Biggest NFL Football Follies of Week 1

Though Randy Moss has kept them somewhat alive with his recent addition of the “C’mon Man!” segment to ESPN’s NFL coverage, NFL football follies in the modern age are not what they used to be compared to the 1970s and 1980s, when they used to be one of the most celebrated bits of content produced by NFL Films each year.

Sports can be pretty serious; everyone is very competitive and passionate about their side. But, at the end of the day, we have to remember that it’s just a game, and when we do that, we’re able to find the comedy and humor in what we’re watching.

That’s exactly what we intend to do here, in our wrap of the funniest football follies from each week of NFL football during the 2024 season. So, without further ado, here are our nominees for Week 1, in no particular order.

Will Levis Throws Perhaps the Worst INT Ever

The QB’s instant reaction to the play was absolutely priceless

With just under eight minutes left and his Tennessee Titans up by one point on a Chicago Bears team that was unable to score a touchdown all day and had gained just 39 total yards on their four preceding second-half drives, second-year QB Will Levis simply lost his mind.

There’s no other way to explain what was going through his head when he attempted to keep a drive alive on a 3rd and 6 play by tossing the ball overhand toward the sideline and line of scrimmage as he was getting sacked.

Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson probably couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the ball coming his way. In fact, he probably even smirked. But, he didn’t let that stop him from making the play and sprinting on into the end zone to take the lead for Chicago, their first of the day, 24-17.

Levis’ unthinkable mistake might have just been sad, but the way he reacted after throwing it—dropping to his knees and putting his hands on his head like he just lost the Battle of Hastings as the rest of the players on the field chased Stevenson to pay dirt—made it one of the funniest moments in recent NFL memory.

Tom Brady Has A Player Name Brain Fart In His Debut

The GOAT has a lot of work to do in the booth

Starting a new job is always tough, but it gets exponentially dicey when you’re learning on the job while calling America’s Game of the Week on Fox for millions of football-starved fans. That’s what Tom Brady had to do on Sunday for the Cleveland Browns vs. Dallas Cowboys matchup.

While he did find a bit of a groove as the game went on, he started out pretty rough, offering up self-evident Booger McFarland-esque analysis and platitudes after every play.

Without a doubt his funniest—or, if you’re Brady or one of his fans, his most cringe-worthy—moment came after a throw to All-Pro WR CeeDee Lamb, who was being covered by another All-Pro in CB Denzel Ward. In a perfect microcosm of his nervousness, he referred to the pair as “CeeDee Ward” and “Denzel Lamb”. You can only go up from here, Tom… at least, we hope.

Bryce Young Doesn’t Know Which Team He’s On

The embattled QB threw a pick on his first throw and got tackled by his own teammate

Bryce Young had one of the roughest rookie years of a QB picked No. 1 overall in a long while (though his 2023 debut was a lot better than the 2024 No. 1 pick’s was). However, after a busy offseason and major changes at the top for the Carolina Panthers, many believed he would take a big step forward in Year 2.

Even with new head coach Dave Canales guiding him, Young didn’t look much better in his 2024 debut, completing a pass to the wrong team on his very first toss of the season.

Not to be outdone, on the very next drive, Young surveyed the field and didn’t find anyone open, so he tucked it and began to run. Unfortunately, his new-look offensive line was not on the same page. As Young cut hard to the left, he took one of his tackles, Taylor Moton, by surprise, running smack-dab into the 325-pounder, who tried in vain to keep his diminutive QB on his feet.

Those were the two most notable flubs from the embattled Young in Week 1, but in a 47-10 loss to a division rival, there’s a lot more to laugh about at the Panthers’ expense if you’ve got the time for a full re-watch. David Tepper’s Panthers might be truly cursed.

Cowboys Thwart Their Own Record Field Goal

Brandon Aubrey won’t be forgiving the team for this one very soon

The Dallas Cowboys‘ 2024 offseason was chock-full of laughable occurrences (allowing their top QB and WR to leverage them into massive deals, signing Ezekiel Elliott to be their RB1, etc.), but they saved the best for their dominant Week 1 win over the hapless Cleveland Browns.

With four seconds left in the first half and Dallas up 20-3, the Cowboys lined up All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey for a 66-yarder that would have tied the NFL record.

The snap was good, the hold was good, and… as Aubrey’s boot sailed through the uprights, the commentators informed the viewing public that Dallas had taken a delay of game penalty and the kick would not count. If I’m Aubrey, I’m finding Mike McCarthy in the locker room after the game—and not to discuss how the ol’ family’s doing.

Dallas actually lined up again for a 71-yarder after the penalty, but they didn’t actually attempt the kick, instead simply running out the rest of the clock.

While most will remember this as the day Dak Prescott signed the first ever $60+ million a year contract in the NFL or the day Tom Brady made his broadcasting debut, Aubrey will always remember it as the day McCarthy screwed him out of the NFL record books. For shame, Mr. McCarthy!

Chris Collingsworth is At it Again With the Telestrator

After listening to Tom Brady struggle through three hours of chuckle-inducing commentary (and not in a good way), hearing veteran Chris Collingsworth calling SNF was actually a treat, despite his repetitive and familiar Collingsworth-isms.

However, it wasn’t his classic “Here’s a guy” comments that were the most notable or even funniest from his first job of the season during the season opener last Thursday.

We won’t get too graphic here, but needless to say, Collingsworth breaking down a Ravens play-action pass with the on-screen telestrator went from G-rated to NC-17 real quick. If Collingsworth had been commentating the situation, he probably would have said (of himself): “Here’s a guy who’s got his mind in the gutter during the season opener.”

Tyreek Hill Clowns Cops

The All-Pro got the last laugh on the field with a handcuff TD celebration

Before we got any action on the first Sunday of the 2024 NFL season, we got some disappointing video and news regarding Miami Dolphins All-Pro wideout Tyreek Hill, who was stopped, shoved to the ground, and violently cuffed by a group of self-important Miami-Dade cops on his way to his team’s season opening matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Thankfully, the Miami-Dade police department shared the body cam footage from the incident, which confirmed most of the public’s worst suspicions.

Not only were the officers unnecessarily violent with Hill, their demeanor and tone suggested a group of people who felt they were above the person they were dealing with (Hill) and had the right to abuse him in any way they saw fit in that high-pressure moment.

There were a few officers in particular who were especially aggressive and prickly during the incident, which also included several of them accosting fellow Dolphin Jonnu Smith, who had pulled up ahead of Hill, parked his car in the right lane, and put his hazards on while keeping an eye on Hill’s situation. The cops were arguably more aggressive with Smith (another black man) than Hill.

Nothing that happened to Hill and Smith is funny in any way shape or form. Of course it isn’t…

BUT.

The fact that, later that day, after Hill snagged an 80-yard touchdown grab during his team’s win, he celebrated by having teammate Jaylen Waddle pretend to handcuff him was beyond perfect.

Not to mention that one of those cocky cops has been put on administrative leave, with Hill, who has many powerful lawyers at his disposal, considering whether to pursue litigation.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.