Let's start with one, however, that was particularly heartbreaking for me, as a Giants fan:
Dallas 27, NY Giants 26 - A great game with an explosive and exciting end, as the game went down to the final seconds. For Dallas, this was a huge, come from behind victory that allows them to start the season off right. For the Giants, some agonizing head-scratching and second guessing, as they again open another season for a loss.
This game belonged to the Giants. They held a 10 point lead in the fourth quarter with time running out, and they were in position to win even later than that, being one yard away from the end zone. That was when Eli Manning made a huge and costly mistake. It was designed to be a pass play, instead of a run to pound the ball in. Okay, so be it. But being chased out of the pocket, Manning threw it away, killing the clock, instead of running valuable time off of it. Given how much time that could have taken off the clock, and what Dallas did with that time, the results speak for themselves.
On top of it, the plane to get the Giants out of Dallas experienced mechanical problems, and the Giants did not get out of there until after 4am. What a horrific night for the G-Men. Not a good way to start the season at all.
St. Louis 37, Seattle 34 (OT) - For the second game in a row, Pete Carroll will be questioned for a bizarre and ultimately costly call that he made late. We all remember the last one, in Super Bowl XLIX, when he elected not to give it to Lynch on 2nd and 1, with 26 seconds left to play. It was a pass, and it was intercepted, giving New England the ball, the game, and the title.
Well, yesterday's call might not have been as questionable as that, but it was pretty bad still. The Seahawks decided to try a fake kick to open up overtime, only the Rams recovered, and with great field position. They would get a field goal, and the Seahawks failed to respond when Lynch got stuffed with only one yard to go to convert the first down and keep the drive, and their hopes in the game, alive.
A disappointing loss to start the season, to say the least, for Seattle. That will not help them forget the 2nd and 1, but will in fact most likely add fuel to the fire. As for the Rams, what an awesome win, and a great way to open up the season!
Denver 19, Baltimore 13 - An exciting opening game between two playoff contending teams in the AFC. Denver had the most explosive offense in league history two seasons ago, but you wonder what happened to that offense. Very little evidence of the offensive potential there, despite having the best regular season quarterback in NFL history.
It was a defensive struggle. The only touchdowns scored were from interceptions returned for touchdowns, and each team had one of those. Mostly a field goal competition, yet an exciting game between two quality opponents. Denver's defense stood up, and looked quick and strong, which bodes well for them. A disappointing loss for Baltimore, made all the more disappointing given the loss by injury to Suggs, the leader on defense. Brutal.
San Diego 33, Detroit 28 - As I was flipping between the Denver game and the Arizona game yesterday, I kept marveling at the score in this one. Wow, Detroit is better than I gave them credit for, it seemed. They were dominating San Diego for most of the game.
Then, later on, I saw that they eventually lost.
Same old Detroit Lions. A brutal loss for them to open up the season with, while San Diego, like Dallas, earns an exciting and reinvigorating come from behind win.
Tennessee 42, Tampa Bay 14 - Can't say that I saw this one coming! An amazing debut for Mariota, who looks like he is ready for the NFL. We still have to see how he fares against some of the elite defenses, but man did he ever look good yesterday, throwing not only his first, and then second touchdowns of his career, but throwing four touchdown passes, and helping to lead Tennessee to a surprisingly easy and dominant win over Tampa Bay.
Buffalo 27, Indianapolis 14 - I thought that the Bills might win this, although I predicted it would be close, and that Indy would look tougher than they did. The Bills looked like their defense is going to be tough under Ryan, and their offense looked sharp, compared to last season. The Colts, by contrast, looked sluggish and inefficient. Not a good start for them, although it is a long season, and they will have plenty of opportunity to right the ship. No reason to panic just yet for the highly touted Colts, although this was an amazing way to start the new season for the Bills!
Kansas City 27, Houston 20 - The Chiefs jumped all over Houston early, and they looked like they were going to whip the Texans. Ultimately, the Texans came back with a strong second half rally, but they fell short in the end, and the Chiefs earned a solid road win against a potentially difficult and dangerous opponent. That is good, because they have to face the Broncos just three days from today.
NY Jets 31, Cleveland 10 - The Jets looked sluggish to start, and Manziel looked like a solid quarterback early, hitting his passes and looking and playing with far more confidence then he showed last season. But the Jets came back after falling behind 7-0, and outscored the Browns 31-3 the rest of the way, ultimately whipping Cleveland. Good start to the season for the Jets, although they now have to face the Colts. As for the Browns, their uniforms looked far too bright. Not sure I like these over the older uniforms, frankly.
Green Bay 31, Chicago 23 - The Bears were winning this one for some time, and they kept the game close. Given how badly the Packers outplayed Chicago last season in two meetings, that itself is a positive sign. But Green Bay ultimately came back and left no doubt as to who the better team is. Both teams got something positive out of this one, although the Packers ultimately got the win to start their very promising season off right.
Arizona 31, New Orleans 19 - I am looking forward to seeing what the Cardinals can do this year, in what should be a promising season for them. A few problems with clock management in the first half, but otherwise, a solid enough win to start the season off right for the Cardinals. Not a great day for the Saints.
Miami 17, Washington 10 - The Dolphins fell behind early, and for much of the game, Washington looked capable of pulling off the upset. However, Miami did eventually come back, and pulled off the win. That was necessary, since every team in the AFC East won their first games, and Miami certainly did not want to be the only team in the division to lose, especially to a weak opponent.
Carolina 20, Jacksonville 9 - A low-scoring affair, and a fairly convincing Panthers victory. More or less what you could expect, and the Panthers jumped out ahead of the Saints and Bucs to take the early lead on the rest of the NFC South, although we will see how the Falcons perform later tonight. Not a bad start for Carolina.
Cincinnati 33, Oakland 13 - The Bengals dominated this game even more than the final score indicates. The Raiders scored some late points, but the game was 33-0 at certain points. Brutal loss for them, although the Pacman Jones thing was a sour point for the Bengals, and he definitely deserves some serious punishment. For the Bengals, however, a very solid road win, even if it comes against a weak opponent. They take the early lead against every other team in the AFC North, as the only team to have won in Week 1.
So, that is it from the first Sunday of the new NFL season. Two games left tonight, as the Falcons host the Eagles, and the the Vikings visit the 49ers. Should be interesting!
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