With the NPIFL split between two divisions for the first time in history, rivalry matches packed the Week 1 slate. One of the biggest talking points was the absence of first-overall pick Christian McCaffery, which while not decisive, will doubtless have Jordan Mason on the top of everyone’s waiver wire.
Let’s take a look at the biggest stories in Week 1:
Brymbo Originals 92.56 – 133.22 You are in Chubble
With a fresh name and a fresh supporting cast, You are in Chubble (formerly Mixon it Up) came out strong and never let up, posting the best score in Week 1. YAIC hit hard with a combination of Lamar Jackson (25.12) and Derrick Henry (10.60) on TNF, and followed it up with a blistering performance from Saquon Barkley.
Barkley had an Eagles debut to remember, recording 109 yards and 2 TDs on the ground, as well as a 23-yard TD through the air.
Another big game came from Julian Love at BD, who collected 16.00 points from 12 tackles (10 solo), 1 INT and a forced fumble. The Cowboys D put up 17 points from their comfortable win over the Browns and George Pickens collected 10.5 points at WR.
As for the O’s, there were a couple of solid performances in what was a one-sided battle, but overall the team disappointed. 17.90 points from RB Kenneth Walker III was a particular highlight, who did everything he could for the Originals.
12.90 points from Rams RB Kyren Williams and 11.46 from QB Dak Prescott rounded out the only other players to break 10 points for the team in West Brymbo.
O’s HC Nathan Adams told NFLFantasyQs:
The O’s were below par in a big way and if we are gonna battle at all this season we need to do a lot better. Also, well done to Oliver, he’s got a great team and it showed.”
YAIC HC Oliver Bailey said the following:
“What a truly wonderful start to the season for the boys! I must admit, I had my worries with the injury to one of our star players, but putting that aside, I can confidently say we completely dominated this performance.
“From the very first game, it was clear Nathan was in some serious chubble. I hold onto hope with all my heart that he can make a strong comeback soon, ideally with a big win against Chris!”
The O’s will try to shake off the loss against the San Wrexham 49ers in Week 2, while YAIC plan to stay in Brymbo as they face the Miners.
Love Train 108.20 – 123.98 San Wrexham 49ers
The Love Train appears to have already run off the tracks and while they put up a respectable score in Week 1, it wasn’t enough. The team is seeing its fair share of early adversity with injuries to Jordan Love (16.40) and Puka Nacua (6.20), both of whom will miss multiple games.
Vikings RB Aaron Jones put in a big day against NY (17.90), and his 109 scrimmage yards and rushing TD put him atop the Love Train’s point leaders. 12 points from kicker Cairo Santos was another highlight, and Deebo Samuel (16.20) and Breece Hall (15.80) put in good shifts on MNF.
As for the 49ers, who have been unusually quiet at the HC position thus far, QB Josh Allen stole the show with 31.18 points. 2 rushing and 2 passing TDs on top of 243 passing yards and 39 in the running game were the difference between the two teams.
Another big day came from Joe Mixon, who finished with 25.30 of 83 scrimmage yards, a TD and a 2-point conversion. 19 points from kicker Brandon Aubrey painted over the cracks in what was otherwise a surprisingly spotty performance.
Love Train HC Damen Griffiths spoke to NFLFantasyQs on Tuesday:
“Yeah, a tough first week for the boys. My boy Jordan going down early I think clearly affected the rest of the boys, but they’ve got to put that behind them and suit up for next week.
“We’re confident as a team going up against one of the weaker squads in the league and we’re gonna use that to build momentum for the future. J.Love is still our captain and he’s gonna stick around the squad, and hopefully some of his world class talent will rub off on our backup QB.“
The Love Train will doubtless be in the repair shed and could be busy in waivers tomorrow, as they look to get back on track against the ERS, with one of those teams set to go 0-2. Meanwhile, the 49ers will look to go 2-0 against the O’s, who will be scrapping to hit .500.
Lloyds Leviathans 101.42 – 127.16 Tyreek or Treat
The Leviathans were left a little disappointed in Week 1, as while their ‘Screaming Eagle’ of Jalen Hurts (15.62) and A.J. Brown (20.40) got passing grades, the supporting cast was less consistent.
Rachaad White (13.60) and Rashee Rice (14.80) were the only other players to break 10 points, but it feels likely better days will be ahead for the Lloyds fanbase.
As for ToT, other than TE Jake Ferguson (3.00), it was a very solid display with a host of players (8) scoring between 10-20 points. If the Treat can continue with this kind of consistency, they could find themselves in another NPIFL Super Bowl.
ToT was, as expected, headlined by “The Cheetah,” Tyreek Hill, whose 22.5 points stemmed largely from an 80-yard TD. As Hill broke away, there were audible groans from the Leviathans HC on Discord.
NFLFantasyQs spoke to Treat HC Jordan Clough, who was delighted with what he saw in Week 1:
“After seeing we had a repeat of last season’s opener I was quietly confident that the boys would continue their great form against the Leviathans. I was especially happy to see the depth that we had in the squad with everyone chipping in.”
As for the Leviathans, Tom Lloyd was a little blase on the results:
“Just a blip in the road. Much like a long journey, sometimes you set off a bit slow or get stuck in traffic, but you pick up speed and get there in the end. We are making the postseason and there will be no more road works, diversions or toilet stops.”
ToT have a clash with the WWC to prepare for, while the Leviathans travel to St. Lewis to play the Rams.
St Lewis Rams 125.16 – 93.98 Old England Pats
The Rams got off to a very strong start, recording a comfortable victory on home soil versus the Pats. QB Jayden Daniels had anything but a complete performance under center. However, he managed to paper over a wobbly passing game with 88 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs for a big 27.06 points.
Kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn came away with 17 points from three field goals and 2 PATs, while Nico Collins’ 117 receiving yards netted him 14.70 points. Jaylen Waddle (13.70), Justin Jefferson (13.90) and Jonathan Taylor (10.80) all broke the 10-point barrier, and the Rams will be hoping for a little more from them going forward.
As for the Pats, Old England struggled to capitalize on big days from Stefon Diggs (18.90) and Mike Evans (20.60), both of whom came away with 2 receiving touchdowns.
The Lions stack of Jared Goff (11.38) and Sam LaPorta (6.50) didn’t quite get going, with Detroit focusing mainly on the running game vs. LA. The biggest disappointment was WR Chris Olave, who only recorded 2.10 points in the Saints’ 47-10 demolition of the Panthers.
Looking at the lineup, there are big points in this team and it would be a surprise if HC Aminul Hassan shook things up too much. Hassan spoke to NFLFantasyQs and was more interested in the woes of rival manager Chris Ward:
“Bet seeing McCaffrey inactive last night was a gut punch and a half? Number 1 draft pick that Wardiefence fans were excited to see and he just… doesn’t play?”
The Pats will face the XI in Week 2, while the Rams take on the Leviathans.
Brymbo Miners 102.84 – 95.16 Eagles Raid Steelers
The Brymbo Miners got off to a rocky start on Sunday and it started to look like some late HC decisions would cost them. Benching Anthony Richardson (26.08) was a blunder, with his replacement, Justin Fields, going for 13.94 on the day.
Generational talent WR Marvin Harrison Jr. had a very quiet debut, recording only one catch for 4 yards. RB Javonte Williams had a bad day at the office with the Broncos (2.80), and the Miners had 78 points on their bench.
East Brymbo was saved by the brilliance of Alvin Kamara (19.50) and Cooper Kupp (25.00), and were lucky to escape Week 1’s mixed bag with a win.
As for ERS, there were few positives to be taken from the loss. Jamhyr Gibbs looked electric in Detroit, recording a TD and 74 scrimmage yards for 15.40 points, while the Bears D made this a close game with 22 points from 2 TDs versus Tennessee.
HC Dan Gittins was sorely let down by his double stack (Bengals QB Joe Burrow [10.06] and WR Ja’Marr Chase [10.20]/LV Raiders RB Zamir White [2.40] and WR Davante Adams [8.40]). Stacks are a high-ceiling, low-floor gamble every week, and Gittins might need to manage this situation carefully.
Gittins told NFLFantasyQs:
“Really disappointing start. But we can only climb higher from here… Also… F*ck the Beavers, we hope they have a horrible season from here on out.“
The “Beavers” is a derogatory term for the franchise that stems from a joke about the causes of the annual minor flooding in East Brymbo, which is actually due to the topography of the area.
As for the Miners, HC John Maxwell was happy to get off to a winning start:
“Some real eye-openers out there already. We think we know our strongest lineup now, and to be able to trial some options, see them fail AND register a win? That’s Numberwang.
“We were a bit concerned about Marvin’s targets, but we proved today we can carry a passenger. As for next week, well we are not ‘In Chubble,’ YAIC are getting f*cked in Week 2.”
The Miners take on YAIC in Week 2, while the ERS face the injury-hit Love Train.
WWC 74.08 – 122.64 Santos XI
Santos XI will be very happy with their opening win over a rival team, even though the gap between the franchises historically has been something of a preseason talking point.
The XI were projected to lose for much of the game week, but the WWC did not live up to the hype, while Santos put up solid numbers. The surprise point leader from the game was Santos kicker Jake Moody, who came away with a mammoth 24.00 points.
While Patrick Mahomes didn’t quite live up to his billing (14.64), David Montgomery exploded in overtime for 15.80 and De’Von Achane put up 100 scrimmage yards and a TD for 19.50. Meanwhile, Zack Moss had a promising Bengals debut, coming away with a TD and 61 total yards.
The WWC put up a worrying display, and with first-overall pick Christian McCaffrey a game-time scratch in San Francisco, the team barely outscored its bench in Week 1 (74.08-67.12).
There were a host of concerns for HC Chris Ward to consider and very few positives to take from the defeat. QB Kyler Murray was a mixed bag, but his 14.18 points led the team. DL Greg
Rousseau came close to outscoring Murray, recording 14 points on the back of 6 tackles, 3 sacks and a fumble recovery.
Other than that, only James Cook (11.80) and kicker Tyler Bass (10) broke 10 points and it feels likely some of the WWC bench players (especially Xavier Worthy) will be plugged in for Week 2.
We spoke to both coaches, starting with Christopher Ward of the WWC:
“49ers suck. Once I start picking the right lineup, I think we’ll have a good season. There are points in this team.”
As to whether he meant San Wrexham or San Francisco, Ward left no room for any doubt:
“Both suck. Both screwed me. Both will pay.”
As for Santos, HC Christopher Faulkner was jubilant:
“It’s great to kick off the season with a victory. Some players have work to do to match the expectations we have as an organization, but I have no doubt we can get there as the season rolls into Week 2.
“Do I think Christian (McCaffrey) being out for Wardiefence made any difference? Of course not. We smashed them and Christian would have only made it marginally more respectable.”
We will see both teams in Week 2 action, where the XI face the Old England Patriots and the WWC travel to take on the Treat.