Week 1 Review

Week 1 Review

The NFL season officially got underway last week, with hundreds of storylines swirling on and off the field of play. Out of the 32 teams in the league, I would say that at least 26 teams feasibly have chances to make the playoffs this year. There seems to be great parity this year more than any other, which should make for some great games and various upsets. Week One was full of excitement, and the games did not disappoint. There were multiple games decided in the final minute; some teams shined while others looked rusty; the replacement referees were ok, but they missed several minor calls that add up over the course of games; there were five rookie quarterbacks starting, and the return of an old veteran simply known as “18”. Nothing like football to kick off the fall.

Cowboys 24, Giants 17 - Dallas went on the road to open the season and picked up a huge win over a division rival against the defending champs. Romo looked fantastic as did wide out Kevin Ogletree, while the G-Men were stifled on offense. The Giants should get better, but this game was vital for the Cowboys, and they delivered. The biggest story of all was probably the new corners for Dallas, who played huge, and made the Dallas secondary vastly improved. They showed signs of life for the future this season, which they will need because they play a brutal early schedule.

Colts 21, Bears 41 - Indianapolis did not get too Lucky in Andrew’s first start in the NFL. He threw three interceptions but did throw for 300 yards and a touchdown. The main thing that I took away from this game was the supreme talent of the Chicago Bears. Cutler started out awful but got it together and threw for over 300 yards and hooked up with his stud wide out Brandon Marshall for 9 catches and a TD. They ran the ball very well, with both their backs. Matt Forte and Michael Bush were each productive which makes this offense multi-dimensional. The Chicago defense forced turnovers and played as they usual do. I have this team going to the NFC Championship Game and this was a good start for them.

Falcons 40, Chiefs 24 - This game was very competitive early and was a three point game at the half. But the Atlanta offense was too much and pulled away in the second half. Matt Ryan was spectacular, as was his star-in-the-making receiver Julio Jones. They lost Brent Grimes for the season which will hurt the defense, but the offense has a chance to be explosive. As for the Chiefs, I liked them before the season, and the offense played well in the first half, but the second half was ugly on both sides of the ball. They still have room for improvement.

Eagles 17, Browns 16 - Philly was lucky to make it out of this game. They should have lost. It took a Michael Vick touchdown with under 30 seconds left to get the Eagles a one point win, over a much inferior opponent, one play after Cleveland dropped what would have been the game-ending interception. Vick threw four interceptions and looked horrible, which is a bad sign when you have to line up against Baltimore in Week 2. The bottom line is they got the win and their defense looked really good, which they will need to rely on if the offense doesn’t get it together. As for the Browns...Brandon Weeden was even worse than Vick and Joe Haden will be suspended for four games. The lesson, as always, is...God hates Cleveland.

Redskins 40, Saints 32 - RGIII is the real deal. He was remarkable. They put up 40 points in Griffin’s first start, in the Superdome. Watch out for them. Enough said. The Saints did not look good, and even though they scored 32, Brees threw for under a 50% completion percentage. The defense looked horrible, and there weren’t many positives for New Orleans in this one. They have a tough test next week in Cam-land.

Rams 23, Lions 27 - Good for Jeff Fisher and the St. Louis Rams. I don’t know anyone who gave them a shot, and they were winning this game with 10 seconds left, on the road, against a playoff team last year. They look better than expected. As for the Lions, they showed why I did not pick them to make the playoffs again this year. They put everything into the passing game, and that’s all they have. When the quarterback throws 3 picks, then you might lose to an inferior opponent at home. Unless that QB is Stafford, who pulled a touchdown out of his ass to avoid a major upset.

Patriots 34, Titans 13 - Tennessee looked awful. Chris Johnson sucks. 4 yards for my fantasy team. Welker sucked for me too. 3 catches for 14 yards, get out of here. It’s no secret that this probably will be Welker’s last season in New England, but does that mean Belichick might limit his production this year? As for the rest of the offense for the Pats, they were clicking. Brady to the tight ends is unstoppable. The defense was improved too, with the rookie first-rounders making impacts and scoring a touchdown. The Titans looked bad, and I thought they could be good. Oy vey.

Jaguars 23, Vikings 26 - I will say one thing about Jacksonville: how the hell did they let this game slip away? I guess any time you have the chance to score the go-ahead touchdown with 20 seconds left and then go on to blow the game in overtime, you have to take it. I mean, it’s not like the Jaguars are going to suck and be scrapping for wins, are they? Oh wait, yes they will. And they blew an early chance for one on the road. As for Minnesota, Ponder looked decent, but the real story is the return of Adrian Peterson, who had two touchdowns. His playing will have a major impact on this club.

Bills 28, Jets 48 - Son of a bitch. I was all ready to proclaim the Jets as the worst offense of all time after that preseason, and they drop a 48 spot on us Week One. Great performance from the start. Three touchdowns for Sanchez, two going to the rookie Stephen Hill, a punt return touchdown, and three picks with one going in for a score as well. They played a great all-around game. We’ll see if they can repeat that in the Steel City. As for Buffalo...my, uh, wild card team...they looked like crap. Fitzpatrick looked uncomfortable, and the defense this team was supposed to have didn’t show up. Fred Jackson also hurt his leg and will be out for at least three weeks. At least CJ Spiller looked great, and will be a very good substitute in his place. This team does not look good, but still has an incredibly easy second half schedule, so if they can turn it around, then they can get hot late in the season and still possibly make the postseason.

Dolphins 10, Texans 30 - Miami: not a good start for Tannehill. Or for any aspect of the team. Houston: Great start. Schaub good, Foster great, Andre being Andre, ferocious D. Simple.

Seahawks 16, Cardinals 20 - Ahhhh, I wanted Seattle to win so bad! I am a Russell Wilson fan, and he won them the game, but Braylon Edwards couldn’t keep the game-winning touchdown in his hands. They didn’t look very good, but also didn’t stink up the joint either, and there’s definitely room for improvement. The Cardinals played ok, and it was a good sign that Kevin Kolb stepped in for the injured John Skelton and threw the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter. I just didn’t want them to win. Neither of these teams are playoff caliber, but one of them can possibly go over .500.

49ers 30, Packers 22 - This game wasn’t that close. San Francisco dominated. Their defense looked as fierce as ever, and even went into Lambeau and stifled the league’s best offense. They confused Aaron Rodgers and pressured him. This team is an absolute force and has to be the favorite in the NFC. The Packers, however, got exposed in my opinion. They’ve become like the Lions, in that they only rely on the passing game. They can be beaten. Green Bay will still make the playoffs due to an easy schedule, but I still think that Chicago will win the NFC North, and maybe on Thursday as well.

Panthers 10, Buccaneers 16 - Cam, what happened? Carolina did not look like a quality team in Week 1. They could have beaten Tampa Bay, who also didn’t play very well. However, this was a big win for the Bucs, who started off the Greg Schiano era with a win over a division rival. They are a possible surprise team in the NFC South.

Steelers 19, Broncos 31 - Welcome back, Peyton! He looked in midseason form even though he’s missed a year of time, and picked apart the NFL’s most vaunted defense. This team looked impressive, and is probably the team to beat in the AFC West. The Steelers meanwhile, showed some good signs and bad ones going forward. The defense was not great, and the offense was driven by Big Ben but didn’t put up too many points. This game was more about Denver, and 18 looked fantastic.

Bengals 13, Ravens 44 - I’m feeling really good about my Super Bowl pick today baby. They blew out Cincinnati and looked great in every aspect of the game. I can’t wait to watch Baltimore this year. Cincy struggled but they are still a young team and should grow more during the season. I’m not putting too much stock into this game for the Bengals. The Ravens, though, look like they can attack you for all kinds of angles.

Chargers 22, Raiders 14 - *Sigh*. Just when you think Oakland has lost in every way, the game comes when the backup long snapper comes in and does not get the job done, and it gave San Diego nine points. Oh, look at that! The Raiders only lost by eight. They find ways to lose, and I don’t think that will change this year. As for San Diego, they looked good but not special. They will have some strong performances, and rack up some wins, but at the end of the day, this is the Chargers we’re talking about, led by Norv Turner, and sooner or later they will take a nap and lose games inexplicably.

There’s my review of Week 1, and although there wasn’t anything too much out of the ordinary, there were some teams that impressed me and let me down (see the Bills-Jets game; you’ll know which one is which). Overall, it was a nice start to the season, but the tough match-ups are still yet to be seen. I can’t wait for Week 2!