{"id":215835,"date":"2025-09-10T15:38:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T15:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/215835\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T15:38:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T15:38:12","slug":"mike-mcdaniel-russell-wilson-and-others-who-need-to-rebound-after-rough-nfl-week-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/215835\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike McDaniel, Russell Wilson and others who need to rebound after rough NFL Week 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

NFL Week 1 is in the books, and the football gods treated us to an opening week full of spectacular team and individual performances. The Sunday night contest between Buffalo and Baltimore<\/a> was definitely the highlight \u2014 and became an instant classic \u2014 as the Bills rallied from a two-score deficit to win 41-40 on a last-second field goal. An impressive comeback directed by Vikings first-year starter J.J. McCarthy<\/a> capped the week\u2019s action.<\/p>\n

Of course, not everyone enjoyed memorable season-openers. There were plenty of shaky outings \u2014 some that could be chalked up to early-season rust, and others that felt more disturbing and must quickly be addressed before things snowball.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at some of the individuals who most desperately need strong rebounds in Week 2.<\/p>\n

Mike McDaniel<\/strong><\/p>\n

Entering this season in need of a dramatic bounce back after last year\u2019s failings, the Miami Dolphins instead put on the most listless performance of Week 1. It\u2019s hard to say which was more disturbing: the fact that Tua Tagovailoa and the offense appeared to regress so severely while mustering only eight points, turning the ball over three times and punting twice before that lone fourth-quarter scoring drive, or the fact that Miami\u2019s defense appeared so toothless while making Daniel Jones look like Peyton Manning instead of the last-chance journeyman that he is.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a long season, but McDaniel needs a turnaround in Week 2. His teams have long drawn criticism for a lack of toughness (mental or physical) and discipline, and he has yet to find a remedy. He also failed to display an ability to make in-game adjustments to Indianapolis\u2019 defense. McDaniel\u2019s leadership skills have also come under scrutiny. The coach took little accountability for his players\u2019 uninspired play and poor execution. The offseason frictions between Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill, followed by the sight of Hill fuming on the sidelines Sunday, feel like bad omens. Miami has the feel of a geyser that\u2019s ready to blow.<\/p>\n

McDaniel, of course, can settle things down with a strong week of preparation and a crisp performance Sunday against AFC East rival New England. But with a performance similar to what we saw in the opener, the clock on the coach\u2019s tenure could start ticking even louder.<\/p>\n

Brian Callahan <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Denver Broncos appeared to do everything they could to help Callahan and his Tennessee Titans open the season on a positive note. But Callahan\u2019s charges couldn\u2019t capitalize. Top rookie Cam Ward certainly had some bright spots \u2014 at times, he extended plays and made chain-moving throws in impressive fashion. But there were plenty of other times when Ward appeared overwhelmed as pass protection broke down and Denver\u2019s top-flight defenders swarmed him.<\/p>\n

As he kicked off Year 2 as Titans head coach, Callahan failed to display a better feel for the game and decision-making than he did last season. He made multiple head-scratcher choices \u2014 including failing to challenge an incorrectly assessed incomplete pass from Ward to rookie wide receiver Elic Ayomanor (a potential difference-making play) because he didn\u2019t realize that Ayomanor\u2019s elbow touching down inbounds should have earned him a catch. Callahan also has yet to demonstrate that he has a firm grasp of how to position a young quarterback for success. Ward repeatedly found himself in less-than-desirable down-and-distance situations and got himself into trouble while waiting for plays to develop downfield.<\/p>\n

Callahan also must find a way to demand better discipline from his players. Tennessee\u2019s roster certainly has limitations; the Titans can\u2019t afford to hurt themselves with self-inflicted mistakes. Callahan\u2019s players committed 13 penalties for 131 yards. Meanwhile, they mustered only 133 yards of total offense.<\/p>\n

The Titans face a playoff team in the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2, and to help his young quarterback, Callahan must devise a game plan that eases the pressure on Ward, particularly against an aggressive defensive front. If the Titans can establish a better rushing attack, and keep Ward in second- and third-and-short situations, the rookie\u2019s chances for success will increase significantly.<\/p>\n

Kellen Moore<\/strong><\/p>\n

His New Orleans Saints\u2019 debut wasn\u2019t completely awful. Moore\u2019s players displayed some fight. Quarterback Spencer Rattler had some bright spots and kept slinging despite some tough situations. But poor clock management, a few questionable decisions and sloppy play ultimately overshadowed Moore\u2019s head coaching debut.<\/p>\n

Moore, a sharp offensive mind as a coordinator, showed his inexperience at times. He went in at halftime with all three timeouts in his back pocket and later explained he was trying his best to save his timeouts. Saving them for what, though? Moore also didn\u2019t use Alvin Kamara or Rashid Shaheed nearly enough, even though both could have made life easier for Rattler. Moore\u2019s team hurt itself with 13 penalties. The Saints didn\u2019t implode. But a second-half stretch of possessions (punt, missed field goal, punt, punt, field goal, turnover on downs) left a lot to be desired.<\/p>\n

Up next, a date with the San Francisco 49ers, whose defense \u2014 along with the sharp minds of head coach Kyle Shanahan and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh \u2014 will no doubt test Moore\u2019s offense and his game management skills.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Giants coach Brian Daboll said he\u2019s sticking with Russell Wilson, but for how long? (Scott Taetsch \/ Getty Images)Russell Wilson<\/strong><\/p>\n

After just one performance, the New York Giants\u2019 quarterback is already facing questions about job security<\/a>. In the 21-6 loss to Washington, Wilson completed just 45.9 percent of his passes for 168 yards, no touchdowns and a feeble passer rating of 59.3 (better only than Ward, Tagovailoa and Bryce Young). Once a masterful escape artist, the 36-year-old Wilson struggled under pressure (2-for-12 for 26 yards and two sacks). He and the Giants managed a combined 28 yards on five of their nine possessions, and went 0-for-2 in the red zone.<\/p>\n

Immediately after the game, reporters asked coach Brian Daboll about Wilson\u2019s job security, but the coach said he\u2019s sticking with the veteran. After a promising preseason display by rookie Jaxson Dart, it\u2019s fair to question just how long Daboll\u2019s patience will extend. Daboll is trying to develop Dart as thoroughly as possible before putting him on the field, although in Week 1, he was the backup and veteran Jameis Winston was the emergency third quarterback. Wilson needs to find a way to turn back the clock a bit and serve as the game manager that the Giants need.<\/p>\n

Bryce Young<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Panthers really hoped their young quarterback could build on an encouraging finish to the 2024 season. Instead, Young \u2014 the top pick of the 2023 draft \u2014 delivered another poor performance. He completed just 18 of 35 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown and also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. Young sported a 49.0 passer rating. He also nearly received credit for a third interception, but that pick six was called back because of a defensive penalty.<\/p>\n

The Panthers still have issues along their offensive line, which doesn\u2019t help. However, Young has to do a better job of taking care of the football and making sound decisions. Carolina also needs better poise and leadership from Young, who at one point in the third quarter slammed his helmet on the ground in frustration before sitting on the bench.<\/p>\n

After the loss, Young \u2014 who was benched after Week 2 last season before returning to the starting lineup in Week 8 \u2014 said, \u201cI have to be better.\u201d He really does. The Panthers have endured six straight double-digit loss seasons, and if Young can\u2019t find a way to begin executing with greater consistency, the hook could come once again.<\/p>\n

Bo Nix <\/strong><\/p>\n

The good news: Denver won its opener over Tennessee.<\/p>\n

The bad news: Nix, now in his second year as quarterback, threw two interceptions, lost a fumble and posted one of the lowest passer ratings (60.0) of the week. That\u2019s not the type of performance Sean Payton and the Broncos hoped to see.<\/p>\n

With a year under his belt and a promising finish to last season, Nix would seem poised for a leap forward this year. However, Nix was sloppy<\/a> with his technique at times, careless with the football and made poor decisions off and on. Fortunately for him, his poor play didn\u2019t cost the Broncos, who played a rebuilding Titans team. But if Nix exhibits similar struggles against a quality opponent, he won\u2019t be so lucky.<\/p>\n

Detroit Lions offense <\/strong><\/p>\n

Expectations for a seamless transition from Ben Johnson to new offensive coordinator John Morton were unrealistic. And losing center Frank Ragnow (retirement) and guard Kevin Zeitler (free agency) hurt as well. But the Lions offense experienced a dramatic drop-off in Week 1.<\/p>\n

The Packers sacked Jared Goff four times and hit him nine times. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for just 44 rushing yards, Amon-Ra St. Brown managed only 45 receiving yards on four catches, and the Lions didn\u2019t find the end zone until the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s clearly going to take some time for the retooled offensive line to jell and for Morton to find comfort and effectiveness in his role. But the Lions, who saw the Packers and Vikings orchestrate promising starts, must regroup quickly. Up next, games against Chicago, which also has kinks to work out, and Baltimore.<\/p>\n

Ben Johnson<\/strong><\/p>\n

As second-year quarterback Caleb Williams directed an opening-possession touchdown drive, it seemed that the Chicago Bears\u2019 first-year head coach had created an effective game plan. But as the game progressed, the Bears wilted<\/a> and Minnesota scored 21 straight points to go up 27-17 with 2:53 left.<\/p>\n

From a coaching standpoint, Johnson, whose team eventually fell 27-24, didn\u2019t have the sharpest debut, displaying some questionable clock management, wasting a timeout on a bad challenge decision, and failing to use the rushing attack to help Williams and the offense attack with better balance and rhythm. Johnson also drew criticism when the Bears didn\u2019t kick the ball out of the back of the end zone with 2 minutes left on the clock to preserve time. However, given the struggles with leg strength that kicker Cairo Santos displayed, missing a 50-yard field goal and barely making a 42-yarder, it\u2019s very possible that Santos simply didn\u2019t execute the plan.<\/p>\n

Johnson still has plenty of work to do with Williams. Yes, the quarterback completed his first 10 passes, but then his effectiveness waned. Williams struggled greatly with accuracy, was late on numerous throws and got himself into trouble as he opted to scramble to extend plays rather than make the correct reads and throws right off the bat.<\/p>\n

Johnson, whose team also committed 12 penalties for 127 yards, has to tighten things up in Week 2 when he returns to Detroit to face the Lions.<\/p>\n

(Top photo of Mike McDaniel: Michael Hickey \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NFL Week 1 is in the books, and the football gods treated us to an opening week full…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":215836,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[8996,531,8999,9000,9003,9004,4716,1232,62,9007,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-215835","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-carolina-panthers","9":"tag-chicago-bears","10":"tag-denver-broncos","11":"tag-detroit-lions","12":"tag-miami-dolphins","13":"tag-new-orleans-saints","14":"tag-new-york-giants","15":"tag-nfl","16":"tag-sports","17":"tag-tennessee-titans","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115180752569050367","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215835"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215835\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}