Even though there were no overtime games in Week 1, there were a number of thrilling matches to kick off the 2013 NFL season.
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| Broncos' Wes Welker got off to a good start in his team debut. |
The Ravens went into halftime with a 17-14 lead, so things were actually looking good for them considering the key offseason losses they had to overcome. Then those key offseason losses reared their ugly heads in the second half as Peyton Manning exploded, throwing five touchdown passes in the second half alone and seven total, tying an NFL record. Joe Flacco jokingly told reporters that Manning is already half way to 20 touchdowns. While he isn't, what Manning did to the Ravens was beautiful.
New England Patriots 23 Buffalo Bills 21
There were a lot of eyes on this game to see how the Patriots would adjust to all of their offseason activity. Tom Brady lost a lot of his offensive targets, and Rob Gronkowski is still out due to offseason back surgery. The only familiar target for Brady was Julian Edelman, not exactly a household name. Brady struggled throughout the course of the game, and Bills' rookie E.J. Manuel looked good in his debut.
The critical moment in this game was the dropped pass from Stevie Johnson on third down in the middle of the fourth quarter. A first down keeps the chains moving, and the Bills maybe could've scored another touchdown. Instead, Brady was able to get the ball last in the fourth quarter, and well...you know the rest.
Seattle Seahawks 12 Carolina Panthers 7
The Seahawks were unable to pull away from the Panthers, which should be an encouraging sign for Panthers' fans. Russell Wilson still threw for 320 yards and a touchdown, but the running game was not effective. The Panthers' rushing attack, on the other hand, was effective, with DeAngelo Williams rushing for 86 yards on 17 carries. However, his fumble late in the fourth quarter cost the Panthers the game. The Seahawks were able to escape.
Cincinnati Bengals 21 Chicago Bears 24
In order for the Bengals to take that next step to potential championship contender, I felt it was important for the Bengals to win road games like this. The Bears are obviously no slouch, evidenced by their 10-6 record last season. But this is Andy Dalton's third year now, and the Bengals need him to improve. The Bengals came up on the short end, but it wasn't quite Dalton.
Dalton did throw two interceptions, with one of them being returned for a touchdown. However, the Bengals did hold a 21-10 lead in the third quarter. The Bengals' defense, who has shown to be very good over the past couple of years, gave up the lead. A.J. Green claims the Bears didn't stop them at all, as they stopped themselves. Even if it's right or wrong, they still lost.
Miami Dolphins 23 Cleveland Browns 10
The most disappointing part of this game didn't occur until the conclusion of the game. Mike Wallace, the prized free agent acquisition for the Dolphins, was upset over the fact he only had one catch for a lousy 15 yards. When Wallace held out for a long-term contract last offseason with the Steelers, many people looked at him as greedy and selfish. I did not.
Now I know he's selfish. Ryan Tannehill was able to find Brian Hartline all game long to the tune of nine catches for 114 yards. Tannehill completed 24 of his 38 pass attempts. It seems to me whatever Tannehill was doing was successful. After all, they did win the game.
Minnesota Vikings 24 Detroit Lions 34
It was looking like a long day for the Lions when Adrian Peterson took off for 78 yards for a touchdown early in the first quarter. However, the Lions' defense settled down after, only giving up 15 more rushing yards the rest of the game. Christian Ponder threw three interceptions, so he'll continue to be the team's downfall until he can figure out a way to play better.
As for the Lions, Reggie Bush was all over the place. He carried the ball 21 times for 90 yards, and caught four passes for 101 yards, including a 77 yard touchdown reception. The signing of Bush for the Lions could turn out to be the best offseason signing. The presence of Calvin Johnson opens things up for Bush, providing more weapons for Matthew Stafford. This could be a sleeper team.
Oakland Raiders 17 Indianapolis Colts 21
When the Colts jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, many Raiders' fans were probably expecting this kind of performance. What they probably didn't expect is that newly anointed starter Terrelle Pryor would lead the Raiders back and grab a 17-14 lead. Even though the Raiders ended up losing, they should be very encouraged with the performance of Pryor. Could Pryor be the franchise quarterback they've been looking for too long?
Kansas City Chiefs 28 Jacksonville Jaguars 2
This was probably the most expected result of Week 1. The Jaguars have not shown anything to suggest they'll be any better. For new head coach Gus Bradley, it'll be one hell of a rebuilding situation. The Jaguars need a franchise quarterback, because clearly, Blaine Gabbert isn't one. As for the Chiefs, the new regime is paying big dividends already. A test next week against the Cowboys will accurately assess how good the Chiefs are.
Atlanta Falcons 17 New Orleans Saints 23
Many people just believe the Falcons are the best team in the NFC South, just because they went 13-3 last season and advanced as far as the NFC Championship Game. Many people forget the Saints were 13-3 just the season before that, and if it weren't for a late Vernon Davis touchdown in the NFC Divisional Round, the Saints would be in the NFC Championship Game as well. The Saints have Sean Payton back, so I expect this division to go back to them. Too bad for Tony Gonzalez because this is definitely his final season.
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| Jets' QB Geno Smith impressed in his debut, a Jets win. |
A lot of people say the Buccaneers gave the game to the Jets with Lavonte David's boneheaded decision to push Geno Smith while he was already out of bounds. However, it was the Jets who handed the game to the Buccaneers the drive before. With the Jets up 15-14 and Josh Freeman showing very little the entire game, the Jets decided to blitz on third down, leaving Vincent Jackson wide open for a huge gain.
That was also boneheaded considering the defensive line for the Jets were playing well all game. In a situation where the Buccaneers were far from field goal position, had the Jets played it safe, they would've won the game then. But the bigger deal in this game was the performance of Geno Smith. Let's see what he can do in front of the Gillette Stadium fans on Thursday night.
Tennessee Titans 16 Pittsburgh Steelers 9
Easily the most surprising outcome of Week 1 goes to the Titans thorough domination of the Steelers. Things got ugly early when Maurkice Pouncey tore his ACL in the first quarter. Over the course of the game, it definitely appeared Ben Roethlisberger is still not in agreement with Todd Haley's offense. It was a frustrating afternoon, and the Steelers have the Bengals on the road next Monday. This could be a disastrous season if Roethlisberger and Haley don't figure things out soon.
Arizona Cardinals 24 St. Louis Rams 27
Larry Fitzgerald boasted and bragged about finally having a quarterback who can make throws all over the field and carry the Cardinals' offense. It certainly looked good as Fitzgerald caught eight passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns. However, the Cardinals' defense, who was a surprising bright spot last season, failed to hold onto a 24-13 second half lead, allowing Sam Bradford and the Rams to steal a win.
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| 49ers' Joe Staley and Packers' Clay Matthews Jr. fight after a late hit from Matthews Jr. on 49ers' Colin Kaepernick. |
Clay Matthews Jr. was certainly effective in his threats because the 49ers didn't go to the read option much at all in this game. However, the Packers certainly weren't expecting the pass game to be as efficient and effective as it was. Anquan Boldin, traded from the AFC champions and Super Bowl champions Ravens to the NFC champions, caught 13 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown, and Colin Kaepernick threw for over 400 yards in the shootout victory.
Things got testy between Matthews Jr. and the 49ers when Matthews Jr. tackled Kaepernick when he was already out of bounds. These two teams could probably see each other again in the playoffs, so they may not be done fighting one another.
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| Giants' David Wilson fumbled twice, causing two of six turnovers for the team. |
Two streaks were on the line going into this game. The Giants were 4-0 at Cowboys Stadium, while the Cowboys were 6-0 against the Giants in season-opening games. The Cowboys actually changed the name of their stadium to AT&T Stadium, so I guess that hit the reset button on the Giants' 4-0 record. Nonetheless, turnovers doomed the Giants.
Six of them to be exact. The Giants had five turnovers and were down 30-24 and it appeared as if the Giants would drive down the field for a game-winning score. However, backup running back DaRel Scott failed to turn around quickly enough for the screen pass, and tipped it right into the hands of Brandon Carr for the finish. After a slow start, Manning still threw for over 400 yards and four touchdowns, an encouraging sign for Giants fans. David Wilson's fumbling issues are not an encouraging sign.
Philadelphia Eagles 33 Washington Redskins 27
I got the feeling many Redskins' fans took this game for granted because of last year's success, combined with the lack of success for the Eagles last year. However, I correctly predicted this game would go to the Eagles, just off the strength of the Redskins not knowing what to expect from the uptempo offense.
On the other hand, Mike Shanahan didn't seem to trust the stability of Robert Griffin III. Even Griffin III didn't seem to trust the stability either. The Redskins went undefeated in the preseason, but now these games seem to be preseason games for the offense as well as they try to get Griffin III back in the flow with his teammates. Let's see how long it takes for the Redskins to get going.
Houston Texans 31 San Diego Chargers 28
The Chargers had a memorable meltdown on Monday Night Football last year against the Broncos, when they held a 24-0 halftime lead and then lost the game. This time, the Chargers had a 28-7 third quarter lead, and it didn't seem to faze the Texans one bit. The Texans came back to beat the Chargers in another disheartening loss for the Chargers on Monday night. The Chargers play the Colts at home next month on Monday night. I think they just want to avoid playing that game.
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