Some surprises in first week of season
Sean MacCourtney | Sports writers | @seanmaccourtney
The NFL has started off fast and furious. Some teams that are expected to do well did not far so well in week one, but as we all know it is a long season.
Patriots 28 Steelers 21
Tom Brady picked up right where he left off last season by completing 25 of 32 passes for 288 yards and four touchdowns. Rob Gronkowski had five catches for 94 yards and three touchdowns.
Broncos 19 Ravens 13
It wasn’t the best of days for Peyton Manning and the Broncos offense but the defense stepped up big and played one of their best games in years. Brandon McManus had four field goals for the Broncos.
Packers 31 Bears 23
The Bears put up a good fight but Aaron Rodgers got the last laugh. Rodgers finished 18 of 23 for 189 yards and three touchdown passes. Eddie Lacy rushed 19 times for 85 yards and a touchdown.
Chiefs 27 Texans 20
Travis Kelce stepped up big once again for the Chiefs. He caught six passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Alex Smith had one of his best games, as he was 22 of 33 for 243 yards and three touchdowns.
Jets 31 Browns 10
Johnny Manziel threw his first career touchdown pass but this game was all about the Jets. Chris Ivory led the way for the Jets with 91 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns.
Bills 27 Colts 14
This was the upset of the week. The Colts never seemed to show up. Tyrod Tyler continued to impress for the Bills with a solid game. He was 14 of 19 for 195 yards and one touchdown. The Bills had three guys combine for 147 total rushing yards. Karlos Williams had 55, Tyrod Taylor 41 and LaSean McCoy added 41. Percy Harvin added five catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Andrew Luck was 26 of 49 for 243 yards with two touchdowns but he also threw two interceptions.
Dolphins 17 Redskins 10
No real surprises here. About the only real surprise is that the Dolphins had to come-from-behind to win the game. Ryan Tannehill was 22 of 34 with 226 yards and one touchdown. Kirk Cousins was 21 of 31 for 196 yards with one touchdown but also threw 2 interceptions for the Redskins.
Panthers 20 Jaguars 9
The Panthers welcomed back star linebacker Luke Kuechly who led the team with seven tackles in a dominating defensive effort. Cam Newton struggle a bit as he was just 18 of 31 for 175 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Rams 34 Seahawks 31
This game went to overtime. I don’t know if I would really call this an upset as the Rams defeated the Seahawks at home last year. In a game that will be remembered for miscommunication, the Rams prevailed. Nick Foles was 18 of 31 for 175 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Jimmy Graham caught a touchdown pass in his debut with the Seahawks and rookie Kevin Lockett returned a kick for a touchdown in the loss.
Cardinals 31 Saints 19
Carson Palmer returned from injury to throw three touchdown passes. He was 19 of 32 for 307 yards. Larry Fitzgerald had six catches for 87 yards.
Chargers 33 Lions 28
In a game that could have gone either way, the Chargers ability to shut down Calvin Johnson was the difference. Megatron was held to two catches for 39 yards. A bright spot for the Lions was rookie running back Ameer Abdullah. Abdullah had seven carries for 50 yards and one touchdown as well as four catches for 44 yards. For the Chargers, Philip Rivers was 35 of 42 for 404 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Keenan Allen had 15 receptions for 166 yards on the day for the Chargers and running back Danny Woodhead had two touchdowns in the win.
Titans 42 Buccaneers 14
In a matchup of the number one and number two overall draft picks, it was the number two pick that stole the show. Marcus Mariota was 13 of 16 for 209 yards and four touchdowns. Jameis Winston’s first career pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Winston finished 16 of 33 for 210 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Bengals 33 Raiders 13
The Bengals controlled this game from start to finish. Andy Dalton was 25 of 34 for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Jeremy Hill also ran for two scores in the blowout win.
Cowboys 27 Giants 26
In what turned out to be one of the craziest games of the day, the Cowboys came out on top. Tony Romo led a fourth quarter game-winning drive after Giants running back Rashad Jennings was told not to score when the Giants were on the one yard line. Romo then led the Cowboys down the field for the winning score and finished 36 of 45 for 356 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Jason Witten added two touchdowns.
Falcons 26 Eagles 24
Missed opportunities were the problem for the Eagles in this one. Demarco Murray had a less than spectacular debut for the Eagles. Murray ran eight times for only nine yards. Julio Jones was the star of the night for the Falcons. He finished with nine catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns.
49ers 20 Vikings 3
The 49ers Defense was much better than expected, but this game belong to San Francisco running back, Carlos Hyde. Hyde could be the player of the week after his efforts. Hyde ran the ball 26 times for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Adrian Peterson finished with only 31 yards on 10 carries in his Vikings return.
