The 10 Best Individual Performances from Week 1

The first week of the NFL season is over, meaning we're officially into the most glorious time of the calendar year. There's football every Sunday for the next four months, plus Thursday and Monday too. Throw in the occasional Saturday game and over 40 percent of our weekdays over the next several months will include a football game. 

As far as first weeks go, this was one of the most entertaining in recent years. Call it the week of the comeback. The Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons all had big rallies, although both the Browns and Colts failed to end their day with a victory.

Although no player turned in a record-setting performance like Peyton Manning in the first game of the 2013 season (seven touchdown passes against the defending Super Bowl champions), there were a number of notable performances.

Below are the top ten players from Week 1, ranked in order from best to worst.

1. J.J. Watt, DE, Houston Texans

Say you created a fictional player in Madden and gave him a 99 ranking in every single category. That player would be almost but not quite as good as J.J. Watt.

Am I exaggerating? Maybe. But maybe not.

As close to a perfect football player as there is in the NFL, Watt was completely unblockable against the Washington Redskins in Week 1. He collected a sack, forced an intentional grounding penalty and blocked an extra point. He hit RGIII five times, hurried him four more, knocked down a pass and tallied three stops, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

The 2012 Defensive Player of the Year should have won the award last year too and it looks like he's out with a vengeance to prove that he deserves the award again in 2014. 

2. Richard Sherman, CB, Seattle Seahawks

Aaron Rodgers is the most accurate, the most dangerous and the perhaps the best quarterback in the National Football League. Yet the 2011 NFL MVP didn't throw a single pass in the direction of All-World cornerback Richard Sherman when the Packers played the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football. The fourth-year corner was so good, so dominant, that he basically turned the game of 11-on-11 into a game of 10-on-10 on two-thirds of a field. 

3. Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons

Matty Ice is back. After a disastrous 2013 season that saw the Falcons win just four games, Ryan led Atlanta to an improbable 37-34 overtime victory over the New Orleans Saints. Ryan threw for 448 yards and three touchdowns, while leading the Falcons to a game-tying field goal on the final play of regulation and a game-winning field goal in overtime. 

4. Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions

The New York Giants had no answer for the best receiver in the NFL on Monday Night Football. Johnson caught seven passes for 164 yards and two scores, including a busted-coverage touchdown that likely will end up ranking as the most wide-open any receiver will be all season. 

5. Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos

By Peyton Manning's lofty standards, his Week 1 performance against the Indianapolis Colts was average. For any other quarterback, it would have been one of his best games. He threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns, while leading Denver to 31 points against Andrew Luck and company. 

6. Jake Locker, QB, Tennessee Titans

It's been a forgettable first three years of his NFL career, but in Week 1, Jake Locker looked everything like the player the Titans drafted in the first round in 2011. Locker threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns, leading Tennessee to an impressive 26-10 victory over Andy Reid's Kansas City Chiefs, who boasted one of the league's best defenses last season. 

7. Julius Thomas, TE, Denver Broncos

It's Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham who rightfully have earned the respect among the game's best tight ends, but don't be stunned if Julius Thomas joins those ranks this season. Thomas caught seven passes for 110 yards and three touchdowns. 

8. Cameron Wake, DE, Miami Dolphins

Pro Football Focus ranked Cameron Wake as the top player in the NFL during Week 1, as Wake destroyed the New England Patriots' once-proud offensive line. Wake recorded two sacks, two quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, three hurries and three stops. 

9. Jason McCourty, CB, Tennessee Titans

Jason McCourty was one of the most-targeted players in the NFL during Week 1. He made the Chiefs pay, as he intercepted a pair of Alex Smith passes and allowed just a 35.0 passer rating on 10 targets. McCourty's performance helped the Titans forget all about Alterraun Verner, who departed for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency. 

10. Le'Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

The most impressive running back in the league in Week 1 was Le'Veon Bell, who overcame some recent offseason drama to rush for 109 yards (5.2 yards per carry) and a touchdown. Bell's six forced missed tackles ranked tied for sixth in the game.