NFL week one: First impressions

Peyton Manning threw seven touchdown passes

Patriots 23 Bills 21

Tom Brady continued his streak of week one dominance as the Bills suffered a heart-breaker in a very hard fought game. EJ Manuel making his first NFL start didn’t dominate the game, but showed flashes of a great quarterback. The big surprise of this game was how the Bills defense was able to cause turnovers and frustrate the Patriot offense. In the end, Tom Brady is still the best QB in the two minute drill.

Ravens 27 Broncos 49

Peyton Manning threw seven touchdown passes and embarrassed the world champs on opening night. Much was made in the off-season about the losses in the Ravens defense, and it definitely showed on Thursday as everyone looked lost and confused out there. The mix of Peyton’s greatness and a team without an identity (without Ray Lewis) combined to make this one of the best passing performances of modern times.

Vikings 24 Lions 34

Reggie Bush made an immediate impact in the Lion’s offense. Last season, Detroit struggled to get any production from the RB position and Bush quickly changed that as he not only ran the ball well, but was able to score on a 77 yard screen pass that changed the game. For the Vikings, Adrian Peterson looked solid, but no other part of the offense did.

Chiefs 28 Jaguars 2

This was the most dominating performance of the week. The Chiefs defense made Gabbert look like a Pop-Warner quarterback as Andy Reid got his first win with the Chiefs.

Buccaneers 17 Jets 18

Geno Smith led the last minute drive as he got a win in his first start. The game changing play was when Smith was hit late out of bounds by a Bucs linebacker that put the Jets in position to kick the game winning field goal. This was the story of the game as Tampa Bay committed 13 penalties and were very sloppy.

Packers 28 49ers 34

San Fran still looks like the team to beat, although a questionable ruling helped them win the game. Colin Kaepernick showed that he could not only run the read option, but could also sit in the pocket and throw the ball as he carved up the Packers for over 400 yards passing.

Giants 31 Cowboys 36

Sad to say, but the GMEN have never been sloppier, but we fans should remain optimistic. A Tom Coughlin coached team will never again give six turnovers. You had to feel that Eli was going to lead them down the field for the win until Scott was slow to turn for the screen. But even though that was a huge mistake, it was correctable. Scott is a very tough runner who is going to help the GMEN down the road as is Wilson, who has to stop fumbling! The defense hung in there and had a good night and they certainly played well enough to win. Terrell Thomas looked great and should be an inspiration to us all. I am more excited now than ever about the Giants. We have never had three receivers who are as dynamic. Anytime we lose to the Cowboys it’s tough, but the GMEN are poised to go on a tear.

Dolphins 23 Browns 10

The Dolphins suffocated the Browns offense and their leads to win. In a very poor offensive game both ways, neither team were able to establish a running game nor able to move the ball much. It was an impressive performance by Brian Hartline who had over 100 yards receiving and a TD catch. For the Browns, the only bright spot on offense was tight end Jordan Cameron who was able to haul in a TD catch.

Wide receiver Vincent Brown #86 of the San Diego Chargers dives and touches the pylon for a 10-yard touchdown in the second quarter against the Houston Texans at Qualcomm Stadium

Bengals 21 Bears 24

The Bears defense doesn’t miss a beat with Urlacher. The recently retired middle linebacker was said to leave a big hole in the Bears defense. However, Sunday proved that this Bears defense will continue to cause turnovers and stuff the run. For the Bengals, AJ Green had over 200 yards receiving and two TDs in the loss.

Raiders 17 Colts 21

Terrell Pryor impressed in his first start but showed in the end that he is still a rookie. Pryor had signs of a QB that could keep plays alive and make plays down the field. However, on a first and goal from the Colts 8 yard line, Pryor ate a sack that cost his team field position and a chance to win the game. For the Colts, Andrew Luck came out firing in the first half, struggled much of the second half, but was able to put together the game winning drive.

Falcons 17 Saints 23

The upset of the day as Sean Payton returned to the sidelines to guide the Saints to a win. The Falcons, who figured to be the favorites in the NFC, struggled all day protecting Matt Ryan as the supposed fire-powered offense was only able to muster up 17 points. For the Saints, defensive coordinator Rob Ryan had an impressive debut, often confusing and frustrating the Falcons O-line with his blitz packages.

Titans 16 Steelers 9

Two defenses battled as the Titans were able to down the Steelers. The Steelers offense was unable to do anything due to the offensive line getting dominated throughout the whole game. For the Titans, the offense wasn’t very impressive, but did get a TD and a trio of field goals.

Cardinals 24 Rams 27

The St. Louis Rams kicked a last second field goal for the win. Sam Bradford had a very impressive performance that included driving down the Rams to set up the last second field goal. Cardinals’ Carson Palmer looked impressive on his debut as he was able to hit Larry Fitzgerald on a very nice TD throw. The Cardinals also got a good contribution from new RB Rashard Mendenhall.

Eagles 33 Redskins 27

Chip Kelly’s offense had Philly flying, taking the spotlight off RG3 for a second. And I’m very curious to see how NFL defensive coordinators will adjust to Vick and the Eagles. The Eagles defense was extremely impressive, forcing a lot of three and outs and turnovers. Going back to RG3, he definitely had a rough first half with limited mobility, but still had a great second half and it seems both teams do not lack weapons going forward.

Texans 31 Chargers 28

The Texans had a second half comeback to stun the Chargers in San Diego. The game, that seemed to be going the Chargers’ way after they picked off Matt Schaub two plays into the game, got away from them at the end. Schaub was able to lead three touchdown drives in the second half and then Houston was able to win on a last second field goal. Phil Rivers, the Chargers QB, had a very good start to the game and ended up throwing three touchdown passes but threw a costly pick at the end.