daboll2.jpg
USATSI

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!

I'll be honest, I wanted to postpone today's newsletter until Thursday because that's how much time I need to process EVERYTHING that happened over the weekend. I mean, the Seahawks are in first in the NFC West even though they haven't played a game yet, the Texans are somehow tied for first in the AFC South and I'm about to watch the Bengals-Steelers game again because I still have no idea what happened there. The Packers looked like the worst team in the NFL, the Browns finally won an opener and the Cowboys look like a team that might go 0-17. 

Basically, there's a lot to go over today, so let's get to the rundown. 

As always, here's your weekly reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the Pick Six newsletter. To get your friends to sign up, all you have to do is click here and then share this link with them. 

1. Today's show: Week 1 winners and losers, plus full recap

lancedown.jpg

It's Monday, which can only mean one thing: I stayed up until 3 a.m. last night recording a podcast with Will Brinson and Ryan Wilson that touched on everything you need to know about Week 1, and let me just say, it's probably for the best that you listen. We covered all 14 games from Sunday, which means we likely spent some time talking about your favorite team. 

One thing we do every week is hand out our weekly winners and losers from Sunday's action. For our winners this week, two out of the three of us went with a head coach.  

Ryan Wilson

  • Winner: Mike Tomlin. The man bought new Nikes for the entire team last week and then they responded by winning one of the craziest games in recent NFL history. 
  • Loser: Kyle Shananan and Trey Lance. Shanahan might already be regretting his decision to start Lance over Jimmy Garoppolo. The 49ers offense struggled and Lance was a disaster in crunch time, going 4-for-13 for 41 yards and an interception in the fourth quarter. 

Will Brinson

  • Winner: Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs quarterback is basically unstoppable in Week 1. Thanks to Kansaas City's win over the Cardinals, Mahomes is now 5-0 in Week 1 and the Chiefs have averaged 37.8 points per game in those wins. In those five games, Mahomes has thrown 18 touchdown passes and zero interceptions, including FIVE on Sunday. He clearly doesn't seem to be missing Tyreek Hill
  • Loser: Cowboys. Things could not have gone much worse for the Cowboys on Sunday night. Not only did they get destroyed by the Buccaneers, but they also lost Dak Prescott for the next two months. It's going to be a long season in Dallas. 

John Breech

  • Winner: Brian Daboll.  If the NFL handed out the Coach of the Year award after just one week, it would probably go to Brian Daboll. In his first game as Giants coach, Daboll took a huge gamble by going for two following a New York TD with under 70 seconds left to play and he looked like a genius after Saquon Barkley was able to punch the ball in for the game-winning points. 
  • Loser: Zac Taylor. Joe Burrow's five turnovers were a big reason the Bengals lost, but Taylor's late-game decision-making definitely didn't help. For one, he didn't challenge what should have been an obvious touchdown after a Ja'Marr Chase reception was ruled out of bounds at the 1-yard line. Also, he inexplicably gave the Steelers 15 extra seconds to work with on their final possession of overtime after not letting the clock run down on a Bengals punt. If the Bengals take a delay of game there, the Steelers would have only had roughly 40 seconds to work with on their final drive. 

Not only did we list our winners and losers, but we also recapped every game from Sunday. To listen to today's episode, be sure to click here. You can also watch the entire episode on YouTube by clicking here

2. Week 1 injuries: Dak Prescott expected to miss 6 to 8 weeks, T.J. Watt could also miss extended time 

Hopefully we won't need to have an injury roundup every week, but there were so many injuries around the NFL over the weekend that we definitely needed one for today. 

Here's a look at the biggest injuries from Week 1: 

  • Dak Prescott out six to eight weeks. The team announced on Sunday night that Prescott will be undergoing surgery today after injuring his thumb during the second half against the Buccaneers. According to ESPN.com, Prescott will have "a pin and plate inserted to stabilize the joint." For more details on Prescott's injury, be sure to click here
  • More bad news for the Cowboys. Not only did they lose Prescott, but they could also be without Connor McGovern for the next few weeks. The team's starting left guard suffered a high-ankle sprain and is expected to miss some time, according to the Dallas Morning News
  • T.J. Watt could miss some serious time. The Steelers star suffered an injury late in the game against the Bengals. According to ESPN.com, the Steelers believe it's a torn pec, which would likely keep Watt out for multiple months and possibly even the rest of the season. Watt is having an MRI today, so the Steelers won't know the extent of the injury until after that happens. 
  • Mac Jones suffered a back injury. The Patriots quarterback was diagnosed with a back injury following New England's 20-7 loss to the Dolphins. The only upside for the Patriots is that the X-rays on Jones' back came back negative, according to NFL.com
  • Keenan Allen injures his hamstring. The Chargers star had to leave the game early on Sunday against the Raiders and although the injury doesn't appear to be overly serious, it does look like Allen will almost certainly have to sit out the Chargers' Thursday game against the Chiefs. Allen admitted there's only a "small" chance that he'd be able to play. 
  • Chiefs might need a kicker this week. Harrison Butker injured his ankle against the Cardinals and although he was able to kick a 54-yard field goal off his injured leg, it appears the Chiefs don't want to chance anything going forward. The Chiefs are working out kicker Tristan Vizcaino today in the event that Butker can't go for their Thursday game against the Chargers. 
  • Buccaneers suffer a pair of injuries. The Buccaneers lost two key players on Sunday night with Chris Godwin (hamstring) and Donovan Smith (elbow) both being ruled out of the game due to an injury. It's not clear how serious the injuries are, but it will definitely be something to monitor because both players are such a big part of Tampa Bay's offense. Smith is the starting left tackle while Godwin is one of the team's leading receivers. 
  • Duane Brown to IR. The Jets decision to give Brown a two-year, $22 million contract is already backfiring. Not only was Brown (shoulder) ruled out of Sunday's game against the Ravens before kickoff, but the team has placed their starting left tackle on injured reserve, which means he's out until at least October. 
  • Rams starting center could be out for a month. The Rams are already dealing with multiple issues on the offensive line and now they have another one to worry about due to Brian Allen's knee injury. Rams coach Sean McVay announced that Allen is likely going to miss the next two to four weeks with the injury. 

Basically, it was a rough first week around the NFL. 

3. Week 1 grades: Buccaneers get an A- for beating down Cowboys, 49ers get a D- 

bradythrow.jpg

Every week I team up with six of my colleagues here at CBSSports.com to hand out grades, and this week, the 49ers got a 'D-' on their report card after getting upset by the Bears

Here's a look at the grades from two notable games that were played Sunday:

Chicago 19-10 over San Francisco (Click here for full recap)

  • 49ers takeaway: In his first start since officially being named 49ers quarterback, Trey Lance had a disastrous performance in a shocking 19-10 loss to the Bears in Chicago. Sure, it didn't help that the game was played in the middle of a biblical rain storm, but no matter how you spin it, it was any ugly game for Lance. The second-year quarterback completed under 50% of his passes (13 of 28) and threw for just 164 yards. Although Lance struggled, you definitely can't pin this entire loss on him. Deebo Samuel had one of the biggest mistakes of the game for San Francisco as he lost a fumble after the 49ers drove inside of Chicago's 20-yard line in the first half. The 49ers' defense also disappeared in the second half. After holding the Bears scoreless in the first half, the 49ers came out and let the Bears score a touchdown on their first three possessions of the second half. Grade: D-
  • Bears takeaway: There are no style points in the NFL, which is good news for the Bears, because they definitely won the ugliest game of Week 1 on Sunday. After getting shut out in the first half, Justin Fields and the offense came alive in the second half with three touchdowns. Fields started the scoring spree with a 51-yard TD to Dante Pettis that seemed to spark the Bears' offense and defense. After that TD, the 49ers wouldn't score another point and Fields would put the game away with two more scoring drives. The Bears' defense came up with several big plays. Not only did it force the 49ers to go 0-for-2 on fourth down, but Eddie Jackson also came up with a fourth-quarter interception that iced the game. Grade: A-

Colts 20-20 tie with Texans (Click here for full game stats)

  • Colts takeaway: The scoreboard says this was a tie, but this has to feel like a loss for the Colts, who made several ugly errors against Houston. In the first half alone, the Colts drove inside Houston's 25-yard line on two separate occasions and came away with zero points (One drive ended with a failed fourth-and-goal while the other drive ended with a Matt Ryan interception). Ryan had his bright spots, but he also made several mistakes that a veteran QB shouldn't make, including losing a fumble on a snap from the center. Jonathan Taylor (161 rushing yards, 1 TD) and Michael Pittman (121 receiving yards, 1 TD) were the two big reasons why the Colts were able to claw back from a 20-3 deficit to get the tie. The Colts had a chance to end their streak of eight straight Week 1 games without a win, but Rodrigo Blankenship missed a field goal from 42 yards out in overtime. Grade: C-
  • Texans takeaway: The Texans played nearly perfect football for three quarters, but then things fell apart in the fourth quarter as they squandered away a 20-3 lead. A big reason they were able to jump out on top so quickly is because of the play of Davis Mills, who threw for 240 yards and two touchdowns. The most surprising performance for Houston came from O.J. Howard, who was just signed earlier this month. The tight end only caught two passes against the Colts, but they both went for touchdowns. Although the game ended in a tie, it felt like a moral victory for Houston, even if Lovie Smith punted away any chance his team had of winning in the final minute. Grade: B

As for the other 20 grades we handed out on Sunday, you can check those out by clicking here

4. 10 crazy facts from Week 1

Every Sunday night, I get an email from our research department here at CBS Sports, and every Sunday, that email always includes some amazingly wild facts about the games that were just played. 

With that in mind, here are 10 crazy facts about Week 10: 

  • Browns end record streak. The Browns' win over the Panthers marked the first time they've won an opener since 2004. From 2005 to 2021, the Browns went 17 straight seasons without winning an opener, which is an NFL record. The win in Carolina also marked Cleveland's first road win in an opener since 1994 when BILL BELICHICK was coach. 
  • Colts are now the team that can't win in Week 1. The Colts tie against the Texans means that Indianapolis has now gone nine straight years without winning an opener. Not only is that the longest active streak in the NFL, but it's also tied for the second-longest streak in NFL history, trailing only the Browns' 17-year streak. 
  • Super Bowl hangover. The losses by the Rams and Bengals marks the first time in 23 years that both Super Bowl teams from the prior season lost in Week 1. That last time it happened came in 1999 when the Falcons and Broncos both lost. 
  • Tom Brady has still never lost to the Cowboys. The Buccaneers quarterback has played the Cowboys seven times and he's 7-0 against them. That's the most wins against the Cowboys without a loss by any starting QB since 1950.
  • Cowboys can't score. The Cowboys only scored three points on Sunday night, which is the fewest points they've scored in an opener since 1989. Thirty-three years ago, they got shut out 28-0 by the Saints in Jimmy Johnson's first game as coach. 
  • Bill Belichick can't beat Tua Tagovailoa. Thanks to the Dolphins' win over New England, Tua is now 4-0 all-time against Belichick, which makes him one of only two quarterbacks in NFL history who has played against Belichick at least four times and won every game (The other QB is John Elway, who finished his career 4-0 against Belichick).  
  • Eagles run wild. In their 38-35 win over the Lions, the Eagles had four different players score a touchdown on the ground, marking the first time since 1961 that Philadelphia has had that many different players score a rushing TD in the same game. 
  • Falcons collapses are inevitable. Over the past three seasons, NFL teams are a combined 249-5-1 in games where they lead by at least 15 points in the fourth quarter. The sad part for the Falcons? They have three of those five losses. The Falcons are 5-3 (.625) over the span while the rest of the NFL is 244-2-1 (.990).  
  • Patrick Mahomes is already on an MVP pace. Patrick Mahomes is the fourth player in the Super Bowl era to finish a game with at least 300 passing yards, five passing touchdowns and zero interceptions in a Week 1 game. According to NFL research, the other players to pull it off all ended up winning MVP that year (Dan Marino in 1984, Peyton Manning in 2013, Lamar Jackson in 2019). 
  • Davante Adams outplays the Packers. Adams actually had more receiving yardage than EVERY receiver on the Packers roster combined on Sunday. Adams finished with 10 catches for 141 yards while the Packers receivers combined for 120 yards on 12 catches in Green Bay's loss to Minnesota. 

If you see any other fun facts, feel free to tweet them at me

5. Monday preview: Prepping you for Broncos at Seahawks

russellwilson.jpg

It's finally happening! After spending the first 10 years of his career with the Seahawks, Russell Wilson will be heading back to Seattle tonight to face his old team. Although the Broncos are heavily favored (-6.5 points), we probably shouldn't completely count out the Seahawks. For one, Pete Carroll knows everything there is to know about Wilson, plus the Seahawks will have the added motivation of knowing they'll be in FIRST PLACE in the NFC West if they can pull off the upset tonight. 

My good buddy Jared Dubin put our deep-dive preview for this game here at CBSSports.com, and here's how he sees the game playing out:

  • Why the Broncos can win: No one knows what this offense is going to look like, but you can bet it's going to run through Russell Wilson. Although that might sound obvious, the Seahawks didn't always run their offense through him in Seattle, which is what led to some of his frustration. Basically, Wilson is going to be out for blood against the Seahawks. 
  • Why the Seahawks can win: Pete Carroll loves to win in football by playing the old-fashioned way: Running the ball on offense and letting his defense do the rest. If the Seahawks are going to pull the upset tonight, Carroll is going to need an epic performance from both of those groups. If the Seahawks can get their run game going, they could turn this into a low-scoring defensive battle, which is likely exactly what Carroll wants.  

You can get a full preview of the game from Dubin by clicking here.

If you're thinking about betting on the game, Jordan Dajani has put together a full gambling preview. 

  • ONE PROP JORDAN LIKES: Noah Fant OVER 2.5 receptions (-123): "This is not just a revenge game for Wilson, it's one for Fant as well. The former Bronco tight end didn't like his time in Denver too much. He had issues with the offense and how the team used him. Fant doesn't exactly have the dream QB scenario in Seattle, but I like him to catch three passes Monday night."
  • ONE PROP I LIKE: Russell Wilson OVER 1.5 touchdown passes (-148): This prop doesn't have great value, but I don't care because I think it's going to hit. Wilson has been waiting all offseason to play this game and I have to think that he's going to come out and put up huge numbers. Even if he struggles slightly going up against a Seahawks defense that's familiar with him, I still think he's able to throw two touchdown passes. 

You can check out Dajani's full gambling preview by clicking here. Finally, if you're wondering who we're picking, here's who we have tonight: 

Dubin's pick: Broncos 24-13 over Seahawks.
Dajani's pick: Broncos 31-23 over Seahawks.
My pick: Broncos 31-17 over Seahawks 

Over on our CBSSports.com picks page, seven of our eight experts are taking the Broncos to win straight-up and six of eight are taking Denver to cover the 6.5.

6. Rapid-fire roundup: Darren Waller gets huge extension

It was a busy weekend in the NFL and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. 

  • Darren Waller finally gets an extension from the Raiders. Although Waller had two years left on his contract, the Raiders still gave him a new deal over the weekend in the form of a three-year extension that's worth a total of $51 million. The deal includes $19.25 million guaranteed, which is more than the zero dollars guaranteed that Waller had remaining on his old deal. For more on the extension, be sure to click here
  • Quenton Nelson lands record contract from Colts. Less than 24 hours before kickoff of Week 1, the Colts finally got a deal done with Nelson. The four-year contract extension is worth a total of $80 million, including $60 million in guarantees. The new deal makes Nelson the highest-paid guard in the NFL. 
  • Le'Veon Bell knocks out Adrian Peterson. The two former NFL running backs finally met in the boxing ring over the weekend and Le'Veon Bell came through with the win after landing a vicious punch to TKO Peterson. You can see the punch by clicking here
  • Odell visits with Rams. Odell Beckham is still a free agent, which means he can visit with any team he's interested in signing with and the Rams announced that he took a visit with them over the weekend. The Rams are clearly hoping to get OBJ back and based on how they played in Week 1, they definitely need him.