5 dumbest decisions NFL teams made in Week 1

The worst decision in Week 1 of the NFL slate was almost certainly made in the first game, when Drake Maye inexplicably launched the ball toward the end zone after driving the New England Patriots into comfortable position for a late game-tying field goal against the Seattle Seahawks.

Short of literally disrobing after breaking the huddle, Maye could not have made a stranger call than lofting an easily intercepted pass, handing the Pats a gut-punch loss to begin the season.

Fortunately for the New England quarterback, he had some company by the time Week 1 was over. Let's review four other baffling decisions.

Maybe cover the guy in the flat?

The Dallas Cowboys and their new-look defense experienced plenty of embarrassing moments in Sunday night's loss to the New York Giants. But there might not be a more humiliating sequence all season than the one that took place in the fourth quarter. New York, ahead by a touchdown, faced third-and-9. Jaxson Dart lobbed a flare to backup running back Devin Singletary in the left flat, and he went for 13 yards and a first down.

Fine. It happens.

But on the next set of downs, at second-and-12, Dart hit Singletary in the left flat again for 7 yards. On third down, he did the exact same thing, and this time Singletary turned it into a 9-yard gain and a back-breaking touchdown. Less than two minutes of clock time rendered the whole notion of an improved Dallas defense invalid.

Oh, my dear Watson

Deshaun Watson has not been good for more than five-plus NFL seasons. This is no secret: Anything you might use to evaluate quarterback play - the eye test, advanced stats, regular stats - returns the same result. He has been awful. For a while, though, it was understandable that the Cleveland Browns kept trying to salvage the tiniest scrap of something from the Worst Trade in NFL History and the Worst Contract in NFL History.

But that time has long since passed, especially since the Browns are finally almost out from under the $230-million contract they gave Watson.

And yet, there was Watson again Sunday, starting the season with an interception on his opening drive that sent the Jaguars on their way to a 31-0 lead. Watson and the Browns piled up some garbage-time numbers that made their final stats look marginally less disastrous in a 34-10 loss, but it's mystifying that he's playing ahead of the young QBs on Cleveland's roster, regardless of what you think about those options.

Why does new coach Todd Monken want to start his tenure with the Watson albatross hanging around his neck? Are Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel any better? Maybe not, but the key difference is that they still have potential upside. Also, their presence isn't a constant reminder of the decision that haunts the franchise. Are the Browns trying to lose? (Quite possibly.)

Diva time

Stefon Diggs remains a very capable NFL receiver.

He also remains incredibly foolish, as he proved yet again Sunday. As the Commanders mounted an unexpected late rally in Philadelphia, Diggs caught a touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels and then leapt onto the padding around the goalpost to celebrate. That was an automatic 15-yard penalty that prevented Washington from attempting a two-point conversion that could have tied the game.

In the end, the teams traded touchdowns, but Washington needed a two-point convert for the tie and couldn't get it. Game over.

Diggs is undeniably talented, but he is now on his fifth team, and none of the previous four seemed all that sorry to see him go. The Buffalo Bills, one of those former clubs, have been praising DJ Moore - the new franchise receiver - for being a team player who's just happy to contribute however he can.

Unlike, you know, the other guy.

The best ever?

This doesn't really count as a Week 1 decision, but Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh deserves a tip of the hat nonetheless. In a podcast released last week, he said Justin Herbert would be the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. His actual quote: "I predict he will be known as the greatest, best ever to play the position of quarterback."

That seems like a lot of pressure to heap on your quarterback, even one who has been in the league for a while. The 28-year-old responded by delivering a comprehensively mediocre performance as the Chargers, big favorites against the Arizona Cardinals, lost at home and killed a bunch of survivor pools in the process.

In six-plus seasons, Herbert has made the playoffs three times and won exactly zero postseason games. Only 35 wins to go (and seven rings) to catch Tom Brady!

Scott Stinson is a contributing writer for theScore.