Football is a beautiful game. The balletic brutality of finely-tuned athletes at their best. The science of schematics at the highest level.
Players pushing themselves beyond even their own expectations to do things that are simply unbelievable. Football is also a very silly game. Those same perfect athletes can do some really goofy things.
Coaches make decisions that have you reaching for the aspirin. And referees don't always appear to be watching the same games the rest of us are. With the Worst of the Week, we "honor" those in the NFL whose efforts fall short in surprising, gobsmacking, infuriating, and hilarious ways.
Here's the Worst of the Week for Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. The Jawaan Taylor Rule (Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union-USA TODAY NETWORK) Last season, right tackle Jawaan Taylor of the Kansas City Chiefs was the NFL's most penalized player with 20 infractions, and a lot of this had to do with the league cracking down on Taylor's tendencies to get early releases off the snap, and to line up too far behind the center's belt line to gain further advantage against edge-rushers trying to collapse the pocket. In the regular season opener pitting the Chiefs against the Baltimore Ravens, referee Shawn Hochuli and his crew were clearly focusing on the alignment of the tackles.
.. but it was Baltimore left tackle Ronnie Stanley who kept getting busted with it.
Stanley was called for two illegal formation penalties on the Ravens' opening drive, and right tackle Patrick Mekari got flagged for it, as well. Observers were curious about the focus on the Ravens, when Taylor was still seemingly still violating the rule that he had made a point of order. Cris Collinsworth points out a missed false start on Chiefs tackle Jawaan Taylor but then apparently gets ZAPPED by Goodell as the broadcast goes completely silent for several seconds.
pic.twitter.com/6ESHpyVx8X #Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley believes the league singled him out with the illegal formation penalties last night and says it wasn’t called evenly for both teams.
“The way it was going through the game, I really feel like they were trying to make an example and chose me to be the...
pic.twitter.com/SkLY91hiht "As far as I saw, they weren't doing it on both sides of the ball," Stanley said after the game.
"I know that I was lined up in good position a majority of those calls they made. "They just kept saying, 'You need to move up.' I was like, 'How much more do I need to move up?'" Stanley said.
"It's not my first year playing in this league. I know where to line up. I was lining up a lot ahead of what I usually do.
I know my helmet was breaking the center's butt." "They put a thing out that they said they were going to call that differently,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. “[Not] understanding how differently, we were the first offensive series of the season with that, and I think they saw probably everybody watching it," "It'll be interesting to see if they call it the same way the whole season.
I'll challenge them to call it the same way they called it tonight the whole season, so hopefully they'll be consistent about that." "They were pretty stingy; they were going to nail you," Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid said. "I'm glad we were on defense first so they could get their point across.
" The NFL does have a history of making a point with new points of emphasis, and then backing off to a point via their officials. We'll see how THAT goes as the season moves along. The NFL's disconnect with player safety (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images) Recently, per ESPN's Adam Schefte r, the NFL sent a memo to more than 20 players and their teams, stating that player safety is more important than ever, and that these players (each of whom has been suspended over the last two seasons for on-field infractions) would be subject to further suspensions for further violations.
Their teams would be subject to fines, as well. Now, if you remember what we just covered with the NFL's points of emphasis, and how officials overcook them at first to make a point..
. well, it could get a little ticky-tack out there. Meanwhile, if the NFL is so concerned about player safety, why did it demand that the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers fly to Brazil to play on a soccer turf that was far too slick for any American football squad to navigate? Because dudes were slipping all over the place, and it clearly affected the quality of play.
The field conditions have been a problem in Brazil, with Packers and Eagles players slipping all over the place. Here are consecutive plays on a Packers drive where their players slipped. 🏈😵💫🇧🇷 #NFL pic.
twitter.com/qVhfOsdP44 Those who have played on NFL fields were certainly aware. Soccer fields are made for speed and agility.
Smaller bodies gliding across the surface with minimal contact. They are not properly conditioned to have the size & strength of NFL players cutting, pushing and driving all game on them. This is common at international games.
https://t.co/6NmjrwFty2 My thoughts on the field surface: uncommon field surface for both teams. All players should be wearing 7-studs or a flex option in forefoot (shout out Redd and T-Bone).
That’ll fix majority of the slipping. My brother and I were saying players should be pissed about this. There.
.. LeBron James' reaction was short, but it crystallized the situation.
Man this field sucks!!! 🤦🏾♂️ GB vs PHI The NFL has played fast and loose with player safety for decades; as often as it proclaims its sincere interest in making the game more palatable from a health standpoint, it has ignored the effects of head trauma for decades. The current dichotomy between making players a focus in a punitive sense, and asking those same players to ply their trades on unsafe surfaces, seems more of the same. Bryce Young in general (Stephen Lew-Imagn Images) For the Carolina Panthers, the desperate hope for the 2024 season was that new head coach Dave Canales — who had facilitated remarkable career turnarounds for Geno Smith in Seattle and Baker Mayfield in Tampa — could do the same for 2023 first-overall pick Bryce Young, who was completely overwhelmed in his rookie season, for multiple reasons that were often than not, not his fault.
The Panthers brought in Canales and help along their offensive line and receiver corps, and held their collective breath as Young faced the New Orleans Saints in the season opener. The results were..
. not good. At all.
Though Young was going up against the team that has been his Kryptonite in his young NFL career. Per Next Gen Stats, Young was a significantly less efficient passer against the NFC South rival Saints over two games than every other opponent in terms of yards per attempt, EPA per dropback, and completion probability over expected. Still, this went beyond the expectations of the most extreme Young non-believer.
In a 47-10 thrashing at the hands of the Saints, Young completed 13 of 30 passes for 161 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 32.8. It was bad from Young's first attempt, and it never got better.
Bryce Young INT on his first pass attempt. Football is definitely back. pic.
twitter.com/lEaahQYZSr Is it too early to label Young a colossal bust? Well, no..
. but as Yogi Berra once said on another matter, it gets late early out there. "It's a long journey, it's a long journey to become us," Canales said after the game.
"I truly believe that. I knew that whether we started 4-0 or 0-4, whatever that is. What I knew is this is going to take a long time to become us.
You've known me a little bit now, but I just can't help but know that you have to have adversity to become who you're going to be. For guys to pull together, to show their character the way they did today in a really tough loss and call it what it is. "Again, it's, it's one loss.
Now we have a chance to come back to tighten things up and to work together." If the Panthers were looking to stack adversity, Sunday was a success in that sense. Daniel Jones in general (Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images) There are times when you hold your nose, make a gesture of faith in the direction of someone who hasn't earned it, and hope it will all somehow work out.
When the New York Giants gave Daniel Jones a four-year, $160 million contract extension with $81 million guaranteed before the 2023 season for a guy who really didn't prove much on his first contract from 2019 through 2022, that was one such example. Against the Minnesota Vikings in a 28-6 season-opening loss, Jones completed 22 of 42 passes for 186 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 44.3.
And neither of Jones' interceptions were excusable. His pick-six to defensive lineman Andrew Van Ginkel was eerily similar to the one Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell threw to Van Ginkel when Van Ginkel was a member of the Miami Dolphins' defense in 2023. you think they'd learn never to throw that pass with him in the area https://t.
co/rh9cJ8IhBB pic.twitter.com/gfG8juD4H1 Andrew Van Ginkel picked off Daniel Jones in 1.
16 seconds, the fastest interception since Week 13, 2023 when Van Ginkel intercepted Sam Howell in 1.26 seconds. Van Ginkel is now responsible for the two fastest interceptions over the last two seasons.
#MINvsNYG | @Vikings pic.twitter.com/vSQyjapeJq And I'd love for someone to explain to me what Jones saw on this fourth-quarter interception to safety Harrison Smith.
Harrison Smith grabs his 35th career INT for the @Vikings ! 📺: #MINvsNYG on FOX 📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.
com/ot14OmYRGq "I think it's about seeing where we need to be better and addressing those areas and then executing," Jones said after the game. "It comes down to making the play, executing and getting going. I know we've got the guys to do that.
Confident in myself, confident in the group, and we'll go from there." Where "there" is, is an excellent question. Perhaps "there" is, "Headed for the first overall pick in the 2025 draft, where we can select a new franchise quarterback.
" Daniel Jones has three games with 0 Pass TD and multiple INT over the past 2 seasons No one in the NFL has more pic.twitter.com/87aPar7p3g Deshaun Watson in particular (Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK) There are a few things we have to accept about Deshaun Watson at this point in his career, even if you're able to remove all the off-field stuff from your mind.
It's clear that Watson will never be the same quarterback he once was with the Houston Texans. His season-long healthy scratches in his final season with Houston in 2021, and the suspensions and injuries that have hampered his game sine the Cleveland Browns traded a king's ransom to acquire him, have left the former MVP candidate a shell of his former self. That trade, and the There are those who would say it's karma, and fair play there.
But what Watson "showed" in Cleveland's 33-17 season-opening loss to the Dallas Cowboys should have head coach Kevin Stefanski wondering if it's time to put Watson on the bench, put Jameis Winston out there in his place, and give his outstanding defense even half a chance to succeed. Watson completed 24 of 45 (!) attempts for 169 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 51.1.
Perhaps his best deep completion was to CeeDee Lamb. Problem was, CeeDee Lamb plays for the Cowboys. Well, he got one deep pass off to CeeDee Lamb.
.. https://t.
co/Sf2RLYQekj And while Watson was pressured seemingly ceaselessly...
The Cowboys defense pressured Deshaun Watson 25 times, including 6 sacks on 56 dropbacks. Micah Parsons led the group with 9 pressures, followed by Demarcus Lawrence (8), and rookie Marshawn Kneeland (6). Watson vs.
Pressure: 5/17, 22 yards (-8.5% CPOE) Powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.
com/Z0jpbw9Vtk ...
it certainly wasn't all his line's fault. 4th & 6 with the Browns down by 3 scores. Watson abandons a clean pocket and then inexplicably takes the sack after having 5.
27 seconds to throw the ball. If I'm an OL, I don't know how to block for this QB. Also, a QB can never take a sack on 4th after having 5 seconds.
pic.twitter.com/2KZgGv2Ef1 As is well-known already, the five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract the Browns gave Watson after trading for him makes him the most uncuttable, untradeable player in NFL history.
Watson has dead cap hits of over $200 million in 2024, $172,734 million in 2025, and $99,799 million in 2026, His cap hits when he's on the roster in 2025 and 2026 are an identical $72,935 million. A disaster of their own making, and the Browns aren't even to the heart of how bad this will be. Travis Etienne's very bad day (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images) The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Clemson running back Travis Etienne with the 25th overall pick in the 2021 draft, hoping that Etienne could replicate his explosive potential with Trevor Lawrence as his quarterback like the two were able to do in college.
It hasn't really happened to the degree anybody would like so far, and after what happened in Jacksonville's 20-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins, Etienne could find himself a man without a starting position. While Etienne ran 12 times for 44 yards and a touchdown, 2023 third-round pick Tank Bigsby ran 12 times for 73 yards, and looked to be the more explosive and consistent player. Certainly, it wasn't Bigsby who fumbled at the Dolphins' one-yard line.
.. Travis Etienne.
.. oof that fumble at the 1-yard line was rough.
What a punch out by the defender. Sheesh! pic.twitter.
com/sFMt9fDfPc ...
and it wasn't Bigsby who looked lost when his team needed him to get a few crucial yards in a key opportunity. What a ridiculous playcall on 4th down on your own 32 with a 3 point lead lmao pic.twitter.
com/m5z94mw6g1 "I just have to better in that situation for my teammates and for myself, just understanding the ball is the most important thing and just hold onto it with two hands, then we wouldn’t be sitting here talking about what went wrong," Etienne said after the game. Meanwhile, head coach Doug Pederson has been trumpeting a more prominent role for Bigsby for months. #Jaguars HC Doug Pederson on Tank Bigsby: “I think Tank has a bigger role this year, going into Year 2.
It’s something that we’ve been looking at. We definitely know we gotta take a little bit off of Travis [Etienne] and keep him healthy for an entire season..
. I think Tank’s..
. pic.twitter.
com/7FTsctuKZo Antonio Pierce's fourth-down decision (Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images) So...
here was the situation. Down 16-10 with 7:15 left in the game and the ball at his opponent's 43-yard line, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce made the decision to punt the ball back to the Los Angeles Chargers. Instead of trusting his offense to get a yard on fourth-and-1, Pierce figured the best way to go about the business of winning was to trust his defense.
That was not the ideal solution. The Chargers responded to that punt with an eight-play, 92-yard drive that ended with Justin Herbert's 10-yard touchdown pass to Ladd McConkey. That gave the Chargers the 22-10 score they would hold for the win.
It wasn't just the frustrating passivity of the decision — it was the nearly unprecented nature of it. #Raiders punt on 4th and 1 from Chargers 43 down 6 in 4th quarter. It's the first 4th and 1 punt in plus territory when down a score in 4th quarter since Rex Ryan's Bills did it vs Ravens in 2016 opener per @sportradar Antonio Pierce was the least aggressive coach in the NFL last season.
https://t.co/3nogMbSgJr “I mean, we got what we wanted,” Pierce said postgame. “We got them backed up.
We’ve got three timeouts there. Play good football, get the ball back [at] midfield, hopefully. But they broke off a long run, and that was the end of it.
“We considered going for it. It was a long 1 [yard for a first down]. We got stopped earlier in the game.
Momentum. The punter had done a good job pinning those guys back. I think he had two or three punts inside the 20.
Again, defense was the strength for the most part of the game.” The defense was not the strength there, and Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew parsed his words carefully about having the ball taken out of his power to change things. “That’s Coach’s decision,” Minshew concluded.
“But I think anybody that’s a ballplayer wants the ball in their hands with the opportunity to help the team.” No quarterback had been presented with this kind of situation in quite a few years. Related: Tyreek Hill wonders how his traffic stop would have gone if he wasn't famous Related: The Cleveland Browns May Never Know the True Cost of Deshaun Watson.
