Well, this was an exciting opening weekend in the NFL, filled with surprises! A lot of teams that you figured would win, didn't. And a lot of teams that you figured might have a solid showing, having had all offseason to prepare especially for their opening game, instead stumbled out of the gate.
So, who were the big winners, and losers, on opening weekend? Let's take a look:
I already discussed the Seahawks dominant performance in a previous blog entry, but I should state again how impressed I was with the running of Lynch, and the defense that held Green Bay's potent offense to only 16 points!
As for the games yesterday:
Cincinnati 23, Baltimore 16 - I figured that the Ravens, after the poor title defense last season, would be especially fired up not only to improve this season, but to send a strong message right off the bat, as they hosted last season's AFC North Champions, the Cincinnati Bengals. Instead,the Bengals played very well, and managed to get a solid road win to start this season off right! Impressive! Not so much for the Ravens, however.
Minnesota Viking 34, St. Louis Rams 6 - Terrible, terrible, terrible! The Rams opened the season at home against a relatively weak opponent. I hate to say it was a must win for the Rams in week one already, but they are not good enough that they can afford to lose such games. And they did not just lose, they were humiliated, and before their home fans to open up the season! Crushing defeat, and although I like Jeff Fisher, I really wonder how he's going to respond to this, and get his team past this huge, epic disappointment? As for the Vikings, this was as impressive a start as they could have asked for. This was as good as it gets for the purple and gold!
Miami Dolphins 33, New England Patriots 20 - This one kind of shocked me! The Patriots always seem to start their seasons off with a bang, and they had not lost on opening day in over a decade! It was a familiar opponent and, even though it was on the road, you kind of figured (or I did, in any case), that Brady, Belichick and company would find a way. But they did not, and the Dolphins, a team improving by leaps and bounds, looked like they are ready to make a serious push for the playoffs this year!
NY Jets 19, Oakland Raiders 14 - Okay, so the Raiders are not exactly an elite unit in the league. But the Jets looked solid in this win, with a crushing running game and tough defense. Anyone familiar with the Jets during the tenure of head coach Rex Ryan would remember that this was the formula the team used when they went to those AFC Championships a few years back! A nice way to start the season. As for the Raiders, at least they did not get blown out, right?
Buffalo Bills 23, Chicago Bears 20 (OT) - I saw this one end live, and it was a shocker! The Bears, I thought, were loaded this season, and even though I figured they would go through issues at some point, I did not expect them to lose at home to the Bills, admittedly. But Buffalo proved tough, and despite low expectations by many (including, admittedly, me), Buffalo proved their detractors wrong, at least for opening weekend. A devastating loss for the Bears, because you want to get the season off on the right foot. Still, it's only one game, right?
Tennessee Titans 26, Kansas City Chiefs 10 - This one was not so shocking to me. I already predicted that the Chiefs would drop off significantly from last season's 11-5 mark, and then the crushing playoff collapse at Indianapolis. Granted, I did not necessarily expect them to lose, and convincingly, to the Titans in their very first game. But it's certainly not a shock, either. A solid road win for Tennessee, and the perfect way to start their season!
Houston Texans 17, Washington 6 - This ends the 14-game active losing streak that the Texans were on dating back to September of last season. Their first win in almost a year, and the best time to do it! Granted, neither of these teams were great last season (they combined for a total of five wins), but it still must feel good for the Texans to have won a game, finally. For Washington, too many mistakes. RG3 actually had a solid day of passing, but nothing too long. Maybe too conservative a game plan for them? In any case, a good, not great, way for Houston to start their season.
Philadelphia Eagles 34, Jacksonville Jaguars 17 - Jacksonville jumped out to a 17-0 lead by halftime, and looked ready to stun Philadelphia! But the Eagles came storming back, completely dominating in the second half, with 34 unanswered points, to blow the Jags away. Both teams come out with some positives after this game, although obviously, Jacksonville has to work on their execution a bit. For the Eagles, coming back from way down is a great way to start the season, although it causes a bit of concern to have fallen so far behind a weak team at home.
Atlanta Falcons 37, New Orleans Saints 34 (OT) - A back and forth affair between two teams that almost look like mirror images of one another. The Saints offense looked solid, but so did Atlanta's! Not much defense here, and for these two teams, that is a concern, since their defensive weakness in the past has hurt both clubs. An exciting game to start the season, however, and a huge win for the Falcons, who are looking to bounce back after a very poor showing last season. For the Saints, this was a terrible loss to start the season with. It was right there for them!
Pittsburgh Steelers 30, Cleveland Browns 27 - Was anyone really shocked when the Browns fell behind 27-3 by halftime? Not I! But I'll tell you what: they really put something impressive together to get back in that game and tie it up at 27 apiece. However, they have to finish that kind of rally, seal,the deal. And what could have been a historic, come from behind victory that make a strong statement, becomes just yet another disappointing loss instead. I really hope the Browns can bounce back from this!
San Francisco 49ers 28, Dallas Cowboys 17 - Wow! It's not that the Cowboys lost, since that was not a shock at all. But it's the way that they lost. The same old same old. Tony Romo throwing costly interceptions. The defense getting pushed around, and their explosive offense looking stagnant. San Fran looked dominant, and Dallas looked doomed, frankly.
Carolina Panthers 20, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14 - Like with Dallas, it was not so much that Tampa lost, but how they lost. They were supposed to have acquired talent, and toughened up. Instead, they were pushed around by a Carolina team that was without Cam Newton, and they could not get anything going offensively until it was too late. The defense showed up for Tampa, but they bent a little too much, and Carolina got a solid road victory to start the year off right! Is this a sign of yet another long season in Tampa?
Denver Broncos 31, Indianapolis Colts 24 - I don't know what to say about this one. Yes, the Broncos were impressive in building a 24-7 halftime lead against the Colts, and scoring 31 shows that they will be just fine on offense. But allowing the Colts to get back in this and make it a tight game is a real cause for concern, because it reminds me a lot - a lot! - of last season's playoffs, when the Broncos would start off in dominant fashion, then have to hang on in the end. When they go up against some very tough opponents, like they did in the Super Bowl against Seattle, how will that hold up? Because they have plenty of tough games on their schedule this season! As for the Colts, it would have been better had they won, but not too bad of a showing, given the second half rally to make this a game. Just a tough way to start the season, on the road in Denver. Both QB's had their moments last night!
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