Week 1 brought about some interesting and even surprising results. While one week doesn't make a season, there can be things we can learn even from this week's results.
Raiders 39
Patriots 10
It's not surprising that the Raiders won. They are after all division winners and they have upgraded their roster with the likes of QB-Jeff Garcia. The surprising part here is that they won by 29 points. Maybe the Patriots are slow starters but the talent is there in New England to win a Super Bowl. WR-Clarence Moore who put up really good numbers in 2004 was left without a catch in this one.
Bengals 41
Browns 10
The Bengals destroyed the Browns in this one. Even though the game had to be run a couple of times, there was never any indication that the Browns were even remotely in these games. Jon Kitna had another solid game and the Bengals were able to run the ball effectively with Dillon and Johnson. The Browns have a clear advantage in the passing game but it didn't show in either game and they need to get that together if they are going to be competitive in the division.
Jets 33
Chiefs 14
The Chiefs are rebuilding, but in this one it showed. It's really tough to evaluate the Chiefs fate this season against a loaded Jets team though. So let's wait a couple more weeks on them. As far as the Jets go, Kevin may have the team to fear this year. I believe Will picked them to win the East and I think they are a legit threat both in the division and the conference. The under-the-radar trade this offseason could be the Jets getting Michael Turner from the Jags. Week one's stat line was impressive, 23 carries for 159 yards.
Panthers 36
Saints 27
In our season preview both Will and Peter see good things coming in New Orleans in 2005. I am less certain about that. I do, however, see the Panthers as the favorites to win the NFC. This game shows the Panthers strength. Even though Kerry Collins was really subpar throwing 3 INT's (and credit Brian Kelly for a massive game, 2 INT's one for a TD and 3 deflections) the Panthers still won convincingly. Gary Baxter had 6 deflections and one INT. While on the offensive side of the ball LT ran 25 times for 124 yards and a TD.
Bears 32
Redskins 28
Count me as a person that sees the Redskins as still very dangerous in the NFC. So when the Bears go into Washington with a rookie QB and pull out a win, it's impressive. What's even more impressive is rookie QB-Alex Smith throwing 275 yards and 3 TD's without an interception against a legit Redskin secondary. If the Bears can repeat this performance on a regular basis they will be contenders.
Lions 37
Packers 27
The Lions win here was no fluke. They took control of the game early and never let go. The word that comes to mind for the Packers is ominous. As I said on the radio show, the Lions, Bears, and Vikings are gunning for the Packers and they are going to feel the heat of being the one chased by three hungry teams with talented rosters. They should be able to withstand this because they have Brett Favre. However, the secondary in this game was absolutely lost, particularly Mike McKenzie. Now Madden has games like this but the Packers need to right the ship and do so immediately. They are already down one game to the other three teams in the division. On the Lions side of things, Vick to Mason was a great connection all game long. Vick is a legit QB in this league and he was a great acquisition by Detroit.
Giants 29
Cardinals 24
This is a bit of a shocking result for me. I am not high on the Giants. I think Will actually picked them to win the division, but he makes picks just to get people stirred up and talking. I don't think he really thinks the Giants are better than his Cowboys or the Redskins. And I personally think the Eagles are better as well. But the Giants took down the Cardinals in week one by jumping out to a 17-0 lead and then holding on. The Cardinals slightly outgained the Giants, but in fairness to Romeo that typically happens when a team is way head and in this case the Cards are trying to comeback. Jon Olinger's 6 catch, 201 yard, 2 TD performance is noteworthy but no doubt some if not much of those yards were "come-from-behind" yardage. I think both of these teams need a few more games before we know anything for sure about them.
Colts 47
Ravens 34
This was the offensive game of the week. Both the Colts and the Ravens put up over 400 yards of offensive but the Colts start the season with the victory. The same usual suspects did the damage for the Colts: Manning, James, Harrison, and Wayne. This is what makes the Colts dangerous in the AFC. Meanwhile, Jeff Blake had the best individual performance with 369 yards and 4 TD's, two of them to rookie WR-Mike Williams. I think both of these teams are still teams to reckon with this season, but this game does put the Ravens one game behind the Bengals, one week in.
Eagles 23
Falcons 13
Though the score line may not show it, the stat line does. This was easily the most dominating performance of the week. McNabb and the Eagles had 26 first downs and a whopping 32:58 of possession in defeating the Falcons in Atlanta. McNabb completed 78% of his passes and Steven Jackson ran 25 times for 118 yards a TD as the Eagles played a glorified game of keep away to perfection. The Falcons ran only 28 plays from scrimmage in this one. That's two more plays than Steven Jackson carried the ball. That's not a recipe for winning.
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