NFL Week 1 Afternoon Recap: Minnesota Flips the Game, Arizona Stuns the Chargers and Philly Barely Survives Washington

The 1 p.m. games were chaos, and somehow the 4:25 window decided it wanted a turn too. Philadelphia nearly blew a game to Washington before surviving a late two-point conversion. Green Bay looked like it had Minnesota handled until the Vikings completely flipped the game in the second half. Arizona went into Los Angeles and beat the Chargers by double digits. Las Vegas looked much more competent than I expected with Kirk Cousins, while Miami already looks like it might be in for a very long season. There were only four games in the afternoon window, but all four gave us something worth talking about.

Eagles 24, Commanders 22: Philadelphia Survives, But Washington Almost Stole It

Philadelphia won, and that is the most important thing, but I do not think Eagles fans walked away from this game feeling especially comfortable. Philadelphia led 17-9 entering the fourth quarter and eventually stretched the lead to 24-16 when Jalen Hurts hit Dallas Goedert for a 43-yard touchdown with just over six minutes remaining. At that point, it looked like the Eagles had finally created enough separation, but Washington had other plans.

Jayden Daniels drove the Commanders down the field late and hit Antonio Williams for a one-yard touchdown with just over a minute remaining, making it 24-22 and setting up the biggest play of the game. Washington went for two, Daniels tried to hit John Bates, and the conversion failed. Philadelphia recovered the onside kick, Hurts kneeled it out and the Eagles escaped with a 24-22 win.

That is the kind of ending where both teams probably walk away feeling something completely different. Philadelphia feels relieved. Washington probably feels sick, because the Commanders were right there. Daniels was not spectacular statistically, finishing 18-of-34 for 164 yards and two touchdowns, but he never turned the ball over and kept Washington alive into the final minute. He added 31 yards on the ground and made enough plays late to give them a chance to tie it.

The most encouraging part for Washington might be the receiving corps. Antonio Williams finished with 64 yards and a touchdown, while Stefon Diggs caught four passes for 55 yards and another score. That gives Daniels real options outside instead of having to rely on one guy all afternoon.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, got exactly the kind of game from Hurts that usually wins football games. He completed 14 of 25 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Dallas Goedert caught two of those touchdowns and finished with 77 receiving yards, while Dontayvion Wicks added 73 yards and a touchdown. Saquon Barkley ran for 83 yards, including a 42-yard run, and Hurts added another 46 on the ground.

The Eagles were more explosive, while Washington was more patient. Philadelphia averaged six yards per play while Washington averaged only 4.4, but the Commanders controlled the ball for more than 33 minutes and stayed within striking distance the entire time. What should concern Philadelphia is that the offense stalled for stretches, especially in the second half, allowing Washington to hang around long enough to make the game uncomfortable.

Still, 1-0 is 1-0. The Eagles found a way, Washington did not, and in divisional games sometimes that is the only thing that matters. But the Commanders should leave Philadelphia encouraged. They went into Lincoln Financial Field, fell behind, stayed composed and had a two-point conversion with a chance to tie the game in the final minute. That is a tough Week 1 loss.

Vikings 39, Packers 22: Green Bay Had This Game Until It Completely Fell Apart

This might have been the strangest game of the afternoon. Green Bay looked like it was in complete control, leading 22-10 midway through the third quarter. Jordan Love had already hit Christian Watson for an 81-yard touchdown and another short touchdown before halftime. Green Bay had moved the football consistently, and Minnesota looked stuck.

Then everything flipped.

The Vikings scored 29 unanswered points. Green Bay did not score again. Minnesota won 39-22. That is not a normal collapse. That is a complete meltdown.

The craziest part is that Minnesota had already lost Kyler Murray early in the game to a concussion. Carson Wentz came in and somehow became the guy who destroyed Green Bay. Wentz finished 12-of-19 for 133 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. He did not have to be Superman. He just made the throws when Minnesota needed them.

Justin Jefferson was the star, catching eight passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns, including a 39-yard score and another touchdown late in the fourth quarter that basically ended the game. T.J. Hockenson added a touchdown. Aaron Jones scored. Jordan Mason scored. Minnesota got contributions from everywhere.

For Green Bay, this is one of those losses that makes you stare at the box score and wonder how they lost. Jordan Love threw for 387 yards and two touchdowns. Christian Watson had 147 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Matthew Golden added 95 yards. Green Bay finished with 419 total yards. Minnesota finished with 239. And the Vikings won by 17.

That is insane.

The problem was everything that happened around those yards. Green Bay committed 12 penalties for 98 yards, turned the ball over twice, could not run the football, could not handle Minnesota's pressure late and once the game started going sideways, could not stop it. The Packers had only 66 rushing yards as a team. Love had two fumbles and threw a late interception. Minnesota's defense started getting home, special teams gave the Vikings good field position and penalties extended drives.

One mistake became two, then three, then suddenly a 22-10 lead became a 39-22 loss.

This is exactly why you cannot just look at passing yards and assume the quarterback played a great game. Love made explosive throws, but he also failed to settle things down when Minnesota started swinging momentum back. The Packers basically spent the first three quarters building a lead and the fourth quarter throwing it into a wood chipper.

For Minnesota, this might be the best win of Week 1 simply because of how unlikely it looked halfway through the game. Backup quarterback comes in, down double digits, divisional opponent, and instead of folding, Minnesota takes over. If Wentz has to play next week because Murray remains in concussion protocol, there is at least some confidence that the offense can function.

For Green Bay, this is the type of loss that sticks with you. You had it. You controlled it. Then you completely lost it.

Cardinals 26, Chargers 14: Arizona Just Punched Los Angeles in the Mouth

This was probably the biggest upset of the afternoon window. Arizona went into SoFi Stadium and beat the Chargers 26-14. Not on a last-second field goal and not because of some weird bounce. They beat them.

Arizona outgained Los Angeles 393-268, controlled possession for more than 37 minutes and did not commit a turnover. The Chargers committed two. That was the game.

Jacoby Brissett played about as well as Arizona could have asked, completing 27 of 37 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown without throwing an interception. Trey McBride was everywhere with nine catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. Kendrick Bourne added eight catches for 75 yards. Arizona kept moving the chains and never let Los Angeles settle into the game.

Rookie Jeremiyah Love also had a nice introduction to the NFL, scoring on a five-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter. Arizona's offense was not explosive in some overwhelming way. It was efficient. They stayed on the field, avoided mistakes, made Los Angeles work and then the defense finished the job.

The biggest sequence came in the fourth quarter. Arizona blocked a Chargers punt, then turned the short field into a Trey McBride touchdown that stretched the lead to 23-14. Later, Andrew Wingard intercepted Herbert, basically killing any chance of a comeback.

Los Angeles entered this season with playoff expectations. Week 1 did not look like a playoff team.

Justin Herbert finished 17-of-27 for 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Not awful, but not good enough. Ladd McConkey had 82 receiving yards and caught Herbert's only touchdown before leaving with a chest injury. Omarion Hampton ran for only 43 yards. The Chargers finished with just 268 total yards and held the ball for only 22 minutes.

Arizona's defense deserves most of the credit, but Los Angeles never established any rhythm. Herbert spent too much of the game being asked to rescue broken drives, and that is a familiar Chargers problem.

The positive news for Herbert is that football is not everything. The man might have just lost to Jacoby Brissett and the Arizona Cardinals at home, but he is still going home to his fiancée, Madison Beer. So congratulations, Arizona. You ruined his Sunday. I think he will recover

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In all seriousness, this is a great win for new Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur. Arizona entered the year with low expectations after ending last season on a nine-game losing streak, then immediately walked into Los Angeles and beat a team expected to contend for a playoff spot. That is how you get players to buy in quickly.

The Chargers have some work to do.

Raiders 27, Dolphins 13: Las Vegas Looked Functional, Miami Looked Like a Rebuild

I did not expect to come out of Week 1 saying this, but the Raiders looked competent. Not exciting. Not unstoppable. Competent. That is progress.

Las Vegas beat Miami 27-13 behind a steady performance from Kirk Cousins and a really good NFL debut from Ashton Jeanty. Cousins completed 21 of 30 passes for 160 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions, so this was not vintage Kirk Cousins carving up a defense, but he made enough plays.

More importantly, Las Vegas could lean on Jeanty. He carried the ball 23 times for 102 yards and caught six passes for another 45 yards. He also caught two touchdown passes. That is 147 total yards in your NFL debut. Not bad.

The Raiders also controlled possession for nearly 35 minutes and ran the ball 37 times. That is exactly the kind of offense you would expect Klint Kubiak to want with Cousins at quarterback and a rookie running back capable of handling volume. Keep things manageable, run the football, use play action, do not ask Cousins to throw it 45 times and let the defense play with a lead. It worked.

Miami looked much more like what we expected from a rebuilding team. Malik Willis finished 15-of-27 for 222 yards, no passing touchdowns and an interception. He did score Miami's only touchdown on a 14-yard scramble in the third quarter, which briefly cut the Raiders' lead to 17-13.

Then Las Vegas immediately answered.

Cousins drove the Raiders back downfield and found Jeanty for another touchdown. That basically killed Miami's momentum.

The Dolphins managed only 261 total yards, converted just two of 10 third downs and allowed Willis to be sacked five times. De'Von Achane was basically erased with 11 carries for 36 yards. Miami's running game produced only 74 yards total, which is a massive problem if Willis is your quarterback. You cannot ask him to carry an offense without a functioning run game.

Miami's defense had moments. They intercepted Cousins twice, including a Michael Taaffe pick early in the second half. But every time the Dolphins appeared to have life, something else went wrong. Bad field position, poor tackling, special teams problems, another sack, another failed third down and another Las Vegas drive eating clock.

It looked like a young team playing its first game under a new coaching staff.

The Raiders looked like a team with an actual plan.

That does not mean Las Vegas is suddenly a playoff contender. It does mean they might be a pain in the ass. Cousins does not need to be great if Jeanty is going to consistently give them this kind of production.

For Miami, the season might get ugly quickly.

What We Learned From the Afternoon Window

Philadelphia survived, and that is probably the best way to describe its afternoon. The Eagles were better than Washington for enough of the game to win, but the Commanders showed they are not going to be an easy out in the NFC East. Jayden Daniels had a chance to tie the game late, and Philadelphia escaped because Washington could not convert the two-point attempt.

Minnesota might have pulled off the strangest comeback of the day. The Vikings lost Kyler Murray, fell behind 22-10 and then somehow turned Carson Wentz into Joe Montana for a quarter while Green Bay completely imploded. The Packers' 419 yards mean absolutely nothing when you allow 29 unanswered points.

Arizona might be the biggest surprise. The Cardinals did not steal a game. They controlled it. Jacoby Brissett was efficient, Trey McBride looked like one of the best tight ends in football and Arizona's defense made Justin Herbert uncomfortable all afternoon. The Chargers came into Week 1 as a team people expected to contend and left looking like the same frustrating Chargers we have watched for years. At least Herbert has Madison Beer. There are worse problems.

Then there is Las Vegas. The Raiders looked organized. Ashton Jeanty looked legitimate. Kirk Cousins looked like a quarterback who can still run an offense as long as you do not ask him to do everything. Miami, meanwhile, looked exactly like a rebuilding team.

The NFC North has Chicago scoring 59, Detroit surviving overtime, Minnesota pulling off a ridiculous comeback and Green Bay blowing a 12-point second-half lead. The NFC East already gave us Philadelphia barely surviving Washington before Dallas and the Giants even kicked off.

Week 1 has barely started, and half the preseason predictions already feel like they were written six months ago.