Bleacher Report's Week 1 NFL Awards

Ladies and gentlemen, we are underway.

Last Thursday night in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the New England Patriots kicked off both the defense of their Super Bowl crown and the 2015 NFL campaign in style, handling the short-handed Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-21, in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated.

That contest went more or less as many expected, as did a 33-13 blowout win by the Cincinnati Bengals in Oakland. That wasn't the case in St. Louis and Buffalo, where the Rams and Bills pulled huge upsets over the Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts, respectively.

As with every week in the NFL, the first slate of games featured great performances and mind-blowing gaffes, surprise stars and full-on face plants.

And as with every week in the NFL, the NFL scribes here at Bleacher Report have gathered to offer their takes on the best and worst of the week that was.

Team of the Week

Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

Winner: Buffalo Bills (6 votes)

As mentioned in the intro, the Buffalo Bills stunned the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Well, that's not entirely accurate. Actually, the Bills took a team many predicted would represent the AFC in Super Bowl 50 behind the woodshed and slapped the snot out of it.

The Bills didn't just beat the Colts. They dominated them in every phase of the game. Buffalo completely controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball in racing to a 24-0 lead before prevailing 27-14.

Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, making his first NFL start, outplayed MVP hopeful Andrew Luck. Buffalo head coach Rex Ryan wasn't shy about praising Taylor while speaking with the Buffalo News:

"

He beats you with his arm. He’s smart. You can’t trick him. I mean, it’s hard to trick him. Obviously, he has that added dimension with his legs. You know, he’s great. He’s got a great feel for it. … The great ones, they just got that presence. He has a presence to him.

"

This wasn't an upset—it was a beatdown.

And it left NFL Analyst Brad Gagnon plenty impressed:

"

Tyrod Taylor, Percy Harvin, LeSean McCoy, Charles Clay, Karlos Williams: Buffalo's five key offensive contributors from Sunday, none of whom were on the roster last season. I love the new look and feel, top to bottom, including new ownership and the energy Rex Ryan brings to Orchard Park.

This team is every bit as talented as Indy and the rest of the AFC's heavyweights, and Taylor might be good enough for Buffalo to overcome its shortcomings at the quarterback position. The Bills will have some dominant performances this season, and one of them came against a Super Bowl-caliber opponent Sunday.

"

The rest of our voters might not be willing to label the Bills real contenders just yet, but Gagnon will get very little argument that they sure looked the part in Week 1. 

Others receiving votes: Dallas Cowboys (1 vote), St. Louis Rams (1 vote)

Coach of the Week

Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

Winner: Rex Ryan, Buffalo Bills (6 votes)

Back in January, when the Buffalo Bills hired Rex Ryan to be their new head coach, Ryan said he intended to "build a bully" in Western New York.

Well, for one week at least, it appeared to have worked, because the Bills took the Colts' lunch money.

Ryan's Buffalo debut went about as well as it possibly could have. In front of a rowdy sellout crowd, the Bills dominated the Colts in every aspect of the game. And seeing as he's more than a little rowdy himself, Ryan made sure to give that crowd its due in Monday's press conference, per Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News:

"

I don't know if I did our fans justice. It's the truth. It was amazing for me but it was also amazing for our players. They said they couldn't hear themselves, but that's perfect. I can't wait to see what our fans are going to be like when you have the hated Patriots, I mean, this kind of rival coming into our stadium. I don't think our fans need any more prompting. ... That team right there had more vertical passes than any team in the league last year. For us to keep them to two explosive plays was good. I think we had seven explosives. The three turnovers to no turnovers was huge; we'll sign up to that every week.

"

And, of course, there's no way Ryan's getting through a presser without aiming a few shots toward Foxborough:

"

I don't know if much has changed. They're still the hunted in my mind. They're the world champions, the ones you want to knock off. That hasn't changed a whole lot. ... It's a tough Sunday because of their skill. Great coach, a Hall of Fame quarterback, that's what makes it more difficult than anything else. We don't have to worry about getting our team ready to play. The Patriots are the ones you want to beat. It's not like we're just now preparing for them.

"

The times may not be this happy in Buffalo every week, but for now everyone's smiling.

Others receiving votes: Ken Whisenhunt, Tennessee Titans (1 vote), Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs (1 vote)

Goat of the Week

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Now let's get out there and lose this game!

"Winner": ***TIE*** Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants and Tom Coughlin, HC, New York Giants (3 votes each)

I will freely admit that, as the author of this article, I am the last writer to cast a vote each week. And sometimes I use that vote to break ties. Because ties are un-American.

However, in this instance I used my vote to create one, because in Sunday night's 27-26 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning were equally, well, how shall I put this...

Dumb.

I'll let Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com explain the gaffe that cost Big Blue a win, a mistake that Coughlin took full responsibility for:

"

Leading by three points with 1:43 left in the game Sunday, Coughlin called for a pass by Eli Manning on third-and-goal for New York from the 1-yard line. The pass fell incomplete.

"It's my fault at the end of the game," Coughlin said following the 27-26 loss. "There's nobody else to blame but me. I take full responsibility for it because the strategy was wrong at the end."

This isn't just a case of a coach taking the blame for his players' mistakes. Runs in short yardage situations have a much higher chance of succeeding than passes. But the clock was such a factor here that even a failed run would have been a success. The Giants could have milked the clock to under one minute left following a field goal attempt, making it far more difficult for the Cowboys to drive the length of the field.

"

Yes, it was an awful call. Even if a third-down run doesn't succeed, you have options. Kick a field goal after milking the clock. You can go for it on fourth down. Yes, if you fail, the Cowboys get the ball back trailing by three. At their own 1-yard line.

But Manning throwing the ball away was every bit as stupid. If the two-time Super Bowl champion had just fallen down and taken a "sack," valuable time would have continued to tick off the clock, as the Cowboys were fresh out of timeouts.

So congrats, fellas. You're equally at fault.

Others receiving votes: Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line (1 vote), Seattle Seahawks offensive line (1 vote)

Rookie of the Week

Cliff McBride/Getty Images

Winner: Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans (8 votes)

Sunday's matchup in Tampa Bay between the Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans was billed as a battle of rookie quarterbacks—a matchup of the top two picks in the 2015 NFL draft.

Well, the 42-14 shellacking was about as one-sided as battles get. And while No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston looked every bit like a player making his first career NFL start, No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota most assuredly did not, as Samer Kalaf of Deadspin wrote:

"

The rookie from Oregon aced his first NFL game, a 42-14 win, completing 13 of 16 pass attempts for four touchdowns and 209 yards. You read that correctly: he had more touchdowns than incompletions. Mariota did so well, coach Ken Whisenhunt subbed him out in the fourth quarter for Zach Mettenberger.

"

Not only did Mariota look like a polished veteran during the game, showing poise in the pocket and excellent touch on his throws, but as Jason Wolf of the Tennessean reports, the youngster sounded like a seasoned pro while speaking to reporters after:

"

A long time ago, one of my coaches and my dad reiterated that you’ve got to act like you’ve been there before. That’s kind of how I’ve always been and will continue to be.

It means we’re 1-0. It’s a good start for us, but it’s just the first game. We’ve got to continue to get better and not focus on stats.

"

OK, so maybe Mariota was just tad more ready for the NFL than we originally gave him credit for.

No one will be making that mistake again.

Best QB Performance

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Winner: Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans (5 votes)

Yeah, for his first game Mariota definitely didn't suck.

In fact, it's been many, many years since a rookie quarterback had that strong an NFL debut.

OK, so it hasn't been that long.

Mariota's debut didn't just hark back to RG3 in 2012. Per Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post, Mariota became only the second rookie quarterback in NFL history to connect on a 50-plus-yard touchdown two minutes or less into his first start.

And as the Elias Sports Bureau (per ESPN) reported, the superlatives don't stop there:

"

By throwing a 12-yard pass to Bishop Sankey less than 7 minutes later, Mariota became the first player to throw two TD passes in the first quarter of his debut. And with two more scoring strikes in the closing minutes of the second quarter, Mariota tied Fran Tarkenton's record of four TD passes by a debutant. Tarkenton set that mark in relief of George Shaw, the starting quarterback in the first game in Vikings history (Sept. 17, 1961).

It didn't go any further because it didn't have to. The Titans nursed a 35-7 halftime lead with a conservative second-half offense, earning a 42-14 victory in which Mariota threw the ball only three times after the intermission (completing all three, we would add).

Only three other teams won their season opener by that big a margin with a first-time starter at quarterback: the 1948 Chicago Bears with Johnny Lujack, the 1959 Chicago Cardinals with King Hill, and the 2002 Chargers with Drew Brees.

"

Yeah, but other than that, what did he really do? 

Others receiving votes: Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys (1 vote), Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers (1 vote), Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (1 vote)

Best RB Performance

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Winner: Matt Forte, Chicago Bears (8 votes)

It's fixing to be a long season in the Windy City. The Chicago Bears, long known for a potent defense, saw that unit ripped to shreds a season ago. The locker room descended into a circus, and the Bears finished the year 5-11, last in the NFC North.

It's more likely than not that the Bears will finish 2015 in that same spot. But if Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers was any indication, it won't be running back Matt Forte's fault.

Forte was a big part of the reason the Bears stayed with the Green Bay Packers to the end of a 31-23 defeat, picking up a robust 141 rushing yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.

Forte credited the whole team with hanging in there while talking to Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times:

"

Just the mentality of the offense — don’t even blink. Once we had the turnover and they scored [in the fourth quarter for a 31-16 lead], nobody blinked. We were like, ‘We’re going to down there and score again and [recover] an onsides kick.

We went down and scored, but unfortunately we didn’t get the onsides kick. But the mentality of the offense, which I was proud of, is nobody had that stupid look on their face like before when something would happen — kind of saying that the game is lost already when there’s time left. I was glad we didn’t have that and kept fighting.

"

The writers here at Bleacher Report were unanimous in crediting Forte with the top performance by a running back in Week 1.

Also, these votes were submitted before Carlos Hyde of the San Francisco 49ers gashed the Minnesota Vikings for 168 yards and two scores late Monday night.

So there's that, too.

Best WR Performance

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Winner: Keenan Allen, San Diego Chargers (8 votes)

You wouldn't know it, given the explosion of rookie receivers who topped 1,000 yards a year ago, but that's actually a rare feat for a first-year wideout. In fact, only one player reached the milestone two years ago—Keenan Allen of the San Diego Chargers.

Allen struggled through a relatively disappointing sophomore season a year ago, but if Sunday's 33-28 win over the Detroit Lions was any indication, a bounce-back campaign may be in store in 2015.

Allen was a key part of the Chargers' comeback victory, racking up a career-high 166 yards on a franchise-record-tying 15 catches.

Head coach Mike McCoy told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune that he didn't see anything all that special about Allen's day.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” McCoy said. “That’s Keenan Allen.”

NFL National Lead Writer Ty Schalter, on the other hand, was a bit more effusive in his praise:

"

Fifteen catches for 166 yards doesn’t begin to describe Allen’s performance. With a per-catch average of 11.1 yards but a long of only 21, Allen shredded the Detroit Lions secondary over and over and over; they simply had no answer for him. It seemed like every time Rivers went to Allen, he was open, and every time he was open, he caught it. In a wacky game filled with turnovers and injuries, Allen’s exceptional play was the difference in a huge comeback win.

"

Our scribes agreed, tabbing Allen as a unanimous choice as Week 1's top wideout.

Best TE Performance

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Winner: Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs (5 votes)

After Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots Gronked the Pittsburgh Steelers to the tune of five catches for 94 yards and three scores last Thursday night, this category appeared to be a done deal.

And in honesty, Gronkowski should probably get the nod. But it's Rob Gronkowski—what looks like an unbelievable game is really just another day at the office for the NFL's best player at the position.

Besides, Gronkowski wasn't the only tight end who was absolutely dominant in Week 1. In the Kansas City Chiefs' 27-20 win over the Houston Texans, third-year pro Travis Kelce did some Gronking of his own, gashing the Texans for 106 yards on six catches with a pair of scoring grabs.

As NFL Analyst Sean Tomlinson pointed out, what really makes Kelce dangerous is what he does with the football after he catches it:

"

Travis Kelce is an innovator of sorts. He brought the touchdown celebration into the year 2015 Sunday, and the third-year tight end is quickly becoming one of the NFL's fastest-moving large men. At 6'5" and 260 pounds, he led all tight ends in yards after the catch in 2014 (503 yards, per Pro Football Focus), and he continued that Sunday against the Houston Texans with 48 YAC. The Chiefs' passing offense will improve with the addition of wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. But Kelce's growth could be an even more significant boost.

"

It might be Gronkowski's world—but it looks like he's about to have company.

Others receiving votes: Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots (3 votes)

Best Defensive Performance

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Winner: Aaron Donald, DT, St. Louis Rams (5 votes)

Last year, this category belonged to J.J. Watt.

For good reason. Watt was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He accrued 20.5 sacks. He made an equal number of quarterbacks cry.

I say 20.5 because there's one signal-caller whose legs have yet to be found. Watt may have eaten them. And yes, there are only 16 games. And only 13 different opponents. The others were quarterbacks who have PTSD from facing Watt in 2013.

However, with a new year comes a new king of this category, at least for one week.

It hasn't taken St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald long to emerge as one of the NFL's best players at his position. And as Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports, Donald was a huge key to the Rams' 34-31 overtime upset of the Seattle Seahawks:

"

The reason the Rams were able to get penetration was the same reason they were able to do it for most of the day: Donald. The emerging superstar whom end Chris Long calls the best defensive tackle in football, was mostly unblockable Sunday as he finished with nine tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss and three quarterback hits.

"

Donald, for his part, credited his teammates after a fourth-down stand sealed the victory. "It was our job to hold them for the win," Donald said. "That’s the way you want to end games and we did it."

It's also how you get named the Bleacher Report Defensive Player of the Week.

Others receiving votes: J.J. Watt, Force of Nature, Houston Texans (3 votes)

Best Decision

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Winner: Green Bay Packers signing James Jones (4 votes)

For the first seven seasons of his NFL career, James Jones was a member of the Green Bay Packers. The 31-year-old had his most successful campaign with the team in 2012, when he hauled in 14 touchdown grabs.

However, Jones and the Packers parted ways a year ago, with the receiver landing in Oakland. The Raiders cut Jones over the summer, and he found himself out of work after the New York Giants also cut him.

The Packers, meanwhile, found themselves with a hole at wide receiver after losing Jordy Nelson to a season-ending ACL tear.

That set the stage for a reunion—one that played out like a Hollywood movie in Sunday's win over the Chicago Bears.

Jones was the offensive star of the game for the Packers, reeling in four passes for 51 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He told Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo that it felt very good to be "home" catching passes from a familiar face in Aaron Rodgers:

"

Yeah, he gives you a double look and you know that there's a chance you're going to have an opportunity to get the ball. It feels like I've been gone for 10 years, but I've only been gone for a year, so I do know a lot of the things he's trying to do and a lot of the signals. The chemistry comes back real fast.

It's like an ex-girlfriend; you broke up for a couple of months and now you're back. You really don't lose too much.

"

Not sure how much Rodgers appreciates that analogy, but I'll wager he appreciates having Jones back in the fold.

Others receiving votes: Tennessee Titans incorporating aspects of the Oregon offense (3 votes), Chargers sticking to their game plan despite falling behind 21-3 (1 vote)

Worst Decision

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

"Winner:" Seattle Seahawks' onside kick (3 votes)

Just when you think you've seen it all.

Sunday's game between the Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams was the first contest of the 2015 season to go to overtime. It was also the first time in my life I can ever remember seeing an NFL team attempt an onside kick in overtime.

Yes, you read that right. The Seahawks attempted an onside kick—to open overtime.

It was a decision that did not impress Chris Chase of USA Today:

"

Yes, the new-ish overtime rules (when teams need a touchdown on the first possession to win) make that call less of a risk than it used to be, but it’s a major risk nonetheless. Every Seattle kickoff during the game went to the end zone and of the ones that were returned, none got past the 22-yard line. Basically, Carroll was risking 28 crucial yards on the off-chance the Rams were sleeping in a high-tension overtime.

So instead of backing up the Rams, Carroll let the team get the ball at midfield. Foles led his team on a six-play, 30-yard drive that normally have ended around their own 50, but because of the gift from Carroll, the Rams were in field-goal position and suddenly Seattle was in the position of needing a score to either extend or win the game.

"

The Seahawks didn't get that score, leaving NFL National Lead Writer Mike Tanier shaking his head:

"

There were about 50 things wrong with the decision to onside kick in overtime. The worst thing was that the Rams were really hapless deep in their own territory all game. If the Seahawks get one touchback and one holding penalty, the Rams are probably going to run draw plays and punt from inside their 20. To give up that easy path to get the ball around midfield just by playing Seahawks-style football in favor of a random-risk play is mind boggling.

"

Pete Carroll is a very good head coach. But his late-game play calls in the Seahawks' last two contests that counted?

Well?

Not so great.

Others receiving votes: Saints punting on 4th-and-6 late vs. the Cardinals (2 votes), New York Giants' clock management (2 votes), Cleveland Browns uniforms (my vote and the vote of anyone with eyes)

Player of the Week

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Winner: Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans (4 votes)

Think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers want a do-over on the 2015 NFL draft yet?

Adam Schein of NFL.com does:

"

What a miserable day for Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans, who had to watch the true franchise quarterback they passed on shred their defense in Raymond James Stadium. And Marcus Mariota did it in historic fashion, becoming the first NFL quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in his first half of regular-season play. Mariota was so good he spent the fourth quarter on the sideline, soaking up the Tennessee Titans' 42-14 win.

Mariota over Winston on Sunday was a major harbinger of things to come. And a bad look for Lovie Smith.

"

You can add Jarrett Bell of USA Today to that list as well:

"

Remember what conventional wisdom told us about Jameis Winston? He was proclaimed as the most “NFL-ready” quarterback in the pool, which by extension meant that he was a better choice at the top of the draft for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers than Marcus Mariota.

Perhaps Winston will ultimately produce a more successful NFL career over the long run than Mariota. And, uh, perhaps not. Time will tell.

In the short run? Not even close.

The first season-opening matchup in NFL history featuring quarterbacks drafted No. 1 and No. 2 went poof Sunday at Raymond James Stadium as Mariota, the new face of the Tennessee Titans, was undoubtedly the best-prepared quarterback on the field.

"

Yes, it's only one game in what will hopefully be long, successful careers for both young passers. And Winston can't be entirely blamed given that his offensive line has forced him into a cadence something along the lines of "Hut, hut, oh lord help me, AAAAAHHHHHH!"

But in Mariota's NFL debut the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner was poised. He was accurate. He made smart decisions with the football.

Mariota, for one game at least, looked every bit the real deal.

And he's the Week 1 Bleacher Report NFL Player of the Week. 

Others receiving votes: Keenan Allen, WR, San Diego Chargers (2 votes), Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys (1 vote), Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers (1 vote)