MACON, Ga. — The stars were out in full force in week one of the 2022 NFL season. In what was a wild week one, four players’ performances stood out in this week’s top four performers.
4. Saquon Barkley – RB, New York Giants (18 rush, 164 yds, TD; 6 rec., 30 yds)
It’s great to see Barkley healthy and having a huge impact on a Giants team that desperately needs a spark this season. After multiple injury-riddled seasons, the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft turned in the finest performance of his career, capped off by a game-winning two-point conversion with just over a minute left. As the Giants strive to be more competitive this season, it will be Barkley shouldering the load on offense. His performance in week one is a very encouraging sign.
3. Josh Allen – QB, Buffalo Bills (26/31, 297 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT; 10 rush, 56 yds, TD)
You can’t tell me after watching him pick apart the reigning Super Bowl champion Rams defense that had the Bills won the coin toss or gotten a chance against the Chiefs in the playoff game that he would have taken the Bills down the field for a touchdown. Allen was electric on Thursday night, throwing darts all over the field and on the run. Speaking of on the run, Allen is a force of nature when he gets out in space (just ask the Rams Nick Scott about that stiff arm). It’s only week one, but it’s not an overreaction to view Allen as the best quarterback in the NFL and a frontrunner for MVP. That’s how good his performance was.
2. Justin Jefferson – WR, Minnesota Vikings (9 rec., 184 yds, TD)
With all the attention on Cooper Kupp’s record-setting year, Ja’Marr Chase’s record-setting rookie season and the prolificness of Davante Adams, it was easy to overlook Jefferson’s 108 rec., 1,610 yd., 10 TD season in 2021. And on Sunday, he showed why he’s one of the best receivers in the NFL. What a gem the Vikings got in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He can streak down the field and run after the catch. He’s exactly the number one receiver quarterback Kirk Cousins needed when Stefon Diggs left for Buffalo. And now with former Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell as the head coach, Jefferson could be in for the best season of his career on a Vikings offense that could be really good.
1. Patrick Mahomes – QB, Kansas City Chiefs (30/39, 360 yds, 5 TD)
If there was any concern about Mahomes’s production dipping without Tyreek Hill, his performance Sunday made a resounding statement. It’s why he’s still the best quarterback in the NFL. He got his new receivers involved in JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marques Valdez-Scantling, and Travis Kelce once again carved up the opposing defense. In a game that was supposed to be a duel between Mahomes and Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, Mahomes was far and away the better quarterback. And in a division that, coming into the season, could go to any of the four quarterback and their teams, it’s clear the road to the division title still runs through Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City.
Let me be Frank and Cut to the Chase 