San Francisco 49ers @ Chicago Bears
CHICAGO - The defending NFC champions picked up where they left off last year with a complete annihilation of the Chicago Bears (0-1). San Francisco (1-0) weathered the literal and figurative storms early and walked away with a 36-7 victory at Soldier Field.
With pounding rain and strong winds creating difficult field conditions, 49er quarterback Justin Fields threw an interception on his first pass attempt, setting up Chicago's only scoring drive. However, after the early mistake, Fields locked in and the 49ers looked every part of NFC contender they have been predicted to be. Fields used his arm (20-27, 232 yds, 2 TDs, INT) and legs (15 rushes, 120 yds) to keep the ball moving while the San Francisco defense kept the Bears offense in disarray. Trey Lance finished with an abysmal 41.5 quarterback rating (13-29, 135 yds, TD, 2 INT) for the Bears.
The narrative all week has been about the quarterbacks Early rumors in the 2021 NFL Draft had San Francisco debating between Trey Lance and Justin Fields. GM CD ultimately selected Fields while Lance fell to Chicago. In the first matchup between the two first round picks, Fields justified his selection, while Lance had Bears fans wondering if they missed on another first round quarterback.
San Francisco heads back west for their home opener next week as they take on division rival Seattle.
Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings
MINNEAPOLIS - The Green Bay Packers (1-0) used a major second half adjustment to score 38 unanswered points and roll the Minnesota Vikings 38-10. The Vikings (0-1) looked ready to run away with things early, forcing three interceptions by Tua Tagovailoa and a fumble by Amon Ra St. Brown. However, the Minnesota offense was only able to muster 10 points, and as a result, Green Bay was never out of it.
A steady diet of running the ball with James Robinson (96 yds, TD) allowed Tagovailoa to find his groove and the Packers scored touchdowns on their next four drives.
"Happy to be back out there," Robinson said referencing his season ending with an Achilles tear last year. "We knew with this team, we're never out of it."
Not to be forgotten was the stellar play of the Green Bay defense who kept the Pack in the game despite the early turnovers. The Vikings were held to 157 total yards of offense on the day thanks in large part to Patrick Surtain II who prevented Kirk Cousins from finding his number one option most of the afternoon. When Minnesota looked to finally be moving the ball, Surtain shut things down again with a pick-six to put the game out of reach.
The Packers head home to take on another division foe in the Chicago Bears Sunday night.
Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans
HOUSTON - The defending Super Bowl Champions quest to repeat got off to a rough start as the Houston Texans (0-1) fell 20-7 to the Indianapolis Colts (1-0). The Texans offense could never really get things going as they alternated between Gardner Minshew and Malik Willis at quarterback. The two QB system worked wonders for coach David Shaw last year but wasn't effective this game.
Quarterback Matt Ryan impressed in his new uniform, throwing for 214 yards and a touchdown on a 83% completion percentage. The Texans defense just could get Ryan and company off the field when they needed.
Rumors are already swirling of a shakeup with play calling duties after the Texans offense struggled all game. With an elite slate of AFC teams, the urgency for Houston to not fall behind early is real. One popular rumor is that Coach David Shaw will take control of the offense from OC Pep Hamilton and let Hamilton focus on developing the young QB Willis. No official word yet on a change, but it will likely be the focus of Shaw's media session next week.
Houston will look to bounce back next week when they travel to Denver to take on the Broncos.
