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Anthony Gharib, ESPNSep 8, 2024, 05:45 PM ET
The NFL didn’t miss a beat in Week 1 of the 2024 season.
The Philadelphia Eagles topped the Green Bay Packers in the first NFL game in South America. The Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts went back and forth in a divisional matchup. And the Pittsburgh Steelers grinded out a victory to spoil Kirk Cousins‘ debut with the Atlanta Falcons.
The trolls were in midseason form around the league too, accompanying a busy slate.
Here are the top trolls from the opening week.
Buffalo Bills 34, Arizona Cardinals 28
Down 17-3 with 2:40 left in the second quarter, Buffalo orchestrated a strong comeback for its first win of the season.
Josh Allen accounted for 271 yards and four total touchdowns — he’s the fifth player in NFL history with multiple passing and rushing touchdowns in a season opener. Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau dominated with three sacks, becoming the first Buffalo player with three sacks in a season opener since 1983.
The Bills had a subtle troll for the Cardinals, posting an L-shaped birdhouse with a Bills logo.
Delicious dub. ๐#AZvsBUF | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/D7ualj69XA
โ Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) September 8, 2024
Pittsburgh Steelers 18, Atlanta Falcons 10
Filling in for an injured Russell Wilson, Justin Fields‘ first Steelers start led to a win, but no touchdowns from the quarterback. Pittsburgh handed Atlanta the loss behind six field goals and a dominant performance from T.J. Watt.
The linebacker had a fumble recovery, two tackles for loss and a sack to end the game. Chris Boswell became the first kicker to make at least five 40-yard field goals in a game since he did the same in 2016. Cousins struggled, finishing with 155 passing yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions.
The Steelers put their own twist on the rap song “Take Over Your Trap” by Atlanta-based Bankroll Fresh.
Walk in your nest, take over your nest pic.twitter.com/XDnKyppkA6
โ Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 8, 2024
Houston Texans 29, Indianapolis Colts 27
Divisional matchups are bound to bring fireworks, and the Texans-Colts meeting was no exception.
The Texans held on to defeat the Colts behind 417 yards of offense. Indianapolis cut Houston’s deficit to two points with 2:14 remaining in the game, but the Texans ran the clock out to secure the win.
C.J. Stroud didn’t miss a beat on the back of a stellar rookie campaign, throwing for 234 yards and two touchdowns. In his Houston debut, Stefon Diggs had six catches for 33 yards and two touchdowns. Joe Mixon had a strong start too, rushing for 159 yards and a score. The Colts’ Anthony Richardson accounted for 268 yards and three touchdowns in his first game since last October.
The Texans aimed a horseshoe-themed troll at their division rivals.
trotting through indianapoLis pic.twitter.com/QzMuY7TCWY
โ Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) September 8, 2024
Los Angeles Chargers 22, Las Vegas Raiders 10
The Jim Harbaugh era in Los Angeles is off to a winning start. The Chargers defeated the Raiders with a run-heavy attack that included 178 rushing yards.
Justin Herbert threw for 144 yards and one touchdown, completing 17 of 26 passes. In his debut with Los Angeles, J.K. Dobbins ran for 135 yards and a touchdown. It also marked Dobbins’ first game since the 2023 season opener.
The Raiders offense struggled with just one trip to the end zone and three points after the first quarter. Gardner Minshew‘s Raiders debut included 257 passing yards plus a touchdown and interception.
Los Angeles made sure to troll Las Vegas after its win. The Chargers poked fun at Raiders fans for boasting their huge victory against them last season.
โ Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) September 8, 2024
Philadelphia Eagles 34, Green Bay Packers 29
The Eagles opted for black uniforms while playing in SC Corinthians home stadium in Brazil, avoiding the green of Corinthians’ rivals. The decision paid off as Philadelphia defeated the Packers, who wore green, in a back-and-forth matchup.
Saquon Barkley ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns, and added a TD reception, becoming the second player in Eagles history with three scrimmage touchdowns in their debut. Jalen Hurts threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns and interceptions a piece. Packers quarterback Jordan Love threw for 260 yards and two scores, but exited with an injury late in the game.
Philadelphia went for a cheesy troll, poking fun at Wisconsin’s dairy staple.
๐ช wit pic.twitter.com/Q6KavUVjKJ
โ Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 7, 2024
ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this story.
