NFL Week 1: Notes and Quotes from Sunday's Action

The first Sunday of the 2014 NFL season is officially in the books, and it is safe to say that the day's action did not disappoint. 

Kickoff Sunday provided some wild finishes, a few close calls, some notable injuries and plenty of interesting statements. Unfortunately, Sunday's games did little to provide a clear picture of which teams will have the ability to emerge as contenders in 2014.

Of course, the unpredictable nature of the league is exactly why we love the NFL. 

Over the next few pages we will take a look back at some of the most noteworthy observations and quotations from Sunday's action. While these are very early in-season observations, there is a good chance that some of them will still carry an impact as the season progresses. 

The Patriots Are the Worst Team in the AFC East

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

OK, it would be a major overreaction to actually say that the New England Patriots are the worst team in their division at this point in the regular season. According to the standings, however, New England does find itself in sole possession of last place for the first time since Tom Brady became the starting quarterback.

The odds that the Patriots actually stay in the AFC East basement are incredibly long. However, the team did not put forth a strong showing against the Dolphins in Miami. Brady was sacked four times, and the Patriots were outscored 23-0 in the second half as the Dolphins went on to win by two scores. Brady told reporters that there were no positives on Sunday:

"

It was a good example of if you do the things that we did today, you will get beat. We played a good football team at home. I would say we had a decent first half, but you have to put 60 minutes together if you are going to beat them.

We have to do better in all areas. I have to do a better job. That’s where I will focus this week.

"

The New York Jets managed to outlast the visiting Oakland Raiders at home, and the Buffalo Bills won a wild overtime battle against the Bears in Chicago.

This means the Patriots are the only winless team in the division and are starting from behind in the AFC East race for the first time in a very long time. 

The Best Team in the NFC South Has Yet to Emerge

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

While the AFC East has been dominated by the Patriots in recent years (being division champions 10 of the past 11 seasons), the NFC South had not had a repeat champion since the division was formed in 2002.

New head coach Lovie Smith and his rebuilt Tampa Bay Buccaneers were supposed to help ensure that the division would remain as unpredictable as ever. However, Tampa lost its home opener against the Carolina Panthers—who took the field with Derek Anderson under center instead of star quarterback Cam Newton. 

This sets the Panthers up with a promising 1-0 start as the team chases a second consecutive division title. 

The only other team to finish with a winning record last season, the New Orleans Saints, lost a crazy overtime game against the hosting Atlanta Falcons. This doesn't necessarily mean that Atlanta is back to playoff form or that New Orleans is set to struggle.

However, all of this helps to cloud the picture in the division.

Any Game Can Come Down to the Wire

David Goldman/Associated Press

Saints receiver Marques Colston fumbled in overtime to set the Falcons up with a game-winning field goal. However, the Saints-Falcons matchup was far from the only one to feature a wild finish.

Buffalo grabbed an unexpected overtime win on the road against the Bears after running back Fred Jackson set up the winning field goal with a staggering 38-yard rumble.

"It's so difficult to win on the road in this league, especially on opening day I think it's even tougher," Bills head coach Doug Marrone told the media. "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."

Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens traded touchdowns—and the lead—inside the final 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. However, it took a fourth-down stop on the Cincinnati 21-yard line with a minute remaining to secure the 23-16 Bengals victory. 

Even the mighty Denver Broncos faced a close call as the Indianapolis Colts nailed an onside kick, converted a couple of fourth-down attempts and pulled within a touchdown after being down 24-17 at halftime.

Oh, and the Pittsburgh Steelers needed a 41-yard field goal as time expired to escape with a home victory despite leading the Cleveland Browns 27-3 at halftime. The Browns mounted a furious comeback in the second half to tie the game but fell just short of forcing overtime.

Ben Roethlisberger Still Owns the Browns

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Speaking of Pittsburgh and Cleveland, it's worth noting that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's Sunday performance was just the latest in a dominant career against his division rival.

Big Ben finished the game 23-of-34 (67.6 percent) for 365 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Roethlisberger, a northern Ohio native, is now 18-1 in his lifetime against the Browns. For the record, Cleveland passed on Roethlisberger in the 2004 NFL draft in order to select tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. 

"After all these years, Ben Roethlisberger is still making the Browns pay for passing on him in the draft." Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer wrote before Sunday's game. "[He] is still seemingly indestructible."

The Steelers have been to three Super Bowls since then, while the Browns have had just one winning season.

The Cowboys Defense Is Still Bad

LM Otero/Associated Press

The Dallas Cowboys fielded the league's worst defense last season (415.3 yards per game allowed), and the unit doesn't appear to be much improved to begin 2014.

Dallas surrendered 316 net yards and 5.9 yards per play to the San Francisco 49ers while forcing zero turnovers during the contest. 

Those numbers might look even worse had San Francisco not jumped out to a 28-3 halftime lead. 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick did not attempt a pass in the fourth quarter.

Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News called the Cowboys "embarrassing" and blasted the defense for the opening loss:

"

Jerry Jones said during offseason workouts that the defense would be better because it couldn’t possibly be any worse than it was in 2013. He was wrong. Just because you finish last doesn’t mean the play actually can’t get worse.

After not scoring a touchdown during the preseason, San Francisco looked like the NFL’s best offense, especially in the first half as they easily pulled away.

"

Detractors are likely to point to quarterback Tony Romo's three interceptions as a major factor in the Cowboys' loss. However, Romo (281 yards and a touchdown) also deserves some credit for helping the 28-17 final score appear relatively respectable. 

49ers Aren't Playing Like Jim Harbaugh Has Lost Locker Room

LM Otero/Associated Press

NFL Media's Ian Rapoport suggested that 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh may already be losing the support of the locker room during an appearance on NFL GameDay Morning (h/t NFL.com's Marc Sessler):

"

There is some serious doubts about whether Harbaugh is actually all in like he professes. He says he is about the team, the team, the team. The players now wonder, is that actually the case?

They have dealt with a lot over the last couple years. Some of the way he's treated them, some lack of respect. And all because they are winning, they are fine with it, but some of the players wonder, if they lose, will it all spiral out of control?

"

The Niners gave no signs of locker-room distress against the Cowboys, handling their hosts with relative ease. If winning is all it takes to eliminate potential distraction, then more performances like Sunday's should keep San Francisco on the right track.

The Chiefs May Have Reason to Panic...

Ed Zurga/Associated Press

The Kansas City Chiefs shocked the collective football world last season by earning an 11-5 record and a playoff spot a year after going 2-14.

Kansas City won't be surprising anyone this season and barely resembled last year's playoff group in a 26-10 loss to the upstart Tennessee Titans.

Quarterback Alex Smith was picked off three times, and the Chiefs' defense allowed 405 net yards of offense as the team was handled in all phases by Tennessee. 

Even more concerning was the lack of touches for Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles, who finished the game with 19 yards on seven carries (he added four receptions for 15 yards). Charles finished the 2013 season with 1,980 combined rushing and receiving yards with 19 total touchdowns.

“He’s their horse, he’s their game-breaker and by having a good game plan, by being able to contain him, it forced them to have to win the game with their other options,” Titans safety George Wilson said of Charles in his postgame comments.

The Chiefs obviously failed to respond.

...But the Eagles Do Not

Michael Perez/Associated Press

The league's other surprise team from 2013, the Philadelphia Eagles, appear to have what it takes to drive ahead when the chips are down.

Quarterback Nick Foles committed just four turnovers all of last season. He had three in the first half on Sunday, and the Eagles found themselves facing a 17-point halftime deficit against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars.

Philadelphia calmly responded by putting up 34 unanswered points in the second half en route to a very comfortable season-opening victory.

"You can't lose your head out there," Eagles head coach Chip Kelly told reporters. "You have to understand that it's a long game. We felt there were plays to be made."

Foles finished the game with 322 yards passing with two touchdowns, while the Eagles defense pitched a second-half shutout.

The Broncos Won't Have an Easy Road Back to Big Game

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

The Seattle Seahawks looked every bit the part of defending Super Bowl champions during their 36-16 win over the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night.

On Sunday night, the Broncos did their best impression of future Super Bowl champions—at least in the first half.

Denver jumped out to a comfortable 24-0 second-quarter lead. However, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck managed to score on a touchdown run just before halftime and led a commendable effort through the third and fourth quarters. He finished the game with 370 yards passing and three total scores. 

He also got Indianapolis within a touchdown after a couple of fourth-down conversions and a successful onside-kick attempt. It took a fourth-down stop with less than two minutes to play to secure the victory for Denver.

The good news is that the revamped Broncos defense made enough plays to survive a late scare. The bad news is that Denver is going to be getting every team's best shot this season, and the competition at the top of the AFC is likely to be fierce. 

Early Injuries Could Have a Major Impact on Season

Nick Wass/Associated Press

While the first Sunday of the season provided plenty of highlights, it also brought a number of injury concerns.

Some of them appear to be very serious.

According to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid via the team's official Twitter account, linebacker Derrick Johnson and defensive end Mike Devito both suffered a ruptured Achilles during Sunday's loss to the Titans.

NFL Media's Albert Breer tweeted that Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert will likely miss "an extended period of time" with a dislocated elbow.

Houston Texans rookie pass-rusher (and the No. 1 overall pick in May's draft) Jadeveon Clowney suffered a torn meniscus and will likely miss four-to-six weeks, according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport.

According to NFL.com's Chris Wesseling, other notable injuries include those to running back Ben Tate and tight end Jordan Cameron of the Browns, Buccaneers guard Logan Mankins, Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict, Eagles guard Evan Mathis and St. Louis Rams quarterback Shaun Hill.