OFFENCE TAKEN

Over the past few years, the NFL Players Association has successfully reduced the amount of time its members have to spend at team facilities in the offseason and we really saw the impact of that in Week 1.

The change to training volume is felt more acutely on the defensive side of ball, which, when combined with rule changes that advantage quarterbacks and receivers, set the stage for offenses to dominate early.

And that’s precisely what we saw, with the first Sunday of the NFL season producing more points than any other opening Sunday since 1970.

That number was somewhat inflated by the Bears and Panthers combining for 96 points alone, in a 59-37 Chicago victory that says very little good about the prospects of either teams’ defence.

There were six games with combined points totals of 60 or more, 14 teams that scored 27 points of more.

This offensive explosion should come back down to earth as the season progresses, but it’s certainly notable in an era where defences were thought to be gaining supremacy.

GAUDY NUMBERS

After a long offseason, it was wonderful to see NFL superstars doing superstar type stuff on the gridiron again.

Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs, a trendy pick for offensive player of the year, kicked his season off with 186 yards and two touchdowns from scrimmage in a 31-30 overtime win over the Saints.

Not to be outdone, Ravens RB Derrick Henry rushed for three TDs in his team’s 41-23 beatdown of the Colts, with his 125 career scores moving him into third place in the record books behind Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith (164) and LaDainian Tomlinson (145).

As for the QBs, Jaguars gunslinger Trevor Lawrence tossed four TD passes for a career-best 150.6 passer rating in Jacksonville’s 34-10 drubbing of the hapless Browns.

While Bills star Josh Allen put four TDs (2 passing, 2 rushing) on the scoreboard in a dramatic 36-31 comeback against a Texans defence that is expected to be among the league’s best.

VIBE CHECK

It’s important not to overreact to what we see in Week 1, but that shouldn’t stop us taking the temperature on a few pre-season hot takes.

The Bengals defence was horrendous last year and predicted to be greatly improved after a number of high-profile offseason additions.

Well, so far, so good, with this unit carrying the offence in a 33-27 win over the Buccaneers.

The vibes are not nearly as good for the offences of Dallas and the Chargers, which came into this season with lofty expectations but were uninspiring in upset defeats to the Giants and lowly Cardinals, respectively.

The jury is still out on the vibes around the Eagles, but they’ll take the 24-22 divisional win they eked out against the Commanders.

PANIC INDEX

HIGH: Not only did the Browns lose, they lost with Deshaun Watson at QB, who their fanbase hates. The only positive spin is it gets them closer to the No.1 pick in next year’s QB-rich draft.

MEDIUM: Silly travel strategy aside, the Rams will feel the impact of that MCG loss for weeks to come, with superstar offseason addition Myles Garrett now on injured reserve and requiring arthroscopic surgery on his knee.

LOW: The Bucs probably didn’t love to see QB Baker Mayfield turn the ball over so much just days after signing a $231 million contract, but this team should get better.