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With Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season in the books, we saw all of our favorite stars return to the field. It was a crazy offseason that saw stars like Davante Adams and Russell Wilson move franchises. Plenty of the league’s best players excelled in Week 1, such as Patrick Mahomes, who passed for five touchdowns in the Kansas City Chiefs' win against the Arizona Cardinals.
However, some of the NFL’s best players struggled to get going and need to bounce back in Week 2. Here are five of them.
#1 – Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Despite leading the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl in 2021, Joe Burrow began 2022 with a below-average performance. He underperformed in their Week 1, 23-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Burrow passed for two touchdowns against four interceptions, ending the game with a QBR of just 42.1. His offensive line must take some of the blame, but that didn’t stop Burrow last season, so he will need an improved performance in Week 2. The Bengals travel to face the Dallas Cowboys in what will be an intriguing matchup.
#2 – Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams
Despite going into 2021 as the Los Angeles Rams' starting running back, Cam Akers seems to have immediately been relegated to second string. He seemed to be behind Darrell Henderson in Week 1. Akers logged just three carries in their 31-10 defeat against the Buffalo Bills, while Henderson had 13 touches.
What made matters worse was Akers didn’t gain a single yard on those three carries, so he will be desperate for a bounce-back week when the Rams host the Atlanta Falcons.
#3 – Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers lost Keenan Allen early to injury in their 24-19 win against the Las Vegas Raiders. As a result, many expected Mike Williams to put up monster numbers. As it transpired, he could only manage two receptions for 10 yards on four targets in the game.
Justin Herbert threw more at the relatively unknown DeAndre Carter in Allen’s absence. Williams will be hoping to be targeted in the Chargers’ Thursday Night Football matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, a game that could easily become a shootout.
#4 – Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers
Despite the horrendous weather conditions in the San Francisco 49ers’ 19-10 loss to the Chicago Bears, Trey Lance will be hoping for a much better Week 2. The Niners QB only completed 46% of his throws, going 13/28 and 164 yards. He failed to pass for a touchdown and threw an interception.
San Francisco hosts the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2, and in better weather hopefully Lance has an improved performance.
#5 – Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers had a terrible Week 1 performance in the team's 23-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Rodgers has ruled the NFC North in recent years, however, he seemed lost without Davante Adams. Adams was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2022 offseason.
Rodgers failed to throw for a touchdown on the day, going 22/34 and just 195 yards. He also took four sacks and ended the day with a quarterback rating of just 16.1.
The Packers host the Chicago Bears in Week 2, a matchup that has been favorable to Rodgers in recent times. He will be hoping his excellent performances against Chicago continue.
