The NFL regular season is officially underway. It was a fairly quiet Week 1 for the former Gophers with five of the Gophers on active 53-man rosters listed as inactive in Week 1. We did get the NFL debuts of Aireonte Ersery and Cody Lindenberg, both of whom held their own. Here is how the Gophers faired in Week 1, and a look ahead to Week 2.
Baltimore Ravens
Week 1 @ Buffalo Bills—Sunday Night Football
Week 2 vs Cleveland Browns
Rashod Bateman WR
Bateman played 37 of the Ravens 51 offensive snaps in the crushing 41-40 loss to the Bills on Sunday Night Football. He was targeted four times and made two catches
for just 10 yards as the clear #3 WR option in game 1.
Daniel Faalele RG
Faalele started at right guard and played all 51 snaps on offense and another seven on special teams. He didn’t have a great game with Ed Oliver causing him problems especially late in the game. Faalele gave up a sack and two other QB pressures. Many in the Ravens blogsophere are calling for a different player to step in—so we will need to watch that long term.
Dallas Cowboys
Week 1 @ Philadelphia Eagles—Thursday Night
Week 2 vs New York Giants
Brevyn Span-Ford TE
Span-Ford played ten snaps on offense and another on special teams in the Cowboys loss to the Eagles to open the NFL season. He was targeted once, but the pass fell incomplete.
Houston Texans
Week 1 @ Los Angeles Rams
Week 2 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers—Monday Night
Aireontae Ersery— LT
Ersery started at left tackle and played all 63 offensive snaps and three more on special teams in the season opening loss to the Rams. He looked like a rookie giving up one sack and allowing two other QB hits on CJ Stroud but looked good in the run game. Lots to build on for him.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 1 vs Carolina Panthers
Week 2 @ Cincinnati Bengals
Eric Murray S
Murray started at safety and played 62 of the Jags 64 defensive snaps and added 10 more on special teams in the Week 1 win. He had a great game with seven tackles, three of them solo, a pair of pass breakups, and a QB hit. He allowed two catches and missed one tackle and was the 9th best safety in week 1 according to PFF.
Danny Striggow DE
Striggow was one of six Jags who were inactive for Week 1.
Los Angeles Chargers
Week 1 vs Kansas City Chiefs—Friday Night in Brazil
Week 2 @ Las Vegas Raiders—Monday Night
Benjamin St. Juste CB
St. Juste played in a reserve role on Friday night playing just four snaps on defense and adding 17 on special teams. He did not record a stat.
Las Vegas Raiders
Week 1 @ New England Patriots
Week 2 vs Los Angeles Chargers—Monday Night
Cody Lindenberg LB
Lindenberg made his NFL debut playing 24 snaps on special teams. He did not record a stat.
Minnesota Vikings
Week 1 @ Chicago Bears—Monday Night
Week 2 vs Atlanta Falcons—Sunday Night
Blake Cashman LB
Cashman started at linebacker and played 43 snaps on defense before suffering a hamstring injury in the second half. It doesn’t sound great for the player who has had a history of hamstring injuries and will likely miss several weeks. Before he left with his injury Cashman recorded three tackles, two of them solo, missed one tackle and added a pair of QB pressures on Caleb Williams.
Max Brosmer QB
Brosmer was the Vikings #3 QB and was inactive for the game in Chicago.
New England Patriots
Week 1 vs Las Vegas Raiders
Week 2 @ Miami Dolphins
Jack Gibbens LB
Gibbens played eight snaps on defense and 25 on special teams for the Patriots in their loss to the Raiders. He made two tackles, one of them solo.
New Orleans Saints
Week 1 vs Arizona Cardinals
Week 2 vs San Francisco 49ers
Jordan Howden S
Howden was inactive for Week 1 dealing with an oblique injury he suffered in practice. He hopes to return for Week 2.
New York Giants
Week 1 @ Washington Commanders
Week 2 @ Dallas Cowboys
John Michael Schmitz C
Schmitz started at center and played all 68 offensive snaps for the Giants in their loss to Washington. He did not allow a sack but gave up a pair of QB pressures, and was not graded highly by PFF—the 29th ranked center in Week 1.
Tyler Nubin S
Nubin played all 70 defensive snaps and added six more on special teams for the Giants. He recorded six tackles, one of them solo in the loss. He missed two tackles and gave up two pass receptions. PFF didn’t love his game ranking him #82 in safeties in Week 1.
New York Jets
Week 1 vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 2 vs Buffalo Bills
Tyler Johnson WR
As expected Johnson was called up from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Steelers. He played 33 offensive snaps—or 52% of the offensive plays for the Jets. He was targeted twice and made both catches for 31 yards in the loss.
As was predicted, Johnson was officially signed to the Jets 53-man roster on Tuesday in a move to not pay his vested veteran guaranteed contract and will be a normal portion of the Jets offense going forward.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 1 @ New York Jets
Week 2 vs Seattle Seahawks
Esezi Otomewo DT
Otomewo was inactive for Week 1 by the Steelers.
Seattle Seahawks
Week 1 vs San Francisco 49ers
Week 2 @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Boye Mafe OLB
Mafe plated 56 snaps on defense and four more on special teams in Seattle’s Week 1 loss. He recorded two tackles, one of them solo and had five QB hurries of Brock Purdy.
Nick Kallerup TE
Kallerup was inactive for the Seahawks in Week 1.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 1 @ Atlanta Falcons
Week 2 @ Houston Texans—Monday Night
Antoine Winfield Jr S
Winfield played 74 of the 76 Buccaneer defensive snaps in the win over Atlanta. He recorded four tackles, one of them solo and added both one QB pressure and a huge pass breakup late in the fourth quarter that saved a touchdown and the game for the Buccaneers as Atlanta would go on to miss their game tying field goal try.
Ko Kieft TE
Kieft played eight snaps on offense and 19 on special teams for the Bucs. He was not targeted on offense and recorded one special teams tackle.
