The Latest: Rookie DeVonta Smith catches TD for Eagles
The Latest on Week 1 in the NFL (all times EDT):
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1:55 p.m.
DeVonta Smith has made a quick impact on the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense.
The Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama hauled in an 18-yard pass from Jalen Hurts for the Eagles’ first touchdown of the season in the opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
Smith got free after a bit of a pick from tight end Zach Ertz, beating Fabian Moreau to the left corner of the end zone to give Philadelphia a 7-3 lead.
In an interesting twist, it was the same part of the same end zone at Mercedes-Benz Stadium where Smith hauled in a touchdown pass in overtime to give Alabama a stunning victory over Georgia in the 2018 national championship game.
Smith was the 10th overall pick and one of a record-tying six Alabama players selected in the first round of this year’s draft.
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1:45 p.m.
The Tennessee Titans’ vaunted offense is stumbling to start the season. The Arizona Cardinals are having penalty issues again but still have a 10-0 lead over Tennessee.
The Titans added seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones during the offseason to an offense that already has AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Derrick Henry and Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Brown. Yet Tennessee went three-and-out on its opening series, then Chandler Jones sacked Ryan Tannehill and stripped him of the ball on the second play of the next drive.
Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury already has used two of his timeouts, and the Cardinals have four penalties for 29 yards. Tennessee held Arizona and Kyler Murray to a Matt Prater field goal on its opening series after having first-and-goal at the 9.
Corey Peters recovered the Tannehill fumble and was ruled down inside the 1. Murray hit DeAndre Hopkins for a 5-yard TD pass after another penalty for a 10-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
— Teresa M. Walker reporting from Nashville, Tennessee
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1:45 p.m.
Maia Chaka is making history today, becoming the first black woman to officiate an NFL game.
She is working as a line judge for the Jets-Panthers game.
Chaka said on the official NFL Instagram post before the game that “it’s a privilege that I’ve been chosen to represent women and women of color in the most popular sport in America.”
She is just the third on-field female NFL official, joining Sarah Thomas and Shannon Eastin.
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1:35 p.m.
The Carolina Panthers waited until less than an hour before kickoff to announce starting linebackers Shaq Thompson and Jermaine Carter had changed their jersey numbers.
Thompson went from No. 54 to 7, while Carter changed from 56 to 4.
That could potentially be construed as a competitive advantage for the Panthers considering rookie Jets quarterback Zach Wilson, who is making his first NFL start, prepared all week in practice to face Thompson and Carter wearing their previous numbers. However, an NFL spokesman said there is no rule that clubs are required to make jersey number changes public prior to the start of the regular season.
Under new NFL rules, players are allowed to change numbers this year if they were willing to pay an established fee. Earlier this offseason Panthers wide receiver D.J. Moore changed his number from 12 to 2.
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1:35 p.m.
The San Francisco 49ers followed through with their plan to play rookie quarterback Trey Lance as Jimmy Garoppolo’s backup, giving the No. 3 overall two snaps on their second drive at Detroit.
Lance connected with receiver Trent Sherfield on a 5-yard, play-action pass to help the 49ers take a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.
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1:25 p.m.
Justin Herbert looked sharp despite not playing the preseason and Austin Ekeler’s hamstring appears just fine. That made for a fast start for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Herbert completed his first six passes, Ekeler rushed for a 3-yard touchdown and the Chargers took a 7-0 lead on Washington less than six minutes into the game. Washington’s defense, which ranked second in the NFL last season, provided little resistance and helped L.A. with a red zone penalty.
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1:10 p.m.
The Buffalo Bills stood on the sideline, rather than retreating to their locker room, for the national anthem for their season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This is a switch from last season and their preseason game against the Green Bay Packers last month, when the entire Bills team waited in the locker room until after the national anthem was performed.
Bills receiver Cole Beasley was greeted with a mix of cheers and boos as he was introduced among the starters. Beasley has been the team’s most vocal critic of COVID-19 vaccinations, and even released a song in July about not wanting to be vaccinated.
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1:05 p.m.
The Tennessee Titans honored Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss as their 12th Titan before kickoff.
Knauss was a native of Corryton, Tennessee, and among the 13 Americans killed in the recent attack on the Kabul Airport in Afghanistan. Knauss served in the U.S. Army’s 9th Battalion, 8th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne).
The Titans, like the rest of the NFL, commemorated the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and used season ticket members who are veterans to help display four U.S. flags on the field capped by a B-52 flyover from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.
— Teresa M. Walker reporting from Nashville, Tennessee
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12:20 p.m.
The first full Sunday of the NFL season is about to begin with seven new head coaches making debuts with their respective teams. Two games will feature an all-rookie coaching matchup.
Jacksonville’s Urban Meyer gets his first chance at pro football after a long and successful stint as a college coach. He’ll have rookie No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence under center when the Jaguars travel to face the Houston Texans, who also have a new coach in David Culley.
The Eagles and new coach Nick Sirianni hit the road to face the Atlanta Falcons, who hired Arthur Smith during the offseason.
The other three head coaches making their debuts in the early games include the Chargers’ Brandon Staley, Lions’ Dan Campbell and Jets’ Robert Saleh.
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