How did #ProUtes fare in Week 1 of the NFL season?
Week 1 of the NFL season is officially in the books and fans of Utah football have to be smiling.
Altogether, it was a massively successful week for former Utah football players, from two rookies making a massive impact in victories to one of the best safeties in the game picking off the G.O.A.T. of quarterbacks.
Combined, former Utes went 11-5 on the opening weekend, with three matchups featuring Utes on both sidelines.
Here's how the #ProUtes faired in Week 1...
*Washington 27 — Philadelphia 17 / QB Alex Smith, Washington
Smith never got on the field in Washington's victory, but that's to be expected considering he's the third-string quarterback behind starter Dwayne Haskins and backup Kyle Allen. It's considered a success for Smith to just be on the 53-man roster considering everything he's bene through over the past 21 months.
*Seattle 38 — Atlanta 25 / LB Cody Barton, Seattle; S Marquise Blair, Seattle
Blair tied for second on the team with seven tackles (4 solo) in helping lead the Seahawks to a win over Atlanta. Limiting Atlanta's high-octane offense to 25 points was a good showing for Seattle.
*Las Vegas 34 — Carolina 30 / RB Devontae Booker, Las Vegas
Backup running back Devontae Booker rushed four times for 29 yards in his 2020 season debut. Although he did fumble, it was recovered by the Raiders.
*New England 21 — Miami 11 / S Eric Rowe, Miami
Rowe finished with five tackles (3 solo) in the loss to New England. It was a solid showing by Rowe, but he did find himself out of position a few times that allowed Patriots QB Cam Newton to pick up big gains in the run game.
*Chicago 27 — Detroit 23 / CB Jaylon Johnson, Chicago; DL John Penisini, Detroit
Altogether it was a solid debut for Johnson, who finished with six tackles and two pass break-ups. He showed off his ability to cover elite receivers and a talented quarterback, and apart from the missed tackle, showed off the physicality Chicago desperately wanted. Penisini failed to record a tackle but did get onto the field for a few snaps.
*Jacksonville 27 — Indianapolis 20 / S Julian Blackmon, Indianapolis
Blackmon, still recovering from ACL surgery suffered nine months ago yet on the 53-man roster, failed to register a stat in Sunday's contest. While not fully game-ready, Blackmon still figures to be a key piece of the Indy defense moving forward.
*Buffalo 27 — New York Jets 17 / RB Zack Moss, Buffalo
Late in the first quarter of Buffalo's season-opener, Moss caught a four-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Josh Allen to give the Bills a 14-0 lead. He finished the game with just 11 yards on nine carries, but added 16 yards on three receptions with the touchdown.
*New Orleans 34 — Tampa Bay 23 / S Marcus Williams, New Orleans; LB Chase Hansen, New Orleans
Williams may have only finished with one tackle but his interception of Tom Brady is what really counted. It was a statement victory by the Saints D in the first game of the year considering how much hype Tampa Bay's revamped offense had received as of late.
*Arizona 24 — San Francisco 20 / P Mitch Wishnowsky, San Francisco; DL Leki Fotu, Arizona; LB Kylie Fitts, Arizona
It was quite the performance by Arizona's defense as Fotu, who failed to record a tackle, lived up the billing by being a stout presence in the middle of the defense. Wishnowksy punted for times for an average of 44.5 yards per punt (long of 51), with three of them landing inside the 20.
*Los Angeles Chargers 16 — Cincinatti 13 / OT Sam Tevi, Los Angeles
The Chargers picked up the season-opening win, aided by an offensive line that ran for 155 yards on 39 carries and allowed just two sacks in the victory.
*Los Angeles Rams 20 — Dallas 17 / S Terrell Burgess, Los Angeles Rams; DE Bradlee Anae, Dallas
Neither Ute recorded a stat in Sunday night's game, but the future remains bright for both plays. Burgess is mist likely to see the field first, as he's more of a swiss-army knife for the Rams defense that can play multiple positions.
*Pittsburgh Steelers 26 — New York Giants 16 / OT Jackson Barton, New York Giants
As a backup to one of the better tackles in the game, Barton didn't see action in Monday night's loss.
*Tennessee 16 — Denver 14 / OT Garett Bolles, Denver; WR Tim Patrick, Denver
It was a great start to the 2020 season for Bolles (albeit the loss), who did not give up a sack against the Titans' vaunted defense. Patrick had four catches for 29 yards on five targets.
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