It was one impressive start to the 2019 NFL season.
As we began the landmark 100th season for the National Football League, we didn’t have any shortage of highlights.
We had a 35-year-old tight end literally jump over another player, break two more tackles after the leap and then proceed to run for a 48-yard touchdown in the highlight of the day. We also had DeSean Jackson return for his homecoming in Philadelphia and burn the Washington Redskins for two touchdowns over 50-plus yards on each reception.
Not to mention we also had stat-packed performances by the Carolina Panthers‘ Christian McCaffrey and just about every skill position player on the Baltimore Ravens‘ offense.
Here are your top highlights from Sunday’s NFL action.
Vernon Davis Completely Owns Eagles Defense
Words simply cannot do this highlight justice, so I’ll just fill you in on this. Vernon Davis is a 35-year-old tight end whose best days are behind him. He entered the league in 2006 and while he was one heck of a tight end, he’s no longer a premier tight end.
However, he sure looked like an elite tight end against the Philadelphia Eagles when he created the highlight of Week 1.
Nothing was stopping Vernon Davis on his way to the end zone 😤😤 @VernonDavis85
DeSean Jackson Leads Eagles to Comeback Victory
Just as it looked as if the Eagles would lay a dud in their home season opener against their hated divisional rivals, an ex-star of theirs came out to play.
DeSean Jackson appeared in his first game in an Eagles uniform since 2013 and he didn’t disappoint. He led the Eagles back from a 17-0 point deficit by catching two touchdown passes — one from 51 yards and the other from 53 yards.
Check out the first TD here:
And it begins…
And now the second one:
We have vintage D-Jax back in Philly!
Make that 2 TD on the day for Jackson. #WASvsPHI
Jackson now has 31 touchdown passes that have gone for at least 50 yards — the second- most in NFL history behind the greatest receiver ever, Jerry Rice.
The veteran wide receiver finished the game with eight receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns.
Most importantly, the Eagles won the game 32-27.
Derrick Henry Runs 20.93 MPH on 75-yard TD Catch
If you’re wondering how fast a running back can run in the open field, you’ve come to the right place. Derrick Henry, who ran the 40-yard-dash in about average fashion at 4.54 seconds, took it to the house on this 75-yard touchdown catch.
While that was impressive enough, Henry ran nearly 21 miles per hour on this screen catch. That’s almost as fast as the speed limit on some streets.
Henry deflated the Cleveland Browns for the remainder of the game as they would not score again after this catch. The Titans actually went on a 28-0 run to close out the Browns 43-15. Henry finished the game with 84 yards, a rushing touchdown and his one catch for 75 yards and a receiving touchdown.
T.Y. Hilton Makes Chargers Defenders Look Silly
The Colts came up short in their quest to defeat the Chargers as they lost in overtime, but it wasn’t due to a lackluster performance from their star wideout. T.Y Hilton came out to play as it didn’t look like he missed Andrew Luck at all. Hilton finished the game with eight receptions for 87 yards and a couple of touchdowns, including this sweet 19-yard TD reception in which he literally dodged two Chargers defenders.
Malik Hooker Makes Catch of the Day
And now for our catch of the day — and no, it wasn’t by a wide receiver. Colts safety Malik Hooker made the catch of Week 1 with this insane one-handed interception of Philip Rivers in the end zone to keep the Colts in the game.
ONE. HANDED.
@MalikHooker24 just made the catch of the day on this pick! #INDvsLAC
📺: CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app
Watch on mobile: t.co/PoZiStO3mL
Lamar Jackson with the Flick of a Wrist
Lamar Jackson wasn’t known for making highlight plays during his rookie season. But in Week 1 of his sophomore campaign, he looked like the best quarterback in the NFL. Look at the flick of the wrist TD pass from the second-year quarterback to rookie wide receiver Marquise Brown.
In case you can’t see, it went for 83 yards.
So pretty.
Go ahead and watch that 83-yard TD from @lj_era8 to @Primetime_jet again.
The Ravens annihilated the Dolphins 59-10 as Jackson tied a franchise record with five touchdown passes while leading Baltimore to 42 points in the first half alone — another franchise record.
Christian McCaffrey Breaks Four Tackles on 22-yard Run
Christian McCaffrey had a number of highlight plays in the Panthers’ loss to the Rams. I mean heck, he had 128 rushing yards to go along with 84 receiving yards and two touchdowns. However, there was no bigger play the one where McCaffrey broke four tackles by Rams defenders on this 22-yard run.
.@run__cmc is straight BALLIN’ today
And I don’t mean to celebrate injuries, but this clip is meant to demonstrate just how strong the Panthers running back is. After running over Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle, the veteran defensive back’s face was filled with crimson red.
It happened on this play:
McCaffrey just TKO’d Eric Weddle with a flying knee
McCaffrey didn’t just TKO Weddle — he TKO’d an entire defensive unit.
Week 1 NFL Scores
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- Kansas City Chiefs 40 Jacksonville Jaguars 27
- Minnesota Vikings 28, Atlanta Falcons 12
- Tennessee Titans 43, Cleveland Browns 13
- Buffalo Bills 17, New York Jets 16
- Baltimore Ravens 59, Miami Dolphins 10
- Philadelphia Eagles 32, Washington Redskins 27
- Los Angeles Rams 30, Carolina Panthers 27
- Los Angeles Chargers 30, Indianapolis Colts 24 F/OT
- Seattle Seahawks 21, Cincinnati Bengals 20
- Dallas Cowboys 35, New York Giants 17
- San Francisco 49ers 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17
- Detroit Lions 27. Arizona Cardinals 27 F/OT
- New England Patriots 33, Pittsburgh Steelers 3
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NFL Week 1: Your Must-See Highlights from Sunday’s Games