Editor’s note: This is the Monday edition of the “Game Day with Kevin Modesti” newsletter. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.

Good morning. The lesson from the first Sunday of the NFL season was: If you aren’t getting better, you’re getting worse. That’s good for the Chargers, a worry for the Rams.

A pause here for the non-NFL sports news:

The Dodgers are the first team to clinch a playoff spot, and Bill Plunkett asks if they’ll repeat their 2013 pool party if they clinch the division title in Arizona.
The Angels got a Shohei Ohtani home run and, well, you know how the rest of these sentences go.
USC coach Lincoln Riley says defensive back Max Williams “embodies what we want.”
UCLA tries to enjoy its 2-0 start even if routing underdogs isn’t earning the Bruins any poll votes.
Cave Rock gave trainer Bob Baffert yet another Del Mar Futurity.
And Carlos Alcaraz, 19, of Spain was bound to win a Grand Slam event someday; someday was yesterday at the U.S. Open.

But the NFL stole the show, as usual.

The Chargers won Sunday afternoon, after the Rams lost Thursday night, and it all fit the trend in Week 1.

When a new season opens, it’s fun to watch the teams that got new coaches, quarterbacks or other key personnel, to see how they do. The answer so far: Very well indeed.

New Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, the Rams’ offensive coordinator the past two years, got the ball to Justin Jefferson for 158 receiving yards in the first half alone to beat the Packers. Bears coach Matt Eberflus, a former defensive assistant, won his debut by shutting down the 49ers. Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles showed his defensive prowess against the Cowboys in his first outing. The Giants’ Brian Daboll won by aggressively calling for a two-point conversion while trailing the Titans by one. The Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel grabbed control in a win over the Patriots by going for it on fourth down and 7 near midfield late in the first half and being rewarded with a touchdown.

Overall, teams with new coaches are 6-2 with one tie (and 6-3against the point spread) in Week 1 going into Nathaniel Hackett’s debut with the Broncos against the Seahawks tonight.

New quarterbacks didn’t do quite that well. But the Commanders’ Carson Wentz recovered from mistakes to lead a comeback win over the Jaguars, and the Colts’ Matt Ryan led a 17-point fourth-quarter comeback to save an overtime tie with the Texans.And Russell Wilson has a big chance to start his Broncos career with a win when he faces his former Seahawks teammates on Monday Night Football.

In total, teams with new quarterbacks are 3-3-1 so far but are a profitable 4-3 against the spread.

Put it together, and teams that made a change at either head coach or quarterback during the longest offseason in major pro sports are off to a 9-5-2 start (10-6 against the spread), while teams that didn’t are 5-9 (5-9).

Then there are teams that made other important additions, or got better in less tangible ways. Or showed the effects of standing pat, or suffered from crucial departures.

This brings us to the Chargers and Rams.

The Chargers beat the Raiders 24-19 yesterday at SoFi Stadium. Khalil Mack, the outside linebacker acquired from the Bears in a trade, had three sacks and a forced fumble to lead a new-look defense. Justin Herbert continued to get better, throwing three touchdown passes.

Even if they hadn’t made those defensive additions, the Chargers were going to be a team on the rise with Herbert starting his third season and coach Brandon Staley starting his second.

The Rams lost to the Bills 31-10 in the league’s Thursday-night opener at SoFi. In this case, a major offseason move had a glaring effect on both teams.

As a new Bill, outside linebacker Von Miller recorded two of the seven sacks of Matthew Stafford. As a former Ram, Miller’s absence was felt as the defense that had seven sacks against the Bengals in the Super Bowl had two against Buffalo.

It’s not that the Rams did anything wrong in the offseason – matching the Bills’ offer to Miller would have been foolish – just that they focused on subtler upgrades like linebacker Bobby Wagner, cornerback Troy Hill and wide receiver Allen Robinson.

Relax. It’s only Week 1.

On the other hand, it’s a Week 1 in which the Bucs, Chiefs, Bills, Eagles and Steelers were the only five winners among the 14 teams that made the NFL playoffs last season.

It’s hard to get better when you’re already on top.

Another way of stating the lesson: If you aren’t getting better, you’re in danger of getting passed by those who are.

TODAY

• Angels open a series at Cleveland (3:10 p.m., BSW) with a chance to play spoiler. Their next seven games are vs. the Guardians, atop a division race, and Mariners, wild-card contenders.

• Dodgers have Tyler Anderson pitching in Arizona (6:40 p.m., SNLA). A victory would put them in position to clinch the division title tomorrow with either a win or a Padres loss at Seattle.

NEXT QUESTION

Which team or player impressed you the most in the first week of the NFL season? Email responses to [email protected].

280 CHARACTERS

It’s only week 1, but Derek Carr has been Derek Carr ever since he’s been Derek Carr.

— Damian Calhoun (@DamianCalhoun) September 11, 2022

– Damian Calhoun (@DamianCalhoun) on the often-intercepted Raiders quarterback, who was picked off three times in yesterday’s loss to the Chargers.

1,000 WORDS

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow #13 reaches for a loose ball against the Los Angeles Chargers in the second half of a NFL football game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Sunday, September 11, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

TALK TO ME

Thanks for reading the newsletter, which is just beginning its second month in this format. Send suggestions, comments and questions by email at [email protected] and via Twitter @KevinModesti.

Editor’s note: Thanks for reading the “Game Day with Kevin Modesti” newsletter. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.

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