It was a wild week 1 of the NFL season! What happened to the offenses being a few ticks behind the defenses due to the lockout? There were some impressive individual performances coupled with some pathetic team losses.
Biggest jump: Redskins and Bills
Biggest drop: Chiefs
1 (1). GREEN BAY PACKERS - The offense is absolutely loaded. I'll be more concerned about the defense of they give up 499 yards to the Panthers in week 2.
2 (2). NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS - Well, Tom Brady is off to a nice start after throwing for 517 yards against the Dolphins. Their defense still leaves something to be desired, but few teams can match Brady's Bunch.
3 (6). PHILADELPHIA EAGLES - They were gashed on the ground by St. Louis, but a convincing win over a potential playoff team is what Eagles fans were looking for.
4 (7). BALTIMORE RAVENS - The Ravens defense forced 7 turnovers in hammering the Steelers, 35-7.
5 (5). NEW ORLEANS SAINTS - The Saints aerial attack was on display in Green Bay, but their best receiver, Marques Colston, will be out about a month with a broken collarbone.
6 (9). NY JETS - I'm not sure what I was more surprised by - the fact that Dallas scored 24 points on the Jets defense, or the fact that QB Mark Sanchez threw for 335 yards.
7 (11). HOUSTON TEXANS - The AFC South is their division to lose. They obviously had no sympathy for the Colts playing without Peyton Manning.
8 (12). CHICAGO BEARS - Very complete performance against a solid Atlanta team. If the offense can repeat their week 1 performance on a consistent basis, they will be a playoff team again this season.
9 (3). PITTSBURGH STEELERS - Super Bowl hangover? The Pittsburgh Steelers lost 35-7 to the Baltimore Ravens. The average point differential in the previous 8 regular season games played was 4.25.
10 (4). ATLANTA FALCONS - Number of touchdowns scored Sunday by the new and improved explosive Falcons offense: 0
11 (8). SAN DIEGO CHARGERS - With crazy talent left and right, it continues to amaze me how the Chargers struggle to beat bad teams. They escaped the Vikings 24-17 after trailing 17-7 at the half.
12 (17). DETROIT LIONS - Remember when a Lions road win was as common as a three-dollar bill? Not anymore. This team played sloppy against a playoff contending Tampa Bay team and still won.
13 (13). TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS - QB Josh Freeman lead the team in rushing with 26 yards. I think a lot of teams will struggle to run against the Lions however.
14 (18). DALLAS COWBOYS - I brought them up a little bit despite their loss to the Jets, but the Cowboys should author a book on how to lose an NFL game. Chapter 1: fumble on the goal-line. Chapter 2: have a punt blocked and returned for a TD. Chapter 3: throw an interception in the final minute of a tied game. Still, the Cowboys had the Jets on the ropes in NY and scored 24 points. Interesting.
15 (19). JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS - MJD still a workhorse running back. The guy just never seams to wear down.
16 (15). ST LOUIS RAMS - They were beaten handily by the Eagles, but consider who the Rams lost during the game due to injury: QB Sam Bradford, RB Steven Jackson, WR Danny Amendola, RT Jason Smith, and CB Roger Bartell.
17 (21). OAKLAND RAIDERS - Sebastian Janikowski leveraged the thin air in Denver in tying an NFL record with a 63-yard FG.
18 (14). NY GIANTS - They allowed 4 sacks to a Redskins team that ranked 31st in sacks last season.
19 (20). ARIZONA CARDINALS - Kevin Kolb's debut line: 309 yards, and 2 TD's in a win over the Panthers.
20 (16). INDIANAPOLIS COLTS - The Indianapolis Colts are in desperate need of Peyton Manning at QB. They could also use him on defense after being pounded by the Texans, 34-7.
21 (28). WASHINGTON REDSKINS - In Rex they trust!
22 (22). MIAMI DOLPHINS - They were forced to be a pass-happy team in order to keep up with the Patriots. Chad Henne held his own with 416 yards passing.
23 (30). BUFFALO BILLS - Are the Bills on the rise, or are the Chiefs the worst team in football?
24 (26). SAN FRANCISCO 49ers - WR/KR Ted Ginn Jr. became the first player in NFL history to return a kickoff and punt for a TD on opening day - and he did both in a 2 minute span in the 4th quarter of the 49ers win over Seattle.
25 (10). KANSAS CITY CHIEFS - How have the Kansas City Chiefs - a team that won the AFC west last season - fallen so hard, so fast? They looked lost in their 41-7 loss to the Bills.
26 (23). MINNESOTA VIKINGS - QB Donovan McNabb's debut line: 7-15 for 39 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT...and he played the whole game.
27 (24). SEATTLE SEAHAWKS - They committed 4 turnovers, were sacked 5 times, and had 11 penalties in their loss to the 49ers.
28 (32). CINCINNATI BENGALS - Won their first opener since 2007 and finished the game with their third string QB under center.
29 (25). CLEVELAND BROWNS - Ten first half penalties were a killer. This team can't afford to make multiple mistakes and expect to win.
30 (27). DENVER BRONCOS - The crowd in Denver booed Kyle Orton with gusto and begged for Tim Tebow. I don't get it...Orton is the least of their problems.
31 (29). TENNESSEE TITANS - RB Chris Johnson, fresh off the inking of a mega-million dollar contract, rushed for 24 yards on 9 carries.
32 (31). CAROLINA PANTHERS - Cam Newton's 422 passing yards tied a single game record for most yards passing by a rookie in NFL history (Matthew Stafford)...but did anybody pay attention to the fact that the Panthers lost to an iffy Arizona Cardinals team?
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