NFL Week 1 Best Performances: MMQB Awards Game Balls

Some familiar names are once again in the spotlight and they play quarterback, running back and receiver.

Week 1 on the NFL schedule is almost in the books (we still have Russell Wilson vs. his former team on Monday Night Football) and the best performances deserve to be recognized by our MMQB staff. Even if you’re feeling down because your team didn’t win, maybe one of your favorite players gets awarded a game ball by our staff.

Conor Orr: Justin Fields. I am infamous in Bears Twitter for my repeated pleas for Fields to escape Chicago. That said, he played a heroic game on Sunday that means little in terms of large-scale takeaways, but highlights his all-around skill set. With Soldier Field resembling some pre-revolutionary battle swamp, Fields made a few throws, created a few plays and upset one of the best teams in football.

The Packers had no answer for Jefferson, who had nine catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns :: Jeffrey Becker/USA TODAY Sports

Mitch Goldich: A.J. Brown. A slightly homerish pick from The MMQB’s native Philadelphian, but who cares? Making his Eagles debut, Brown caught 10 of Jalen Hurts’s 18 completions for 155 of his 243 passing yards. Brown had 128 yards before halftime. It’s been a long time since the Eagles had this type of No. 1 receiver, and his presence will transform what they can do on offense. Much was made last year of the team’s rededication to the running game that turned the season around, but having Brown raises the team’s ceiling significantly. I don’t want to overreact to one Week 1 win over the Lions, but seeing him fit in so seamlessly was a really encouraging sign of what’s to come.

Gary Gramling: Saquon Barkley. I’m not starting a GoFundMe for Barkley, but it’s not easy being a running back embarking on a contract year after spending the first four seasons of your career frequently injured and often misused by some, uh, less-than-innovative offensive coaches. On Sunday in Nashville, Barkley was the kind of difference-maker (18 carries, 164 yards, TD; six catches, 30 yards) many thought he could be when he entered the NFL. The Giants stole a win, and somewhere Dave Gettlemen is pantomiming entering numbers into a spreadsheet and laughing maniacally.

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John Pluym: Patrick Mahomes. No Tyreek Hill. Doesn’t matter when you’re Patrick Mahomes and your coach is Andy Reid. What a performance by Mahomes against the Cardinals. Mahomes was 30-of-39 for 360 yards and five touchdowns. The Chiefs overpowered the Cardinals and it was never close. Mahomes now has thrown 46 touchdown passes and three interceptions in 14 career September NFL games, and has won 12 of those games. Now it’s Mahomes vs. Justin Herbert and the Chargers on Thursday Night Football. The AFC West is going to be a fight to the finish and Mahomes and Herbert should put on quite a show for football fans.

Bill Enright: Justin Jefferson. Toward the end of August, fantasy football players began drafting Justin Jefferson ahead of Cooper Kupp. The audacity! Kupp is the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year, led all receivers in receptions, yards and touchdowns and had one of the greatest fantasy seasons in history. So, when Kupp had a brilliant performance on Thursday night, those that selected Jefferson ahead of him in drafts had egg on their face. But when the Vikings playmaker took the field on Sunday, he dazzled. Jefferson hit the griddy twice with two scores to go along with nine catches for 184 yards.