Bleacher Report's Week 1 NFL Awards

The first week of the 2014 NFL campaign began with a beatdown in the Emerald City, with the Seattle Seahawks looking very much like the defending Super Bowl champions in throttling the Green Bay Packers.

It ended with a squeaker in the desert, as the Arizona Cardinals came back late to win their home opener over the San Diego Chargers. In between there were comebacks in Philadelphia and Miami, a stunning blowout in Kansas City and a thrilling overtime battle in Atlanta.

It was a week filled with great (and not-so-great) performances, both by teams and individuals.

With that in mind, we gathered the Division and National Lead Writers here at Bleacher Report together to hand out some imaginary hardware for the best—and, in at least one case, worst—performances of Week 1.

Here's what the group had to say.

Team of the Week

David Banks/Getty Images

Winner: Buffalo Bills (5 votes)

Week 1 in the NFL featured more than a few surprises. The Tennessee Titans waxed the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead. The Miami Dolphins stormed back in the second half to down the New England Patriots at home.

However, in the opinion of our experts, the most impressive win of Week 1 came in the Windy City.

The Chicago Bears are a trendy Super Bowl pick in 2014, but if last Sunday's game was any indication, that won't be happening. That's because the Buffalo Bills, who most predicted to be easy prey for Chicago last week, turned out to be anything but.

In fact, the Bills stunned the Bears 23-20 in overtime, a gutsy victory that drew praise from head coach Doug Marrone. "It's so difficult to win on the road in this league, especially on opening day I think it's even tougher," Marrone told reporters after the game. "I'm proud of them. It was different, I'm not going to lie to you. It was different in that locker room before the game."

Yes, it's only one game, but a big road win like this is the sort of confidence-builder that can set the tone for an entire season. 

Break up the Bills!

Others receiving votes: Minnesota Vikings (4 votes), Miami Dolphins (3 votes), Seattle Seahawks (1 vote), Tennessee Titans (1 vote)

Coach of the Week

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Winner: Mike Zimmer, Minnesota Vikings (4 votes)

There were several NFL head coaching debuts in Week 1. For Mike Pettine of the Cleveland Browns and Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins, things didn't go so well.

For Mike Zimmer and the Minnesota Vikings, things couldn't have gone any better. Not only did the Vikings beat the St. Louis Rams to earn Zimmer his first victory, but the team looked fantastic in destroying the Rams 34-6.

Quarterback Matt Cassel was effective under center. Wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson appeared every bit the dual-threat weapon the Vikings hoped he'd be. Most importantly, a much maligned Minnesota defense performed light years better than it did in 2013.

Zimmer was all smiles after the beatdown. "I like how this team works, I've said it numerous, numerous times," he told reporters. "I think we had a good plan, and it worked out."

Yes, the Rams were absolutely awful last week, but many pundits who picked the Vikings to finish last in the NFC North this year may have sold the team short.

Others receiving votes: Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers (3 votes); Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons (3 votes); Ken Whisenhunt, Tennessee Titans (3 votes); Joe Philbin, Miami Dolphins (1 vote)

Goat of the Week

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Winner: Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys (11 votes)

Poor Antonio Ramiro Romo.

In the eyes of many Dallas fans, Romo isn't just the Goat of the Week after tossing three interceptions in the first half of the Cowboys' Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. He's also Goat of the Month, Goat of the Year, Goat of the Decade, Goat of the Century, Goat of the Millennium and Goat of the Epoch.

However, wide receiver Dez Bryant stuck up for his quarterback while speaking with Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.

"I’m going to tell you something, man. That’s nowhere near the issue," Bryant said. "I can’t believe you even asked me that question. Like I said, as a whole, we went out and we made some mistakes that we wish we could get back, but we can’t."

Yeah! How can you ask that question? It's not like Romo's turnovers led to a 28-3 hole for the Cowboys, or that his passer rating was a moribund 60.8, or that his QBR at ESPN was 19.9, which ranked 31st of 33 signal-callers this past weekend.

Wait? Romo was all those things? Oh, well, maybe after the first interception, Bryant watched the rest of Romo's performance with his hands over his eyes. You know, like Dallas fans.

Others receiving votes: Alex Smith, QB, Kansas City Chiefs (2 votes); Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears (1 vote)

Rookie of the Week

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Winner: Allen Hurns, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (8 votes)

A couple of weeks ago, few people had any idea who Allen Hurns was. He had to wear a name tag to his last family reunion. 

Even after the undrafted free agent from the University of Miami shined in the preseason, not many expected much from Hurns in his NFL debut. Well, young Mr. Hurns failed to get that memo.

With wide receiver Cecil Shorts sidelined by his perpetually strained hamstring, Hurns saw extra playing time in the season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. 

To say that Hurns made the most of it is an understatement; he became only the second player in NFL history to record touchdowns on his first two career receptions. However, as well as Hurns played, the youngster told ESPN.com's Michael DiRocco it's the catches he didn't make that stuck with him.

"I'm not too excited about it at all," he said. "I feel like I can improve even more. There were two catches that I know I could have caught that is getting to me a little bit but I know I can learn from them."

Hurns may not have been excited, but you can bet your lunch money that roughly 37 million fantasy football owners scrambled to add him to their rosters this week.

Others receiving votes: Brandin Cooks, WR, New Orleans Saints (5 votes); Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Carolina Panthers (1 vote)

Best QB Performance

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Winner: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (13 votes)

The 2013 season was a disaster for Atlanta. It began with Super Bowl aspirations and ended with the Falcons in last place in the NFC South.

As the team tries to wash off the stink of that miserable year, the scheduling gods didn't do the Falcons any favors. With all sorts of questions on defense, Atlanta opened the year by hosting its most hated rivals: Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.

The probability of a shootout in Atlanta put all sorts of pressure on quarterback Matt Ryan. Well, sure enough the game was indeed a shootout, and Ryan delivered in a big way.

The 29-year-old was nearly flawless, completing 31 of 43 passes for a whopping 448 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Most importantly, the Falcons won 37-34 in overtime, scoring a huge division victory and setting a tone for the team.

Others receiving votes: Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (1 vote)

Best RB Performance

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Winner: Knowshon Moreno, Miami Dolphins (9 votes)

It wasn't too long ago that some were wondering if the Miami Dolphins made a mistake by bringing in free-agent running back Knowshon Moreno. Moreno showed up to OTAs out of shape and then had to undergo a cleanup procedure on his knee.

No one is calling the signing a mistake any more.

Moreno was the catalyst for the Dolphins' stunning second-half comeback over the New England Patriots in Week 1, rumbling for 134 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.

As Sigmund Bloom of Football Guys tweeted Sunday, Moreno was "running with all of the heart that made him a crowd favorite in Denver last year. Where are all the haters now?"

Where indeed.

Others receiving votes: Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks (4 Skittles); Alfred Morris, Washington Redskins (1 vote)

Best WR Performance

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Winner: Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions (7 votes)

You know how often times, people leaving a Michael Bay Transformers movie complain of eye strain and headaches from all the special effects and loud explosions? That's how the New York Giants secondary feels after trying to cover Megatron on Monday night.

Johnson started the 2014 season off with a bang, turning a busted coverage into a 67-yard touchdown on the Detroit Lions' first possession of the game. He finished with seven catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns, and had a couple of things broken differently, Johnson could have piled up over 200 yards and four scores.

Seriously.

As ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein reported, the Giants left Johnson in single coverage much of the night, and it went about as well as you'd expect.

Lions wideout Golden Tate said this of the daffy defensive decision: "That was really surprising. I can't believe you would ever leave CJ open. Ever. But they did a bunch of times, and we capitalized on it. If they do that, that's what we have to do. Consistently."

Others receiving votes: A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals (4 votes); Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers (2 votes); Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons (1 vote)

Best TE Performance

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

Winner: Julius Thomas, Denver Broncos (13 votes)

When San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis hauled in a pair of first-half touchdown grabs in the team's win over the Dallas Cowboys, he looked to be cruising toward the win in this category for Week 1.

Someone forgot to tell Julius Thomas.

The Broncos tight end one-upped Davis during his team's Sunday night win over the Indianapolis Colts, reeling in three scoring grabs in the second quarter alone. Of course, he failed to catch a fourth in the second half, which just seems kind of lazy.

Thomas tied a team record for touchdown catches in a game by a tight end, finishing the night with seven grabs for 104 yards.

Others receiving votes: Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers (1 vote)

Best Defensive Performance

Bob Levey/Getty Images

Winner: J.J. Watt, DE, Houston Texans (14 votes)

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt recently became only the second defensive player in NFL history to receive a $100 million contract. The first, defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, was a colossal bust with Washington.

If Week 1 was any indication, Watt isn't headed down that path. The fourth-year pro was an unstoppable force of nature in a win over Washington, notching two solos, a sack, five quarterback hits and four hurries. Oh, and for good measure, he blocked an extra point too.

After the game, Watt told the Houston Chronicle's John McClain (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk) that "I don’t want to be the guy that people say got the money and shut down. The goal is to always be great."

When asked about Watt's performance after the game, Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III glanced quickly to the right, then to the left, took off running and hid under a table. (That last part may not have actually happened.)

Others receiving votes: It's J.J. Watt's world. We're all just living in it.

Best Decision

Scott Eklund/Associated Press

Winner: The Seattle Seahawks' "Pop Pass" (6 votes)

This is a subjective category, so there are bound to be all sorts of answers in a given week, from play calls to coaches' challenges and personnel decisions. In Week 1, however, two decisions emerged as the clear favorites.

The first was Cleveland head coach Mike Pettine's decision to stick with quarterback Brian Hoyer after a disastrous first half against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Had the Steelers not eventually prevailed 30-27 after Hoyer brought the Browns back from 27-3 down, that cool hand may well have won the day.

Instead, this week's nod goes to a play call in Seattle's Thursday night thrashing of the Green Bay Packers.

Here, Will Brinson of CBS Sports regales you with the details: "On a read-option run, Russell Wilson faked the handoff into Marshawn Lynch's belly, kept the ball and right as he was about to run he stopped short and threw a pass to Ricardo Lockette, who promptly rumbled for a 33-yard touchdown."

The play, called a "pop pass," originated at the collegiate level, and head coach Pete Carroll admitted to Peter King of The MMQB that he "borrowed" the idea from Auburn's Gus Malzahn.

Others receiving votes: Mike Pettine leaving Brian Hoyer in against the Steelers (5 votes), Derek Anderson's QB sneak on 4th-and-1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2 votes), Darren Sproles' zone-read run against the Jacksonville Jaguars (1 vote)

Worst Decision

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Winner: Josh McCown's Interfumbleception (8 votes)

One of the keys to Josh McCown getting a free-agent deal to be the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014 was the fact he threw only a single interception for the Chicago Bears last year.

Well, McCown doubled that mark in last week's loss to the Carolina Panthers, and one was a lulu. We'll go to Bleacher Report's Kyle Newport for the play call:

"

With the Bucs driving late in the third quarter down 10-0, McCown tried to get the ball quickly to wide receiver Mike Evans but lost control of the pigskin.

The blooper didn't stop there, as he picked up the ball and hastily got rid of it. Unfortunately for McCown, the wobbling duck ended up in the hands of Panthers strong safety Roman Harper.

"

Be sure to click on that link so you can truly appreciate just how boneheaded that particular bit of decision-making was. Somewhere, Mike Glennon smiles. It's an evil smile, filled with a combination of malice and satisfaction.

Others receiving votes: Jay Cutler's terrible decisions with the football in the second half against the Buffalo Bills (3 votes), Andrew Luck's failed fourth-down QB sneak against the Denver Broncos (1 vote), Patriots rotating their interior linemen against the Miami Dolphins (1 vote)

Player of the Week

Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images

Winner: J.J. Watt, DE, Houston Texans (9 votes)

We saved the best for last.

As we've already shown, there were any number of fantastic performances in Week 1, and given Matt Ryan's gaudy numbers in Atlanta's Week 1 win (and the fact that quarterbacks are award hogs, even when the awards aren't real), it looked like he had the inside track toward being named Bleacher Report's Player of the Week.

Well, as he's been known to do, J.J. Watt sacked those chances.

It wasn't just Watt's stats in the Texans' win over Washington. They didn't tell half the story. He was absolutely dominant from start to finish and single-handedly changed Washington's entire offensive game plan. And, mind you, much of it came against a Pro Bowl tackle in Trent Williams.

In short, Watt looked every bit like a $100 million man. Now I wonder if he'll loan me a few bucks. Just a couple hundred grand. You know, walking-around money.

Others receiving votes: Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons (5 votes)