Not every great NFL performance is given by a well-known player. Just as often as you see the league’s marquee names ball out, there are those under-the-radar guys who rise up at the right time to add weight to their own names.
It happens every week, and we have collected this list of the most prominent Week 1 performances from those players whose deeds outweighed the import of their reputations.
Here are the NFL’s Secret Superstars for Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season.
(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus).
Derek Carr, QB, New Orleans Saints
Last season, whilst toiling in a Raiders offense under Josh McDaniels in which he was very much a square peg in a round hole, Carr completed just 24 of 71 passes of 20 or more air yards… but he racked up 842 yards, 11 touchdowns, and four interceptions on those deep throws. Carr has always been a better deep-ball thrower than people might think; the challenge is to give him the confidence to turn it loose.
In his debut with the Saints, Carr clearly found that confidence. He completed four deep passes on nine targets for 107 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, despite the fact that he was under a lot of pressure from the Titans’ defensive front. Carr was pressured on 17 of his 38 dropbacks, completing eight of 13 passes when disrupted for 169 yards.
Carr was throwing some darts under pressure, like this 45-yard pass to Chris Olave where Carr had to move up in the pocket as his line collapsed. You know those “If Mahomes did this” memes? This throw applies.
The Saints eked out a 16-15 win over Tennessee, and if they can get their protections sorted out (left tackle Trevor Penning was the primary issue there), Carr might just be in line for a career rebound.
Tyler Allgeier, RB, Atlanta Falcons
The fifth-round pick in the 2022 draft from BYU was supposed to be the forgotten man when the Falcons took Bijan Robinson with the eighth overall pick in this draft, but head coach Arthur Smith is nothing if not unconventional — sometimes to the exasperation of those who would like to see Atlanta’s receivers and tight ends get any kind of target share. But against the Panthers in what was supposed to be Robinson’s christening, Allgeier really carried the load with 75 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, to Robinson’s 56 yards and no rushing touchdowns on 10 carries.
(Robinson did get his first NFL score on this sick quick pass).
Back to Allgeier, who wasn’t just stealing red zone carries from Robinson — he had three runs of 10 or more yards, two runs of 15 or more yards, and he forced five missed tackles on those 15 carries. On this 22-yard run with 5:28 left in the first quarter, Allgeier blasted through a well-blocked gap, and handed out Excedrin headaches at the second and third levels.
We all know that Robinson will be the fulcrum of Arthur Smith’s “Party like it’s 1973” offense, but with performances like this, Allgeier will be more than an afterthought. Perhaps the thunder to Robinson’s lightning, instead.
Joshua Kelley, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers were unable to keep up with Miami’s explosive passing attack in a 36-34 Week 1 loss, but it certainly wasn’t because they couldn’t run the ball. L.A. ran 40 times for 234 yards, 5.9 yards per attempt, and three touchdowns. It was expected that Austin Ekeler would eat in that case with 16 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown, but let’s not forget about Kelley, the 2020 fourth-round pick out of UCLA who had a career-high 96 yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts. Kelley had three runs of 10 or more yards, including matching 14-yard runs allowing him to show his outside speed.
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Aiyuk has been on the rise for a while, but San Francisco’s 30-7 shellacking of the Steelers on Sunday may have marked his most impressive game to date. Not only did Aiyuk catch all eight targets thrown to him for 129 yards and two touchdowns, he also shredded future Hall of Fame cornerback Patrick Peterson on this eight-yard first-quarter touchdown…
…but he also shredded safety Damontae Kazee as a downfield blocker on this Christian McCaffrey 65-yard run in the third quarter.
Brock Purdy already has front-line targets in McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle. If Aiyuk is ready to add his name to that list? Kyle Shanahan’s offense just became that much more dangerous.
Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
The first thing to note about Nacua, the fifth-round rookie out of BYU, is how he was utilized in the Rams’ 30-13 stunner against the Seahawks: 37 snaps out wide, seven in the slot, 18 tight to the formation, and two in the backfield. The second thing to note is the historic nature of his performance from all those locations. Nacua set a franchise record for receiving yards in a first career game, and that’s for a team that’s been in the NFL since 1937. In addition, Nacua and Tutu Atwell became the first Rams receivers to each go over 100 yards in a game since Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt in 2003, per ESPN Stats and Information.
Nacua had 10 catches on 14 targets for 119 yards, and he was running all kinds of routes — goes, posts, digs, overs, slants, you name it. He beat Seahawks cornerback Michael Jackson on this 21-yard corner route with 7:50 left in the game. Matthew Stafford made an optimal throw, but it was still up to Nacua to go up and get it.
Dawand Jones, OT, Cleveland Browns
Jones, the massive (6-foot-8, 375-pound) fourth-round rookie from Ohio State, came into Sunday’s game against the Bengals riding high on an impressive preseason in which he showed better movement skills than you might expect from a man his size, and he was then thrown into the fire when starting right tackle Jack Conklin was lost for the season 22 plays in with a torn ACL and MCL. Jones responded by refusing to allow a single pressure on his own 52 overall snaps, 20 of which came in the passing game.
This did not escape the notice of Hall of Fame left tackle (and legendary former Browns blocker) Joe Thomas.
What awesome technique!
Firm inside hand, great feet/balance, never leans on outside hand but uses it to punch and steer…
…bravo @dawandj79 https://t.co/20vFNDl97O
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) September 11, 2023
Alaric Jackson, OT, Los Angeles Rams
Jackson came into the 2023 as the Rams’ starting left tackle in the team’s severe rebuild all along that front five, and the 2020 undrafted free agent out of Iowa did a really nice job against a Seahawks defense that threw all kinds of different fronts and games against him. Jackson allowed no sacks, no quarterback hits, and one quarterback hurry in 43 pass-blocking snaps, and he was pitch-perfect on Matthew Stafford’s three completions of 20 or more air yards — that included the aforementioned corner route to Puks Nacua, and this 21-yard dig route to Tutu Atwell, when he locked Seahawks edge-rusher Boye Mafe up from the snap.
Halapoulivaati Vaitai, OG, Detroit Lions
The former Eagles guard’s work against the Chiefs in the 2023 season opener in Detroit’s 21-20 win should not go unnoticed. Vaitai didn’t allow a single pressure of any kind in 37 pass-blocking reps, and his work in offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s highly diverse run game was outstanding all the way through. He was more than capable of dealing with Kansas City’s defensive tackles at the line of scrimmage with quickness and power, and on this four-yard David Montgomery run in the first quarter, Vaitai moved adeptly to the second level, and shelved linebacker Nick Bolton.
Grover Stewart, IDL, Indianapolis Colts
Stewart has been one of the league’s more underrated nose tackles for a while now — as a pass-rusher and especially as a run-stopper, there are few in the NFL who are more consistently disruptive inside the guards with so little recognition. But against the Jaguars in Week 1, Stewart did all he could to mitigate his team’s 31-21 loss. Stewart had three quarterback pressures and four stops, and this specific pressure of Trevor Lawrence with 13:19 left in the first half, Stewart took center Luke Fortner to the woodshed, nearly sacked Lawrence, and forced an interception to cornerback Tony Brown by way of running back Tank Bigsby.
Milton Williams, IDL, Philadelphia Eagles
I’ve been a fan of Williams’ tape since his Louisiana Tech days, when he reminded me of Michael Bennett in his ability to beat offensive linemen up from multiple gaps, And since the Eagles took him in the third round of the 2021 draft, he’s developed his game to a higher level. Against the Patriots in Sunday’s 25-20 win, Williams was one of several Philly linemen who were getting to Mac Jones in a big hurry.
The Eagles accounted for the three quickest defenders by interior pass rush get-off in Week 1 (min. 15 pass rushes):
🥇 Jalen Carter: 0.68 seconds
🥈 Fletcher Cox: 0.72 seconds
🥉 Milton Williams: 0.72 seconds#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/ReL7NFchqH— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 12, 2023
In Williams’ case, that added up to two quarterback hits, one quarterback hurry, four stops, and more specifically, this series of moves past left guard Sidy Sow and right tackle Calvin Anderson to nearly bring Jones down for a sack. Williams is one to watch in the Eagles’ loaded defensive line this season.
Arden Key, EDGE, Tennessee Titans
Last season for the Jaguars, Key totaled a sack and 10 total pressures in two games against the Titans, which might be why the Titans signed him to a three-year, $21 million contract this offseason. Key hit the ground running for his new team against the Saints, with two sacks and eight total pressures in just 25 pass-rushing snaps. Key spent most of his Sunday absolutely mollywhopping left tackle Trevor Penning, and on this sack of Derek Carr in this 16-15 Saints win, Key showed the kind of speed and bend around the edge common to the NFL’s better edge defenders.
John Franklin-Myers, EDGE, New York Jets
Franklin-Myers matched Key for the most total pressures in Week 1, with one sack, one quarterback hit, and six quarterback hurries on 31 pass-rushing snaps. And as has been the case through his career, Franklin-Myers did work from multiple gaps, including this rep from a 1-tech shade alignment, forcing Josh Allen to vacate the pocket and get walloped downfield.
Zaire Franklin, LB, Indianapolis Colts
Franklin was quite a demon in Week 1 against the Jaguars, with 15 tackles, seven stops, a forced fumble, and some really nice reps in pass coverage. Franklin allowed five catches on six targets, but it was all underneath stuff — he allowed 27 yards, 30 yards after the catch, a passer rating of 85.4, and he had this breakup of a Trevor Lawrence pass to Zay Jones. Franklin looks like a great bookend at linebacker with Shaquille Leonard.
DaRon Bland, CB, Dallas Cowboys
Dallas’ defense was a rolling ball of butcher knives in Sunday’s 40-0 thrashing of the Giants, and Bland was one of the most important parts of that. He was an underrated slot defender in 2022, and while his first pick of the 2023 season was more about right place/right time than any specific coverage attributes, he was there to capitalize when Trevon Diggs popped the ball out of Saquon Barkley’s hands with 2:30 left in the first quarter.
Overall, Bland allowed three catches on five targets for eight yards, 17 yards after the catch, that interception, no touchdowns (obviously), and an opponent passer rating of 25.0.
Martin Emerson Jr., CB, Cleveland Browns
The Browns’ defense was another that kicked the crap out of its opponent (the Bengals, in this case) in Week 1, taking away a 24-3 win. We’ve already discussed the diabolical fronts Jim Schwartz brought to the table; now, let’s talk about the coverage. Specifically, let’s talk about what Emerson, the second-year third rounder from Mississippi State, did in this game. He allowed just one catch on six targets for six yards, four yards after the catch, and an opponent passer rating of 39.6. Tee Higgins had no catches on eight targets, and Emerson was responsible for four of those blanks.
Perhaps most impressive was Ja’Marr Chase’s line when Emerson was on him — no catches on two targets. This coverage against Chase’s fade to the boundary early in the first quarter put Emerson about half a foot away from an interception in bounds.
Jordan Whitehead, Safety, New York Jets
Anytime you have more interceptions than targets in a game, that’s a remarkable feat. Either you have a ton of range, or your opposing quarterback is throwing some real YOLO balls. In Whitehead’s case, both things were true, as he caught three of Josh Allen’s passes on Monday night, despite the fact that he was targeted just twice. Before this game, Whitehead had just seven interceptions in his six year career, and he made a $250,000 incentive bonus for the season with the three picks he had in this game.
We’ve gone over Allen’s hero shots that worked to the Bills’ detriment in the Jets’ 22-16 overtime win, but that doesn’t negate Whitehead’s coverage abilities. He was there to return Allen’s arm punts when they happened, and he did a great job on his pick of a pass to Gabe Davis, closing to the ball with timing.
