One Thing Every NFL Team Should Celebrate After Week 1

The NFL is officially back! Let's let that sink in for a second or two.

Whether your team won or lost their Week 1 matchup, there are still plenty of reasons for every NFL team to celebrate. Yes, even the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins have things to celebrate about.

Today we're going to look at the one thing that every NFL team should be celebrating about after Week 1.

New York Giants

One Thing They Should Celebrate: They Lost Week 1 in 2011

Then they went on to win the Super Bowl.

Everything is going to be just fine for the New York Giants.

Dallas Cowboys

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Kevin Ogletree

Not only did the Dallas Cowboys beat their division rival the New York Giants on Wednesday night, but they did it behind the stellar play of Ogletree.

He went for eight receptions, 114 yards and a pair of touchdowns to send every fantasy football owner into a complete frenzy. It's unlikely that we'll see this type of performance from Ogletree again, so the Cowboys should celebrate it while they can.

Atlanta Falcons

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Matt Ryan and Julio Jones

Okay, technically that is two people, but when Ryan and Jones combine their forces they make one heck of a quarterback-receiver combination.

Ryan went for 299 yards and three touchdowns through the air and Jones caught 108 of those yards and two of those touchdowns. If these two keep playing like this, there will be reasons upon reasons for the Atlanta Falcons to celebrate this year.

Kansas City Chiefs

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Jamaal Charles Didn't Get Injured

After suffering a season-ending injury in Week 2 last year, Charles made it through Week 1 this year without getting injured. On top of that, he looked pretty good running the ball as he finished the game with 16 carries for 87 yards.

As long as the Kansas City Chiefs can stay close in games, Charles should have no trouble getting back to producing like it was 2010.

Philadelphia Eagles

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Michael Vick Didn't Get Injured

That is about the only thing that the Philadelphia Eagles should be celebrating this week.

They only won by one point on a late drive in the fourth quarter with Vick throwing the ball 56 times. All this happened against the Cleveland Browns.

Not good, Philadelphia. Not good at all.

Cleveland Browns

One Thing They Should Celebrate: You Almost Won

The Cleveland Browns should really be celebrating this week. Yes, they lost and their starting rookie quarterback posted a 5.1 quarterback rating, but they only lost by a single point to the Philadelphia Eagles.

If you can't celebrate about playing crappy and still almost winning, what can you celebrate about in Cleveland?

Washington Redskins

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Robert Griffin III

I never thought I'd use the word genius to describe Dan Snyder, but the man sure looked like one after Griffin's performance against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

With 320 passing yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions, Griffin proved to be worth way more than the Washington Redskins paid for him. There is much reason to rejoice in Washington and it all starts with RG3.

New Orleans Saints

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Bountygate is Finally Put to Rest

Yes, the New Orleans Saints did lose to the Washington Redskins, but at least they can finally move on from all the offseason drama of Bountygate.

After the suspensions to Will Smith and Jonathan Vilma were overruled, the Saints can put all of this behind them and focus on football. Smith suited up for the Week 1 matchup with the Redskins and Vilma was put on the PUP list to return after Week 7.

With these players back, maybe the Saints defense won't look so vanilla for the remainder of the season.

St. Louis Rams

One Thing They Should Celebrate: The Secondary Looks Studly

Both Janoris Jenkins and Cortland Finnegan recorded an interception against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Finnegan returned his interception 31 yards for a touchdown that gave the St. Louis Rams a 13-7 with under two minutes remaining in the first half.

As impressive as the interceptions were, the way the Rams' secondary played against Calvin Johnson was what was really impressive. While Johnson did record 111 receiving yards, Jenkins and Finnegan were able to keep him out of the end zone.

Few teams look as improved as St. Louis did on Sunday and their secondary was a huge reason why.

Detroit Lions

One Thing They Should Celebrate: They Have Somewhat of a Running Game

It isn't a great running game and it really isn't even a good running back, but it did take some pressure off of Matthew Stafford.

Kevin Smith went for 62 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries and also added another four receptions, including the game-winning reception with 10 seconds left in the game. If the Lions can continue to keep teams honest with some sort of resemblance of a running game, their offense will be one of the best in the league. 

New England Patriots

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Tom Brady Wasn't Incredible and You Still Won By 20+ Points

Usually when a team wins by 20 or more points they have an incredible game from their quarterback. That wasn't the case with Brady and the New England Patriots on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

The final score was 34-13 and Brady only threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns. It's scary to think how good this team will be when Brady is playing at an All-Pro level.

Tennessee Titans

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Jake Locker Wasn't Seriously Injured

Locker injured his non-throwing shoulder against the New England Patriots and was forced to miss the fourth quarter in the Tennessee Titans blowout loss.

The injury looked somewhat serious for a minute, but according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean it looks like Locker may be ready to go in Week 2. Before getting injured Locker played rather well for his first ever start, so keeping him on the field is a huge reason to celebrate for the Titans.

Miami Dolphins

One Thing They Should Celebrate: The Defensive Line Played Extremely Well

Even though the Miami Dolphins game up 30 points to the Houston Texans, it was far from being the fault of the defensive line. The unit played exceptionally throughout the game and was able to keep Arian Foster to only 79 yards on 26 carries.

The big problem for the Dolphins was in the secondary where they were simply abused by the Texans passing game. It will be a long season for Miami if the cornerbacks and safeties to continue to play that poorly, but if they can improve this defense could be very good this year.

Houston Texans

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Their Defense Was the Best in Week 1

Despite not playing against a high-powered offense like the San Francisco 49ers, no defensive unit looked as good as the Houston Texans on Sunday.

They recorded three interceptions, three sacks and were able to put continuous pressure on Ryan Tannehill. If Houston's defense continues to play at this high of a level the Texans will be an extremely difficult team to beat.

Buffalo Bills

One Thing They Should Celebrate: They'll Get to See More of C.J. Spiller

With news that Fred Jackson would miss at least three weeks with an injury to his right knee, it would seem that nothing went right for the Buffalo Bills in Week 1.

However, with Jackson on the sidelines, the Bills and the rest of the NFL was able to see just how dynamic of a player Jackson can be. He went for 169 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 14 carries. That's a ridiculous average of 12.1 yards per carry.

While I'm sure the Bills would love to have a healthy Jackson, the fact that they get to see more Spiller in the upcoming weeks is a reason to celebrate.

New York Jets

One Thing They Should Celebrate: They Kept Tim Tebow Off the Field

Tebow didn’t attempt a single pass attempt in the New York Jets thrashing of the Buffalo Bills. That is very good news for the Jets.

It means that Sanchez played well enough to keep Tebow off the field as a passing quarterback. He still got his touches when the Jets wanted to run, but if Sanchez continues to play this well they might not ever want Tebow back on the field.

Jacksonville Jaguars

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Blaine Gabbert Looked Much Improved

Now don't get me wrong, Gabbert still has a long way to go to being a good quarterback in this league, but at least he is showing he can improve.

Gabbert finished Sunday's game with 260 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He almost led the Jacksonville Jaguars to a Week 1 victory on the road, but came up just a little short.

While Gabbert might never become a superstar quarterback in this league, he has at least shown the ability to improve and he could become a very solid player for Jacksonville.

Minnesota Vikings

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Adrian Peterson is a Superhuman

There is simply no way that Peterson can be anything other than from a different planet. After making a miraculously fast recovery from an awful knee injury from late last year, Peterson was able to play Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Play isn't really the right word as dominate would be a better description of Peterson's 84 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 17 carries. Any questions of him not being a complete freak of nature were answered on Sunday.

With Peterson in the lineup and playing like he did in Week 1 the Minnesota Vikings could be a scary team to play this year.

Indianapolis Colts

One Thing They Should Celebrate: They Still Have Andrew Luck

Few teams were dominated as badly on both sides of the ball as the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. However, they at least still have one of the best quarterback prospects to ever come out of college in Luck.

As long as he doesn't get injured the Colts can celebrate about that every week, even if they continue to play like they'll have the No. 1 draft pick in the 2013 NFL draft.

Chicago Bears

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Jay Cutler Has Weapons

Cutler has two weapons to be exact in Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall.

Those three hooked up 12 times for 199 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday. If this trio can continue to play like this throughout the season, the Chicago Bears will be one of the most balanced and best teams in the league.

Carolina Panthers

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Jon Beason Looks Back

Beason missed the entire 2011 season with an injury to his left Achilles tendon. However, Beason came back in a huge way in Week 1 where he recorded 10 total tackles against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He was all over the field and even though the Carolina Panthers lost on Sunday getting Beason back to what appears to be full strength is absolutely huge for this defense.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

One Thing They Should Celebrate: They Kept the Carolina Panthers to 10 Rushing Yards

Yeah, you read that right. The Panthers put a whopping 10 rushing yards on the board against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1.

It was the type of dominant run defense that the Buccaneers have missed since Warren Sapp left the team. As long as this performance wasn't a complete fluke, Tampa Bay could become a sleeper team in the NFC South this year.

Seattle Seahawks

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Richard Sherman Looks Poised For a Huge Season

It was an ugly game for the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, but at least Sherman looked like a future All-Pro player.

Sherman finished the game with four tackles, two passes defended and an interception. Sure, it was against John Skelton and the Arizona Cardinals, but that type of performance simply can't be overlooked.

The Seahawks will need their defense to carry their team this year, so seeing Sherman play this well early is a good sign for the upcoming weeks.

Arizona Cardinals

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Kevin Kolb Led a Game-Winning Drive

Yep, that same Kevin Kolb that looked like the worst quarterback in the league during the preseason led the Arizona Cardinals to a Week 1 victory.

I feel confident that I'll never say those words again, so the Cardinals should celebrate this while they can.

San Francisco 49ers

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Alex Smith Continues to Improve

The strides that Smith made under first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh last year were simply outstanding. After an impressive performance this week against the Green Bay Packers, it appears as if Smith isn't quite done improve yet.

If this offense led by Smith continues to play this well, the San Francisco 49ers will be the team to beat for the rest of the season.

Green Bay Packers

One Thing They Should Celebrate: They Rushed For Only 45 Yards and Still Almost Won

Twenty-seven of those 45 yards came from Aaron Rodgers which means that Cedric Benson was only able to gain 18 yards on the ground.

The fact that the Green Bay Packers almost came away with a win in Week 1 with that poor of a performance on the ground is something they should be celebrating about.

Pittsburgh Steelers

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Ben Roethlisberger Is Still Alive

People laughed when I predicted that Roethlisberger would get sacked 68 times this season. However, after hitting the dirt five times against the Denver Broncos Sunday night, Roethlisberger is on schedule to be sacked 80 times this year.

Luckily for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Roethlisberger is still alive and ready to play their next week matchup against the New York Jets.

Denver Broncos

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Peyton Manning

Anyone want to take bets on when the city of Denver will make an official day to celebrate Manning? I'm guessing three more weeks.

Seriously though, how excited must the Denver Broncos be that Manning looks like his old self after missing over a year of football? The Broncos have to be the favorites to win the AFC West after their dominating win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night and Manning is a huge reason why.

Cincinnati Bengals

One Thing They Should Celebrate: BenJarvus Green-Ellis Looks Good as a No. 1 Back

The Cincinnati Bengals have had the pleasure of Cedric Benson and his three straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons, but they chose not to re-sign him in the offseason.

Instead, they decided to bring in Green-Ellis from the New England Patriots with hopes that he'd be their No. 1 running back. In his first game, against a tough, physical defense, Green-Ellis didn't disappoint.

He finished the day with 91 yards and a touchdown and looks like he's ready to be the every-down back that the Bengals need.

Baltimore Ravens

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Joe Flacco Might Actually Be the Best Quarterback in the NFL

I'm exaggerating, of course, but Flacco did look pretty good Monday night against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Flacco has long thought that he is the best quarterback in the NFL, but everyone just thought that he was crazy. However, after his 299 yard and two touchdown performance in Week 1 where he completed 72.4 percent of his passes, he may be on his way to becoming an elite quarterback in this league.

While it's likely that Flacco will come back in Week 2 with a lame-duck performance, the Baltimore Ravens should celebrate his performance for as long as they can.

San Diego Chargers

One Thing They Should Celebrate: They Aren't Going to Miss Vincent Jackson

When Jackson left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, no one really knew if Malcolm Floyd and Robert Meachem would be able to replace that type of production. After one week it already appears as if they'll do just fine.

It wasn't an overly impressive performance by the duo, but they did combine for 115 yards and the lone passing touchdown for the San Diego Chargers. They'll obviously need to do better, but for now it seems as if San Diego will be able to successfully move on from Jackson.

Oakland Raiders

One Thing They Should Celebrate: Carson Palmer Nearly Threw For 300 Yards

I've been ragging on Palmer for quite some time for looking so bad during the preseason and I think Palmer took it seriously. I'm kidding, of course, but Palmer did look extremely good in his loss to the San Diego Chargers on Monday night.

He finished the game with 297 passing yards, one touchdown, zero interceptions and a quarterback rating of 94.2. Even though the Raiders lost their first game of the season, they can still celebrate that the quarterback they traded so much for last season finally looks good.