The Sportsletter - Week 1 Panic Button 🚨

BY JEFF YODER

SEP. 12, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Welcome Back 👋

The NFL's return needs no introduction. It was rough sledding for plenty of teams. Hopefully yours wasn't one of them. Injuries and scoreboard duds incoming. Plus, we crown the U.S. Open champs and uncork a trio of college football upsets.

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NFL

Week 1 Panic Button 🚨

Photo: Richard Rodriguez / Getty Images

The 5 Biggest Disasters From Week 1 in the NFL (And the Top Plays)

The NFL is officially back! Sunday’s Week 1 slate brought ups and downs as we got our first look at the 2022 season. A number of marquee matchups caught our eye, and while there were some breakout performances out of the gate, there was more bad than good. From the disaster in Dallas to the Packers’ drop-fest, these are the teams pushing the panic button after Week 1 (plus the top players from Sunday).

Week 1 Disasters

Cowboys: The Cowboys earned the top disaster in Week 1 with just three points in a loss to the Bucs (19-3). They lost QB Dak Prescott to a hand injury that will keep him out multiple weeks, and the early-season panic button is getting pushed in Dallas.

Packers: The drops are dooming Green Bay’s young receivers. Aaron Rodgers didn’t throw a touchdown in Week 1, and the Pack lost to the Vikings (23-7). Expect a rough season ahead for the Packer receivers.

Patriots: Another single-digit scoring output plagued the Patriots in a loss to the Dolphins (20-7). New England is clearly adjusting to the loss of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, but a seven-point outing in Miami won’t cut it.

Bengals: Super Bowl hangover? The Bengals gave the ball away five times against the Steelers, including four interceptions from Joe Burrow, in a game where they lost in overtime to Mitch Trubisky (23-20, OT). Who dey? Not a great start.

Colts-Texans: It was an ugly start for Matt Ryan in Indianapolis after coughing away a few turnovers. Indy rallied from a 20-3 deficit to score 17 in the 4th and force overtime, but the buck stopped there. The game ended in a 20-20 tie to open the year. Nobody’s a winner.

Week 1 Top Performances

QB P. Mahomes (KC): 30/39, 360 yards, 5 TDs

QB J. Allen (BUF): 26/31, 353 total yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs

QB C. Wentz (WSH): 27/41, 313 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs

RB J. Taylor (IND): 31 carries, 161 yards, 1 TD

RB S. Barkley (NYG): 24 touches, 194 yards, 1 TD

WR J. Jefferson (MIN): 9 catches, 184 yards, 2 TDs

Week 1 Scores & Highlights

Bills def. Rams (31-10) | Saints def. Falcons (27-26) | Browns def. Panthers (26-24) | Bears def. 49ers (19-10) | Steelers def. Bengals (23-20) | Eagles def. Lions (38-35) | Colts Tie Texans (20-20) | Dolphins def. Patriots (20-7) | Ravens def. Jets (24-9) | Commanders def. Jaguars (28-22) | Giants def. Titans (21-20) | Chiefs def. Cardinals (44-21) | Chargers def. Raiders (24-19) | Vikings def. Packers (23-7) | Buccaneers def. Cowboys (19-3)

Monday Night Football

Broncos at Seahawks (8:15 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

SI: NFL Week 1 Performances: MMQB Awards Game Balls

CBS Sports: Cowboys’ Dak Prescott to Miss Multiple Games With Hand Injury

ESPN: Steelers’ T.J. Watt (Pec) and Najee Harris (Foot) Exit With Injuries

TENNIS

U.S. Open: The Youth Takeover

Photo: Anadolu Agency / Getty Images

Carlos Alcaraz (19) & Iga Swiatek (21) Capture 1st U.S. Open Titles

A new era of tennis stars has officially arrived! It was the Serena Williams sendoff this year at the U.S. Open, but the end of one era means the beginning of another. The year of Iga Swiatek continued after the Polish 21-year-old claimed her second major of the year and her first U.S. Open crown on Saturday. On Sunday, 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz completed his first major title with a four-set win over Casper Ruud.

M: #3 C. Alcaraz def. #5 C. Ruud (6-4, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3)

Make way for history! At 19 years old, Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz has burst onto the scene. After four consecutive matches where he needed a fifth set to advance, Alcaraz handled Casper Ruud in Sunday’s finale at the U.S. Open. At 19 years, 4 months and 6 days old, he becomes the youngest World No. 1 in men’s tennis history.

W: #1 I. Swiatek def. #5 O. Jabeur (6-2, 7-6)

The 2022 women’s slate has been a near Swiatek rout. After capturing the French Open and reeling off 36 consecutive match wins in the spring, Swiatek dominated three top-10 opponents in the quarters, semis and finals while dropping just one set. She made quick work of Ons Jabeur in the finale.

Additional Storylines

Reuters: The Future Is Now: Alcaraz Wins U.S. open & Becomes World Number One

Yahoo! Sports: Alcaraz & Swiatek Lead US Open Changing of the Guard

CFB

Top-10 Takedowns

Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images

#6 Texas A&M, #8 Notre Dame & #9 Baylor All Lose in Week 2

A trio of top-10 upsets rocked college football on Saturday, and No. 1 Alabama almost made it four. The Crimson Tide narrowly escaped unranked Texas (20-19) with a field goal in the final seconds. Meanwhile, Appalachian State upended #6 Texas A&M (17-14), Marshall stunned #8 Notre Dame (26-21) and #21 BYU took down #9 Baylor in double overtime (26-20, 2OT). There’s a new No. 1 heading into Week 3, and it’ll be the defending champion Georgia Bulldogs.

College Football Top-10 Upsets

Appalachian State def. #6 Texas A&M (17-14)

Marshall def. #8 Notre Dame (26-21)

#21 BYU def. #9 Baylor (26-20, 2OT)

Other Notable Highlights

#1 Alabama def. Texas (20-19)

#10 USC def. Stanford (41-28)

#24 Tennessee def. #17 Pittsburgh (34-27, OT)

Washington State def. #19 Wisconsin (17-14)

Texas Tech def. #25 Houston (33-30, 2OT)

Additional Storylines

CBS Sports: Georgia Jumps Alabama for No. 1 as Kentucky Soars in CFB Rankings

SI: College Football World Reacts to Marshall Upset of Notre Dame

ESPN: AP Top 25 Reaction: What’s Next for Each Ranked Team?

WNBA

Aces On Top

Photo: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Las Vegas Aces Hold Off Connecticut Sun in Game 1 of WNBA Finals (67-64)

The WNBA Finals tipped off on Sunday with Game 1, and it’s the Las Vegas Aces who control the series. Vegas and Connecticut were both losers in the WNBA Finals in 2020 and 2019, respectively, and both franchises are still in search of their first WNBA title. Game 1 was a nail-biter that came down to the final seconds. The Aces survived a brutal second quarter where they were outscored 21-9, but they held the lead down the stretch before the Sun made a push. DeWanna Bonner’s game-tying 3-point attempt missed in the final seconds. A’ja Wilson (24 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks) and Chelsea Gray (21 points) led Vegas on the stat sheet. It’s 1-0 in the best-of-5 series, and we’ll crown a champion in the next eight days.

Watch: Aces Win Game 1 of WNBA Finals

Additional Storylines

ESPN: Las Vegas Aces Shed ‘Frustrating’ First Half to Post Game 1 Win

NY Times: Aces Score Just Enough to Take WNBA Finals Lead

🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

⚾️ MLB: Pujols Hits HR No. 697

Albert Pujols smashed two home runs over the weekend, including No. 697 on Sunday to pass Alex Rodriguez for fourth on the all-time home run list. That jack was also a 9th-inning two-run shot that gave the Cardinals a 4-3 win. The hunt for 700 is near.

⚽️ MLS: Union Continue Hot Streak

The hottest team in the MLS handed out another blasting this weekend. The Philadelphia Union rocked Orlando City (5-1) for their fifth straight win to take a 10-point lead in the MLS Eastern Conference. Philly has outscored opponents 23-2 over the last five matches.

🏎️ NASCAR: Bubba Wallace Wins Kansas

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs are underway, and Bubba Wallace was the winner of the second race in the first round at Kansas Speedway. It was the second straight week a driver not in championship contention won a race. It was Wallace’s second career win.

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Nebraska Fires Football Coach Scott Frost After Georgia Southern Upset (FOX)

• Le’Veon Bell KOs Adrian Peterson in Exhibition Boxing Match (USA Today)
• Ravens QB Lamar Jackson Reportedly Turned Down $290 Million Offer (CBS Sports)
• Tom Brady ‘Expected’ to Retire After 23rd Season (SI)
• Colts OL Quentin Nelson Agrees to Record-Setting 4-Year Extension (ESPN)
• Raiders & TE Darren Waller Agree to 3-Year, $51 Million Extension (Yahoo! Sports)

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