resume consisted of just one pressure allowed on 13 pass-blocking plays, and he registered a 78.7 run-blocking grade on 18 run-blocking snaps.
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Philadelphia Eagles 38, Detroit Lions 35
Offensive spotlight: Both teams ran wild amid lackluster passing games. For the Eagles, Jalen Hurts gained 66 yards after contact of his 90 total, and he also forced six missed tackles. For the Lions, D'Andre Swift went well over the century mark and broke six tackles of his own to earn an 80.0-plus rushing grade on first review.
Defensive spotlight: Darius Slay faced a game-high nine targets but allowed only three catches for 55 yards — albeit one for a touchdown. He is still on track to lead Philadelphia's secondary in coverage grade.
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Indianapolis Colts 20, Houston Texans 20
Rookie spotlight: Derek Stingley Jr. played 56 snaps in coverage and allowed six catches on nine targets for 81 yards. He did force an incompletion to salvage an otherwise subpar debut in coverage.
Offensive line spotlight: First-round rookie guard Kenyon Green stayed clean in pass protection on 20 such snaps. He is on track to earn a 75.0-plus pass-blocking grade.
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Washington Commanders 28, Jacksonville Jaguars 22
Offensive spotlight: Christian Kirk shined in his Jaguars debut as Trevor Lawrence‘s top receiver, tallying six catches on nine targets for 117 yards. Fifty of those yards came after contact, and he also forced a missed tackle.
Defensive spotlight: Jonathan Allen, Montez Sweat and Daron Payne wreaked havoc on the Jaguars' offensive line to combine for 15 pressures, including three sacks.
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Kansas City Chiefs 44, Arizona Cardinals 21
Offensive spotlight: If Patrick Mahomes misses Tyreek Hill, he certainly didn’t show it against the Cardinals. The former MVP threw for 360 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions on his way to a 144.2 passer rating. That included two big-time throws.
Defensive spotlight: Chris Jones showed why some consider him the best interior defensive lineman outside of Aaron Donald. On 30 pass-rushing snaps, Jones tallied five pressures and a 23.7% pass-rush win rate. He also batted a pass in the process.
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Los Angeles Chargers 24, Las Vegas Raiders 19
Rookie spotlight: Rookies saw significant snaps for both teams along the offensive line. Zion Johnson played all game at guard for the Chargers, giving up a couple of pressures but performing well as a pass-blocker overall. Dylan Parham started at right guard for the Raiders but didn’t see out the game. Las Vegas shuffled multiple times on the offensive line.
Offensive line spotlight: The Raiders' offensive line saw seven different players see significant snaps, using at least three different line combinations over the course of the game. Despite the sacks from the Chargers, the line held up well in pass protection generally but was notably worse in grade as a run-blocking unit.
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Minnesota Vikings 23, Green Bay Packers 7
Offensive spotlight: In his quest to become the NFL's best wide receiver, Justin Jefferson put forth a monster Week 1 effort. He hauled in nine of his 10 targets for 184 yards and two scores, with five of those catches going for 15-plus yards. Eighty-one of his yards came after the catch.
Defensive spotlight: Safety Harrison Smith brought down an interception on a deep jump-ball from Aaron Rodgers, and he also allowed only 26 yards on five targets. All that equated to a game-high 90.4 coverage grade on first review.
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New York Giants 21, Tennessee Titans 20
Offensive spotlight: Running back Saquon Barkley tallied 112 yards after contact as the Giants committed to the ground game. The Penn State standout accumulated three explosive runs, four first-down rushes and a game-changing touchdown on just 14 carries.
Defensive spotlight: Seven total pressures — five hurries and two sacks — headlined Jeffery Simmons‘ dominance. His reign of terror against the Giants’ offensive line earned him a pending 93.3 overall grade to accompany his 91.6 pass-rushing grade.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19, Dallas Cowboys 3
Rookie spotlight: Cowboys 2022 first-round pick Tyler Smith started at left tackle, filling in for injured All-Pro Tyron Smith. He labored at times in pass protection, allowing a sack, two quarterback hits and a hurry based on PFF’s first review of the game. Dallas has nine-time Pro Bowl selection Jason Peters on its practice squad. Once Peters is fully up to speed and conditioned, the Cowboys will have a decision to make whether to stick with the rookie or move Tyler Smith to guard and roll with Peters until Tyron Smith can return.
Offensive line spotlight: Both teams lost key pieces on their offensive line Sunday night. Cowboys left guard Connor McGovern didn’t return due to an ankle injury, and Buccaneers left tackle Donovan Smith was ruled out at halftime with an elbow injury. Smith and his replacement, Josh Wells, both let up sacks to Parsons. Rookie left guard Luke Goedeke also allowed multiple pressures on the night in his first career start.
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