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*Bengals/Browns – I thought Andy Dalton looked pretty good before his injury. And Gradkowski is probably better than 90% of the backups in the NFL. I expected the Browns to turn the corner and start out the year with a win, but it looks like they have regressed. No weapons in the receiving corps, and the run defense is still shaky.
*Jags/Titans – Aside from a few late bombs to Kenny Britt, the Jags defense looks to be improved. It appears that Chris Johnson will be stealing money from Tennessee for the next few years.
*Steelers/Ravens – Ravens offense was supposed to be improved this year, but the way they cut through the Steelers was surprising. Pittsburgh had no pass rush whatsoever, and were exploited in the secondary. Pittsburgh’s offense was even worse, as Roethlisberger pressed when behind and became a turnover machine. The final score was one of the more surprising things of Week 1.
*Texans/Colts – when I knew Peyton Manning was definitely out, I changed by Houston pick in my confidence pool to 16 points. The Colts are terrible, and it wasn’t even Kerry Collins’ fault. Terrible defense and special teams, too.
*Lions/Bucs – one of the more entertaining games of the week, the Bucs defense was a shell of its glory days and Stafford looked really good. Freeman couldn’t make anything happen until late in the game.
*Buffalo/KC – I’ve always viewed the Chiefs as paper champions, and have always thought that Matt Cassell was terrible, but to lose 41-7 at home to the Bills is the 2nd biggest surprise of week 1. Ryan Fitzpatrick showed the Chief fans what a real QB looks like. But I expect the Bills to fall back to earth in Week 2, and I expect the Chiefs to wind up 6-10 this year.
*Bears/Falcons – Atlanta is another team I’ve never been impressed with. They play well with the lead when they can run Turner and force the opposing offense into third and longs, but the Bears jumped on them early and never let up. I thought the Falcons made a huge tactical error by having Ryan throw the ball so often, but it probably didn’t matter because their defense was equally inept. Cutler looked terrific, and even cracked a smile at one point. Forte ran and caught well, and the Bears brain trust finally figured out how to use Devin Hester. Throw screens so he has blockers in front of him…what a brilliant idea!
*Eagles/Rams – The Rams appeared to stay with the Eagles for awhile, but too many dropped passes and too many weapons on Philly’s offense did them in. The Eagles played as expected, but it will be interesting to see what Vick and Co. do against the better defenses.
*Vikings/Chargers – I had high expectations for an exciting game, but this one was just blah after the opening fireworks. McNabb is horrible, but its still no excuse to have just 39 passing yards. Don’t know what Leslie Frazier was thinking. The Chargers seemed disinterested the entire game, and Tolbert scored enough to pull it out.
*Seattle/SF – The Niners played conservative against a terrible opponent and won. Amazing that Seattle is a defending divisional champ, no?
*Cards/Panthers – I didn’t see this game, but Cam Newton’s 400+ passing yard day has to rank as the #1 surprise of the week. Still, the Panthers lost to a poor Cards team.
*Giants/Skins – Why does Tom Coughlin allow Eli Manning to pass the ball? Why does Brandon Jacobs get used so infrequently? Rex Grossman of all people carved up New York’s injury weakened secondary, and Tim Hightower of all people gave his team consistent yardage. The Giants looked pretty bad. I thought they would waltz to at least 2nd in the NFC East and vie with Philly for the title, but I have to reconsider now.
*Jets/Cowpokes – couldn’t stay up through all the pre-game hoopla. Sanchez = luckiest QB ever. Romo = unluckiest QB ever.
*Jags/Titans – Aside from a few late bombs to Kenny Britt, the Jags defense looks to be improved. It appears that Chris Johnson will be stealing money from Tennessee for the next few years.
*Steelers/Ravens – Ravens offense was supposed to be improved this year, but the way they cut through the Steelers was surprising. Pittsburgh had no pass rush whatsoever, and were exploited in the secondary. Pittsburgh’s offense was even worse, as Roethlisberger pressed when behind and became a turnover machine. The final score was one of the more surprising things of Week 1.
*Texans/Colts – when I knew Peyton Manning was definitely out, I changed by Houston pick in my confidence pool to 16 points. The Colts are terrible, and it wasn’t even Kerry Collins’ fault. Terrible defense and special teams, too.
*Lions/Bucs – one of the more entertaining games of the week, the Bucs defense was a shell of its glory days and Stafford looked really good. Freeman couldn’t make anything happen until late in the game.
*Buffalo/KC – I’ve always viewed the Chiefs as paper champions, and have always thought that Matt Cassell was terrible, but to lose 41-7 at home to the Bills is the 2nd biggest surprise of week 1. Ryan Fitzpatrick showed the Chief fans what a real QB looks like. But I expect the Bills to fall back to earth in Week 2, and I expect the Chiefs to wind up 6-10 this year.
*Bears/Falcons – Atlanta is another team I’ve never been impressed with. They play well with the lead when they can run Turner and force the opposing offense into third and longs, but the Bears jumped on them early and never let up. I thought the Falcons made a huge tactical error by having Ryan throw the ball so often, but it probably didn’t matter because their defense was equally inept. Cutler looked terrific, and even cracked a smile at one point. Forte ran and caught well, and the Bears brain trust finally figured out how to use Devin Hester. Throw screens so he has blockers in front of him…what a brilliant idea!
*Eagles/Rams – The Rams appeared to stay with the Eagles for awhile, but too many dropped passes and too many weapons on Philly’s offense did them in. The Eagles played as expected, but it will be interesting to see what Vick and Co. do against the better defenses.
*Vikings/Chargers – I had high expectations for an exciting game, but this one was just blah after the opening fireworks. McNabb is horrible, but its still no excuse to have just 39 passing yards. Don’t know what Leslie Frazier was thinking. The Chargers seemed disinterested the entire game, and Tolbert scored enough to pull it out.
*Seattle/SF – The Niners played conservative against a terrible opponent and won. Amazing that Seattle is a defending divisional champ, no?
*Cards/Panthers – I didn’t see this game, but Cam Newton’s 400+ passing yard day has to rank as the #1 surprise of the week. Still, the Panthers lost to a poor Cards team.
*Giants/Skins – Why does Tom Coughlin allow Eli Manning to pass the ball? Why does Brandon Jacobs get used so infrequently? Rex Grossman of all people carved up New York’s injury weakened secondary, and Tim Hightower of all people gave his team consistent yardage. The Giants looked pretty bad. I thought they would waltz to at least 2nd in the NFC East and vie with Philly for the title, but I have to reconsider now.
*Jets/Cowpokes – couldn’t stay up through all the pre-game hoopla. Sanchez = luckiest QB ever. Romo = unluckiest QB ever.
, went with a three man rush, and Vick turned the game into the backyard shit that he thrives under. The Rams would consistently get the Eagles in 3rd & long, then rush three and watch Vick run for first downs. When under duress or kept in the pocket, Vick makes bad decisions and still can't throw an accurate ball beyond 15 yards. And another thing, the Eagles can not stop the run, and this will be a huge problem moving forward. Those no name LB's are bad and were eaten alive by the Rams G's.
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