The NFL season is a long and grueling campaign that for 31 of 32 teams ends without that parade that makes the sacrifices along the journey seem worth it.
We are far away from seeing if our prognostications on how things will play out in full were spot on or were as unfounded as they typically tend to be.
That doesn’t mean we can’t read the tea leaves from Week 1 and make some bold statements on what is to come.
Here are three things that I think weren’t just a flash in the pan, but maybe portentous signs of what will play out over the next seventeen weeks of the regular season.
1. Saquon Barkley is everything as advertised for the Philadelphia Eagles.
When Howie Roseman inked Barkley to a three-year, $37.75 million contract in free agency, the deal was met with heaps of excitement and praise from majority of Eagles fans who had watched the Penn State product from afar, but also some push back from the analytical community over these resources being poured into an RB.
After his performance on Friday night of 24 carries, 109 rushing yards, 2 rushing TD’s along with 2 receptions for 23 yards and a TD, I think we can put to bed the rumors of an “overpay”.
Jalen Hurts showed some poise bouncing back from some horrendous play early in the game and the defense kept them in it despite the negative performance by their franchise QB, but it was Barkley who wrestled this game in Philadelphia’s favor.
When the team desperately needed a spark, it was Barkley who gave it to them, scoring the game's first touchdown to give Philly their first lead and finishing with a rushing touchdown to give the Eagles the lead in the third quarter which they never would give up.
Hurts has to undeniably be better if this team is going to compete for a championship, but Barkley gives them a shot to win games along the way as he irons out his deficiencies.
2. Deshaun Watson is an on-the-field issue for Cleveland now too.
There is no need to rehash all of the alleged issues that Watson has brought with him to Cleveland from an off-the-field perspective. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past two seasons, you’re probably familiar with how Watson’s tenure with Houston came to an end.
Cleveland made the head scratching to say the least, and flat-out deplorable decision to say the most, to not only trade for the seemingly talented but tainted quarterback, but then go on to give him the largest and most lucrative contract an NFL player had ever signed up to that point.
We are now two years and 13 games of action for Watson with a Browns jersey on removed from this saga and Cleveland has not only put itself in fiscal jail for its irresponsible decision-making but have irreparably damaged its image with fans, all for below-average play on-field.
Over his 13-game tenure that has been stricken by league mandated suspensions of 11 games and season ending shoulder surgery, Watson has averaged 184 yards, 1.15 passing TD’s, 57.6 CMP percent, and a 71.5 QB RTG.
To put that into perspective, 38-year-old Joe Flacco averaged 323 yards, 2.6 passing TD’s, 60.3 CMP percent, and a 90.2 QB RTG while going 4-1 last year to push the Browns into a playoff berth after Watson went down.
To add insult to injury, his former team the Houston Texans, are trending way up after Watson left town in large part because of the assets they gained from the Watson trade and Baker Mayfield who was jettisoned after the team acquired Watson has gone through a full-blown revival in Tampa Bay.
Watson’s play is dashing any hopes for the Browns to compete in an ultra-competitive AFC North and to make matters worse, was just recently accused of even more sexual misconduct this week dating back to an incident in 2020.
I don’t know if Watson and the Browns have hit rock bottom yet and that’s truly saying something.
3. No McCaffrey, No Problem for San Francisco.
Word came out a few hours before kickoff that All-Pro RB Christian McCaffrey would miss the Niners season opener against the Aaron Rodgers led NY Jets and former undrafted RB Jordan Mason would be stepping into the starting role.
There has since been interesting comments and developments that have the Niners drawing scrutiny for possible late reporting on the extent of McCaffrey’s Achilles/Calf injury, but while plenty of questions are being levied HC Kyle Shanahan’s way about the matter, no one is questioning whether Mason has the juice to buoy San Francisco’s run game in the meantime.
The Georgia Tech alum tallied up 152 all-purpose yards and 1 TD on 29 touches keeping the offense on schedule, propelling the Niners to commanding 32-19 victory over a Jets team that has lofty expectations.
Mason provides a Niners team that has struggled to complete the mission in hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, with 4 NFC Championship berths and 2 Super Bowl berths since 2020, more than a reliably safe floor in case the reigning Offensive POTY misses more time than anticipated.
His ability to see it, read it, and get up field to take what is available is exactly what makes a talented back in a Shanahan offense so dangerous.
With offseason holdouts LT Trent Williams and WR Brandon Aiyuk locked into big deals this team has all of its chips pushed in to win now so a major injury that keeps their star RB out for a few games could have been a big detriment to their championship hopes.
Kyle Shanahan’s offensive genius and Jordan Mason’s athletic ability look like they could stave off the rest of the NFC’s contenders and give the Niners someone who they could turn to in spurts to make sure McCaffrey stays healthy after his return. *
Email Matt Santoleri at m.santoleri13@gmail.com
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