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Axios PM
By Mike Allen, 9/11/2023!
Good Monday afternoon. Today’s PM — edited by Noah Bressner — is 493 words, a 2-min. read.
Thanks to Sheryl Miller for the copy edit.
1 big thing: Football’s ugly start
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is hit as he throws during a 24-3 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Photo: Sue Ogrocki/AP
The beautiful game, it was not.
- On the first full day of NFL action this season, sloppy play was everywhere.
What’s happening: Quarterbacks were brutalized, offenses stuttered and defense dominated.
- Some of the league’s most prominent players and teams were upset, and scoring was down, The Wall Street Journal’s Andrew Beaton writes.
- Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow — whose new contract makes him the league’s highest-paid player at $55 million a year — threw for a career-low 82 passing yards.
The New York Giants — led by newly re-signed QB Daniel Jones — were embarrassed by the Cowboys last night. Jones passed for just 104 yards, with two interceptions.
- “The final was 40-0,” New York Post columnist Mike Vaccaro wrote. “In truth, it could have been anything the infidels from Dallas wanted it to be. It was that bad. It was that brutal.”
Between the lines: It was just one week of football — but the stats were awful, The Journal notes:
- Passing touchdowns were down. Sacks and fumbles increased.
- Teams averaged just 196.4 passing yards in games through Monday. Passing hasn’t been that low over a full season in three decades.
- Teams that were trialing young QBs — with few exceptions — were drummed.
The other side: It was only Week 1.
- Keep reading (subscription).
The beautiful game, it was not.
- On the first full day of NFL action this season, sloppy play was everywhere.
What’s happening: Quarterbacks were brutalized, offenses stuttered and defense dominated.
- Some of the league’s most prominent players and teams were upset, and scoring was down, The Wall Street Journal’s Andrew Beaton writes.
- Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow — whose new contract makes him the league’s highest-paid player at $55 million a year — threw for a career-low 82 passing yards.
The New York Giants — led by newly re-signed QB Daniel Jones — were embarrassed by the Cowboys last night. Jones passed for just 104 yards, with two interceptions.
- “The final was 40-0,” New York Post columnist Mike Vaccaro wrote. “In truth, it could have been anything the infidels from Dallas wanted it to be. It was that bad. It was that brutal.”
Between the lines: It was just one week of football — but the stats were awful, The Journal notes:
- Passing touchdowns were down. Sacks and fumbles increased.
- Teams averaged just 196.4 passing yards in games through Monday. Passing hasn’t been that low over a full season in three decades.
- Teams that were trialing young QBs — with few exceptions — were drummed.
The other side: It was only Week 1.
- Keep reading (subscription).
