Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books and most fans are either elated or disgusted with how their team played. Some teams looked unstoppable while some teams looked like they might lose all 16 games. While this is just one week in a 17 week season, some teams have some glaring needs that they are going to have to address if they want their team to be running at top speed. Here are a few teams and their glaring needs after the first week of the season.
Arizona Cardinals – Left Tackle
Carson Palmer played a very good game for the Cardinals, but he got absolutely no protection from the Levi Brown who was manning the left tackle position. Robert Quinn had three sacks on top of countless hurries, beating Brown all day. The Cardinals line played fairly well at the other positions and they have talent at the skill positions, but if Palmer is getting blindsided all game it won’t matter.
Jacksonville Jaguars – Quarterback
The Jaguars looked absolutely horrible against the Chiefs on Sunday. They scored two points all game and those came off of a blocked punt. Blaine Gabbert only had 121 yards passing against the Chiefs, the lowest of any starting quarterback in Week 1. Gabbert also had a 30.8 quarterback rating, which was again the lowest in the league. Teams can stack the box against the Jaguars, essentially taking Maurice Jones-Drew out of the game because they don’t fear Gabbert.
Pittsburgh Steelers – Running Back
The Steelers offense looked absolutely anemic against the Titans in their Week 1 game. The Steelers had 32 yards on 15 carries for a terrible 2.1 yards per carry. When you can’t run the ball at all, teams will sit back and play the pass making it that much tougher for Ben Roethlisberger to get the offense going. Le’Veon Bell is hurt and could make a big difference in the run game, but as of right now the Steelers need someone to make some plays at the running back position.
Cleveland Browns – Quarterback
Many questioned the pick of Brandon Weeden when the Browns picked him in the first round, I know I did. They you watched him in the preseason and you thought to yourself, maybe he is getting better, maybe he can be a NFL quarterback. Then you watch the Week 1 game against the Dolphins and I remember why I was baffled when they picked him in the first. If Weeded was 23 and still struggling, he has time to work at it and get better. However, Weeden turns 30 in October and doesn’t have the benefit of time to learn.
New York Jets – Offensive Playmaker
Geno Smith surprised everyone by looking pretty good in his first NFL game and he did it with no real playmakers on the offense around him. Geno led the team in passing and in rushing and it’s a wonder he didn’t somehow lead the team in receiving too. Outside of Smith, the Jets ran the ball 23 times for 43 yards. His leading receiver was an aging Kellen Winslow who had seven receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown. With their defense, if you get some weapons on offense around Geno, the Jets have a chance to be a pretty good team.
Indianapolis Colts – Offensive Line
The Colts beat the Raiders Sunday, but it was a lot closer than most were expecting. A part of the reason for that was the offensive line who gave up four sacks to a team what was the second worst in the NFL at getting to the quarterback last season with 25 sacks. Luckily for the Colts, Andrew Luck is in the Ben Roethlisberger mold and is able to get away from sacks, otherwise that number four is probably higher. If the Colts want to make it back to the playoffs again this year, the offensive line is going to have to step its blocking up.
Baltimore Ravens – Number Two Wide Receiver
The Ravens traded Anquan Boldin to the 49ers in the offseason and many people wondered why they would do that. Well after the first week of the season people are still wondering why the Ravens would trade away Boldin. Watching the game Thursday, it was obvious that the Ravens lacked a second target for Joe Flacco to throw the ball too. Jacoby Jones got hurt and he wasn’t known for his ability as a receiver anyways. Then Boldin comes out Sunday and has over 200 yards receiving. Do you think Ozzie Newsome and John Harbaugh were watching that game at home wondering why they had done such a thing?