By Brandon Simmons
Does Josh Allen’s performance hush his MVP doubters?
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen came off of his MVP season and opened the year with a 41-40 comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens. It was a win almost double entendre-eaque in a way. He didn’t just beat the Ravens, he beat the other QB whom many felt was supposed to win his award in addition to proving to detractors why he was selected as MVP in the first place. The comeback started in the 4th quarter, when the Bills were down 40-25. Allen threw a 10 yard TD to Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman on a 4th and 2, making the score 40-32. The next score came with 2 minutes left when Allen scrambled for a TD yo make score 40-38. After a timely stop, the Bills got the ball back then held on to score the game winning field goal.
That should be enough to solidify his status as last year’s MVP but that ship has sailed. The arguments for Lamar Jackson to have that award is based on stats, which is fair game. However, it’s an entirely new season and the convo should be shifting to this year’s race. Sure it’s Week 1, but these wins and moments go a long way in a season affecting playoff seeding and psyche. Not only did the Bills beat a team they knocked out the playoffs last season, they opened their season with that win in a comeback fashion. Allen made key plays in this game to make sure his team stayed within reach, all the way down to the end. Now, there is the reality of the narrative analyst refer to as the “Josh Allen” experience, describing his risque style which can lead to touchdowns and turnovers in the same manner. Many of his critics are hoping for the latter to show up and prove them right about last year’s award was a fluke; but if Week 1 ws any indication of Allen’s 2025 season, he wil overcome those doubts just as easy and possibly grab another MVP.
Has Caleb Williams Finally Arrived?
Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams was granted the gift of a new head coach in Ben Johnson, and it might be the gift he’s ever received. Johnson, the former offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, was hired by the Bears this past offseason and the changes can already be seen. The Bears lost their home opener 17-6 but Williams had the spotlight on him, for obvious reasons, and he made every minute worthwhile. The Bears QB finished the game throwing 21/35 for over 217 yards, rushing 5 times for 45 yards and touchdown.
This was a loss for the Bears, but not entirely. Up until the 4th quarter, Caleb Williams looked like a franchise QB. He started the game completing his first 10 pass attempts. When the pressure got to be too much, Williams was able to escape the pocket and ended up completing a pass on the run, rushing for more yards or throwing the ball away; basically not take the sack. Obviously, late in the 2nd half, things stalled for him and it seemed like all of that progress went out the window, but this was also a highly touted Minnesota Vikings defense he was facing, so it wasn’t going to be the most improved player of the year yet, especially in a new offense. Still, Caleb Williams a lot of improvement and growth from last year’s rookie season and that should be a promising sign for Chicago Bears fans this season.
Can Philly Win Again this Way?
The Philadelphia Eagles opened their season with a win in basically the same way they won all last year: heavy runs with small, but efficient passing. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts threw for 152 yards on 19/23 passing but 0 touchdowns, but was also the leading rusher for the team with his 14 rushes for 62 yards and 2 touchdowns. Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert led the team with 7 catches while Eagles wide receiver Johan Dotson led the team with 59 receiving yards. Philly’s 2 star receivers, A.J. Brown and Devante Smith, combined for 4 catches for 24 yards. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley – who led the league in rushing last year and almost broke the single season record – had just 60 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown.
Considering Barkley’s historic year last year, it’s possible Philly may repeat this box score throughout this year but will it be successful. Teams will start to hone in on Barkley which may require more Hurts to go to the air more to Brown and Smith. If you can recall, at one point during last season, Brown publicly expressed not getting the football enough. It made sense then for that to happen, considering Barkley was very much tearing run defenses apart. Hell, even Hurts took a step back in production last season, averaging 193 yards passing per game; a couple of wins he threw for 114 and 108.
It’s only Week 1 but it can be triggering and a sign of things to happen. The bad news is that Brown only had 1 target and a catch for 1 yard; not what they mean when they consider him a number one receiver. The good news is the Eagles won the game and shows that they have a propensity to win in multiple ways, offensively as well as defensively. Things are only going to look up on the offensive side of the ball with all of the talent they have, especially with this wide receiver group. Their time is definitely going to come to be greater than this stat line.
Shoutouts/Shutouts
Shout out to DeAndre Hopkins with the one handed catch. In the 3rd quarter of the Ravens vs. Bills game, the Baltimore wide receiver made a one handed grab for a touchdown to put the team up 34-19. Unfortunately, the Ravens could’ve used a few more of those types of catches and might have won the game.
Shut out to Jalen Carter for his spitting antics. In case you haven’t heard, or haven’t got enough of hearing, the Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle spit on Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott before the season opener this past Thursday. Carter was ejected right before either team took a snap. Tuesday he was given a fine of $57,222 and a 1 game suspension, but his ejection was credited that suspension making him available for Week 2. It’s a weird way of punishing but the league probably wanted him available for the game against the Kansas City Chiefs, which will probably already draw a lot of eyes since it’s a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl.
Week 1 is done, now it’s time for Week 2 and for a lot of teams to learn from their mistakes. Spoiler alert: the game of the week will be the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Philadelphia Eagles. This is a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl with both teams coming off of some interesting games. Philly had an underwhelming offensive output and still won their season opener, particularly from their star receivers Smith and Brown, who ironically ahined in the Super Bowl matchup, each habong scored a touchdown. The Chiefs put up some solid offensive numbers but came away with a loss to open their season. Perhaps both will clash together in this matchup and make things much closer than the last time they played; with no spitting involved of course. But until then…I’ll holla.
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