So much for the lockout giving us an opening weekend marred by penalties, sloppy play, overwhelmed rookies and injuries. It was a fairly clean Week 1. We’ll soon review the film and get a clearer picture. In the meantime, here’s something to take away from each of Sunday’s games. (Did you see something you’d like to share? Put it in the comments section.)
Texans 34, Colts 7
It’s not just Peyton Manning’s brilliant quarterbacking that the Colts will miss – it’s the weaknesses he masked. Without No. 18, Indy’s undersize and mostly unathletic offensive line becomes exposed (hence Kerry Collins taking three sacks and losing two fumbles at Houston). The inadequate offensive line makes for a lethargic rushing attack, which wasn’t a problem until we discovered Sunday that the Colts’ wide receivers now need to get actual separation in order to catch passes.
With the offense diminished, Indianapolis’s defense, which is small and built on speed, no longer has the luxury of resting up during multiple long drives or playing with a lead. Thus, the D becomes reactive, which it’s not built to be.
All of these issues have long existed in Indianapolis. Sunday was just the first time in 209 regular-season games that they were fully exposed.
Bears 30, Falcons 13
The Bears may want to give Matt Forte the new contract he desires sooner than later. Forte, a fourth-year running back, rushed for 68 yards and turned five catches into 90 yards (including a 56-yard touchdown) in Chicago’s route of the trendy N.F.C. Super Bowl sleeper pick. They weren’t cheap yards, either. Forte showed drastically improved lateral quickness and agility, and he’s always been a smooth, patient runner.
Bengals 27, Browns 17
It came in a losing effort, but worth noting was the stellar performance of Browns second-year cornerback Joe Haden. He seems to be the A.F.C.’s next superstar. The No. 7 overall pick from a year ago, he shut out No. 4 overall pick A.J. Green (not counting the 44-yard touchdown that Green scored after the Bengals snapped the ball when the Browns’ D was still milling about in a huddle). Haden has rare agility; he changes directions like a fish, even out of a backpedal.
Bills 41, Chiefs 7
With the bandwagon in Houston now full, a lot of fans will rush to another bandwagon in Western New York. The Bills brought back more starters than any other team in football this season; perhaps that’s created early season continuity. It’ll be interesting to see what the film reveals from this game.
In the meantime, fantasy owners, take note: the dependable veteran Fred Jackson remains the featured ball carrier in Chan Gailey’s offense. Jackson posted 112 yards on 20 carries and showed the between-the-tackles timing and burst that Buffalo is apparently still waiting to see from last year’s first-round pick, C.J. Spiller.
Eagles 31, Rams 13
The headlines are saying this alleged Dream Team lived up to the hype in Week 1. Yes, the Eagles played well, particularly on defense, where their stifling secondary and revamped front line made Sam Bradford look like a rookie all over again. But you have to be at least a wee bit concerned about Michael Vick and the offense completing 44 percent through the air. Vick’s otherworldly athleticism saved the day; each of his 98 rushing yards seemed breathtaking. But Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg can’t design their offense around Vick constantly dropping back 9 or 11 steps and relocating his pocket after his first and second read are covered. Philly will need to get sharper before facing Atlanta on Sunday night.
Lions 27, Bucs 20
It’s interesting that the Bucs did not strive for more balance offensively (46 pass attempts vs. 16 rush attempts). True, you want to attack Detroit’s young safeties and iffy cornerbacks. But even with a playmaker as physically gifted as Josh Freeman, the Bucs don’t have the receiving firepower to win with a strict aerial approach. Without seeing the film, at first blush, it seems telling that LeGarrette Blount was a nonfactor in this game (five carries, 15 yards). Even in short-yardage situations, the 247-pound Blount was bypassed. Perhaps the Bucs’ decision-makers are now admitting what they probably knew in the back of their minds last season: they don’t have a true power runner on the roster.
Jaguars 16, Titans 14
The smartest guy in the room loves to remind everyone that, “It’s not time of possession that counts, it’s what you DO with possession!” This is true, although in the Titans’ case, time of possession was a real issue in 2010. It’s hard to score if you don’t have the ball.
Amazingly, even with a new quarterback and updated offensive system, time of possession was once again a major problem for the Titans on Sunday. They ran 49 plays; Jacksonville ran 73. Part of the discrepancy was due to Chris Johnson, who did not report to the team until receiving a new contract on Sept. 1, perhaps leaving himself ill-prepared for full-throttle action. Johnson had nine carries for 24 yards.
Ravens 35, Steelers 7
Why – WHY – did the N.F.L. burn this game in Week 1? Why not save the best rivalry in football for a later date? We didn’t need a marquee matchup at 1 p.m. on Sunday in Week 1. It was the first full day of the new season – that alone is exciting enough to make viewers watch.
Watching this game was like eating desert before dinner. Naturally, nothing tasted as good as usual. The Steelers actually did show up for this one – but they were kicked in the teeth upon arrival. Critics will focus on Pittsburgh’s seven turnovers. But most of those turnovers derived not from sloppy mistakes but from the Ravens overwhelming Ben Roethlisberger and his offensive line. Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata capitalized on mismatches all afternoon (left tackle Jonathan Scott doesn’t begin to have strong or quick enough legs to handle Suggs, and right guard Doug Legursky would have trouble containing Ngata even if Ngata had to play blindfolded and wasn’t allowed out of his stance until two seconds after the snap). The Ravens’ secondary took advantage of its front seven’s physicality and assumed a fast, attack-oriented approach to coverage.
More startling was Baltimore’s dismantling of the Pittsburgh defense. Baltimore’s retooled offensive line, which struggled to generate power a year ago, consistently allowed Ray Rice to detonate his explosiveness at the second level of the Steeler defense (Rice is punishing when he arrives in the open field). Even overweight softy left tackle Bryant McKinnie played well. We rarely see the Steelers bullied in the trenches. They have allowed a 100-yard rusher only twice in the last 51 games. Both times, the rusher was Rice.
Cardinals 28, Panthers 21
Maybe never has a fan base come away from a Week 1 loss with so many smiles on its collective face. The people in Carolina will be going bonkers for the next six days now that Cam Newton is the first player in N.F.L. history to throw for over 400 yards in his N.F.L. debut. It was a legitimate 400 yards, too (though a few Cardinals coverage breakdowns, such as the one that led to Steve Smith’s 77-yard touchdown in the first quarter, contributed).
Newton often made new Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton pay for his aggressive blitz packages, but Newton seemed to struggle a bit when he had to hang in the pocket and work through his progressions. Don’t be surprised if teams eventually decide to drop back into coverage against Newton and force him to be a reader rather than reactor. Aside from Smith, the Panthers have no dynamic receiving threats outside, which should make opposing defensive coordinators more comfortable with using slow-developing coverage-based schemes.
Chargers 24, Vikings 17
Does a victory over the Vikings mean the Chargers now get first dibs on moving to Los Angeles? September wins are rare in San Diego; this club has gone 2-4 out of the gate every year since Norv Turner arrived in 2007. Special teams meltdowns sparked last season’s 2-4 start. So you can excuse A.J. Smith or Dean Spanos (or anyone associated with the organization) if they blew a gasket after Percy Harvin’s opening kickoff touchdown return.
Later, a cluster of uncharacteristic red-zone mistakes from Philip Rivers seemed to further doom the Chargers. But once Rivers decided he could patiently defeat Minnesota’s two-deep safety coverages with dump-down passes to Mike Tolbert (nine catches, 58 yards and two scores), it was just a matter of allowing San Diego’s fast 3-4 defense to do its thing against Minnesota’s lackluster passing attack.
49ers 33, Seahawks 17
Jim Harbaugh’s debut came against his old Pac-10 nemesis, Pete Carroll. Carroll can’t accuse the brash first-year coach of running up the score this time – San Francisco’s final two touchdowns came off Ted Ginn returns. You can bet that at some point on Sunday night, Cam Cameron was watching highlights when he turned to his wife and said: “Like I’ve told you a million times, the Miami fans who booed us back on Draft Day were idiots. I mean, when’s the last time Brady Quinn scored back-to-back return touchdowns?”
Redskins 28, Giants 14
Even with one of his patented sack-fumble giveaways in the fourth quarter, Rex Grossman played an outstanding game Sunday. The Redskins’ newly appointed starting quarterback was poised in the pocket and showed good accuracy on throws he made with defenders closing in on him. Grossman was particularly adept between the numbers, which played into tight end Fred Davis’s having his first career 100-yard game.
Jets 27, Cowboys 24
We all saw what happened in this game (instant classic, by the way). We have all season to analyze these clubs; after all, at least one of them figures to be on national television each week. So for now, let’s just harp on what might be one of the more surprising N.F.L. factoids: this was the first time in history that the Cowboys lost a game after leading by 14 or more points in the fourth quarter. Given all the shots we’ve seen of Tony Romo sauntering off the field in his patented pose (head titled down, shoulders slumped, both sides of the chinstrap unbuckled), you would have guessed the Cowboys had blown at least a few two-touchdown fourth quarter leads in the past six years, no?
Andy Benoit is the founder of NFLTouchdown.com and an analyst for CBSsports.com. He can be reached at andy.benoit@NFLtouchdown.com or @Andy_Benoit.
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