Some players made big plays. Others lost their teams the game. Some teams dominated their opponent. Others fell flat while a few games went down to the wire. In short: It was the first week of the NFL season. Unlike most Week 1's, there weren't any ridiculous upsets. But there were a lot answered questions, and lots of questions that still need to be answered. All of which will tell us a lot about what to expect this season. Without further ado, lets talk football.
Eagles dominate the Panthers, McNabb breaks a rib
The goal of the offense of every football team is to have no turnovers, play mistake free football, and execute the offense to perfection. Unfortunately for the Panthers, Jake Delhomme seemed to not get this memo. He threw four…count 'em four interceptions. He didn't even play the last 22 minutes of the game because head coach John Fox decided to bench him in favor of two backups who did not fare any better; Josh McCown (1-6, 2 yards) and Matt Moore (6-11, 63 yards, INT).
After opening the game with a DeAngelo Williams rushing TD, the Panthers were only able to get into Philly territory three more times the rest of the game. A lone third quarter field goal was the only other points Carolina was able to put up. They only rushed for 86 yards and fumbled the ball twice, making their total turnovers for the game a whopping 7. Pathetic.
Philly on the other hand played some very good football. They held the Panthers to only 169 total yards and forced those 7 turnovers. Their turnover margin stood at an outstanding plus 5 after committing an INT and a fumble of their own. If the Eagles can keep forcing turnovers while limiting their own, you can expect a Superbowl run. The Eagles offense was also rather productive. They totaled 267 yards, including a whopping 185 rushing yards. McNabb threw for two touchdowns and ran in for another (more on that later). The rushing game for Philly was surprisingly balanced. Westbrook led the team with 13 carries, but rookie Lesean "Shady" McCoy was a close second with 9. This kind of balance could serve Westbrook well in keeping fresh and hopefully minimize any chance of injury, while helping McCoy slowly get used to being a key part of the offense. Desean Jackson also showed why he's so dangerous in special teams with an 85-yard punt return. Philly won the game in dominating fashion 38-10. An impressive victory over a top NFC team.
Now for McNabb. Late in the 3rd quarter, he ran into the end zone for a score, but took a big hit. He immediately left as Kevin Kolb played the last 4 series of the game. Early reports are that McNabb fractured a rib and that they'll evaluate his status later in the week. Though Andy Reid says that McNabb is resilient and heals quickly, a broken rib is an injury that would cause him quite a bit of pain, and could even cause him to split playing time at quarterback. That's almost irrelevant for next weeks game, but could be very interesting for week 3, when Mike Vick will be allowed to play. If McNabb is still hurting, that could be Vick's chance to get in a football game and show the world what he can do. It’s still very early, but definitely something worth watching.
Bufallo Bills at New England Patriots
No one likes Mondays. But games like this one help ease the pain. Despite being 10.5-point underdogs, the Buffalo Bills came into Foxboro and made the game VERY interesting. They took the opening kickoff and marched down the field to the tune of a 6 play-68 yard drive that was capped of by a 11 yard touchdown pass by Trent Edwards. Edwards was responsible for 50 of the 68 yards on the drive.
After the Pats put points on the board for themselves, the Bills scored in the most improbable of ways. On the first play of the Patriots second drive of the second quarter, Tom Brady threw an interception to defensive end Aaron Schobel who ran it in 26 yards for the score. On the play, two things happened that are very uncharacteristic of the Patriots. 1) The offensive line broke down, allowing three Bills defenders into the vicinity of quarterback Tom Brady. 2) After the Bills had penetrated the backfield, Tom Brady made a rare bad decision and threw a pick. Now, I'm not saying that the offensive line for the New England Patriots is a problem (they're usually one of the best in the league) and I'm not saying that Tom Brady is rusty (though he very well could be), but the Buffalo defense didn't really look that impressive throughout the preseason. But they did very well at containing a Patriot offense that has torched them for A LOT of points in the past.
In the fourth quarter, Bills running back Fred Jackson was on the receiving end of another Edwards TD pass and ran in for a score as the Bills took the lead late in the game 24-13. It seemed like all of Foxboro was in awe. With less than 6 minutes left in the game, their beloved Patriots (who many expect to go to/win the Superbowl) were losing to the Buffalo Bills. A team that hasn't been to the playoffs since 1999 (Back when our president was Clinton. Put that into perspective).
Then the inevitable occurred. Tom Brady took over. With less than six minutes left in the football game, Tom Brady marched the Pats down the field, going 9 for 11 and 81 yards, including a TD pass to tight end Ben Watson. After failing on a two-point conversion, the Pats were faced with a decision. Trust your defense and go with a regular kick deep or risk it all and go for the onside kick? Its decisions like these that decide games. Head coach Bill Bellichick, always trusting in his players in thee spots, opted for the first option and it paid off dividends. On the kickoff, Buffalo set up in an onside kick formation, leaving only Leodis Mckelvin back to receive. After the Pats kicked it deep, Mckelvin took the ball out of the endzone (mistake number one) and ran into a pack of Patriot defenders. Once they had him wrapped up, Mckelvin tried to fight for a few extra yards (mistake number two) and had the ball stripped from him. The ball was recovered by the Pats at the Buffalo 31 yard line and that essentially was the game. You can't give Tom Brady the ball with 2 minutes left in a close game and still expect to win. It only took 3 plays for Brady to find Ben Watson once again in the end zone for the game winning score.
So this game ended in the way we all thought it would, a Patriots win. It was a much closer game than anyone could've imagined despite Terrell Owens being a non factor and Marshawn Lynch's suspension. Trent Edwards played an excellent, mistake free game. Fred Jackson (starting for the aforementioned Lynch) ran surprisingly well. When Lynch returns, this team can win some games (and perhaps step above .500 for the first time since 2004). If TO starts performing like the hall of famer that he is, then this team could sneak into the wildcard picture.
Washington Redskins at New York Giants
What if I told you that minus a 34-yard run from running back Clinton Portis, the Washington Redskins would only rush for 51 yards. How do you think the game would end? A blowout Giants victory? A shutout due to lack of Redskin offensive production? Probably. And you would be wrong. Despite a virtually non existent rushing attack in a hostile Meadowlands environment the Redskins used a fake field goal and an interception deep in Giants territory and to keep this game close. If it wasn't for a fumble by quarterback Jason Campbell (which was forced, recovered, and scored by Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora), the Skins could've pulled out a victory. The defense played solid against the run as they limited this very talented Giants backfield to only 103 yards. This team still has potential to make some noise if their defense remains stout and they are able to get the running game going on offense.
The Giants on the other hand looked like legit contenders. Eli Manning looked poised and under control as he would go 20 for 29 with a TD and an INT. As previously mentioned, the running game never got off the ground and that’s something that they will need in order to compete in the NFC. The defense played well forcing two turnovers while holding Washington under 300 total yards. Defense wins championships, and this Giants defense is of the caliber to produce another championship season.
Quickies
Adrian Peterson-Minnesota
You can't say enough about how good this guy is. He is CLEARLY, the best running back in the league. 180 yards and 3 scores is the second most impressive stat sheet from week 1. A healthy Peterson makes the Vikings a real Superbowl contender.
Drew Brees-New Orleans
When you see 6 touchdowns in a box score, you pause for a moment. You need to do a double take to make sure you read it correctly. Brees hit 8 different receivers for completions and 5 different guys for TD passes. Wow. Though the numbers will continue to be impressive, don't get your hopes up about the Saints. Remember, Brees did this to a very poor Detroit Lions secondary.
Sproles/LT- San Diego
The Chargers look like they've already begun to faze LT out of this offense. LT had 13 carries to Sproles’ 9. With seconds left in the 4th quarter it was Sproles, not LT that the Chargers trusted to run in the game winning TD. By the end of the season LT's dominance of years past will be a distant memory and the Darren Sproles era in San Diego will begin.
Raiders
Despite the loss, the Raiders should be optimistic for the season to come. Their defense and more specifically the secondary looked much improved. The addition of defensive end Richard Seymour was great and paid off immediately as he went on to sack quarterback Philip Rivers twice. Jemarcus Russell showed some heart by returning to the game after suffering a minor injury and threw what was almost the game winning TD pass to rookie wide receiver Louis Murphy. Against the Chiefs, Broncos, Bengals, and Browns, they should have a solid chance at winning some games this year.
49ers
Looks like Samurai Mike Singletary really does know how to coach. The defense looks significantly improved as they hit Kurt Warner 8 times, sacking him 3 and picking him off twice. All of that equaled a road win against last years NFC champions, the Arizona Cardinals. Impressive Mike, impressive. As long as Shaun Hill doesn't lose the team any games, these guys should be able to succeed in a weak NFC west.
-D. Wash.
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