Mickey Togs

In the New York Jets’ 2024 season opener, on a beautiful clear, warm evening in Santa Clara, California, the Jets lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 32 – 19. The game was not as close as the score might indicate.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was back. And the New York Jets, one year later, provided a few glimpses of resembling the contender that they always believed they’d be with the four-time league MVP in their lineup.

But resembling a competent team here and there is not nearly enough against the defending NFC champs. The San Francisco 49ers began their latest bid to make a championship run by beating Rodgers and the Jets convincingly in the first Monday night game of the NFL season.

With the loss the Jets open the season at 0-1. Next week the Jets look  to even up their record as they remain on the road to take on the 0-1 Tennessee Titans.

The New York Giants hosted the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. The weather was picture-perfect for football as Big Blue celebrated the start of their 100th season in the NFL.

The Giants wore their ‘Century Red’ uniforms to commemorate their 100 years in the league. Ring of honor quarterbacks Phil Simms and Eli Manning rang the bell before the game, and Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor handled the honorary coin toss.

Viking QB Sam Darnold had one of those super performances at MetLife Stadium that New York Jets fans hoped to see weekly after he was drafted No. 3 overall in 2018. 

Six years later as a member of the Minnesota Vikings, he did it against, of all teams, the Giants on his old home turf.

Darnold threw two touchdown passes in a highly efficient performance and Andrew Van Ginkel scored on a spectacular one-handed 10-yard interception return to lead the Vikings to an easy 28-6 victory over the woeful New York Giants on Sunday.

Giants QB Daniel Jones did not play well and finished 22 of 42 for 186 yards and two interceptions.

The 2024 NFL season opener between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens may have got off to a late start due to a lightning delay, but that didn’t effect viewership.

An average 28.9 million viewers tuned into NBC and Peacock to watch the Chiefs narrowly defeat the Ravens 27-20 on Thursday, to become the most-watched regular-season opener in NFL history. In comparison, the 2023 season opener between the Chiefs and Detroit Lions attracted an average 27.5 million viewers.

The 2024 NFL regular-season kickoff broadcast peaked at 33 million viewers during the second quarter around 9:30-9:45 p.m. ET, but the drama came late in the matchup.

With Baltimore trailing by a touchdown with seconds left on the clock, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson connected with tight end Isaiah Likely in the back of the end zone for what appeared to be a touchdown. Ravens coach John Harbaugh was holding up two fingers, signaling a two-point conversion attempt for the win, but replay review showed Likely’s toe narrowly landed out of bounds.

“He’s got to wear white cleats next time,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes joked after the win.