Drew Dalman’s Week 1 flop confirmed the Falcons dodged a major bullet
During his time with the Atlanta Falcons, Drew Dalman quickly emerged as one of the NFL’s most productive centers. Dalman’s PFF grade ranked among the top five at the position in both 2023 and 2024, and his run blocking prowess helped Bijan Robinson ascend to superstardom.
But earlier this offseason, that would change as the 26-year-old lineman signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Chicago Bears. After allowing just four sacks across four seasons with the Dirty Birds, Dalman’s debut in navy and orange was a complete disaster.
In the fourth quarter, the Bears were leading the Minnesota Vikings 17-6. But JJ McCarthy and the Vikes rallied back and Chicago suffered a heartbreaking 27-24 loss on Monday Night Football. Fans were not happy with Caleb Williams’ performance to kick off the Ben Johnson era, and soon thereafter they began to sour on the Stanford product.
Drew Dalman had a rough night in his Bears' debut
The Bears made the California native the third-highest paid center in football—only behind Creed Humphrey and Cam Jurgens. Yet Dalman’s 60.4 PFF grade and 58.7 pass block grade in Week 1 painted an ugly picture. It reinforced one belief: he is still a project in pass protection.
Part of why Williams was running for his life all night is because aside from Darnell Wright, the offensive line struggled mightily. And the run game didn't fare any better as D’Andre Swift averaged just 3.1 yards per carry. It was far from an encouraging night in every area in the Windy City.
The Falcons’ run game struggled in Week 1, but several teams around the NFL struggled on the ground. Meanwhile, the Falcons replaced him with Ryan Neuzil, whose 57.7 PFF grade in Week 1 wasn’t far off Dalman’s—but while making $4.5 million per season, he’s costing Atlanta a fraction of the price.
The 2021 fourth-round pick was brought to Chi-Town to stabilize the interior of what was one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines in 2024. Javon Hargrave gave him a fit all night long, as one play saw him assist Joe Thuney in doubling Hargrave, which led to Ivan Pace Jr getting a free run at the 2024 No. 1 overall pick.
Drew Dalman is not having a good night. This is only a few of the misses. #DaBears #Bears pic.twitter.com/XpekbAwtw0
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) September 9, 2025
Luckily, Caleb escaped from the would-be sack, but Brian Flores’ stout defense gave Dalman a long night—and a Lions pass rush led by Aidan Hutchinson, DJ Reader, and first-round rookie Tyleik Williams could make for another long Sunday in Week 2.
None of this is to suggest Dalman won’t rebound. He’s just 26 years old with years of solid tape, and offensive linemen often need time to adjust to new systems. His career isn’t defined by this catastrophic Monday Night at Soldier Field. but his rocky debut only reinforced the fact that sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make.
Bo Nix Called ‘NFL’s Worst Quarterback’ Following Week 1 Broncos Win
Maybe Bo Nix is just a slow starter.
The Denver Broncos second year quarterback began 2025 with a performance to forget in a 20-12 home win over the lowly Tennessee Titans, turning the ball over 3 times and looking generally lost running his own offense.
Nix finished 25-of-40 passing for 176 yards, 2 interceptions and 1 lost fumble — bad enough that he was one of just a handful of quarterbacks to be given an “F’ grade from Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski in Week 1.
“Bo Nix turned into a pleasant surprise after being the sixth first-round quarterback selected in the 2024 NFL draft,” Sobleski wrote on September 9. “He was an ideal fit for Sean Payton’s offense and a mature prospect, which led to an easier transition compared to most. At the start of Year 2, though, Nix didn’t look nearly as comfortable and had to rely heavily on his defense to get the job done against a Tennessee Titans team not expected to do much this season. Three turnovers, while averaging 4.4 yards per attempt, won’t be enough against much better opponents.”
Luckily for the Broncos and Nix, “much better opponents” are still a few weeks away — the Broncos travel to face the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2.
Nix was one of just 3 quarterbacks out of 32 to receive an “F” grade in Week 1 alongside Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and New York Giants quarterback and former Bronco Russell Wilson — Nix was also the only one of the 3 to walk away with a win.
Reminiscent of Nix’s Week 4 Rookie Performance
While not sinking to the same depths, Nix’s Week 1 performance in 2025 harkened back to his Week 4 performance as a rookie in 2024 in a 10-9 win over the New York Jets.
That game, Nix went 12-of-25 passing for 60 yards, 1 touchdown and no interceptions as the Broncos went 3-of-14 on third downs. It was Nix’s first career touchdown pass.
“… Courtland Sutton caught three passes for 60 yards,” Sports Illustrated’s Ryan Phillips wrote after the game. “That means that Nix’s nine completions to six other receivers combined to total zero yards. Remarkable. Nix started the game 7-of-15 for -7 yards. So he averaged -1 yards on his first seven completions. Nix did run the ball five times but only gained three yards. That’s 0.6 yards per carry. Overall, he had 63 total yards on 28 touches, which is 2.3 yards per play. Yikes.”
Broncos Snapped 9-Year Playoff Drought in 2024
The Broncos and Nix ended their 9-year playoff drought in 2024 and bring back arguably the NFL’s best defense in 2025 as they try to make the postseason in consecutive years.
Nix started all 17 games as a rookie and finished third in NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting behind Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers.
Nix was the last of a record-tying 6 quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft at No. 12 overall — Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams went No. 1 overall, Daniels at No. 2, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye at No. 3, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 and Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 overall.
All 6 quarterbacks started Week 1 of the 2025 season as their team’s starter. Only McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus, failed to start a game in 2024.
