Week 1 of the NFL is nearly in the books, but we still have Russell Wilson's return to Seattle for Monday Night Football. Yet, the first Sunday of the NFL season did not let us down as there were several upsets, big wins and even a tie! Week 1 has had a little bit of everything, so let's get into our reactions from the first Sunday of the NFL season.
Don’t forget to check out our Monday Night Football preview for the Denver Broncos vs Seattle Seahawks
Sunday Night Football recap
Tom Brady demonstrated that not even a damaged offensive line and limited training camp action could stop him at 45 years old. He led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 19-3 win over the Dallas Cowboys in the first Sunday Night Football game of the 2022 NFL season. A big question surrounding the Buccaneers this season was how often they would utilize Julio Jones, and Brady answered that question quickly as Jones finished with 3 receptions for 69 yards in his first game as a Buc. The Buccaneers came into this matchup with the 3rd shortest odds to win the Super Bowl, and they proved why during Sunday Night Football. The Cowboys also announced that Dak Prescott will require surgery on his hand after suffering a hand injury during the game, so Dallas’ odds to win the NFC East, NFC and Super Bowl are likely about to drop.
Underdogs showed up on Sunday of Week 1
The dogs were barking throughout the first Sunday of the NFL season. The underdogs were 8-6 against the spread and even had 5 outright wins. The 5 underdog wins included the Pittsburgh Steelers (+250) outlasting the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in overtime, the Cleveland Browns (+110) spoiling Baker Mayfield's revenge game against the Carolina Panthers 26-24, the Chicago Bears (+240) winning the battle in the rain 19-10 against the San Francisco 49ers, the New York Giants (+235) surviving a missed game-winning field goal by the Titans 21-20, and the Minnesota Vikings (+105) beating their divisional rival the Green Bay Packers 23-7.