Welcome to my first NFL column. For this one, every Tuesday morning, I and several friends will be running down each game, what we learned, and what we thought. Home team will be in all caps here, and the score will be presented, along with anything else we find interesting and/or relevant.
GREEN BAY PACKERS – 42, New Orleans Saints – 34
Glazer: Right off the bat, let’s get out of the way that I’m a Packer fan. The Packers looked insanely talented, Aaron Rodgers looked unstoppable, and the offense looked better than ever, but this is a team that cannot play with a lead. They immediately go conservative. As the second or third youngest team in the NFL, they should absolutely get better than they were least year, which is frightening for a team that won the Superbowl. If Cobb remains a weapon on returns though, watch out. New Orleans is a remarkably similar team to Green Bay. It’s amazing how impressive Ingram was immediately, and how ineffective their blitzing was, though a lot of that was likely due to Rodgers mobility.
Daniels: Either Aaron Rodgers was not a fluke, the Saints secondary is wildly terrible, or some combination of both. The Saints also don’t appear to miss Reggie Bush at all.
Rhett Davis: On Saints/Packs game. Saints have a formidable offense, but their defense is the only thing holding them back. Although their lack of defense may have had more to do with the Packers offense just being phenomenal and really meshing well. The Saints were just overmatched.
Kyle Sparks: Well, I really want to start by saying that the first week has proved to me that the NFL’s shortened offseason is clearly affecting defenses FAR more than offenses. Looking at the number of 300 plus (and even 400 and 500 yard plus) passers shows that. So that makes it a little tough to really glean too much from Week 1. But that said, the Packers and Saints both look tremendous coming out of the NFC. It may all depend on whose defense shows up first. But the Green Bay front seven showed up for a big stop when it counted, so the team has to feel good about that.
CHICAGO BEARS – 30, Atlanta Falcons – 12
Glazer: Crap, weren’t the Bears supposed to get worse thanks to special teams de-emphasis and defense being weaker because of the lockout practice time? Everyone picked against the Bears and the “no one believes in us” idea is really scary, especially for a defensive team. Cutler is just good enough to cost his team big games, but still, that’s pretty good (right Brett Favre fans?). I’m not ready to take too much from the Falcons getting killed, as they’re young, but, well, this sure doesn’t seem like a team that can beat the Saints. If the Bears drop 30 on ‘em, what will New Orleans do?
Daniels: For a team that doesn’t make much in the line of flashy moves, the Bears shut down a potent offense. Did the Bears finally address a terrible offensive line and lack of targets? Stay tuned.
Rhett Davis: Falcons are a team to watch this year, but the Bears seemed to have something to prove in their home field. The Bears’ quarterback, Jay Cutler, appeared to have something to prove with his two scores.
Kyle Sparks: Jay Cutler was surprisingly reserved and kept most of his gunslinger tendencies in check and the Bears offense looked adequate for it. The D delivered for them with several turnovers, but Atlanta has to be very concerned after mortgaging a lot of real estate on the pick of Julio Jones in this past draft. In acquiring him, they likely accelerated how quickly their window would shut. They’ll be interesting to watch going forward, because Ryan still threw for over 300 on the Bears D.
Cincinnati Bengals – 27, CLEVELAND BROWNS – 17
Glazer: This felt an awful lot like a fluke. Gradowski didn’t even throw for 100 yards, and while Cedric Benson looked great teams will key in on him and, well, that will be that. The defense looked good more or less, but, well, I’d be shocked if this were more Bengals rising than Browns being worse than we thought. I really feel bad for the Browns and would like them to be good one of these years… but…
Daniels: Never pick the Browns to cover a touchdown as part of a 4-team parlay even if there is no Earthly reason they shouldn’t cover a touchdown. (Glazer note: Yeah, but that).
Rhett Davis: Both of these teams needed a stellar opening match, but it just didn’t happen. The Browns looked very sloppy and the Bengals didn’t impress much either. The only real player who looked decent was the Bengals’ RB Cedric Benson who ran for 121 yards and a TD.
Kyle Sparks: Colt McCoy showed some promise for Cleveland moving forward, but about the only noticeable thing about this game is how many people’s suicide pools ended early because of it. Andy Dalton, meanwhile, got dinged up and Bruce Gradkowski quietly proved once again that he’s a pretty solid quarterback in his own right.
Buffalo Bills – 41, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS – 7
Glazer: What in the hell was that? KC has a huge home field and the Bills straight handled them. I mean, this kind of has to be a fluke, and if not the Bills are cursed with the Jets, Patriots and Dolphins, but, really, what the hell? This is just a demoralizing loss and it’s hard to see KC pulling themselves back with Cassell banged up and their dop defensive player, Eric Berry, gone for the year.
Daniels: The idea of the Bills managing second place in the AFC East and grabbing a wildcard may not be as crazy as people think.
Rhett Davis: Who could’ve predicted that the Bills of all teams would stomp KC in their home (being one of the most challenging Visiting stadiums to do so in)? All that aside, the Bills’ QB had a fantastic game earning over 200 yards passing and 4 TDs. It also was the most devestating loss for the Chiefs at home on their opening game in 35 years.
Kyle Sparks: Is Buffalo that good? Is Kansas City that bad? Or did Kansas City forget that the regular season started? Buffalo really controlled the game with an efficient pass game, a solid run game and minimizing mistakes. Kansas City has the talent to bounce back and Buffalo won’t sneak up on people anymore now.
Philadelphia Eagles – 31, ST LOUIS RAMS – 13
Glazer: I feel bad for Bradford going up against that secondary. The Eagles stomped a young team, like they should. Vick looked amazing, as did the defense, but, really, this is exactly what we expected. Next week will tell us much more of both teams.
Daniels: The Rams are fragile. Still not really able to say the Eagles are as good as advertised but if they do the same against Atlanta next week we might be able to.
Rhett Davis: The Eagles are one of the top teams in the NFC if not the top team. The Rams have potential, but the Eagles were just too much to overcome. The Eagles executed well on third down and moved the ball fluently. The Rams had several dropped passes in key points in order to keep them in the game.
Kyle Sparks: It wasn’t exactly a Dream Team(tm) performance, but Philly got the job done and beat a team that should contend for the NFC West crown. Despite all the praise, Vick really wasn’t very good throwing the ball, and it would appear that his legs and those of LeSean McCoy could be what carries the Eagles. The Philly D played solidly, if unspectacularly, and the Rams looked not that much different from last year. They should contend in the West, but if they make the playoffs, look for them to be one-and-done.
Detroit Lions – 27, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS – 20
Glazer: Eep – looks like the Pack have the toughest division in football. Stafford looks absolutely incredible, and with those receivers, well, even if he isn’t, he’ll sure seem great. Their defense has been long under-rated. The Buccs weren’t as bad as they looked, but really need more from their running game. I think they take a step backwards this year to go forward next.
Daniels: Detroit getting points in this game made no sense. They’re probably the 2nd best team in the North on paper and the fantasy football strategy of “start whomever is throwing to Calvin Johnson” remains valid this season.
Rhett Davis: Both teams here are very young, but the Detroit Lions looked promising with their win over the Buccaneers. The Lions’ QB Matt Stafford had 3 TDs and threw for over 300 yards. He had only one tipped interception. The Buccaneers’ QB Josh Freeman also had a big day leading his team in rushing and passing yards with 26 and 259 respectively.
Kyle Sparks: Living in Michigan, let me tell you, a lot of people are very excited about the Detroit Lions right now. Stafford recovered nicely from the early pick-six and managed to not get hurt, and the Lions were able to fight off mistakes and sluggish play down the stretch to put down a solid Tampa Bay club on the road. The Bucs looked a little rough and couldn’t get the run game going, but few people likely will on that Detroit front-four. They should rebound well going forward, but the South will be a dogfight.
Tennessee Titans – 14, JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS – 16
Glazer: Well, the score was accurate. I see no difference really between the outlooks for these below par, but not actively bad teams. Hasslebeck looked good in the new system but Jones-Drew was the best player on the field, so here we are.
Daniels: Sometimes when someone tells you they don’t need David Garrard, you should probably listen.
Rhett Davis: In a low-scoring game, the Jaguars narrowly beat the Titans who came on strong in the end. Despite his latest injury, Maurice Jones-Drew still was a factor as he rand in a TD and rushed for 97 yards. The Titans appeared to be coming back in the end, but a late interception sealed their fate.
Kyle Sparks: Ugh. If Peyton will be out for awhile, all this game proved to me is that the AFC South is Houston’s to lose. Neither team was able to generate much of anything. Tennessee had no running game with Johnson having held out, and Hasselbeck was “just okay.”
Pittsburg Steelers – 7, BALTIMORE RAVENS – 35
Glazer: Well, this was a beating, but in no way will the Steelers regularly, or really, ever again, be turning it over 7 times and forcing none. In fact, unless they all got really far during the lockout, I expect this to piss off one of the most talented teams in football and for them to go on a tear. The Ravens, along with the Bears, had the most impressive defense, but I still expect them to be less than they were last year. I secretly kind of hope the Steelers collapse, just to see their NATION fans faces.
Daniels: Every team has one or two disaster games per season… it just doesn’t usually happen in week one. Usually, we can write off seven turnover weeks as a fluke. We don’t really know anything yet.
Rhett Davis: A shocking final score as the Steelers couldn’t seem to keep it together. The Baltimore Ravens played awesome as Joe Flacco ended his loss record to Big Ben by throwing three TDs and also having Ray Rice running one in. The Ravens defense is back to it’s top tier level by holding the AFC champs to a mere 7 points.
Kyle Sparks: Wow. Talk about a hangover. Baltimore isn’t a slouch by any stretch of the imagination, but Pittsburgh just looked awful. Either that or Baltimore really looked that good. It’s really hard to tell, honestly. Both teams are generally so evenly matched that it’s hard for this not to feel like a bit of an anomaly for both teams.
Indianapolis Colts – 7, HOUSTON TEXANS – 34
Glazer: So, yes, Peyton Manning is one of the best players in football, you know, like… ever. The Colts looked atrocious and will have an ugly, bad year. More interestingly, though, since we knew that, is that the Texans seem set for a really good offense. I can’t believe I typed that, but Schaub is underrated. This is the playoff team from that division and why I wasn’t concerned with the Jaguars-Titans game.
Daniels: While the Colts surely miss Peyton Manning, he doesn’t play defense.
Rhett Davis: If the Colts didn’t show it, then no one will. Never revolve you entire program around one player. Without Peyton Manning, the Colts looked horrendous. The Texans could have easily had a much higher score and the Colts were lucky to get the one TD they did. Despite not having their star running back Arian Foster, Ben Tate stepped up and rushed for 116 yards as well as a TD for the Texans.
Kyle Sparks: Well, we’ve said it for years, and we finally have proof. Indianapolis is a one player team. The team has consistently failed to cultivate a long term replacement to Peyton Manning, and this proves the necessity of it. Still, there’s hope: the high powered Houston offense only managed 384 total yards and turned the ball over 3 times. Indy’s D will have to step up BIG down the stretch for this team to have a shot.
Carolina Panthers – 21, ARIZONA CARDINALS – 28
Glazer: So, Cam Newton looked awesome. The Cards have no defense, but that was still pretty freaking absurd. If he isn’t at least good, I’ll be shocked. I was also impressed that he stayed focus and seems like he’ll really worked to improve. The Cards, who everyone forgot, are going to win that division if Kolb is healthy. He was impressive and there’s a reason he was so highly thought of coming into last season.
Daniels: Cam Newton won’t be available in fantasy leagues after Wednesday. The Cardinals should have won this game, so we only know they can win games they should.
Rhett Davis: Despite losing to the Arizona Cardinals, the Panthers looked great with Cam Newton shocking many by breaking tons of records by throwing for 422 yards and 2 TDs on his first game. Although he broke the record for most points in a rookie’s NFL opener, the Cardinals still won with Kevin Kolb throwing 2 TDs and throwing for over 300 yards.
Kyle Sparks: Cam Newton, Cam Newton, Cam Newton. Newton looked good, but to be fair, Arizona’s secondary has given up a lot of games like that in the past. Carolina is in a very tough division and will need time. Arizona, meanwhile, has some things to be excited about on offense, as the West is pretty wide open.
Minnesota Vikings – 17, SAN DIEGO CHARGERS – 24
Glazer: Oh, thank god. I was, and kind of remain, terrified of Minnesota. If Donovan McNabb, one of the best of his generation, has anything left, he and Adrian Peterson can carry an offense. The defense is good, holding SD to 24 in warm weather, so the offense just has to do its part. Thankfully, they didn’t and I couldn’t be rooting against them harder after the Favre debacle. In what seems a down year for the AFC outside of the East, I wouldn’t be shocked, at all to see SD with the best record in the conference. Playing warm all playoffs, could they be in the Super Bowl? It’s not like Rivers isn’t amazing.
Daniels: A run-first offense should probably include slightly more than 39 yards passing as the Vikings QB Retirement Home rolls on.
Rhett Davis: Adrian Peterson may have signed a contract worthy of up to $100 Million, but he sure didn’t show much in the loss this week to the Chargers. The Fullback for the Chargers, Mike Tolbert, would actually score all three of the Chargers’ TDs. Donovan McNabb didn’t do much to inspire confidence in his opening match.
Kyle Sparks: Well, at least San Diego isn’t starting slow this year. However, the Chargers heavily controlled the ball and the clock and still struggled to put away the Vikings who, outside of Harvin’s early TD, really didn’t look like anything special. The North appears to be up to the Bears and Packers, with the Lions as a dark horse/wild card candidate.
Seattle Seahawks – 17, SAN FRANSCISCO 49ERS – 33
Glazer: Again, sometimes you already know. The Seahawks are terrible on the road and Tavaris Jackson is among the worst of his generation. The 49ers have a decent defense and, well, 3 turnovers will lead to a good amount of scoring. The Seahawks aren’t terrible, but Jackson takes them out of contention, and, well, the Niners will look great and atrocious for entirely mysterious reasons.
Daniels: 7-9 might still be enough to win this division.
Rhett Davis: Neither team looked very good in this game. The game was very close until a saving grace came in the form of Ted Ginn Jr. for the 49ers. With a Kickoff and then a Punt return for two TDs, he instantly became the MVP of the game. Both offenses just had a mediocre day.
Kyle Sparks: This was one of those “closer than the score would indicate” games, as Ted Ginn simply took it over down the stretch with back to back return TDs. Alex Smith was in Full-Dilfer mode, simply managing the game and he had the 49ers in good position. Meanwhile, one has to think that Charlie Whitehurst could be getting a look sooner than later in Seattle.
New York Giants – 14, WASHINGTON REDSKINS – 28
Glazer: When your entire defense gets hurt before the first game of the year, this will happen. The Redskins remain terrible and Rex Grossman will be unlikely to throw for 300 yards again, but, well, they’re safely out of the basement this year. The poor Giants have to be favorites in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.
Daniels: A fifth string secondary and a second string defensive line is no way to go through life, son. If the defense is making Rex Grossman look good, it’s going to be a long season.
Rhett Davis: Redskins quietly went over the Giants thanks mostly to Rex Grossman of all people. The former Bears’ QB had a lot of prove in this game and he did just that. Rex threw for 305 yards scoring 2 TD’s. He may have saved his job for one more week at least. The Giants scored two touchdowns and both of them were rushing TD’s.
Kyle Sparks: Well, the Redskins got “Good Rex” in game 1. How long Good Rex will stay around remains to be seen though. The Giants meanwhile are hard to truly judge until they get to a place even remotely resembling healthy. Nevertheless, the Skins are 1-0 and the Giants are 0-1. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.
Dallas Cowboys – 24, NEW YORK JETS – 27
Glazer: The Cowboys are one of those teams that just find a way to lose games. They looked good enough in defeat to a Super Bowl contender that they should still get a wildcard, but that’s mostly due to a weak division. The Jets were a tale of two teams. Mark Sanchez is terrible and continues to sabotage his team, but Revis is amazing and, for my money, as painful as this is to say given Charles Woodson’s existence, the best player on any secondary in the NFL. The Cowboys will, however, be sabotaged the same way Sanchez will the Jets.
Daniels: Like last year, the Jets are being presented early games on a platter. All we really learned is that the LeBron James Memorial Fourth Quarter Choke-Off, the Jets choked slightly less.
Rhett Davis: The 9/11 Memorial game didn’t disappoint as it went right down to the wire. The Jets would win on a last minute field goal after intercepting Tony Romo’s ball. Romo would throw for 342 yards scoring 2 TD’s. Mark Sanchez would also have a big day throwing for 335 yards scoring 2 TD’s.
Kyle Sparks: It must be NFL season, because there’s Tony Romo screwing up at the worst possible moment. The Cowboys were about to go up by 2 scores, when a fumble gave the Jets new life and led to a comeback that left Cowboy fans pulling their hair out again. Both teams have the talent to be players in December and beyond, but Dallas fans have to be getting sick of this happening again and again.
New England Patriots – 38, MIAMI DOLPHINS – 24
Glazer: The Dolphins are so much better than most people think, but, well, so are the Patriots. Expect Chad Henne to continue his Matty Ryan-esque huge step forward this year. He isn’t a fluke. Oh, and Tom Brady? He’s the best quarterback I’ve ever seen.
Daniels: Yup. They’re still the Pats. Reggie Bush might have a pulse as a feature back, though.
Rhett Davis: Just when you thought Tom Brady and the Patriots have nowhere to go but down… they go up. The Patriots had a total of 662 yards, the most in franchise history. Brady had 517 yards passing and would throw 4 TD’s. The Dolphins didn’t stand a chance, but they actually had three TD’s all scored by their QB Chad Henne. Wes Welker for New England would have 160 yards and 2 TD’s.
Kyle Sparks: My initial temptation is to refuse to comment on this game because I’m still stewing about what Tom Brady did to my fantasy team. But New England is again proving that they could be the team to beat in the AFC. But by the same token, they gave up 400+ yards passing to Chad Henne and the Dolphins. That has to worry Pats fans going forward.
Oakland Raiders – 23 , DENVER BRONCOS – 20
Glazer: McFadden looks great and the Raider D looks good. This is actually a pretty good football team. The Broncos just look bad on both sides of the ball. They should have turned it over far more than they did.
Daniels: If the Raiders can get out of their own way, they might be a pretty good team. One or more of the following is terrible: The Broncos’ line, the Broncos’ receivers (too many drops and fumbles), or Kyle Randy Orton.
Rhett Davis: Oakland and Denver are two teams that haven’t done too much to impress and this game was no different. The Raiders didn’t score much and the only player who really made a large impact was their RB Darren McFadden who rushed for over 150 yards. The Broncos also didn’t have any huge impact players except for their QB who threw over 230 yards and had an interception. Overall both of these teams need some work in order to make playoffs.
Kyle Sparks: The Raiders look solid. McFadden is finally coming into his own as an every down back. Despite that, neither offense is really doing a lot, and in general, special teams has been more of the guiding story of this game. So far, San Diego still looks like the class of the AFC West.
And that’s our thoughts on Week 1 of the NFL! Hope you enjoy and keep it with Inside Pulse Sports for your NFL coverage needs.
