A (Makai) Lemon of a debut, but maybe not really … and here’s your annual Week 1 disclaimer

Two plays from Sunday illustrate the blurry line between results and reality. Both involve Makai Lemon, the rookie wide receiver who is currently threatening the integrity of the space-time continuum with a career average of minus-1.7 yards per reception on three catches. Yes, Lemon somehow managed to emerge from his NFL debut tied for the team lead in receptions among wide receivers but also 5 yards shy of his previous career high in receiving yards, which was zero. But the postgame narrative could easily have been different.

The first play was also the first of several high-level throws from Jalen Hurts. You can probably guess which one. Third-and-goal from the 17-yard line. Four verticals. Early second quarter. The degree of difficulty was off the charts for both thrower and catcher on Dallas Goedert’s touchdown catch that gave the Eagles a 7-3 lead. The easier play might’ve been to his left, where Lemon was mirroring Goedert down the opposite seam, with the safety shaded toward Goedert. Would Lemon have made the catch? Would the safety have made a play? Who knows?

Later in the second quarter, Hurts had the rookie open on a corner/flag route 15 yards downfield with one defender between him and the end zone, a safety who was 10 yards over top of him and sitting on the seam/post route. Every defender in front of him was occupied and at least 7 yards away. Watch the replay and what you see is Lemon looking back at the quarterback, bursting out of and away from a triangle of defenders, none in position to make a play on the ball. If Lemon had been the primary read on the play — assuming he wasn’t — an easy throw would have picked up at least 18-20 yards. Instead, Hurts played pitch-and-catch with Goedert to his right for a 5-yard completion on one of those much-maligned hitch routes.

I don’t bring up either of these plays to criticize Hurts. One resulted in a touchdown, on a tremendous throw. The other resulted in a first down, albeit on a drive that ended with a punt. I don’t mean to imply that Hurts should have done something different. I’m simply pointing out that he could have done something different. And if he had done something different, we would be talking about Lemon debuting with two or three catches for 50 yards and a touchdown at minimum. Instead, Lemon is on pace to finish his rookie season with 51 catches for negative 85 yards.

Rarely is it the case that results are completely detached from reality. In this case, though, the reality isn’t necessarily that Lemon’s debut is representative of who he is as a player or of what the Eagles can expect from him this season. The pertinent reality could just as easily be that Lemon missed a huge number of summer reps due to a hamstring injury, and that he spent Week 1 as an afterthought, either to the quarterback or to the man designing the quarterback’s progressions. If so, one of the biggest challenges for Lemon in his rookie season will be developing a chemistry with his quarterback.

A few more reminders of the predictive nature of Week 1 …

The only thing we can say for sure about Week 1 in the NFL: Nobody ever remembers Week 1 in the NFL. Zay Flowers catches five passes for 150 yards and the Ravens scoring 41 points is a sure sign of new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle’s genius. It could just as easily be a reminder of Week 1 of 2025, when Flowers caught seven passes for 143 yards and the Ravens scored 40 points against the Bills.

A list of some other things that happened in Week 1 of 2025:

• Aaron Rodgers threw for 244 yards and four touchdowns. He finished with 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns.
• Keon Coleman caught eight passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. He finished with 38 catches, 404 yards and four touchdowns.
• DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown combined for four catches and 24 yards, while Hurts rushed 14 times for 62 yards.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled overreactions …

Are the Giants good?

The chicken-and-egg component of Week 1 was in full force in the Giants’ 28-20 win over the Cowboys on Sunday night. Same ol’ Cowboys? Or brand-new Giants? I’m leaning toward the latter, assuming Jaxson Dart doesn’t habitually seek out contact as a ball carrier. The most impressive thing about the Giants wasn’t a defense that held George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb to a combined eight catches for 72 yards. Nor was it Malik Nabers’ return from a serious knee injury. It was Dart’s footwork in and feel for the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield.

The Giants have a brutal situation in Week 2 on the road against an 0-1 Rams team. But they’ll be favored in Weeks 3 and 4 at home against the Titans and Cardinals and then will travel to Washington in Week 5. Then they’ll have a winnable game at home against the Saints before a Week 7 road game in Houston heading into the bye week. The 5-2 Giants visiting Lincoln Financial Field in Week 9? That’d be fun.

Week 1 in perspective

Even beyond the Giants, it’s hard to overstate how much the Eagles’ outlook in the NFC depends on how real Week 1 proves to be. We may have to wait at least two more weeks to find out more about the 49ers, who host the Dolphins and Cardinals before facing the Broncos and Seahawks in Weeks 4 and 5. If their defense continues to be what it was in a 27-7 win over the Rams in Australia, look out.

Meanwhile, it’s a shame we’ll have to wait until December to see the Eagles against the Seahawks, who continue to redefine NFL defense. The biggest question in the NFC West: Are the Rams the new 2012 Eagles Dream Team?

The NFL is show biz. Week 1 is all about character development and the setup.