As Week One kicked off in the NFL, former Miami Hurricanes all around the league began their seasons. Through it all, there was a fair share of ups, downs, surprises, and big plays from Miami’s alumni. With the excitement and fanfare surrounding Week One, it’s best to remember that there are still 17 more weeks of NFL football to go, regardless of the good or bad.
Francis Mauigoa: Rookie of the Week and Offensive Player of the Week
Starting off with one of the stars of last season, Francis Mauigoa had one of the most impressive debuts for a rookie offensive lineman in nearly a decade. Against a renewed Dallas Cowboys interior defensive line featuring stars like Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark, Mauigoa was the exact player ‘Canes fans saw in Miami. Bullying nose tackles trying to push him back in the run game, his contributions helped New York run for 165 yards and win the time-of-possession battle, 36 minutes to 24, as the Giants came away with a 28-20 victory on Sunday Night.
Mauigoa wasn’t just a factor in the run game, and his pass protection wasn’t just amazing it was a historical feat. In 36 pass-protecting snaps, Mauigoa allowed zero pressures and zero hits on Jaxson Dart, a feat no rookie offensive lineman has reached in Week One since 2018. Tasked with handling Kenny Clark, Mauigoa was also the first offensive lineman to hold him without a pressure through 19 or more matchups since 2023.
It was truly a special debut for the former tackle, as he showcased that it doesn’t matter where he plays on the offensive line he’s going to continue to bring that same physicality and nastiness to his game.
Gregory Rousseau: MVP and Defensive Player of the Week
You do not typically expect a 36-31 game to be decided by plays from the defense. Rather, it’s usually a “who can score last” competition. In Sunday’s 1 p.m. shootout between the Buffalo Bills and the Houston Texans, Gregory Rousseau potentially made the biggest plays of the game.
After going up 36-31 with a late connection from Josh Allen to Joshua Palmer, Houston still had plenty of time to march back down the field, and they were well on their way to doing that. Starting from their own 29-yard line with just over a minute and a half left in the game, Houston was down in the red zone with 20 seconds to go when Rousseau sealed the game.
As Stroud tried to step up in the pocket, Rousseau beat his man around the edge, wrapped up Stroud, and poked the ball free to be recovered by the Bills. This was Rousseau’s second strip-sack of the game, and along with two sacks and forced fumbles, Rousseau had five QB hits, two other tackles for loss, and a pass deflection.
He was a game-changing and game-wrecking force all day long for Buffalo, and Week One was a big-time start to what could be a breakout season for the former Cane.
Biggest Surprise: Rough Start for Cam Ward and the Titans
A loss to the Jets any week can be rough, but Ward and the Titans looked outclassed by the Jets in every way possible in their 23-10 loss. Ward went 19/32 for 140 yards and a touchdown, which he scored while down 20 points in the fourth quarter, and Tennessee’s offense couldn’t get much of anything going throughout the game.
This may sound light, but I’m not sure how much of this is on Ward. Throughout the game, Ward had pressure in his face immediately plenty of times and was flushed out of the pocket on crucial third downs. In addition, Ward was set up a few times around midfield in a manageable fourth-and-short situation, and as the game slipped away, it seemed like head coach Robert Saleh was unwilling to take risks.
On a positive note, unlike last year, Ward did show improvement in his willingness to throw the ball away or take off and run for a small gain. Still, Ward took three rough sacks, including on this play, a creative end-around fake that Ward panicked on before stepping up into a sack. His other two
This Tennessee team is still clearly far away from a talent standpoint, but Ward’s performances need to include more substance than the flashes he has shown.
Other Notes: Bain and Scott Instant Starters, Mixed Results
Reuben Bain was only able to record a single tackle throughout the game and really wasn’t a presence in the Buccaneers’ 33-27 loss to the Bengals. It was promising to see Bain receive a starting opportunity this early for the Buccaneers. Playing 64% of the snaps, he clearly seems to be a guy that Tampa trusts to make an impact.
Plays like this, with Bain unable to get off a block in the run game, aren’t what we’re used to seeing from the game-wrecking defensive end, and they need to be cleaned up to maintain that starting role.
In the back end of Tampa’s defense, Keionte Scott showed up in a premier role for the Tampa Bay secondary. Scott played 47 snaps, the sixth-most for Tampa Bay, and notched four tackles throughout the afternoon. In coverage, Scott played effectively in his limited matchups against superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, allowing only a single catch when Chase lined up in the slot on his way to finishing with two receptions for 12 yards.
This is a Tampa team that is going to be very reliant on its rookies, as noticed with Bain and Scott, but also Jeremiah Trotter Jr., who exploded in Week One with a sack and a pick-six. That reliance on this rookie class means Scott and Bain are going to have plenty of opportunities to bounce back from the ups and downs of their debuts.
Along with them, veteran Al-Quadin Muhammad, coming off a 10-sack season with Detroit, started off his time in Tampa slowly but did notch a couple of QB hits.
As the season continues, it’s clear there’s plenty of growth that these young ‘Canes need to make as they enter the action of the NFL. That being said, it’s only Week One, and anything can happen in the coming weeks.
So, as these ‘Canes take flight through their NFL journeys, keep an eye all around the league for someone to make a big play. With a large rookie class across the board playing tons of snaps and taking on big roles, there are plenty of ways to catch a Cane making a play on Sundays.
As week one kicked off in the NFL, former Miami Hurricanes all around the league began their seasons. Through it all a fair share of ups, downs, surprises, and big plays from Miami’s alumni. With the excitement and fanfare around week one, it’s best to remember that there’s still 17 more weeks of NFL football to go and regardless of the good or bad.
