Tyreek Hill, Chiefs
Kansas City is a better team when Hill is making a big impact on offense, and he did that against the New England Patriots. His 75-yard touchdown reception — and the ensuing peace sign — was arguably the play of the game as the Chiefs put 42 points up against the New England defense. He ended up catching seven passes and racking up 133 yards. The Patriots really struggled to deal with him — his showing was more than enough to overcome his one fumble.
Marshawn Lynch, Raiders
This wasn’t the best game Lynch has ever had, but for a guy who spent the entirety of 2016 enjoying retirement, he has to be graded on a bit of a curve. With that in mind, his 18-carry, 76-yard performance was really quite impressive, and he ran the ball well, showing that he could still be the running back he was in Seattle. He even had a message for the Tennessee Titans. Welcome back, Marshawn. The NFL missed you.
Demarcus Lawrence, Cowboys
The Cowboys entered the season with questions about their defensive line. Damontre Moore, Randy Gregory and David Irving all earned suspensions in 2017. That left Lawrence as one of the leaders of the unit. He responded in the team’s opener. Coming off a season where he was limited by a four-game suspension and back injury, Lawrence delivered for the Cowboys. He had five tackles, including three for a loss (two sacks). The Cowboys needed to get some pressure on Eli Manning, and Lawrence provided it. He’s on his way to surpassing his previous career-high for sacks in a season, which is the eight he had in 2015.
Alex Smith, Chiefs
Smith pretty much picked the Patriots apart, and that’s saying something for a quarterback who has had to face more than his share of critics over the course of his NFL career. He went 28-of-35 against the reigning Super Bowl champions, throwing for 368 yards and four touchdowns while steering clear of any interceptions. Smith will probably never be mentioned as an elite quarterback, but at least in Week 1, he put together an elite performance that will give Chiefs fans a lot of confidence that maybe he really can lead the Chiefs on a postseason run.
Matthew Stafford, Lions
On his first drive as the NFL’s highest-paid quarterback, Stafford threw a pick-six from deep in Arizona territory, and the jeers and second-guessing came out. The first half didn’t get much better, either, with the Lions able to muster just nine points in the first two quarters. As happened many times in 2016, though, Stafford turned it on after the interval, leading Detroit to another comeback victory. The final numbers were impressive — 29-41, 292 yards, and four total touchdowns. Only time will tell if Stafford’s big deal is looked at as a mistake or a great piece of business, but at least for today, it trends toward the latter.
Giorgio Tavecchio, Raiders
Never before in the NFL had a rookie kicker made two fifty-yard field goals in his debut — at least until the Italian-born Tavecchio came along. Just one day after Sebastian Janikowski, a Raider staple for the last decade and a half, landed on injured reserve, the 27-year-old pickup demonstrated that he could fill those shoes. Tavecchio knocked down four field goals — from 20, 52, 52, and 43 yards — in Oakland’s win over Tennessee, becoming the first kicker in NFL history to hit from beyond 50 twice on his debut. Kickers don’t get a ton of respect in the NFL, but not just anybody could’ve walked in, replaced a legend, and had the day Tavecchio had.
T.J. Watt, Steelers
T.J. definitely had a better day than his older brother did. Watt was an all-purpose playmaker for Pittsburgh in his first-ever NFL game, twice sacking fellow rookie DeShone Kizer and picking him off once as well. The interception is a difficult feat in any game, but a particularly notable one for a rookie playing in his first NFL game. There’s a reason he walked in and won James Harrison’s job in preseason. The younger Watt looks prepared to make a name for himself.
Carson Wentz, Eagles
Sunday probably didn’t go how Wentz hoped it would. He threw a pick-six and was under constant pressure from the Washington defense, but it’s a testament to the skills of the second-year quarterback that he still managed to have the game he did. Facing difficult opposition in a divisional road game, Wentz went 26-for-39 for 307 yards and two touchdowns. He had to create opportunities for himself with his legs frequently and did so with an impressive amount of composure. The Eagles would do well to avoid putting him under that much pressure going forward, but he showed poise under fire on Sunday.
