Week 1

Week 1 Review

Wednesday night game

Cowboys 24, Giants 17

- This result is probably a shock to most people, as it should be. The Giants were expected to come in and defend their title against the Cowboys. The Cowboys had other plans however. The Giants were more embarrassing then that crappy r&b star spangled banner.

- First let’s look at what went right for the Cowboys:

The Cowboys first drive started off about the way I expected it to. Their new right guard Mackenzy Bernadeau was completely blown up by Rocky Bernard and it looked like Romo would be under siege all night. However, the line actually held ok.

The story will be ok Kevin Ogletree, and it should be. He played the best he has as a pro and firmly staked his claim to the no. 3 receiver job. However, I really liked what I saw from Dez Bryant. His talent was on full display against the Giants and showed what he is capable of. He effortlessly broke tackles and was a force moving the chains. Maybe his new babysitter program is actually going to help this guy mature and turn into the dominant player he can be.
DeMarco Murray ran very well too and Romo was at the top of his game (other than one interception). If the Dallas offense stays healthy and plays this way the rest of the year they could really go far this year.

The two new corners for Dallas lived up to the hype. They stuck to the talented wide receivers of the Giants and limited big plays. DeMarcus Ware was all over the field, as usual, last night. Rob Ryan’s defense finally played well and made life difficult for Eli Manning all evening.

- Now what went wrong for the Giants:

First off, Victor Cruz. Three dropped passes? Not a good start to his season following a breakout year. He needs to prove that he did not spend too much time soaking up the splendors of newfound fame and focus on the field. He was the goat of this game.

Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora did not do a thing in this game. Neither of them made any impact plays in the passing game and did not put enough heat on Romo. Dallas RT Doug Free played well against this duo.

With those two not helping out in the pass rush department, the anemic and banged up secondary was exposed. The Giants need to get healthy back there and fast.

I don’t think you can put much of this on Eli Manning. His running backs fumbled and did not run well, the line could not block as expected, and his receivers let him down. The rest of this team needs to get it together.

- In my opinion, this is the best we will see the Cowboys play and about the worst we can see the Giants play. The question for both teams will be is if they sustain this level of play. If the Cowboys do, they will rise up the standings; if the Giants do, well, then they will be a huge disappointment.

- Also, it concerns me Jerry Jones thinks that win was “significant”. That guy is so delusional and he ought to just stop talking to the media all together. I am sure beating the Giants for good for Jerry, but he needs to set higher standards for his squad. How about not being an embarrassment in the playoffs?

Sunday games

Bears 41, Colts 21

For Chicago:

The offense really started slowly with Jay Cutler completing 1-10 of his passes and throwing an ugly pick-six. He seemed to be forcing things to Brandon Marshall early, but he settled down and finished with 21-of-35 for 333 yards and 2 TDs. He and Marshall clearly missed each other as they rekindled their chemistry right away. Alshon Jeffery got into the action too as he caught a beautiful 42 yard TD from Cutler as well
Michael Bush and Matt Forte really look to be a nice tandem at running back for the Bears. Forte is a do it all guy and Bush is a load at the goal line scoring 2 TDs on the day. Chicago’s offense looks to be well rounded and will sustain them.
Chicago’s defense was as solid as ever and the unit faired well, as they should, against a rookie QB. There shouldn’t be many concerns about this unit.

For Indianapolis:

Andrew Luck had himself a pretty so-so debut. He certainly looked like he belonged and his poise was evident. However, he threw three interceptions and the outcome of this game was never in doubt. This team had major holes and they were on display.
Luck was constantly under siege and was sacked three times and that likely forced him into his interceptions. Luck only really started to look good when the game was basically over.
The Colts defense is not very good and clearly struggled to contain Chicago’s weapons. It also can’t help matters that Dwight Freeney was hurt in this match.

Eagles 17, Browns 16  

For Philadelphia:

Yuck. Michael Vick was just awful in this game. He threw a whopping four interceptions, fumbled twice, and managed a meager 51.7% of his passes. He really better shape up or the Eagles will go nowhere this season. In my opinion, I do not think it will happen. Vick, seems to have lost some of his physical ability and looked like his scrambling ability as well.
Also Andy Reid has to take a huge chuck of the blame for this offensive crap show. LeSean McCoy was all over the field for the Eagles and showed why he is one of the best backs in the league. However Reid called 56 passes to only 20 runs for McCoy. This guy is a weapon and it is totally inexcusable that Reid continues to call plays like this.
I know the Eagles won this game, but they cannot feel good about their team after this contest.

For Cleveland:

Double yuck. I projected the Browns as the worst team in the league and they showed everyone why. Here is Brandon Weeden stat line: 12-of-35, 118 yards, four interceptions. He was awful and as many will tell you his ERA in pro baseball (5.2) is not higher than his career passer rating (5.1). He just did not look like he was ready to play.
The rest of the Browns offense was a mess too. This was Trent Richardson’s first time in an NFL uniform and he never really got going. None of the Browns pass catchers impressed, highlighted by Greg Little’s goose egg in the catch column.
On the bright side, this defense was pretty dynamic against what was supposed to be an explosive offense. It won’t matter though this team is in complete disarray.

Lions 27, Rams 23  

For Detroit:

A key wild card to this game was that Jeff Fisher spent a lot of time during his year off of coaching studying with his former protégé, Jim Schwartz the Lions head coach. I think because of this he knew a lot about the Lions and that was why Matthew Stafford struggled early on throwing three picks.
Eventually Detroit settled down and took care of business and won this game. We will have to keep an eye on Detroit to make sure that this is an aberration due to the Fisher factor and not a precursor.
All of Stafford’s weapons were out to play, but man it is a shame Kevin Smith cannot be counted on the stay healthy. He is such a better play now than earlier in his career with the Lions. He is a force whenever he is on the field.

For St. Louis:

I mentioned Fisher and you can see is already making this team better just by his presence. The team was much more disciplined and focused as opposed to last year.
This is the type of loss that a team like St. Louis can feel all right about. They showed they could at least hang with a good team like the Lions. The issue from this game was that two starting o-lineman, LT Roger Saffold and C Scott Wells, were lost due to injury and both could be serious.
That could be an issue for Sam Bradford, who played all right, but only mostly took the short throws. Hopefully he remains confident because it looks like his protection is going to get worse.

    
Texans 30, Dolphins 10  

For Houston:

Not much to see here as the Texans dis just what good teams do and went out and took care of business against a bad team. This game came on the heels of Matt Schaub signing a nice big extension with the Texans. He played well and hopefully can remain healthy.
Andre Johnson and Arian Foster both showed they are healthy and ready to play. However, the big story has to be the Texans o-line. Derek Newton and Andre Caldwell are the two new right side starters for this team and both played well.
The Defense went out and harassed the rookie QB just like they did last year. J.J. Watt especially showed just how great he is. He will be a nightmare for a long time.

For Miami:

Pretty bad here. Tannehill showed his inexperience here in this match and this was clearly a mismatch from the start against a great Texans D.
Reggie Bush is literally the entire Miami offense. It is a good thing he is a running and receiving threat because they will need him to get anything going this year. None of Miami’s pass catchers showed any sort of consistency.
It is interesting to see that the only score was a punt return touchdown by Marcus Thigpen. By interesting I mean not surprising; expect this type of business from Miami all year.

Falcons 40, Chiefs 24  

For Atlanta:

Oh boy, watch out NFC, as these guys aren’t playing around. Matt Ryan came out guns a-blazing against the banged up Chiefs throwing three TDs and looking like a stud QB.
Julio Jones is going to be a monster this year. He came out early and scored two TDs in the first half. There was no running game to speak of in Atlanta, but it did not matter much as Atlanta did pretty much whatever they wanted through the air.
On defense, the Falcons played a solid game. They came away with three sacks and two picks. As long as the offense remains this explosive, then the defense can continue to be opportunistic. However, cornerback Brent Grimes is out for the year after an Achilles tear and that is a massive blow to this team.

For Kansas City:

This was a bad matchup for the Chiefs and as I alluded to in last weeks’ power rankings, we may need to give them a mulligan for this game. Hopefully they can get all their defensive players back healthy so they cannot get driven down the field on this game.
Speaking of bad matchups, this was just not a Matt Cassel type of game. The Chiefs were behind the whole game and that is not his style of play. He performed decently in the first half but his pay fell off in the second when trying to make up the deficit.
As I said, I want to see what the Chiefs do next week, as this is still a team that I am excited about.

    
Vikings 26, Jaguars 23  

For Minnesota:

I love these types of games. Nothing excites me more than when two pretty bad teams play each other. It always seems like there is something wacky and exciting that comes from these types of matchups. In this one it was a close finish that came down to overtime.
The story of this game was Adrian Peterson. He tore up his knee at the end of last season and many, including myself, doubted if he could contribute early this year. Well he shut us all up and and scored two TDs. The guy is just a total stud and will be in canton someday.
For the rest of the team, Ponder played a pretty solid game and avoided the big mistakes. The defense also played solidly, but I would like to see what this secondary is like when facing a big time QB.

For Jacksonville:

Blaine Gabbert continued to play better, as he did in the preseason. He made more throws than we saw him make in his rookie season and I believe he is improving. He made a big time throw to takre the lead late to Cecil Shorts.
All the talk of Rashad Jennings starting ended abruptly when he went down with a leg injury. MJD came in and played surprisingly well for a guy who missed all of training camp. He looks like he will be fully up to speed soon.
Ultimately Jacksonville could not close this one. However, they have to be encouraged by some of the positive signs they showed in this.

Redskins 40, Saints 32  

For Washington

Big time. Big time win for this team and a big time quarterback they now have under center. This is a team that is young and extremely tough to play when they play like this. The team finally, after three years, looks ready to fully run the Shanahan’s scheme.
RG3 came out and just took control of this game from the get go. He took a lot of passes that stretched the field horizontally with short screens and quick passes. Then it all broke open when he hit Pierre Garcon for an 88-yard touchdown. Expect more success from this very skilled young player
RG3 was the story of this game, but I thought the Skins defense was a beastly unit. They constantly had guys in Drew Brees' face and did a nice job forcing him into poor throws. The safeties on this team still stink, but the rest of this defense is big time.

For New Orleans:

I could not think of a more embarrassing way for this game to go for the Saints. The Saints got a nice boost when their suspended players had their sanctions lifted, however, none of it mattered as they were trounced by the Redskins. I know that the score says close, and maybe the Saints could have pulled it out, but the Redskins controlled this one throughout.
The offense really did not looks itself. Most of all they could not really get a running game going, and Darren Sproles did not even receive a single carry! The game planning seemed off throughout the game and you have to wonder if that has anything to do with coach Sean Payton being gone.
The Saints defense was embarrassed once again by RG3 and the Redskins. He did basically whatever he wanted out there on the field. Jabari Greer was out, but that is not excuse for letting a rookie in his debut is just inexcusable. I think the Saints will bounce back, but man this was discouraging.

    
Jets 48, Bills 28  

For New York:

Wow, this team could come close to scoring a touchdown during the preseason. No such problem against the Bills. Mark Sanchez had a sweet day going 19-of-27 for 266 yards three TDs and one interception. He looked poised and in control of this game trying to silence the critics breathing down his neck.
The Jets wisely kept the Tebow silliness to a minimum and he carried the ball only five times (though he was lined up ineffectively as a receiver once). The real surprise was Stephen Hill. The supposedly not ready rookie hauled in two TDs on his five catches for 89 yards. This offense needs to keep up this level of play.
The Jets defense lived up to the hype. Constantly rushing the passer effectively and creating a total of four turnovers. This looks like it could be the best the best Jets defense under Rex Ryan.

For Buffalo:

I had a feeling we couldn’t trust this team. They made a lot of big moves in the offseason but no sacks were registered on Sanchez and he looked comfortable in the pocket all day long.
This team is going as far as Ryan Fitzpatrick can take them, and in this contest, he took them right into the dirt. He was just horrible. He certainly has always been a streaky and inconsistent player, but this may have been the worse I have seen him. He is not a franchise quarterback and the Bills are going to regret giving him that contract and will probably be looking for his replacement after they disappoint this year.
In other news, Fred Jackson was again hurt in this game and that is a big blow. He will likely be out at least a month and I don’t think they will be able to overcome that. With Fitzpatrick playing so poorly they need all the help they can get. Luckily C.J. Spiller looked really dynamic, he may need to have his role increased regardless of Jackson.

  
Patriots 34, Titans 13  

For New England:

New England really controlled this game throughout and really never had to worry. Tom Brady was efficient and did not need to put up huge numbers. Gronkowski, Hernandez, and Brandon Lloyd all played a part in the passing game, but it was oddly Wes Welker that was invisible (three catches for 14 yards). He could be being phased out.
The reason Brady did not have to control the game was that Stevan Ridley was on fire. He looks like he could be the feature back for this Patriots team and further showing just how loaded this team on offense.
Defensively it must have been good to see their top three picks in the draft all make plays. Chandler Jones forced a sack-fumble, which Donta Hightower picked up for a score, and Tavon Wilson had an interception.

For Tennessee:

Jake Locker played like a first time starter should. He made some nice plays and then some really ugly mistakes. He also got hurt but hopefully he will be ok, as he needs the experience.
Chris Johnson has to be one of my least favorite players in all of football. He had another piss poor day, gaining a whole four yards on eleven carries. If he does not step up that contract is going to haunt this team for a long. I will say though, his line stinks
I like the Titan’s young defense the more I watch them. They have some nice young pieces and I think that they would look much better against a lesser offense.

 
Cardinals 20, Seahawks 16  

For Arizona:

The big story here was the injury to John Skelton. Skelton was pretty much totally mediocre until he suffered a nasty looking leg injury. Luckily he was not seriously hurt, but it may not matter. Kevin Kolb came in relief of Skelton and he immediately led them on an awesome scoring drive. Maybe Kolb just need the absence of pressure.
The Cardinals running game was pretty pathetic. The team’s leading rusher was wide receiver Andre Roberts on one reverse for 15 yards. I think Ryan Williams and Beanie Wells will pick it up, but with that o-line it’s hardly a guarantee.
The Cardinal’s defense is pretty good. They held Russell Wilson in check and were constantly harassing him. They also had a really impressive goal line stand to win. This is a good unit.

  49ers 30, Packers 22  

For San Francisco:

These guys were really impressive. Offensively, Alex Smith continues to amaze me. You could see the new weapons around him really elevated his level of play. He is still improving and Jim Harbaugh really deserves a ton of credit for that.
Frank Gore was a beast this game too. He still look he had plenty of tread on his tires in this match up. Kendall Hunter also ran well but that barely showed the depth in the backfield the 49ers have. Randy Moss also caught a TD. I am not saying he’s back but it was cool to see.
You know who did not go anywhere? The 49ers defense. These guys are just flat out ballers. NaVarro Bowman and Patrick Willis are just a total handful for opposing offenses. Aaron Rodgers had a tough time dealing with this defense.

For Green Bay:

I was surprised to the Packers come out looking this bleh. The big problem here is the over passing. They were not getting anything out of Cedric Benson, but having Aaron Rodgers as their leading rusher just cannot continue to happen.
It is beginning to look like this team may be over dependent on Rodgers. When he is not on his other worldly level of last year, this team cannot win consistently. I am not ready to push the panic button at all yet, so lets see what we see from them against a defense less ferocious than this one.
This revamped defense still looked like it had some of their old problems from last year (the busted coverage on the Moss TD is a perfect example). The pass rush started slow, but it really picked up later in the game, which is an encouraging sign.

 
Buccaneers 16, Panthers 10

For Tampa Bay:

Josh Freeman came out firing in the first half. He constantly took advantage of his new weapons and looked like a more mature player. However, in the second half Carolina’s defense turned up the heat and Freeman did not get much going after that.
Doug Martin is going to be a good one. As he grows he is definitely going to be a Ray Rice type player for the Bucs. He is a player to watch grow with this young team. He needs to be the foundation of this team.
The most impressive aspect of this game to me was the Buccaneers defense. A horrible unit the past two years, they looked great in this game. The team speed was evident on this young and invigorated this defense and Carolina did not have much answer for them. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was the real star of this game. He whipped Carolina’s o-line and if he stays healthy this season, expect big things.

For Carolina:

This had to be a very disappointing outcome for the Panthers. This team came in with a ton of optimism but they fell flat on their face in the opener here. There was talk before the game that Carolina did not know what to expect from this new Bucs team, and it showed.
The unit that needs to be criticized most, ironically, is the offense. This unit came in with a ton of hype but was bad in this game. Newton and the passing game had its moments, but he did not look natural out there like last season. The main issue was the lack of any sort of running game as DeAngelo Williams mustered six carries for -1 yards. This units offensive line really let them down in all phases and needs to improve.
Defensively I actually liked what I saw out of Carolina. It was much better than what we saw from them last year. They got after Freeman in the second half and did not give up constant big plays like the unit last year. A player like Thomas Davis, returning was a hug boost. The Panthers better hope they can get a quick fix from Newton and the offense.

Broncos 31, Steelers 19  

For Denver:

He’s baaaaack. Peyton Manning really impressed me in his Broncos debut. When he went to his patented no huddle attack, the Steelers defense had no answers for him. Manning picked up right where he left off with the Colts. His arm strength looks just as good as ever and he was poised and not afraid to take a hit. Big praise must be given to Manning for working so hard to come back from a big injury.
Manning did not do it alone though. I was really impressed with other members in Manning’s offense. It was great to see some of these Denver players from last year make the big transition from the Tebow offense of last year to Manning’s; they could not be more different.
Denver’s defense looked great too. Any QB has to be nervous to play against them with Von Miller and Elvis Dumervill rushing the passer. Now that they have a ball hawk like Tracy Porter in the secondary that has to be a boost (he returned a pick for a score).

For Pittsburgh:

Ben Roethlisbeger played a pretty good game here (aside from the pick-six), even if his stats do not show it. He did a pretty good job of eluding the pass rushers of Denver and making his trademark ridiculous throws.
Of course, Ben’s o-line was an issue. Mike Adams had to enter the game, after being a massive training camp disappointment, when Marcus Gilbert went down. His inexperience showed in this game. Pittsburgh’s offense played well; Denver’s played better.
The Steeler’s defense was not exactly up to par here. Manning had no issues picking them apart and found great success again and again. I do not really think the Steelers are in trouble and they played well. This game was just all about Manning and how well he played.

Monday night games

Ravens 44, Bengals 13

For Baltimore:

Joe Flacco picked up where he left off in the AFC championship game last year. Flacco made some outstanding throws, highlighted by his touchdowns to Dennis Pitta and Anquan Boldin. Flacco said he was the best QB in the NFL this offseason. Not quite, but he took a nice step forward.
Ray Rice also played a big game despite getting limited carries. This is a positive sign because this needs to be Joe Flacco’s team. Also I was impressed with this young o-line. They wisely seem to be moving away from old guys and going with youth. They were shaky at times, but overall they looked alright.
The defense still looked elite despite missing Suggs. Other players stepped up against the Bengals and made life tough for Andy Dalton. Ed Reed also had a trademark interception for a score. It is good to see he is in peak form.

For Cincinnati:

The Bengals started off playing the Ravens pretty easily, but the massive gap in the level of these two teams eventually showed in the second half. I am still concerned about Andy Dalton’s ability to be a top QB. He has a great weapon in AJ Green but I am worried he just will not have the skills to put this team over the top.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis surprised me in this game. He ran hard against a usually stout Ravens front. He gave the Bengals something they sorely lacked last year, a back that can convert in short third down situations.
Defensively I don’t have too much to complain. Yes the Ravens put up 37 points on them (taking the Ed Reed TD out) but Flacco honestly made some indefensible throws in this contest. Not much you can do about that. Geno Atkins is a tone setter out there. He absolutely worked veteran center Matt Birk a few times.

San Diego 22, Oakland 14

For San Diego:

This win did basically nothing to convince me of the Chargers being a good team. Some situations I will discuss in Oakland’s section I will explain had more to do with this game being won by the Chargers.
Phillip Rivers did not look like a total stud in this contest but he did look pretty good adjusting to life without Vincent Jackson. He made one great throw to new guy Robert Meachem, but Meachem only caught one other pass. Anyone who thought he would make up for Vincent Jackson’s loss was sorely mistaken. The chargers will come to regret that signing.
One thing I can say I was pleased with was this teams front seven. They did a good job limiting Oakland on the ground, but were flat out relentless in the pass rush. I highlighted this as a unit that could be superb in their season preview and they lived up to that billing.

For Oakland:

Darren McFadden is a stud. I know he had some unimpressive rushing numbers, but he caught 13 passes for 86 yards. He could be a legit MVP candidate if he stays healthy, for once, all year.
The reason he caught so many passes was Carson Palmer was under duress on basically every snap from the Chargers edge rushers. I expected that sort of weak play out of RT Khalif Barnes, but LT Jared Veldheer looked like an up and comer last year, but not so last night.
We all know the real reason this game was lost was because of the injury to Oakland’s long snapper. After he went out, backup linebacker Travis Goethel came in and screwed up three snaps leading all punts to not ever get off. One was so bad he skipped it off the turf like a rock on water. If this injury did not occur, Oakland may have won this game