Week 1 NFL Roundup: Recapping Top Storylines From Sunday
The first Sunday of the NFL season is now in the books, and it was a wild one filled with upsets and crazy plays.
Some upstart teams made statements against the game's elite, getting off to fast starts in 2010.
How did everything unfold, which team surprised, and what were the biggest stories of the first Sunday? Check it all out here.
New England Patriots Prove They're Still The Patriots
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This game was quite the shocker. Not so much that the Patriots won (they aren't terrible), but the way they beat the Bengals in Foxboro.
As my pick and a lot of other people's picks to win this game, Cincinnati got crushed by Tom Brady and a Patriots defense that was better than expected.
The Bengals trailed 24-3 at halftime, and it wasn't until the third quarter that they made a slight comeback.
Brady was just fine after his car accident earlier in the week, going 25-for-35 with 258 passing yards and three touchdowns.
An older Patriots defense was the biggest question for New England entering this season, but they limited the Bengals receiving corps. Chad Ochocinco didn't have a bad game, catching 12 passes for over 150 yards and a touchdown, but Terrell Owens was a non-factor.
It was an overall good game for the Patriots on both sides of the ball.
Final score: Patriots 38, Bengals 24
Houston Texans Make Statement By Beating Colts
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It's finally happened. The Houston Texans won a huge game, maybe the biggest in their history to date. After going 1-15 all-time against the Indianapolis Colts, Matt Schaub and his crew beat Peyton Manning, 34-24.
The hero of the game was Texans running back Arian Foster. He had a monster game, rushing for 231 yards and three touchdowns.
Matt Schaub, known for his passing skills as he led the league in yards last season, didn't do much passing in the game. He only accumulated 107 yards, and was more than quadrupled by Manning.
Peyton had a monster game in his own right, completing 40 passes for 433 yards, but it wasn't enough.
He was actually outplayed by the running of Foster, and the Texans scored enough in the fourth quarter to win.
Normally, the Texans lose games late, as that's been the reason for the lack of success. They did give up 14 fourth-quarter points, but matched that total to seal an impressive victory.
Manning spread the ball around, as four receivers went for 75 or more yards in the loss.
The Texans, Titans, and Jaguars all won, meaning the Colts are the lone 0-1 team in the AFC South.
Final score: Texans 34, Colts 24
Hakeem Nicks Shines In Giants Win at New Meadowlands
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The Giants offense looked as good as old, and around three Eli Manning interceptions, beat the Panthers to open the New Meadowlands Stadium.
The defense, which finished last season so badly, wasn't too bad either. This was a game that featured nine turnovers, and the Giants intercepted two Matt Moore passes in their own end zone.
Eli Manning didn't have a strong game, as he threw three interceptions, although all of them probably should have been caught.
The star of the game was Giants receiver Hakeem Nicks. The former North Carolina star caught three touchdown passes to cement himself as Manning's go-to guy.
Giants tight end Kevin Boss hurt himself early on and forced Travis Beckum to block on the outside.
It didn't hurt the Giants though, as they started slowly but finished strongly, beating a bad Panthers defense.
Final score: Giants 31, Panthers 18
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AFC East Elite Get Off to Good Start
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Not only did the Patriots win their first game, but so did the Miami Dolphins. They beat what should be an awful Buffalo Bills team on the road.
The Dolphins have had trouble winning games up their where it gets cold, but it was warm enough and they avoided a disappointing loss.
It wasn't a great game for them, as they only scored 15 points, but the Dolphins defense was great.
The Miami two-headed rushing monster of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams combined for 127 yards, and Brandon Marshall went for 53 receiving yards in his Dolphins debut.
The Patriots and Dolphins both start their seasons 1-0, with the Jets playing on Monday night.
Final score: Dolphins 15, Bills 10
No Big Ben, No Problem For Steelers
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Ben Roethlisberger may be suspended for the first four games, but the Steelers won't be 0-4 when he returns.
Their game against the Falcons wasn't pretty, but backup quarterback Dennis Dixon showed he can be admirable in Big Ben's absence. He went 18-for-26 with 236 yards and an interception, and kept the game close, although he couldn't get in for a touchdown.
Both the Steelers and Falcons swapped three field goals, as the game went to overtime tied, 9-9. With 12:25 to go in the sudden death period, Rashard Mendenhall broke loose for a game-winning 50-yard touchdown run.
The Steelers, without Roethlisberger, get a huge win over a predicted good Falcons team.
Their defense was obviously outstanding, but they'd like to get into the end zone before overtime next time around. That was their only problem offensively.
Final score: Steelers 15, Falcons 9- OT
Detroit Lions Lose On Controversial Ending
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Nothing has gone right over the years for the Detroit Lions, and the trend continued on Sunday. Playing the Bears in Chicago, the Lions trailed, 19-14, in the final seconds.
Quarterback Shaun Hill threw a deep-end zone pass to Calvin Johnson in the right end, and after it was caught, Johnson let the ball go.
He was about to celebrate before he made sure to have control of the ball, and therefore it was ruled an incomplete pass.
What would've been a game-winning touchdown with 20 seconds left, turned out to be a devastating moment for the Lions, who were trying to desperately improve this season.
They start 0-1 instead, and will be thinking of the dropped pass for a while, unless they can string together some wins.
It was clearly a drop, so any need of a beef against the referees would be unnecessary.
Final score: Bears 19, Lions 14
Green Bay Packers Beat Eagles, Avoid Vick's Late Heroics
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Newly minted Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb suffered a concussion and gave way to former Falcons star Michael Vick.
The Packers beat the Eagles after starting slowly, but they didn't finish easily. They didn't score a single point in the first quarter, and Aaron Rogers admitted he didn't have a great game, but the Packers should feel happy about nailing a tough road win.
Trailing 27-10 in the fourth, the Eagles scored 10 points, and nearly rode Michael Vick to a comeback.
With 4:13 to go, trailing 27-20, Vick took the game into his own hands and rushed the football on his own virtually every play.
He eventually got to the Packers 42, but failed to convert on a fourth and one. He rushed up the middle but didn't gain a yard, getting tackled by Clay Matthews.
That sealed the deal for Green Bay, giving them a tightly contested victory in one of the toughest places to play in Philadelphia.
In the AFC North, the winners in Week 1 were the Packers and Bears, and the losers were the Vikings and Lions.
Final score: Packers 27, Eagles 20
Dallas Cowboys Lose to Redskins On Game-Ending Penalty
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The Dallas Cowboys shockingly didn't score in the entire first half of their Sunday night opener against the Redskins.
They missed a field goal in the first quarter when they had the opportunity to tie the game at three.
Neither team had any offense, including Donovan McNabb in his first Redskins game. The Cowboys gifted the Redskins seven points at the end of the second quarter.
They elected, trailing only 3-0, to try for a last-play miracle, and a fumble and touchdown return proceeded.
Tony Romo should've just taken a knee, but the Cowboys made one of a number of foolish plays in the game.
No play was more foolish than the final one. Trailing 13-7, the Cowboys put together a good drive after the two-minute warning.
They used 11 plays to get to the Redskins 13-yard line, but that's when the game ended in heartbreak for Dallas.
With three seconds left, and one play remaining to win it, Romo made a short pass to Roy Williams in the end zone for a touchdown. It should've tied the game at 13 apiece, but instead it was nullified thanks to an offensive holding penalty on Alex Barron.
It was the right call, as Barron allowed Romo to sneak through the defense, giving him time to find Williams in the end zone.
Therefore, the Redskins got a huge intra-divisional win against their rivals at home, and sent the Cowboys to a tough opening week defeat.
Final score: Redskins 13, Cowboys 7
Biggest Week 1 Winners, Losers, and Upsets
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After a recap of the top storylines from Sunday's Week 1 action, here's a list of the biggest winners, losers, and upsets in my opinion:
Biggest Winners
New England Patriots over Cincinnati Bengals
Jacksonville Jaguars over Denver Broncos
Green Bay Packers over Philadelphia Eagles
Biggest Losers
Oakland Raiders to Tennessee Titans
Carolina Panthers to New York Giants
Dallas Cowboys to Washington Redskins
Biggest Upsets
Houston Texans over Indianapolis Colts
Pittsburgh Steelers over Atlanta Falcons
Seattle Seahawks over San Francisco 49ers
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