The NFL’s Sunday Night and Monday Night games were a perfect way to end week one. The opening weekend of football saw many one-score games. A battle between two MVP candidates and a game between two young guns looking to prove themselves is what football fans dream of.
It would not be an exaggeration to call this the game of the year. The Divisional Round rematch between two powerhouses in the AFC did not disappoint. It certainly did not look that way for a good portion of the game, though.
The Baltimore Ravens came out guns blazing. Derrick Henry was running wild in the first half with over 100 yards and a touchdown. Lamar Jackson was also dealing in that game, both on the ground and through the air.
Henry finished the game with 18 carries for 169 yards while Jackson had 209 in the air and 70 on the ground, combining for three total touchdowns. The Ravens were dominating for most of the game, and a Henry fourth-quarter score put them up 40-25. It looked like Baltimore was going to get their revenge on Sunday Night.
Then Josh Allen happened. The reigning MVP ensured that the Ravens would not celebrate on his home field. In the fourth quarter alone, he had 251 passing yards and three total touchdowns.
Allen finished the game with 424 total yards and four total touchdowns, and led the Bills to a 41-40 victory. He certainly validated his MVP win over Jackson in 2024. The Bills became the first team ever to be trailing by 15 points with around five minutes left in the game and win in regulation.
That is how a Sunday night football game between two of the top AFC contenders should look!
Monday Night Football consisted of two quarterbacks from the 2024 draft class looking to prove themselves. Caleb Williams needed to prove that he can play on schedule and not heavily rely on his athletic ability. For the most part, he did that.
Williams finished the game with nearly 270 total yards and two total touchdowns. The key stat was that he had no turnovers and only took two sacks. By no means was it perfect, but it was a step in the right direction.
The story of the night, though, is Minnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy. He had a roller coaster of a debut. He began like one would expect him to play in his first NFL game. He was unable to get the offense going, leading to them having just six points in the first half.
The night looked like it was going to be a disaster when McCarthy threw a pick-six to open the third quarter, which led to the Chicago Bears going up 17-6. To everyone’s surprise, the game completely flipped..
In the fourth quarter, McCarthy went 6/8 for 87 yards and scored three times to lead the team to 21 unanswered points. The Vikings ended up winning 27-24. The mental fortitude that McCarthy displayed was incredible. He’s essentially a rookie, and for him to lead a comeback in his first game on national TV is incredible.
Minnesota fans should be ecstatic with McCarthy’s performance.
The Sunday and Monday night game was a perfect ending to such a great weekend of football. All four primetime games ended in one score. This is very similar to how the 2021 season began.
Most of the prime-time games in that year were fantastic as well. The knock on this sport over the past few years has been the poor quality of the night games. The NFL needed a weekend like this.
Hopefully, every Sunday, Monday, and Thursday turns out like this!
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