A drama-filled NFL off-season that saw the New York Jets essentially re-haul their entire organisation, and, which endured the premature retirement of one the league’s brightest stars in Andrew Luck, culminated with the incredible defection of former All-Pro Steeler, Antonio Brown, to New England, with a bizarre short-lived stay in Oakland wedged in between.

After so much of the league’s attention was diverted to matters off the field, it was sweet relief for NFL fans to get to their teeth stuck into actual games this weekend.

With 16 matches of football now in the books, we now have a mountain of blissful data to sort through, with a few themes most worthy of analysis.

The Cleveland Browns must have been believing their own pre-season hype

It was always going to be hard for the Cleveland Browns' actual play to measure up to the sheer intensity of the pre-season hysteria that surrounded their long-suffering franchise.

In fact, the Browns were hyped up so much over the pre-season, it was easy to forget that we were still dealing with the same team who’d made the NFL Playoffs just once in the previous 25 seasons, and who hadn’t had a single winning season since 2007.  

Cleveland actually went into the season as favourites to win the AFC North, while Vegas pegged their under/over total win line at a lofty 9.5.

Unfortunately, all of the Browns adulation came crashing back to earth with the Tennessee Titans delivering a huge reality check, leaving the ‘Dawg Pound’ with a 43-13 victory.

Cleveland’s freakishly talented quarterback, Baker Mayfield threw three interceptions while his suspect offensive line allowed him to be sacked five times.

Most concerning for the Browns was their continual lack of discipline, which saw them accrue 18 penalties for a staggering 182 yards. The NFL average this week was 7.8 penalties for 63.8 yards.

Next up for the Browns is the New York Jets at the Meadowlands, which already shapes as a must win for a Cleveland team who’ll desperately need to re-focus.

A solid start for last year’s Conference Championship participants

Last season’s Final Four of New England, Kansas City, the Los Angles Rams and the New Orleans Saints all got their 2019 campaigns off to a winning start, even if all four arrived at their destinations in vastly different ways.

The Patriots were perhaps the most impressive team of the week, blowing the socks of the Pittsburgh Steelers 33-3, in a performance that confirmed their Super Bowl favouritism. The Pats were faultless on both sides of the ball, with the offense producing 472 yards without a single turnover, while their defense was all over Ben Roethlisberger, restricting the decorated signal-caller to a 65.5 QB rating, while the Steelers rushing attack was limited to just 32 yards on 13 carries.

Like the Patriots, the Chiefs had little problem dispatching the Jacksonville Jaguars with Patrick Mahomes’ 378 yard, three-touchdown performance continuing on from his 2018 NFL MVP campaign.

The Chiefs, however, won’t be completely satisfied with the performance of its defense, conceding 24 points to the Jags, while allowing the relatively unknown Gardner Minshew to step in for Nick Foles at QB, and throw for 275 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Kansas City defense also allowed the Jags to produce five yards per carry on the ground.  

The Rams and Saints survived their respective Week One assignments with three and two point wins respectively.

For the Rams, Todd Gurley’s knee seemed in perfect working order, particularly in the last quarter, running for 97 yards on 14 carries against the Carolina Panthers, while the Saints ultimately prevailed over a dogged Houston Texans defense, thanks to an incredible Will Lutz, career-high, 58-yard field goal as regulation time expired.

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The Vikings prevail on a throwback ‘ground and pound’ gameplan

By every measure, the Minnesota Vikings' 2018 campaign was an abject failure. 

Among the pre-season favourites to win the Super Bowl having secured the services of quarterback Kirk Cousins, the Vikings stumbled to an 8-7-1 record to miss the NFL Playoffs entirely.

The Vikings' underachievement cost Offensive Coordinator John DeFilippo his job, with Kevin Stefanski and Gary Kubiak bought in to help Cousins, while also installing the type of run-heavy game plan head coach Mike Zimmer has long been enamoured with.

And indeed, the Vikings' plan to run the ball in 2019, with Minnesota rushing no less than 38 times for 172 yards in their 28-12 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Running back Dalvin Cook - seemingly completely recovered after knee surgery - scorched the Falcons for 111 yards and two touchdowns, while the vaunted Viking defense finished the job, forcing three Falcons turnovers, which included picking off former NFL MVP winner, Matt Ryan, twice.

Whether the Vikings' new-found obsession for the run game is either sustainable or analytically advisable is a matter for another day. For now, the Vikings can celebrate their Week One triumph and get ready for their huge divisional showdown against the Green Bay Packers.

Outside of the usual suspects, the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys might be their conferences most dangerous teams

In recent years, the New England Patriots have maintained a vice-like grip on the AFC, and while the NFC has been a little more inclusive, it’s generosity hasn’t stretched to the Dallas Cowboys who haven’t contested a single NFC Championship title since 1996.

The respective Week One outings of the Baltimore Ravens and the Cowboys, however, were very much noteworthy, with both dialling up impressive performances.

Both franchises entered season 2019 with major questions regarding just how their offenses would function, with initial results showing resounding successes for both teams.

While granted, their oppositions were the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants, two teams expected to struggle this season, both executed faultlessly.

Combined, the Cowboys and Ravens produced 94 points, 1,137 total yards of offense and not a single turnover, with both employing balanced attacks to fuel their respective 49 and 18 point victories.

For the Ravens, second-year quarterback Lamar Jackson made for perhaps the biggest story of the week, throwing for no less than 324 yards and five touchdowns, while operating at 85% passing efficiency.

For the Cowboys, Dak Prescott looked incredibly comfortable operating under new Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore’s more nuanced system, throwing for more than 400 yards and four touchdowns. Most satisfying for Cowboys fans was that Prescott completed passes to seven different receivers, while their most dangerous offensive weapon, Ezekiel Elliot, played a minimal role, with just 13 rushing attempts and a single catch.

To reiterate, both Baltimore and Dallas’ first up triumphs were at the expense of two highly suspect teams, however from an execution perspective, both were spectacular.

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Kyler Murray’s excellent debut

While the Arizona Cardinals didn’t emerge from their season opener with a victory (although they didn’t lose either), their fans would be feeling confident that with Kyler Murray at quarterback, the team has a very healthy future.

April’s #1 pick at the NFL Draft rallied the Cardinals back from a 17-0 deficit to force overtime, seemingly getting more comfortable and confident with each play.

In the end, Murray threw for 308 yards (200 in the final quarter alone) and two touchdowns, while almost becoming the first #1 overall pick since 2002 to win their NFL debut as QB.

The Cardinals' roster is still a work in progress, particularly on the offensive line, which saw the rookie sacked five times. In addition - and in an ideal world - Arizona won’t be calling upon Murray to throw 54 times as he did against the Detroit Lions.

The Cardinals will be kicking themselves, having fought back from a near-impossible position, with the loss compounded by the fact that they now have games scheduled against Baltimore, Carolina and Seattle that will make it difficult to avoid a 0-4 start.

For now, though, the Cards can take solace in Murray’s excellent debut as well as clawing back to force the season’s first tie.

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