The Rams and Packers both opened the season with ugly losses, and each mess leaves a different kind of question hanging over the first week.
For Los Angeles, the panic level should stay low for now. The Rams got buried in Australia, falling to the 49ers 27-7 after arriving less than 36 hours before kickoff, and the timing of the latest bad news only added to the mess. Still, this is not the moment to start tearing up futures tickets or treating one brutal Week 1 as the whole story.
One reason for that: the Rams do not need to rush Myles Garrett back from injured reserve. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year was brought in to help win a Lombardi Trophy, not to pile up regular-season numbers, and the team should be thinking about getting his knee right for later in the year.
The same cautious approach should apply to Aaron Donald, who has not played in two seasons and is still working his way back after signing two weeks ago. Sean McVay has not committed to Donald playing Monday night against the Giants, and that makes sense.
Even without Garrett and Donald last season, the Rams reached the NFC title game. They also have Jared Verse, who went to Cleveland in the Garrett trade, along with cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, plus a second-year edge rusher in Josaiah Stewart who looks like a breakout candidate.
The bigger issue in Australia was how badly the secondary and offensive lines got exposed. Kyle Shanahan’s staff had McVay’s group spinning, and that’s where the real fix has to start.
That’s why Week 2 against the Giants suddenly matters a lot more than it did a few days ago.
Green Bay’s collapse felt different, but no less alarming in the moment. The Packers were up by 12 late in the third quarter before the Carson Wentz-led Vikings ripped off 29 straight points and turned the game into one of Week 1’s loudest statements.
Minnesota’s answer was obvious enough: Justin Jefferson was on the field, Brian Flores was calling the defense, and Kevin O’Connell deserves credit for handling the quarterback spot better this time around. After taking heat last year for how he managed the position, O’Connell made a more sensible choice by going with Wentz over J.J.
McCarthy as Murray’s backup heading into the season. Wentz had his rough moments last year, but his experience gave Minnesota a steadier option than McCarthy, who still hasn’t shown he can be trusted as a starter or even as a backup.
When Murray left on Sunday, the Vikings did not look like a team bracing for disaster. That was a real difference from last year, when the roster felt too tied to McCarthy and not prepared enough for the possibility that he might not be ready or available. This time, the Vikings had a plan, and they were ready for things to go sideways.
As for Green Bay, this is not the week to start talking about firing Matt LaFleur. But the frustration is real, and it’s piling up.
The Packers have now blown double-digit leads in three straight games dating back to last season, including the wild-card collapse in Chicago and Sunday’s loss to Minnesota. LaFleur is in his eighth season, and while he has won enough to avoid a midseason move, the pressure around him is getting louder.
There is no need to pretend the heat isn’t there, especially with Chicago opening by dropping 59 points in Carolina. But the season is still young, and the Packers need to live with their current path for now.
Elsewhere, the Seahawks are making a case for more respect. The defending Super Bowl champions have hardware to lean on, and they backed it up in the opener by stifling Drake Maye and the Patriots.
The defense deserves a bigger spotlight, and the “Dark Side Defense” nickname is starting to fit. Houston’s defense, meanwhile, took a rare hit against the Bills, but it’s still fair to expect that unit to settle back in.
For now, though, Seattle has earned the right to be called the league’s best defense.
In Other News...
T.J. Hockenson Just Raised A Bigger Vikings Question
T.J. Hockensons Week 1 touchdown against the Packers was the kind of improvisational moment that can reset the tone around an offense in a hurry. With backup quarterback Carson Wentz stepping in after Kyler Murrays injury, Hockenson said the scoring play was a feel decision, a glimpse of how quickly timing and trust can still matter even when the plan changes in real time.
For the Vikings, though, the bigger subplot sits beyond one clutch catch. Hockenson reworked his contract over the offseason to lower his cap hit and void the final year, which puts him on track to hit free agency next year. That makes every productive night feel a little more layered, because Minnesota now has to sort out not just how often Hockenson is featured, but what kind of future it wants to build around him. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Suddenly Have Two Huge Availability Questions Before Bears Game
The Vikings build-up to Sundays trip to Soldier Field took a sharp turn Wednesday, with Kevin OConnell noting that quarterback Kyler Murray was limited in practice as he works his way through the NFL concussion protocol. Murray still has to be medically cleared before he can get back on the field, adding uncertainty to a matchup that already has plenty riding on it as Minnesota heads to Chicago to face the Bears.
Minnesota also got a hit to its backfield, with Jordan Mason moved to short-term injured reserve after suffering a fractured thumb. The move guarantees he will miss at least four games, leaving the Vikings to sort through their run-game rotation while waiting for clarity at quarterback and trying to keep their preparation on track for Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Banks Is Already Testing Vikings Fans Patience For One Reason
Caleb Banks arrived in Minnesota with the kind of draft capital that usually comes with instant expectations, but his early NFL run has been more about patience than production. Through the preseason and into Week 1, the first-round pick has seen limited snaps and little in the way of eye-catching numbers, while injuries have also slowed the development that teams hope to get from a player with his profile. For a Vikings defense that wants impact now, it has been a quiet start.
The Vikings are still treating Banks as a long-term project, though, and that matters for a front office that clearly drafted him for his physical tools as much as any immediate role. Under defensive coordinator Brian Flores, he is continuing to work through the early growing pains that often come with a young defender adjusting to the NFL, and the organization appears willing to let that process play out. The question for fans is how long the wait lasts before the promise starts to show up on the field. [Read more 🡒]