THE 2013 NFL STORY: WEEK #1

So Bruno Mars has been signed to be the halftime entertainment at the Super Bowl. Really? That's how far down we've come? Who's next? That kid I saw in the subway station?

THE SCORE:
Baltimore (0-1) 27
DENVER (1-0) 49
THE STATS: DEN QB Peyton Manning 27-42-462-0-7, 141.1 rating.
THE STORY: Peyton Manning had 7 touchdowns. That's as many touchdowns as the entire NFC South scored.


THE SCORE:
NEW ENGLAND (1-0) 23
Buffalo (0-1) 21
THE STATS: New England WR Julian Edelman 7-79-2 TD.
THE STORY: Tom Brady completed passes to guys with names like Amendola, Edelman, Vereen, Thompkins, and Hoomanawanui. And I'm not making up any of them, even Hoomanawanui.


THE SCORE:
TENNESSEE (1-0) 16
Pittsburgh (0-1) 9
THE STATS: Pittsburgh 32 net yards rushing, 2.1 average.
THE STORY: Strangest score at any point in any NFL game, ever: 2-0 after 3 seconds were played. Official play description: "Pittsburgh kicked off, Darius Reynaud returned kickoff for 1 yard loss. Safety"


THE SCORE:
Atlanta (0-1) 17
NEW ORLEANS (1-0) 23
THE STATS: NEW RB Darren Sproles 8-22 rushing, 6-88 receiving, 1-23 KR, 4-7 PR.
THE STORY: It was nice to see New Orleans coach Sean Payton back on the sidelines after his year-long suspension. Nah, not really.


THE SCORE:
Tampa Bay (0-1) 17
NY JETS (1-0) 18
THE STATS: NYJ QB Geno Smith 24-38-256-1-1, 80.6 rating in NFL debut; 50-yard game-winning FG drive with just :34 remaining.
THE STORY: There's not much quarterback controversy when your starter, Mark Sanchez, is as banged up as he is. But give this thing time, and lets see where Geno Smith takes the Jets.


THE SCORE:
KANSAS CITY (1-0) 28
Jacksonville (0-1) 2
THE STATS: Teams combined for 20 punts and one safety.
THE STORY: Andy Reid era begins in Kansas City. He's your problem now.


THE SCORE:
Cincinnati (0-1) 21
CHICAGO (1-0) 24
THE STATS: CHI CB Charles Tillman 2 interceptions, 41 return yards.
THE STORY: Bengals complete a sweep for the AFC North -- all four teams lost.


THE SCORE:
MIAMI (1-0) 23
Cleveland (0-1) 10
THE STATS: Cleveland 1-14 on 3rd down conversions.
THE STORY: Amazingly, Miami had more points (23) than rushing yards (20).


THE SCORE:
SEATTLE (1-0) 12
Carolina (0-1) 7
THE STATS: SEA QB Russell Wilson 25-33-320-0-1 TD, 115.7 rating.
THE STORY: Carolina not looking any better than last year (7-9) in an NFC South division that looks better than last year.


THE SCORE:
Minnesota (0-1) 24
DETROIT (1-0) 34
THE STATS: DET RB Reggie Bush 21-90 rushing; 4-101-1 TD.
THE STORY: If you eliminate his early 78-yard TD run, MIN RB Adrian Peterson was only 17 for 15 yards (0.9 yards per rush)


THE SCORE:
Oakland (0-1) 17
INDIANAPOLIS (1-0) 21
THE STATS: Indianapolis WR Reggie Wayne 8-96-1 TD.
THE STORY: Oakland just 4 wins from matching last year's total. They probably won't get there.


THE SCORE:
Arizona (0-1) 24
ST. LOUIS (1-0) 27
THE STATS: STL K Greg Zuerlein 1-1 XP, 4-4 FG (36, 25,38, 48)
THE STORY: Teams combined for just 12 wins last year. Of which, 2 were against each other.


THE SCORE:
Green Bay (0-1) 28
SAN FRANCISCO(1-0) 34
THE STATS: SF lead time of possession 38:35 to 21:25; more yards 494 to 385.
THE STORY: SF WR Anquan Boldin was 13-208 yards and 1 TD. So who are the people in the 4% of the leagues in the Yahoo fantasy football system that don't own Boldin?


THE SCORE:
NY Giants (0-1) 31
DALLAS (1-0) 36
THE STATS: NY Giants 6 turnovers to 1.
THE STORY: Love the idea of opening the season with divisional rivalry games. Only the NFC East figured this out.


THE SCORE:
PHILADELPHIA (1-0) 33
Washington (0-1) 27
THE STATS: PHL LeSean McCoy 31-184-1 TD.
THE STORY: Eagles fans happy again. Not because Chip Kelly and the Eagles won their first game of the season; they are just happy that Andy Reid is gone.


THE SCORE:
HOUSTON (1-0) 31
San Diego (0-1) 28
THE STATS: Houston wins on late field goal, but leads :00 of game time.
THE STORY: The traditional Monday Night late game opener draws a 9 rating on the East Coast. That's 9 people who stayed up to watch it.


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