The NFL Story Week # 1

So the NFL put kick offs up at the 35-yard line. Some day, I will tell my son about the old days, when kicks were run back for touchdowns.


THE SCORE:
New Orleans (0-1) 34
GREEN BAY (1-0) 42
THE STATS: Each team scored at least one touchdown in every quarter.
THE STORY: What a great show the NFL put on for the opening game of the season. It was exciting, entertaining, and full of fireworks. And that was *before* the kickoff.


THE SCORE:
Pittsburgh (0-1) 7
BALTIMORE (1-0) 35
THE STATS: Pittsburgh: 7 turnovers
THE STORY: Steelers tumble in all of those NFL "Power Ranking" articles.


THE SCORE:
DETROIT (1-0) 27
Tampa Bay (0-1) 20
THE STATS: Detroit WR Calvin Johnson 6-88-2 TD.
THE STORY: Seems like the last time Detroit won an opener was the Johnson administration. That's Andrew Johnson.


THE SCORE:
Atlanta (0-1) 12
CHICAGO (1-0) 30
THE STATS: Chicago 9.0 yards per pass play.
THE STORY: Significant game, as this was the only game all weekend between two of last year's division winners.


THE SCORE:
BUFFALO (1-0) 41
Kansas City (0-1) 7
THE STATS: Buffalo QB Ryan Fitzpatrick 17-25-208-0-4 TD, 133.0 rating.
THE STORY: C'mon, admit it, you're thinking it: Buffalo worst to first?


THE SCORE:
Indianapolis (0-1) 7
HOUSTON (1-0) 34
THE STATS: Indianapolis QB Kerry Collins 16-31-197-0-1 TD, 82.3 rating filling in for Peyton Manning.
THE STORY: A bit of advice for the Colts. It's all "succession planning". Try it at your quarterback position.


THE SCORE:
PHILADELPHIA (1-0) 31
St. Louis (0-1) 13
THE STATS: Philadelphia RB LeSean McCoy 15-122-1 TD.
THE STORY: There were 7 kickoff returns in this game, only 1 punt return. Who said the NFL was eliminating kick off returns?


THE SCORE:
CINCINNATI (1-0) 27
Cleveland (0-1) 17
THE STATS: Cincinnati 2 TDs in final 5 minutes.
THE STORY: Smart scheduling decision to have Cincinnati and Cleveland play each other in the opening week. One of them gets to lead the division for exactly 7 days. Sell tickets while you can, boys.


THE SCORE:
Tennessee (0-1) 14
JACKSONVILLE (1-0) 16
THE STATS: Jacksonville defense: allows just 13 first downs, only 1 by rushing.
THE STORY: How bad a day did Chris Johnson (9-24 yards) have? His fantasy owners wish they had selected Donovan McNabb instead.


THE SCORE:
NY Giants (0-1) 14
WASHINGTON (1-0) 28
THE STATS: NY Giants: 1-11 on 3rd/4th down efficiency.
THE STORY: Losing a conference and division game not a good way to start the season. Giants haven't made the playoffs since their Super Bowl win. How long does a 2007 season Super Bowl victory let you hold your head coaching job, anyway?


THE SCORE:
Carolina (0-1) 21
ARIZONA (1-0) 28
THE STATS: Carolina QB Cam Newton 24-37-422-1-2 TD, 110.4 rating; 8-18-1 TD rushing in the loss.
THE STORY: Is the NFC South (0-4) the new NFC West?


THE SCORE:
Seattle (0-1) 17
SAN FRANCISCO(1-0) 33
THE STATS: San Francisco K David Akers 4-4 FG (27,25,31,18), 3-3 XP after being let go by Philadelphia.
THE STORY: No panic in Seattle, where a 7-8 record for the sest of the season will match last year's division-winning record.


THE SCORE:
Minnesota (0-1) 17
SAN DIEGO (1-0) 24
THE STATS: Minnesota QB Donovan McNabb 7-15-39-1-1 TD in Vikings debut.
THE STORY: Who are these coaches that keep trading for McNabb?


THE SCORE:
Dallas (0-1) 24
NY JETS (1-0) 27
THE STATS: Dallas was up 24-10 in the 4th quarter. Naturally, they lost.
THE STORY: Romo's interception with under a minute to go adds to his list of late-game chokes. Hey, holding a ball for a game-winning kick in a playoff game is difficult.


THE SCORE:
NEW ENGLAND (1-0) 38
Miami (0-1) 24
THE STATS: New England QB Tom Brady 32-48-517-1-4 TD, 121.6 rating.
THE STORY: Brady had the 5th most fantasy points -- I mean, passing yards -- of all time.


THE SCORE:
OAKLAND (1-0) 23
Denver (0-1) 20
THE STATS: Oakland K Sebastien Janikowski record-tying 63-yard FG (3-3 FGs) as time expires in the 1st half.
THE STORY: Great way to end a great weekend and evening of football. If you could stay up until 1:46am to watch it.


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