NFL Week 1: 25 Things We Learned in the Opening Weekend
Week 1 of the NFL season has certainly been a wild one thus far. There have been several shocking upsets, heartbreaking losses and even an inspiring comeback or two.
But what does all of this mean? Have we really learned anything about the landscape of the league after just one week's worth of games? As a matter of fact, we have.
Here are 25 things we learned in Week 1 of the NFL season.
25. Arian Foster Is a Good Running Back
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The Houston Texans appear to have finally figured out their running back situation.
Former Tennessee Volunteer Arian Foster blew up the Colts defense to the tune of 231 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday, silencing his critics in the process.
While Foster won't run for 231 yards every week of the season, he proved he's capable of handling the workload of a starting running back.
He flashed speed, power and good vision on Sunday, and his presence makes the Texans contenders for the AFC South title.
24. The NFL Needs to Fix Its Reception Rules
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I don’t care what you, Roger Goodell, the officials from Sunday’s game or that snarky jerk Jay Cutler say: Calvin Johnson caught that ball on Sunday afternoon.
I’ve watched the clip over and over and over, and I come to the same conclusion every time.
Johnson hangs on to the ball until he hits the ground, and lets go when he gets up to celebrate. Anyone with functioning eyes can see that.
But because of the NFL’s ridiculous rule on the topic, he and the Lions lost the game. Roger Goodell, do the right thing and fix this rule.
23. The Dolphins Are The NFL's Most Boring Team
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Sure, the Dolphins beat the Bills 15-10 on Sunday. But they did it in such a snore-inducing fashion that it was difficult for just about anyone to watch.
Ronnie Brown rushed for 67 yards, Ricky Williams racked up 62 yards Brandon Marshall finished with 53 receiving yards and Davone Bess had 51.
Are the Dolphins good? Possibly. But being good doesn’t make a team exciting, and the Fish weren’t.
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22. The Cardinals Made the Right Decision
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The Arizona Cardinals made the right call. After one week of games, it would appear that the Cardinals made the right call in jettisoning Matt Leinart in favor of Derek Anderson.
The former Cleveland Brown didn’t complete a ton of passes (just 22-of-41) but didn’t turn the ball over, either, as the Cards beat the Rams 17-13.
Anderson has never been known for his accuracy, which explains the low completion percentage, but he has the receivers to make plays when he does hit them.
Add to that Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells, and the Cardinals should be in the mix for the NFC West crown once more.
21. Matt Moore's Starting Days Could Be Numbered
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Moore may have looked good at the end of last season, but if he has more games like Sunday, the former Oregon State Beaver could find his leash a lot shorter than he’d like.
Moore threw for just 182 yards and fired three picks on the day as the Panthers lost to the Giants.
Carolina’s quarterback doesn’t have to do much; just feed Steve Smith the occasional pass and not turn the ball over.
If Moore has another game like this, rest assured that rookie backup Jimmy Clausen will be starting sooner rather than later.
20. Hakeem Nicks Is a Touchdown Machine
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Nicks, the former Tar Heel standout, had himself quite a game on Sunday, catching all three of quarterback Eli Manning’s touchdown passes and racking up 75 receiving yards in the Giants’ win.
Nicks is a big receiver with good hands, which makes him a logical target in the red zone. He’s already become one of Manning’s favorite targets, and it should pay dividends in the long run.
His grabs in the end zone turned what looked like an Eli Manning howler into a mediocre game for the Giants' quarterback.
19. The Redskins Can Contend In the NFC East
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The Washington Redskins looked a lot better than their 13 points would indicate. Quarterback Donovan McNabb began his campaign to show the Eagles it was a mistake to trade him with a solid performance, which would have been better if Washington's receivers hadn't dropped several catchable passes.
Clinton Portis looked good, and the defense looked dominant. I'm not saying the Redskins will win the NFC East, but expect them to hang around for a little while.
18. The Bears Can Win With Jay Cutler
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Week 1 of the Bears' Mike Martz experiment was proven to be somewhat successful. Quarterback Jay Cutler racked up 372 yards passing and two touchdowns, proving why he was a first round pick in 2006. Matt Forte reminded us why he was valuable, totaling 50 rushing yards, 171 receiving yards and catching both of Cutler's passing touchdowns.
Cutler didn't have his best game, but he proved he can be successful in the Bears' new offense.
17. The Lions Need Matthew Stafford Healthy
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It was a tale of two halves on Sunday for the Detroit Lions. In the first half with a healthy Stafford, the offense looked sharp, and the second-year quarterback racked up 83 pass yards.
In the second half, though, with Stafford on the bench with a shoulder sprain, Detroit's offense stalled with Shaun Hill at the helm
The Lions' entire offense is geared around Matthew Stafford's cannon. With him out 2-6 weeks, it'll become apparent pretty quickly that Shaun Hill doesn't have the arm strength to be a viable option in Detroit. If Stafford's out longer than two or three weeks, the Lions will be in serious trouble.
16. Don't Trust the Raiders
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The 2010 campaign was supposed to be the year for the Raiders. With a strong running game and defense, and solid quarterback Jason Campbell, Oakland was supposed to challenge for the AFC West title.
If Sunday was any indication, though, the Raiders are a long way from being competitive in the AFC. Campbell struggled all day, and the defense was blown to pieces by Vince Young and Chris Johnson. Tom Cable's team has some serious issues that need to be addressed, but the question is, can they fix the problems?
15. The Falcons Are Still Good, But Not Great Yet
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Don't let their three field goal output against the Steelers on Sunday fool you: The Atlanta Falcons are a good team.
But right now, with the personnel they have, that's all they are. Good. A 10-6 or 9-7 team. They need a bigger performance from running back Michael Turner to take some of the pressure off Matt Ryan's shoulders. Make no mistake: This team is talented. But until they get consistency, Atlanta will have trouble making any inroads in the playoffs.
14. Rumors Of Jacksonville's Demise Were Greatly Exaggerated
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As it turns out, perhaps there is something interesting in Jacksonville this season. With Maurice Jones-Drew gashing the Broncos depleted front seven, and David Garrard finding everyone but Mike Sims-Walker, the Jags beat Denver 24-17.
Jack del Rio's club looked solid on Sunday, and showed everyone that the AFC South is going to be the most exciting division race in all of football.
13. The Steelers Can Win Without Big Ben
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It wasn't pretty, but the Steelers managed to knock off the Falcons in Week 1 behind a 120-yard rushing performance from Rashard Mendenhall. Dennis Dixon looked shaky, but not that shaky, and Pittsburgh's defense appears to be revitalized with the return of Troy Polamalu.
If Dixon's passing improves between now and when Big Ben returns, they might not need their former star quarterback at all.
12. The Broncos Need Defensive Help
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Sure, all-world cornerback Champ Bailey took Jags receiver Mike Sims-Walker out of the game. (Sims-Walker had no catches on the day.) Other than that, the Broncos defense didn't impress against a team whose offense isn't exactly elite. Every other member of the Jaguars offense had a solid day, and Denver's defense was powerless to stop them.
This game made it clear that the Broncos need to get some defensive help. Can they find it? That remains to be seen.
11. The Titans Look Like a Playoff Team
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The Tennessee Titans looked good on Saturday. All of them. Chris Johnson looked good. Vince Young looked good. Nate Washington looked good. The defense looked better than it did all of last year, as the Titans ran roughshod over what was supposed to be a good Oakland team.
Look for Tennessee to stay in the thick of things in the incredibly competitive AFC South.
10. The Seahawks Will Be Better Than We Thought
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Pete Carroll's Seahawks pulled arguably the biggest upset of the day on Sunday, routing the 49ers 31-6. His blitz-heavy packages tormented Alex Smith all game long, and his offense looked strong behind quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and running back Justin Forsett.
Will the Seahawks win the NFC West? Probably not. But don't be surprised to see them sitting at 5-3 at worst through eight games. After that? Expect teams to have figured them out.
9. The Bengals Need a Better First Half Game Plan
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For two quarters on Sunday, the Bengals appeared to have become the Bungles once again. Shoddy defense and a poor rushing performance saw Cincinnati fall behind the Patriots 24-3 at halftime.
Sure, the Bengals played well enough to keep it close in the second half, but they need a better performance in the first 30 minutes of the game to have success in what promises to be a competitive AFC North.
8. The 49ers Aren't Ready Yet
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Perhaps we were a bit hasty in crowning the 49ers as NFC West champs before the season got underway. The 49ers defense was eviscerated by the Seattle offense, and the Niners couldn't get into any kind of rhythm throwing or rushing the ball against the frenetic Seahawks defense.
Alex Smith fell apart in the second half, struggling to complete any passes. Frank Gore was neutralized, and the Niners were routed.
San Francisco has the talent to win the NFC West. But they still need a bit of seasoning. Maybe this was just a blip. But something tells me 10-6 is the best they'll finish.
7. Michael Vick Is Back...
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Ah, how quickly we forget. Michael Vick, former all-world talent, reminded everyone why he was one of the NFL's most exciting players on Sunday. Vick appeared to have recaptured the spark that made him so beloved in Atlanta, slicing and dicing the Packers' defense as he rallied the Eagles to within a touchdown of the victory.
If Kevin Kolb is out for an extended period, Eagles fans can rest a bit easier knowing Vick is at the helm.
6. ... But The Eagles Need Kevin Kolb
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Don't be fooled by Vick's 11-of-15 passing day on Sunday. He's still not an accurate passer, and this offense was built for a strong-armed, accurate quarterback. That guy is Kevin Kolb.
Vick can run an offense, but he can't sustain the type of offense Philly likes to run. If they want to win the NFC East, the Eagles need Kolb back and healthy.
5. The Texans Could Win the AFC South
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Houston looked awfully good against the Colts on Sunday, didn't they? Sure, Matt Schaub didn't have his best game, and Andre Johnson was held in check. But Arian Foster showed that this team isn't one-dimensional anymore, and Schaub will get better.
The Texans finally got the Manning monkey off their back, and should be considered 1B to the Colts' 1A in the division right now.
4. The Colts Offense Is Good, But Their Defense Is Not
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Peyton Manning showed on Sunday that he and the Colts offense are as good as ever. Manning picked apart the Texans defense to the tune of 433 yards and three touchdowns.
But Indy's issues lie on the opposite side of the ball. While their pass defense was stellar, their run defense cost them the game. The Colts play small, fast players on defense, which makes them vulnerable to power running games. If they want to get back to the Super Bowl, Jim Irsay has to find them some run defenders because Peyton can't do it all by himself any more.
3. Tom Brady and the Patriots Are Back
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Tom Brady had a message Sunday for the Jets and the pundits who picked them to win the AFC East: Don't forget about us.
It was a vintage Brady performance on Sunday, as he ripped through the Bengals' defense with 275 passing yards and three touchdowns. Brady gives the Pats a chance to win every week, and if the defense plays like it did this week for the rest of the season, New England could find themselves sitting pretty at season's end.
2. The Cowboys Are In Trouble
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Weren't these guys supposed to be Super Bowl contenders? Dallas sure didn't look the part Sunday night, falling in a mistake-filled game to the Redskins.
The offensive line was just as heavily penalized as last year, the defense didn't look great and Tony Romo caused Tashard Choice to have his first career fumble, hanging the back out to dry on an ill-advised shovel pass.
This team didn't look like playoff contenders, much less a team that has the third best odds of getting to the Super Bowl. They've got serious issues that need to be addressed, and I don't think Wade Phillips can fix them all.
1. The Packers Will Win the NFC North
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Don't be fooled by the score line in this one: The Packers proved why they're favorites to win the NFC North on Sunday. Green Bay overcame a sluggish start to jump out to leads of 20-3 and 27-10, before Vick led his heroic comeback attempt.
Vick is a one-of-a-kind talent who drives defensive coordinators crazy. The Packers won't have to worry about him again. Offensively, they looked sharp, other than one misfired pass from Aaron Rodgers. This team could be the NFL's best, and they showed why on Sunday.
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