What a strange first weekend in the NFL for this brand new season. Several upsets, a Browns comeback to force overtime and, ultimately, a rare tie, and then an almost historic pounding by the Ravens over the Bills. Let's take a closer look:
Jacksonville 20, N.Y. Giants 15 - To be fair, the Jaguars are not the easiest team to have to open a season up against presently. Still, the Giants offense looked suspiciously as inept as they had throughout last season, with one exception, of course. That would be Saquon Barkley, who had a 68-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to put the Giants back in the game. It was an instant highlight reel, and seemed to what most fans of Big Blue wanted to see, including me. That said, it was pretty much the only serious highlight, as the Giants produced only three field goals otherwise, and the Jaguars were able to effectively wear them down and, eventually, out. A solid road win for Jax, although the G-Men can take solace that this was not an embarrassing blowout, which might have been the case a season ago.
Baltimore 47, Buffalo 3 - That had to hurt! Nobody wants to be embarrassed on opening day, but to have your most lopsided ever opening day loss, and the second most lopsided loss in franchise history, really has to sting. Only a 56-10 loss to New England in 2007 was worse for Buffalo than this one. There were simply no real positives to take in after this for the Bills, although there was plenty to celebrate for Ravens fans. Baltimore dominated from early on, scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter and moving onto a 26-0 halftime lead. They had scored 40 points before the Bills got on the scoreboard with a field goal, and the final score of 47-3 makes this the worst opening day loss by any franchise that I can remember since the 1989 Pittsburgh Steelers lost to Cleveland (who was a good team back then), 51-0. The Steelers followed that up with a 41-10, as well. But here's some good news: the Steelers recovered enough to qualify for the postseason, and beat the Oilers before barely bowing to the eventual AFC champions, the Broncos. Are the Bills going to experience the same recovery and playoff magic? Don't hold your breath.
Cincinnati 34, Indianapolis 23 - A good, solid start for the Bengals, who are trying to recover from two straight mediocre seasons. Sure, it's the Colts, and Indy has hardly been a pillar of overwhelming success these last few seasons, either. But it is a solid win for Cincy. They did not look like a championship team, but they did enough to earn a win to start the season off on the right foot, which they failed to do last season. As for the Colts, who have struggled quite a bit in recent seasons, this was another forgettable performance, and not a very bright sign for the upcoming season. A tough home loss, although at least they are tied with two other teams in their division, as only the Jaguars were winners for the AFC South this weekend.
Pittsburgh 21, Cleveland 21 - Until midway through the fourth quarter, this game was going according to script. The Steelers, the clear favorites, were winning 21-7, and the Browns, down by 14, and trying to snap a 17-game losing streak that stretched back to the 2016 NFL season, were struggling and had looked unimpressive. But then, Cleveland came alive. The Browns were handed a golden opportunity one yard from the end zone, and running back Carlos Hyde ran it in to make it a one possession game. A few minutes later, just after the two minute warning, wide receiver Josh Gordon - aka "The Flash" - reeled in a 17-yard pass from Tyron Taylor for the tying touchdown, after the extra point. From the point on, each team got chances to win the game, but field goal attempts were no good, and despite the full overtime session, and this game ended in a rare tie. But for the heavily favored Steelers, this was likely more like a loss. For the Browns, this probably felt more like a win, as it snaps that dreadful 17-game losing streak. And they did it after trailing by 14 points in the final quarter, which is an accomplishment. Maybe it was not a win, but I think at this point, with the Browns history in particular against Pittsburgh, they will take it.
Carolina 16, Dallas 8 - Cam Newton did not have his best day, but he did enough to secure a win for the Panthers. Carolina went up, 16-0, and the Panther defense kept the 'Boys off the scoreboard until well into the fourth quarter. Newton completed 17 of 26 passes for 161 yards, although he also led his team in running with 58 yards on 13 carries, and scored one touchdown. Prescott completed 19 of 29 pass attempts for 170 yards, while Ezekiel Eliot ran for 69 additional yards on 15 carries, including the own touchdown that Dallas did get in the fourth. Those would be the only points that the Cowboys would score. An impressive, tough, defensive victory for Carolina.
Miami 27, Tennessee 20 - This game was probably best defined by the delays, which made it seem to take forever before it was actually completed. It took well over seven hours before this one was completed, making it the longest lasting game since the 1970 NFL merger. It was a strange game. There was a long delay just before the first half ended, and so both teams remained on the field during halftime, which lasted 3 1/2 minutes. The hometown Dolphins won, but that was not the worst news for the Titans, because Marcus Mariota got hurt. Bizarre game, but it was good news for Miami, a team that really struggled last season, and very bad news for Tennessee, a playoff team who beat the Chiefs in KC before losing to the Pats in the divisional round last season.
Kansas City 38, L.A. Chargers 28 - The Chargers had better time of possession, and far more first downs than Kansas City. But the Chiefs were able to convert opportunities into points, while the Chargers also had two turnovers, ruining their own opportunities and presenting KC with opportunities of their own. Patrick Mahomes is now the Chiefs starting quarterback, and he completed 15 of 27 passes for 256 yards and four touchdowns, with no interceptions. Rivers, meanwhile, completed 34 of 51 pass attempts for 424 yards. He threw three touchdowns, but also had one interception. This was a shootout, yet the Chiefs were pretty well in charge throughout the contest, earning a solid road division win to open the season off right. On the other hand, this result was a disappointment, obviously, for the Chargers.
Denver 27, Seattle 24 - Case Keenum completed 25 of 39 for 329 yards for Denver, with three touchdowns as well as three interceptions. Russell Wilson completed 19 of 33 for 298 yards, with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Seattle did not look half bad in this contest, even if many expected them to have a dismal season, after they dismantled their once legendary defense, which won a Super Bowl a few years ago against this Broncos team. But Denver won this day, convincingly winning the time possession and earning far more first downs than Seattle did. A solid win for the Broncos to start the season, although the Seahawks might have had enough positive to take away in this one, having very nearly pulled of a surprising win on the road in a tough environment.
Washington 24, Arizona 6 - This game was a bit reminiscent of the old days, when Washington was a powerhouse and the Cardinals, be it when St. Louis, Phoenix, or Arizona, were also in the NFC East back then, and were perennially one of the doormats for the far more powerful NFC East division rivals. That included Washington, Dallas, the New York Giants, and Philadelphia during the 1980's and 1990's. Washington might not be a powerhouse team any longer, but Arizona sure made them look like that this weekend. Washington took charge in this game, and never let up. Once again, Arizona looks like they will have a miserable season, despite having some talent. They drop their first game at home, against a team that most people would not think will be one of the best teams in the conference. Just a bad performance for Arizona, and a bad sign for the upcoming season. A good, solid start for Washington, on the other hand.
Pittsburgh 21, Cleveland 21 - Until midway through the fourth quarter, this game was going according to script. The Steelers, the clear favorites, were winning 21-7, and the Browns, down by 14, and trying to snap a 17-game losing streak that stretched back to the 2016 NFL season, were struggling and had looked unimpressive. But then, Cleveland came alive. The Browns were handed a golden opportunity one yard from the end zone, and running back Carlos Hyde ran it in to make it a one possession game. A few minutes later, just after the two minute warning, wide receiver Josh Gordon - aka "The Flash" - reeled in a 17-yard pass from Tyron Taylor for the tying touchdown, after the extra point. From the point on, each team got chances to win the game, but field goal attempts were no good, and despite the full overtime session, and this game ended in a rare tie. But for the heavily favored Steelers, this was likely more like a loss. For the Browns, this probably felt more like a win, as it snaps that dreadful 17-game losing streak. And they did it after trailing by 14 points in the final quarter, which is an accomplishment. Maybe it was not a win, but I think at this point, with the Browns history in particular against Pittsburgh, they will take it.
Tampa Bay 48, New Orleans 40 - This was one of those upsets that kind of raised eyebrows for opening day. I mean, who could have foreseen not only the Buccaneers winning, but doing so in a shootout at New Orleans? Ryan Fitzpatrick had a phenomenal day, completing 21 of 28 pass attempts for 417 yards and four touchdown passes, with no interceptions. Brees also had a great day for the Saints in a losing cause, completing 37 of 45 pass attempts for 439 yards and three touchdowns. The Saints offense put up nearly 500 yards of offense and 40 points, yet still lost, and convincingly enough, at that. Not a good sign of where the defense is, and they clearly need to step up a lot better than they did in this one. A huge win for the Bucs, who can take pride in having surprised many.
New England 27, Houston 20 - The Texans have become notorious for struggling against the Patriots in particular, and especially up at Foxboro. So, you kind of knew that this was going to be a tough game for them to win. New England had won 9 of the 10 meetings between them, and they were clearly going to be tough to beat on their own home field for the season opener. Brady was typically impressive, throwing 277 yards and three touchdowns, although he also had one interception. Deshaun Watson completed 17 of 34 passes attempts for 176 yards for the Texans. He had one touchdown pass, but also had an interception. Houston managed to make the score look more respectable with a touchdown in the final minutes of the game, but New England pretty much dominated this game.
Minnesota 24, San Francisco 16 - When San Francisco signed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the Patriots last season, they seemed to go from one of the worst teams in the league (remember, they had started the season 0-9), and suddenly looked like they could not be beaten. Garoppolo won five games and lost none, and many 'Niners faithful seemed ready to make plans for their team to reach the Super Bowl. Garoppolo was a sex symbol, and he enjoyed his status as a star, with an incredible off-season, signing a huge deal that made him one of the highest paid players in the NFL. This weekend, he had his first real test as the new QB for San Fran, and it did not look great enough to justify the lofty expectations. He completed 15 of 33 passes for 261 yards, including one touchdown pass. But the 49ers committed four turnovers, with Garroppolo throwing three interceptions, and this proved costly. Minnesota's Kirk Cousins was the better quarterback on the field, completing 20 of 36 pass attempts for 244 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions. The Vikings are trying to remove the bad taste of their NFC Championship Game blowout loss in Philly, and this was a first step towards that. A solid win, but the season is still young. As for the 49ers, they could still do something, of course, but Garroppolo needs to step up and showing some glimpses of the brilliance that he played with last season, and which had so many San Fran fans super excited about his arrival.
New England 27, Houston 20 - The Texans have become notorious for struggling against the Patriots in particular, and especially up at Foxboro. So, you kind of knew that this was going to be a tough game for them to win. New England had won 9 of the 10 meetings between them, and they were clearly going to be tough to beat on their own home field for the season opener. Brady was typically impressive, throwing 277 yards and three touchdowns, although he also had one interception. Deshaun Watson completed 17 of 34 passes attempts for 176 yards for the Texans. He had one touchdown pass, but also had an interception. Houston managed to make the score look more respectable with a touchdown in the final minutes of the game, but New England pretty much dominated this game.
Minnesota 24, San Francisco 16 - When San Francisco signed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the Patriots last season, they seemed to go from one of the worst teams in the league (remember, they had started the season 0-9), and suddenly looked like they could not be beaten. Garoppolo won five games and lost none, and many 'Niners faithful seemed ready to make plans for their team to reach the Super Bowl. Garoppolo was a sex symbol, and he enjoyed his status as a star, with an incredible off-season, signing a huge deal that made him one of the highest paid players in the NFL. This weekend, he had his first real test as the new QB for San Fran, and it did not look great enough to justify the lofty expectations. He completed 15 of 33 passes for 261 yards, including one touchdown pass. But the 49ers committed four turnovers, with Garroppolo throwing three interceptions, and this proved costly. Minnesota's Kirk Cousins was the better quarterback on the field, completing 20 of 36 pass attempts for 244 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions. The Vikings are trying to remove the bad taste of their NFC Championship Game blowout loss in Philly, and this was a first step towards that. A solid win, but the season is still young. As for the 49ers, they could still do something, of course, but Garroppolo needs to step up and showing some glimpses of the brilliance that he played with last season, and which had so many San Fran fans super excited about his arrival.
Carolina 16, Dallas 8 - Cam Newton did not have his best day, but he did enough to secure a win for the Panthers. Carolina went up, 16-0, and the Panther defense kept the 'Boys off the scoreboard until well into the fourth quarter. Newton completed 17 of 26 passes for 161 yards, although he also led his team in running with 58 yards on 13 carries, and scored one touchdown. Prescott completed 19 of 29 pass attempts for 170 yards, while Ezekiel Eliot ran for 69 additional yards on 15 carries, including the own touchdown that Dallas did get in the fourth. Those would be the only points that the Cowboys would score. An impressive, tough, defensive victory for Carolina.
Miami 27, Tennessee 20 - This game was probably best defined by the delays, which made it seem to take forever before it was actually completed. It took well over seven hours before this one was completed, making it the longest lasting game since the 1970 NFL merger. It was a strange game. There was a long delay just before the first half ended, and so both teams remained on the field during halftime, which lasted 3 1/2 minutes. The hometown Dolphins won, but that was not the worst news for the Titans, because Marcus Mariota got hurt. Bizarre game, but it was good news for Miami, a team that really struggled last season, and very bad news for Tennessee, a playoff team who beat the Chiefs in KC before losing to the Pats in the divisional round last season.
Kansas City 38, L.A. Chargers 28 - The Chargers had better time of possession, and far more first downs than Kansas City. But the Chiefs were able to convert opportunities into points, while the Chargers also had two turnovers, ruining their own opportunities and presenting KC with opportunities of their own. Patrick Mahomes is now the Chiefs starting quarterback, and he completed 15 of 27 passes for 256 yards and four touchdowns, with no interceptions. Rivers, meanwhile, completed 34 of 51 pass attempts for 424 yards. He threw three touchdowns, but also had one interception. This was a shootout, yet the Chiefs were pretty well in charge throughout the contest, earning a solid road division win to open the season off right. On the other hand, this result was a disappointment, obviously, for the Chargers.
Denver 27, Seattle 24 - Case Keenum completed 25 of 39 for 329 yards for Denver, with three touchdowns as well as three interceptions. Russell Wilson completed 19 of 33 for 298 yards, with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Seattle did not look half bad in this contest, even if many expected them to have a dismal season, after they dismantled their once legendary defense, which won a Super Bowl a few years ago against this Broncos team. But Denver won this day, convincingly winning the time possession and earning far more first downs than Seattle did. A solid win for the Broncos to start the season, although the Seahawks might have had enough positive to take away in this one, having very nearly pulled of a surprising win on the road in a tough environment.
Washington 24, Arizona 6 - This game was a bit reminiscent of the old days, when Washington was a powerhouse and the Cardinals, be it when St. Louis, Phoenix, or Arizona, were also in the NFC East back then, and were perennially one of the doormats for the far more powerful NFC East division rivals. That included Washington, Dallas, the New York Giants, and Philadelphia during the 1980's and 1990's. Washington might not be a powerhouse team any longer, but Arizona sure made them look like that this weekend. Washington took charge in this game, and never let up. Once again, Arizona looks like they will have a miserable season, despite having some talent. They drop their first game at home, against a team that most people would not think will be one of the best teams in the conference. Just a bad performance for Arizona, and a bad sign for the upcoming season. A good, solid start for Washington, on the other hand.
Sunday Night Football
Green Bay 24, Chicago 23 - This might just have been the biggest heartbreaker for any team to suffer that I can remember for an opening game. The Bears looked like they were in complete control. I tuned it in, and things could not have looked grimmer for the Packers. They were down, 10-0, and Aaron Rodgers was being carted off the field. By halftime, it was 17-0, and looked to be pretty much wrapped up. But Rodgers came back in for the second half, and there was a flicker of hope among the Green Bay faithful. Still, the Bears held a 20-0 lead late in the third quarter, before the Pack finally got on the board. Once Green Bay got going, though, it seemed like Chicago could do nothing right anymore, and for all that had gone wrong for the Packers earlier in the contest, it looked like they could do nothing wrong. Rodgers caught fire, throwing three touchdown passes, and leading his team back in what is now the greatest fourth quarter comeback in that storied franchise's history. A huge and memorable win for the Packers, but what a crushing disappointment for the Bears, who almost pulled off a stunning upset against their longtime tormentors, only to have it snatched away in the most unbelievable manner possible.
Monday Night Football
N.Y. Jets 48, Detroit 17 - Yikes! The Lions barely missed the playoffs last season, and hoped to keep up with the Packers and Vikings, both of whom won yesterday. But the one thing that Lions fans in the Motor City did not want to see was a drubbing like this. The game was a tough and close game, until the Jets blew it open with an incredible third quarter, in which they scored 31 points, and completely took over the game. The cameras kept panning back to new head coach Matt Patricia, who looked like he fully realizes now that he is no longer the defensive coordinator of the Patriots, and that he is unlikely to see his new team reach the Super Bowl anytime soon. Sam Darnold, the Jets young, up and coming quarterback, had a rough start, throwing a pick six on his first ever pass, giving the Lions an early lead. But from that point on, he settled in and showed poise and patience, and was instrumental in leading the Jets to a dominating win.
L.A. Rams 33, Oakland 13 - The Rams opened what seems to be a promising season, with many feeling that they have realistic hopes of reaching the Super Bowl, with a tough road game against the Raiders. Through most of the first three quarters, the Raiders held up their end of the bargain, and it was difficult to see which team had the advantage. But as the game wore on, the Rams seemed to wear out the Raiders. They really took over in the second half, scoring 23 unanswered points and shutting Oakland out in that second half. Jared Goff had a solid performance, completing 18 of 3 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns, with no picks. Carr struggled for the Raiders, although he did complete 29 of 40 passes for 303 yards. But he also threw three picks, and looked mostly ineffective through the second half. A solid win for the Rams, who are one of the favorites this season, and a tough first game back for Raiders coach Jon Gruden.
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