Dak Prescott, Cowboys among Week 1 winners; Tyreek Hill detained, released, catches touchdown

Sep 9, 2024 at 9:05 am ET • 8 min read

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🏈 Football Five

1. What a Sunday night showdown! The Lions forced overtime with a late field goal and then went 70 yards on eight plays (seven runs), capped by a David Montgomery touchdown, to beat the Rams, 26-20. Jameson Williams exploded for 121 yards and a touchdown for Detroit, by far his best game as a pro. Puka Nacua (knee) left and did not return for Los Angeles. 
2. Josh Allen and C.J. Stroud made their early statements for MVP. Allen threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more as the Bills stormed back to beat the Cardinals, 34-28, though Buffalo is performing tests on Allen’s hand. Stroud, meanwhile, had two touchdowns to new teammate Stefon Diggs and threw a strike to Nico Collins to seal a 29-27 win over the Colts.
3. No Russell Wilson and no touchdowns? No problem. Led by T.J. Watt (one sack, one fumble recovery, two tackles for loss), interceptions by Donte Jackson and DeShon Elliott and six Chris Boswell field goals, the Steelers defeated the Falcons, 18-10. Justin Fields got the win in his team debut with Wilson (calf) hurt. It’s Pittsburgh’s first win without scoring a touchdown since 2008.
4. New year, same issues for Deion Sanders‘ Colorado. Nebraska rolled past the Buffaloes, 28-10, as Colorado’s problems in the trenches reared their ugly head. Making matters worse, Shilo Sanders left with an arm injury.
5. CyHawk madness!!! Iowa State pulled off an incredible rally to top Iowa, 20-19, with quarterback Rocco Becht and kicker Kyle Konrardy (54-yard game-winner) leading the charge. Matt Campbell stock is rising again.

💰 Good morning to everyone, but especially to …

DAK PRESCOTT AND THE DALLAS COWBOYS

After an angsty and sometimes downright counterproductive offseason, the Cowboys got their act together just in time … and showed that when it all comes together, they can be quite good. Hours after signing a four-year, $240 million deal that makes him the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history on a per-year basis, Dak Prescott threw an early touchdown, and Dallas thumped Cleveland, 33-17.

Dallas dominated in all three phases:

• Veterans Ezekiel Elliott and Brandin Cooks found the end zone.
• The defense racked up six sacks and two interceptions (Trevon Diggs and Eric Kendricks) and limited Cleveland to an abysmal 3.3 yards per play. New defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer earned a spot among the “winners” of our Week 1 winners and losers.
• KaVontae Turpin returned a punt for a touchdown.

If there’s an “owners choosing a quarterback” phase, the Cowboys won that one, too. Prescott and Jerry Jones didn’t exactly have the most harmonious offseason, but when the deal finally got done Sunday, Jones said, “I hope Dak is our quarterback for the rest of my time.” While it’s a lot of money, it’s the right call.

It took too long to get the CeeDee Lamb and Prescott contracts sorted out, but at least they’re done.

The Deshaun Watson situation, meanwhile, is an absolute disaster, and it continues to look like the worst trade in NFL history, Garrett Podell writes. Watson went 0 for 10 on throws at least 15 yards downfield, and the six sacks are nothing new, either.

It’s simply untenable for a team that has a win-now defense and some strong offensive pieces. There’s no solution in sight.

😊 Honorable mentions

• DeeJay Dallas had the first kickoff return touchdown under the new rules.
• Here are Matt Snyder’s MLB Power Rankings.
• Jamal Murray and the Nuggets agreed to a four-year, $208 million extension.
• World No. 1 Jannik Sinner defeated No. 12 Taylor Fritz, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5, to win the men’s singles US Open. It’s Sinner’s second major of the year, and he got it with Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Taylor Swift looking on.
• On the women’s side, No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka beat No. 6 Jessica Pegula, 7-5, 7-5. Like Sinner, Sabalenka won both the Australian Open and the US Open this year.
• Thanks for the memories, Alex Morgan. She said goodbye to the NWSL — the league she helped build — Sunday.
• Aliyah Boston had a career-high 30 points in the Fever‘s comeback win in overtime.
• Joey Logano won the Quaker State 400.

😣 And not such a good morning for …

THE CINCINNATI BENGALS

One of these years, the Bengals will get off to a good start. It just won’t be this year, and this one might be the most frustrating yet, because so much of it was self-inflicted. Cincinnati, a 7.5-point favorite, fell, 17-10, to the Patriots, marking the NFL’s largest Week 1 upset since 2018.

• Ja’Marr Chase, still without a new contract, played, but with Tee Higgins (hamstring) out and Chase on a pitch count, Joe Burrow managed just 164 yards passing and 5.7 yards per attempt.
• Burrow falls to 1-4 in season openers.
• Among Cincinnati’s several missed opportunities were Tanner Hudson fumbling on the 2-yard line, a fourth-and-2 coming up a yard short and Charlie Jones fumbling a punt return.
• Defensively, Cincinnati allowed 170 yards on the ground and recorded no turnovers and just one sack against one of the league’s worst offenses.

We’ll give plenty of credit to Jerod Mayo — the first Patriots rookie coach win in his debut since 1991 — his excellent defense and his hard-nosed offense, led admirably by Jacoby Brissett and Rhamondre Stevenson.

But my goodness this was ugly for Cincinnati. The Chase contract situation is no longer simply just an issue, it’s now one that the Bengals are paying for on the field, Will Brinson writes. The defense didn’t make much of an impact. The special teams didn’t help. Joe Mixon took a subtle shot at his former team. That leads to the Bengals earning an “F” in John Breech’s Week 1 grades.

😬 Not so honorable mentions

• Daniel Jones … yikes.
• The Chargers‘ 22-10 win over the Raiders in Jim Harbaugh‘s NFL return was marred by a fight at the end of the game.
• Bryce Young threw an interception on his first play of the season (and two overall) as the Panthers got walloped by the Saints, 47-10.
• ICYMI, Jordan Love sprained his MCL in the Packers‘ 34-29 loss to the Eagles on Friday. Backup Malik Willis will start in Week 2 against Indianapolis, but could free agent Ryan Tannehill be an option next?
• Angel Reese‘s record-breaking rookie season has come to an end due to a wrist injury.
• A’ja Wilson (ankle) missed the Aces‘ game against the Liberty, but it doesn’t appear to be a long-term issue. New York got the win, another example of the two teams’ paths diverging.
• The USMNT lost, 2-1, to Canada, its first home loss against its northern neighbors since 1957. It was pretty awful, Chuck Booth writes.
• This soccer player will miss time due to a back injury caused by a sneeze. Yup. A sneeze.

😲 Tyreek Hill detained, then has big performance in Dolphins’ win

Last year, Tyreek Hill led a roller coaster ride celebration after a touchdown. Sunday, Hill had a roller coaster unlike any we’ve seen before. The Dolphins star was detained by police after being pulled over on his way to the game before playing in — and playing a huge role in — Miami’s 20-17 comeback win over the Jaguars.

• Hill was pulled over and reportedly cited for reckless driving a block from Hard Rock Stadium. He then reportedly got in a verbal altercation with the police officer, which led to him being put on the ground and then in handcuffs. He was released, but not before teammates tried to provide support; Calais Campbell said he was also handcuffed at the scene.
• Hill later said he had “no idea” why he was handcuffed, and agent Drew Rosenhaus called it “completely unnecessary.” One of the officers involved has been placed on administrative duty.
• Then came the game itself. The Dolphins trailed 17-7 before Travis Etienne Jr. fumbled just before the goal line for a touchback. (Side note: Man, the Jaguars find a lot of ways to lose.)
• On the very next play, Hill blazed past the defense for an 80-yard touchdown. In his celebration, he re-created his handcuffing.
• Jason Sanders nailed a 52-yard field goal as time expired to win.

🏈 College football roundup: Northern Illinois shocks Notre Dame; Texas crushes Michigan

Wake me up when Notre Dame is actually as good as the early-season polls say they are. The Fighting Irish, formerly No. 5 in the country, dropped a stunner at home to Northern Illinois, 16-14, with Kanon Woodill nailing a 35-yard field goal with under a minute left.

MAC teams had been 0-51 vs. AP top-five teams all-time. Make that 1-51.

It’s a brutal performance after a season-opening win at Texas A&M, one that drops Notre Dame out of Jerry Palm’s projected playoff and not only offsets the Texas A&M win but raises big-picture questions about Marcus Freeman, Brandon Marcello writes.

The Week 2 headliner, meanwhile, turned into a laugher in a hurry. Texas went to Michigan and bulldozed the reigning national champs, 31-12. We could focus on Quinn Ewers‘ excellence (as Tom Fornelli did) or the Wolverines’ quarterback questions (as Chris Hummer did), but how about Texas taking it to one of the nation’s supposed most physical teams? Dennis Dodd writes from Ann Arbor.

• Dodd: “This kind of bludgeoning is what will serve Texas the most in its SEC transition. … In the end, the Michigan program that perfected modern-day bully ball to win a national championship, had to step aside like a matador avoiding a charging bull(y).  Is Texas back? C’mon now. The ‘Horns have blown past that train station to put-’em-in-the-national-championship game territory.”

Just about the only thing that went wrong was linebacker David Gbenda trying (and failing) to plant a Longhorns flag at midfield.

Here’s more:

• AP Top 25 (and our reactions) | Coaches Poll
• Grades | Overreactions | Winners and losers
• Is this the catch of the year already?
• Jaxson Dart set the SEC record for consecutive completions.
• Cameron Rising suffered another injury.
• In Big 12 action, Oklahoma State and Kansas State barely escaped upset bids. Same for Penn State. And also Oregon. Phew!
• Kyle McCord is back!
• DJ Lagway shined in his first collegiate start.
• Things are ugly at Auburn.

📺 What we’re watching Monday

⚾ Angels at Twins, 7:40 p.m. on FS1
🏈 Jets at 49ers, 8:15 p.m. on ABC and ESPN