Week 1 Recap

It is hard to believe that just a few short weeks ago, analysts, fans, and coaches were preparing for a year without football. Well, the action in week one has everyone forgetting the daily updates of the NFL lockout dominated the sports headlines. Here are some of the most important things that emerged from week one in my opinion.

The Green Bay Packers are still the team to beat....

The first big time matchup of the NFL season did not disappoint. The Packers defeated the Saints 42-34 in a great shootout. Aaron Rogers went pass for pass with Drew Brees and both offenses looked as if they had not missed a beat. Receivers Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson carved up the Saints secondary and Randall Cobb burst on to the scene with a record tying 108 yard return touchdown. The Packers defense was not good in this game, few defenses are when facing a top five quarterback, but when the pressure was at its highest, the big cheese's defense stuffed Mark Ingram at the goal line. Both of these teams were very good, but after the game was over, the cheese stood alone. 

....But the Baltimore Ravens look up for the challenge.

The Baltimore Ravens avenged their playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a big way by winning 35-7. Ray Rice looked unstoppable as he ran for 107 yards and a touchdown while also having four catches for 42 yards and another touchdown. Joe Flacco looked hellbent on proving his critics wrong as he threw for 224 yards with three touchdowns and had a passer rating of 117.6. And on the defensive side of the ball, the Ravens were relentless. Ed Reed had two interceptions against quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense turned the ball over seven times in the game. The Ravens looked great in week one and embarrassed their rivals at home.

The strongest division in football went 0-4 for the weekend

The strongest division in football did not pick up a single win in the first week of action. The Saints looked really strong offensively against Green Bay, but their defense got carved up like Christmas ham. The Carolina Panthers got 422 passing yards out of Cam Newton in his rookie debut against the Arizona Cardinals, but it was not enough as they lost to the Cardinals 28-21. The Buccaneers looked disappointing against the upstart Detroit Lions. Tampa's defense got carved up in the first half and misses linebacker Barrett Ruud a great deal. But most surprisingly the Atlanta Falcons got their wings clipped by the Chicago Bears 30-12. Michael Turner rushed for 100 yards, but Matt Ryan threw a pick and none of the Falcons receivers had an outstanding game. The good news for the NFC south, everybody is in first place.

The Buffalo Bills looked really good and Kansas City is not winning the AFC West.

A wise man once said, nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills. Well those wagons ran over the Kansas City Chiefs yesterday as the Bills won 41-7. Ryan Fitzpatrick had a very good game throwing for 208 yards and four touchdowns without and interception. Stevie Johnson had a nice game as well, catching four passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. And Fred Jackson ran for 112 yards against a decent defense.
On the other side of the ball, the Kansas City Chiefs looked horrible. Jamaal Charles had only 56 yards rushing and Matt Cassel threw for a meager 119 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The Chiefs defense gave up 364 total yards to one of the worst teams in the league in 2010 and did not intercept the ball once. There may be hope for Buffalo to get out of the cellar yet, while Kansas City looks like they were playing their first game together.

The coolest play from the weekend happened on a routine play.

Back to the Ravens and Steelers game for the coolest play of the weekend. The Ravens already had a big lead, but they were looking for more. So on the extra point, the ball was snapped to punter Sam Kotch, and he ran right down the Steelers throats for a two point conversion. Nobody on the Steelers sideline saw it coming and the Ravens celebrated the PAT as if they scored a game winning touchdown. Some will argue that Baltimore was running up the score on that play. But if a punter runs right down your throat into the end zone, there is no defensive excuse for that. Plus, if the Steelers did not want Baltimore to go for two, they should have stopped the Ravens. But they did not, and the collective surprise and shock was a big hit to the Steelers ego.

Week one concludes tonight with the Patriots vs. Dolphins and Raiders vs. Broncos, and the best of the NFL season has yet to come.