Takeaways From the First Quarter of the NFL Season

It's hard to believe that the first quarter of the NFL season is almost over for the entire NFL. We have some surprises in the league and some expected things happen in the league so far. What has gone down so far in the NFL and what are the takeaways?

• The Saints Appear Fine Without Drew Brees: That doesn't mean the Saints are Super Bowl contenders without him. They still need his arm to compete for the Super Bowl. It just means that the Saints have a great deal of depth on their roster. Teddy Bridgewater has managed to suffice as a bearable option for the Saints, even with the offensive line's inconsistency. Michael Thomas and crew have proven to get the Saints by with just enough to be a formidable team until Brees returns from his thumb injury.
  
• The Surprise Squads: The Buffalo Bills (3-1, 280.8 total yards per game allowed, second fewest in the NFL) and San Francisco 49ers (3-0, 283.3 total yards per game allowed, third fewest in the NFL) are riding stout defenses to their hot starts. The Niners' front seven is wreaking havoc for opponents while the Bills are shutting opponents down through the air. San Francisco is also utilizing a ground attack that is producing results (175 rushing yards per game). Don't forget about the Lions, who hung around with the Chiefs and shut down Patrick Mahomes. Can these teams keep it up en route to playoff berths?
  
• Can Cleveland Recover? After a disastrous week one loss to Tennessee, the Browns are 2-2 and tied for first in the AFC North. Baker Mayfield and crew showed what their offense could do in a dominant 40-25 win at Baltimore this week. With Pittsburgh losing Ben Roethlisberger for the season, now's the opportunity for Cleveland to make its move. Cleveland does have a tough stretch coming up: they have games against San Francisco, Seattle, New England, and Buffalo coming up. Can the Browns live up to their preseason hype in the coming weeks?