Ravens Insider: NFL winners and losers, Week 1: Write the Steelers off at your own risk

[ExtremeRavens]

Each week of the NFL season, The Baltimore Sun will recap the best and worst from around the league. Here are our winners and losers from Week 1:

Winner: Pittsburgh Steelers

It might not matter who plays quarterback. The Steelers will still find a way to win.

With veteran Russell Wilson sidelined by a lingering calf injury, Pittsburgh spoiled Kirk Cousins’ debut in Atlanta with a vintage 18-10 victory. Nothing about it was particularly impressive, but that’s what we’ve come to expect from a team coached by Mike Tomlin.

In his first start since being released by the Chicago Bears this offseason, 2021 first-round draft pick Justin Fields did just enough, completing 17 of 23 passes for 156 yards, rushing for 57 yards and, crucially, not turning the ball over. Not even a botched snap on the opening play could derail Fields, who looked shaky at times but flashed his dual-threat talent with a few big scrambles and a 40-yard pass to receiver George Pickens that set up one of Chris Boswell’s six field goals.

The real star of the game was the Steelers’ defense, which held Atlanta to 226 total yards and forced three turnovers. While the offense stumbled in the fourth quarter, botching a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1 from the Falcons’ 6-yard line and then losing 21 yards on its next possession, the defense stood strong, forcing a three-and-out and then intercepting a wayward pass from Cousins that trade acquisition Donte Jackson returned deep into Atlanta territory. The Steelers only recorded two sacks, but Cousins was under pressure most of the game by T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward and a fearsome pass rush. For all the offseason hype, Atlanta’s highly touted playmakers Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts couldn’t shake loose.

The main criticism of Tomlin has been that, while his teams have avoided a losing record throughout his tenure, his winning formula is not built for the postseason. The last time Pittsburgh won a playoff game was the 2016 season, when Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown made up the core of one of the league’s best offenses. You can scoff at the Steelers’ lethargic offense all you want, but the defense looks primed to carry them to another winning record and a potential playoff berth.

Loser: Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals remain notoriously slow starters, falling to 1-10 in the first two weeks of the season under coach Zac Taylor. But it feels a bit different when that first loss comes against a bad team.

The New England Patriots entered the season with by far the worst odds of winning the Super Bowl and a projected win total of 4.5, so it came as a big surprise when they raced out to a 13-0 lead in Cincinnati, which looked lifeless for most of its 16-10 loss. Joe Burrow averaged just 5.7 yards per attempt and was sacked three times, though a fumble near the goal line by Tanner Hudson and a dropped pass by fellow tight end Mike Gesicki in the back of the end zone took away two potential touchdowns.

What’s most concerning for the Bengals is their defense, which allowed 170 rushing yards and let New England convert nearly half of its third downs (6 of 15). There were concerns about Cincinnati’s defense stemming from last season, and the loss of lineman D.J. Reader in the middle of the front seven looks to be a big one. Coordinator Lou Anarumo has his work cut out for him to make in-season adjustments.

Of course, it’s silly to overreact to one loss. The Bengals were missing injured wide receiver Tee Higgins, and Ja’Marr Chase has barely practiced with the team this offseason because of his contract dispute. It’s a safe bet that Burrow and the offense will jell, just like they have every year, but it’s not a guarantee that the Bengals will be able to overcome another slow start with this defense.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott became the highest-paid player in league history before Sunday’s win over the Browns in Cleveland. (David Richard/AP)

Winner: Dak Prescott

After prolonged contract negotiations that seemed destined to carry over into next offseason, the Cowboys struck a deal with Prescott on the morning of the season opener that made him the highest-paid player in league history. His four-year, $240 million deal ends any questions about his future in Dallas, though it cranks up the pressure even more on the star quarterback to finally deliver a Super Bowl title.

At least in Week 1, he lived up to the deal, throwing for 179 yards and a touchdown in a dominant 33-17 road win over a Cleveland Browns team that returns the core of what was one of the league’s best defenses last season.

Prescott has been one of the most productive quarterbacks in the league in recent years, but his postseason failures have made him a lightning rod for criticism. One good week won’t change the narrative, but a truly special season — the kind that could make him the league Most Valuable Player — might push him into elite status and get Dallas over the hump.

Loser: Bryce Young

It doesn’t get much worse than this for the Carolina Panthers.

In Week 1, a time for hope and belief in the transformative power of a fresh season, they lost 47-10 to the division rival New Orleans Saints. It might not be fair to single out Young in what was a complete team failure, but he’s the face of the franchise after being picked No. 1 overall last year — a pick Carolina traded up for at the expense of receiver DJ Moore and the draft rights to highly touted rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, among other things.

With the hiring of coach Dave Canales, who helped revive Baker Mayfield’s career in Tampa Bay, and the acquisition of wide receivers Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette along with offensive linemen Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, the expectation was that Young would take a big step forward. After a dreadful rookie season, there seemed to be nowhere to go but up.

Well, he might have reached rock bottom. Young completed just 13 of 30 passes for 161 yards with two interceptions while being sacked four times in Sunday’s loss. Adam Thielen, a 34-year-old veteran, was his leading receiver. The Panthers averaged just 2.9 yards per carry.

Barring an unprecedented turnaround, Carolina might be drafting yet another quarterback first overall in April.

Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely caught nine passes for 111 yards in Thursday night’s season-opening loss against the Chiefs. (Ed Zurga/AP)

Winner: Isaiah Likely

Perhaps the lasting image from Week 1 will be a catch that wasn’t.

Likely’s toe landing just out bounds in the back of the end zone cost the Ravens a potential game-tying — and perhaps game-winning if they convert the 2-point conversion — touchdown on the final play of the Kansas City Chiefs’ thrilling 27-20 victory in Thursday night’s season opener.

In a game that required a Most Valuable Player-level performance from Lamar Jackson, it was Likely who emerged as the star quarterback’s favorite target. The third-year tight end finished with nine catches for 111 yards, including a dazzling 49-yard touchdown that pulled Baltimore back within three early in the fourth quarter.

For all the attention on the addition of running back Derrick Henry, the breakout potential of receivers Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman and the steady presence of tight end Mark Andrews, it’s Likely who showed the best chemistry with the reigning MVP and the potential to develop into the Ravens’ top offensive playmaker.

Loser: Rookie quarterbacks

It’s never easy for a rookie quarterback to step in and have immediate success at the NFL level, no matter how good they were in college, and that was only reinforced by what we saw Sunday.

While Williams became the first No. 1 overall pick to win in Week 1 of his rookie year since David Carr in 2001, it wasn’t because of his performance. The former Oklahoma and USC star completed 14 of 29 passes for just 93 yards, an average of 3.2 per attempt, and was sacked twice as the Bears failed to score an offensive touchdown against the Tennessee Titans. But his supporting cast on defense and special teams bailed him out, with Jonathan Owens returning a blocked punt for a touchdown and Tyrique Stevenson returning an inexplicable cross-field shovel pass from Will Levis for a score as Chicago rallied for a 24-17 win.

Bo Nix did not fare much better. The Broncos rookie needed 34 attempts to reach 100 passing yards against the Seattle Seahawks as coach Sean Payton kept most of his throws near the line of scrimmage. Nix still managed to throw two interceptions — and could have thrown two more — as he finished 26-for-42 for 138 yards while rushing for 35 yards and a touchdown. Early signs were promising as Denver took a 13-9 lead into halftime, but Nix ultimately cost his team in a 26-20 loss.

Perhaps the most promising debut came from Jayden Daniels. Facing blitz-heavy Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles, the Commanders’ No. 2 pick was able to escape pressure a few times and flashed his talent as a runner with 88 yards and two touchdowns on read options near the goal line. Daniels didn’t push the ball downfield much and missed a potential deep touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin, but he kept his poise and finished a respectable 17-for-24 for 184 yards. As is the case for most rookie quarterbacks picked near the top of the draft, however, the rest of his team struggled. Washington’s defense was carved up by Baker Mayfield in a 37-20 loss, putting more pressure on Daniels to succeed quickly to overcome his team’s shortcomings.

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