Five surprises from a wild NFL Sunday, plus tennis' new king

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Good morning! My picks last week were so, so wrong .

Week 1 is nearly done, highlighted by the Lions thrilling overtime win against the Rams late last night.

The outcome wasnt a surprise; the way it occurred, with Detroit surviving an incredible performance from Matt Stafford late in the fourth, was.

It capped a day full of surprises.

The five that stood out to me most: 5.

Caleb Williams was meh ...

but the Bears won Expectations were high for the No.

1 draft pick coming into this, so his performance 14-of-29 for just 93 yards left us wanting.

Yet the Chicago defense took the game over, giving us this incredible picture of Titans quarterback Will Levis hitting a surrender cobra during an interception return: Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TodayThat Chicago is 1-0 despite a bad outing from the franchise QB is promising.

4.

The Saints ! Call me a homer, but I was shocked by how good New Orleans looked in a 47-10 rout of Carolina.

The Panthers are technically an NFL opponent, and no one expected this level of execution by a new offense.

Derek Carr looked like an MVP, and Bryce Young looked lost.

Remember the Hope-O-Meter ranking? I bet its changed today.

The team that was supposed to break out in the NFC South, Atlanta, managed just 10 points against Justin Fields and the Steelers.

Hm.

3.

Dallas mettle and Cleveland s despair I fully expected a Browns win, and that was erased shortly after kickoff.

Dak Prescott , just hours after agreeing to become the NFLs highest-paid player, carved the Browns elite defense .

Meanwhile, its still jarring to see Deshaun Watson play like a bad QB.

This is who Cleveland mortgaged everything for, and its worth wondering if Jameis Winston would look better out there.

Big, big woof.

2.

Cincinnati s bad day Did you pick the Bengals to beat the Patriots in your survivor pool? Youre one of very many.

No one saw a Jacoby Brissett-led Week 1 upset coming, but a solid run game and an excellent defense Joe Burrow and the Bengals only scored 10 points gave us the first shocker of the season.

Remember that Cincy also started slowly last year.

1.

Sam Darnold , baby Each offseason, its easy to imagine this scenario: A talented QB whos started for some dismal teams is finally set up for success.

It doesnt usually happen.

Exception? Darnold was awesome in Minnesotas 28-6 rout of the Giants on the road.

New York is bad, but Darnold dropped dimes all over the field.

If he can play this way with any consistency (and if Justin Jefferson can stay healthy), the NFC North is going to be a delight.

Honorable mention eye-poppers from yesterday: Did we miss your team? Check out our full Week 1 roundup here .

Sinners big Sunday Mens world No.

1 Jannik Sinner beat Taylor Fritz in straight sets to win the U.S.

Open yesterday, an incredibly impressive performance, considering outside factors.

Sinner entered the tournament with a doping scandal clouding his way through the bracket, breezed his way to a title and handled Fritzs home-crowd environment.

Matthew Futterman writes that the win reaffirms his place at the top of tennis .

Also in attendance for the match: Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce , Patrick Mahomes and Brittany Mahomes.

Advertisement Kendrick Lamar tabbed for Super Bowl halftime Rapper Kendrick Lamar will take the stage at halftime of Super Bowl LIX this season, held in New Orleans.

It is a fascinating choice, considering Lamars ferocious reemergence in pop culture amid his beef with Drake .

I just hope he integrates some sort of New Orleans music into his set (aka brings out Lil Wayne, who happens to be a longtime Drake ally, as a special guest).

See more details here .

More news Back to football for a brief moment: Did you see Anthony Richardsons touchdown pass yesterday? Just look: Anthony Richardson launches 60-yards to Alec Pierce @NFL pic.twitter.com/vg64J5v0Be The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 8, 2024 Thats a 65-yard moonshot while stumbling backward with men in his face.

Im not sure if Richardson is a good quarterback yet, but throws like that make your eyes bulge.

NFL: Jets at 49ers 8:15 p.m.

ET on ABC Aaron Rodgers comeback, on Monday night in prime time, against last years NFC champs.

Ratings will be huge.

Just watch.

MLB : Cubs at Dodgers 10:10 p.m.

ET on ESPN+ Chicago is in last-gasp territory, five games back in the NL wild card with fewer than 20 games to play.

The Dodgers are back to a comfortable lead in the NL West.

This is a good nightcap.

Stream games like these here and get tickets here .

The Athletic Football Show recapped the wild Sunday slate and talked Dak Prescotts contract, Caleb Williams debut and more.

Listen here .

Did you see Tom Bradys debut broadcast? The man most consider the greatest quarterback to ever play was visibly nervous on the air.

Andrew Marchand explored how it was the first step toward the one broadcast that really counts .

Richard Deitsch was a little more direct: Bradys performance was clearly that of a man learning the ropes in real time .

Want to bump into a sports celebrity in London? Just go to these two villages, as Dan Sheldon did to document how Premier League soccer players turned a quiet place into the Beverly Hills of Britain .

I loved this from last week: Matthew Futtermans piece on Andre Agassi , a man open to tennis once more, back to a sport that nearly ruined him .

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday : Our report from Aryna Sabalenkas big win over Jessica Pegula in the U.S.

Open final Saturday.

Most-read on the website yesterday : Zak Keefers wonderful story on Troy Aikman , which is worth a read if you missed it last week.

Sign up for our other newsletters: The Bounce | The Windup | Full Time | The Athletic FC | Prime Tire | Until Saturday | Scoop City (Top photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images).

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