NFL Week 1 Thoughts

Football is Back! And back in a big way. Let's cut the nonsense and let's get right to the action.

Dallas 24

New York 17

Well, lookie here. The New York Giants on opening night in front of their hometown crowd fall to The Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys played so well that they looked like the ones who just came off the Super Bowl victory. I mean, The Giants offense looked somewhat good early, but later on it just looked out of sync. Cruz was dropping balls and Eli was playing like the Eli we all knew. I don't mean "Eli-te" either.

The Cowboys Defense swarmed the ball and really played well against the deep throw. The addition of Carr and Claiborne gave that defense a boost and they sure did impress. And then we have Tony Romo. He bounced back from an early interception and played a near flawless game tossing 3 TDs. Dallas makes a HUGE statement after NOBODY had them winning this game. People had Dallas getting blown out actually, but they came out and quieted down New York. 

New York hosts Tampa Bay next week and this should be the perfect bounce back game for them, but then again who knows because The Giants can be inconsistent at times. Dallas goes to Seattle which is always a hard place to play.

Washington 40

New Orleans 32

WOW.....I mean really WOW. I knew RG3 was good, but when you're a rookie QB starting your first game and you go on the road in the loudest building in the NFL against the Drew Brees led Saints who were unbeaten at home last season, and WIN and look good doing it, that's an impact.

RG3 played so dominantly. At one point, he had not thrown an incomplete pass until midway through the second quarter. Brees started 3 and out and then Griffin led his team right down the field for an early score. He had such command of the offense, and threw with speed and accuracy. The man was unstoppable. The Saints, on the other hand, looked like they missed their head coach. Brees at points didn't look like Drew Brees. Even though he had 339 yards and 3 TDs, he still didn't look like himself. He threw in crowds, looked confused, and his receivers dropped passes too. Colston dropped a deep pass all by himself in the fourth quarter.

The final score doesn't dictate how bad this was. The Redskins were blowing The Saints out of the building.

I'd say the NFC East got a lot more interesting.

Both these teams go on the road next week. The Redskins have an easy test against The Rams, and The Saints face Carolina.

Indianapolis 21

Chicago 41

Andrew Luck's debut didn't really turn out so well. I believe Luck had the harder obstacle. Chicago does not fool around when it comes to rookie QBs. Luck kept his poise during some parts, but when Chicago brought the house, Luck didn't know what hit him. They disguised coverages, forcing Luck into throwing 3 picks and getting sacked a few times. Needless to say, it was a forgettable debut. I mean, he did have 309 yards passing and 1 TD pass, but The Bears made this debut as uncomfortable as possible for the young man.

Jay Cutler took a while to get going starting 1/12. But when he got going, he really got going. Cutler was slinging the ball around as only Jay Cutler can. Finding the open man, throwing lasers into tight windows, and throwing one of the best deep balls in the NFL. He's so glad to have Brandon Marshall back cause of their history in Denver. Chicago is going to be a legitimate threat once again if they can stay healthy.

The Colts home opener is next week against The Vikings and The Bears travel to Green Bay.

San Francisco 30

Green Bay 22

Speaking of Green Bay, man it was like deja vu all over again for them. Green Bay was just dominated on both sides of the ball. This Niners defense is just as fierce as they were last season, dropping Rodgers, forcing him into bad throws, throwing receivers off their routes, and just straight up controlling and keeping the Green Bay offense in check. Rodgers' receivers couldn't get off the blocks and were also dropping passes. Rodgers himself played a decent game, but let's be real, he wasn't flinging it 40-50 yards like last season. The Niners weren't playing any games.

And Alex Smith played well too. Call him a game manager if you want, but 20-29 and over 230 yards passing in Lambeau is saying something. I didn't pick The Niners to win the NFC for no reason. This team is so complete. Their defense is lethal and their offense has found its potency. When Green Bay couldn't move the ball, The Niners were piling on the points leading 22-7 at one point. Green Bay rallied late in the fourth quarter, but as I was watching it, there were some very questionable calls that led to Green Bay's points. But nonetheless, The Niners leave Lambeau with a convincing win.

The Niners host Detroit next week in a very exciting rematch from their game last season where Jim Schwartz almost fought Jim Harbaugh. Should be a great game. Green Bay hosts Chicago and the way The Niners looked and The Bears offense being so much more explosive, Green Bay is in trouble.

Pittsburgh 19

Denver 31

For those that doubted Peyton Manning's playing ability, maybe this game will quiet some of you down. Peyton Manning dominated The Pittsburgh defense and looked like he never even left the playing flied.

The only problem is Denver's defense. They allowed Pittsburgh to hold the ball for WAY too long. Big Ben and his offense would consistently eat up the clock with 10+ play drives taking up 5 or more minutes off the clock. Pittsburgh looked like they were on the field forever. The running game was solid and Ben kept on making great plays converting third downs in his sleep.

But when Peyton was on the field, he made the most of it. He would have an answer for every Pittsburgh scoring drive. He would take his team down the field and scored in half the time Pittsburgh did.

This game showed me that Peyton Manning is indeed back and that Denver is a legitimate threat in the AFC and that Pittsburgh's offense is still good, but their defense was sorely missing Ryan Clark and James Harrison.

Pittsburgh has to rebound at home against The Jets and The Broncos have another tough test going on the road to face Matt Ryan and The Falcons.

Honorable Mentions:

New England - Going on the road and destroying Tennessee. Business as usual for Brady and Company. They host The Cardinals next week which will be another easy win.

New York - I guess The Jets really did save all their stuff for the season. Putting up 48 points and forcing three turnovers is something. Then again, they did only play Buffalo. Let's see them drop 48 on Pittsburgh IN Pittsburgh.

Atlanta - Just like Brady, it was business as usual for Matt Ryan. He may have started off slow, but with Julio and Gonzalez, the Falcons' offense took off and put up a 40 piece in Kansas City on Romeo Crennel's defense. The Falcons host The Denver Broncos next Monday night. That should be something to see.

Minnesota - Arguably, one of the best games played yesterday. After a Jags go ahead TD with 20 seconds left, Christian Ponder marched the Vikings down the field and off the leg of a rookie kicker, got into OT and narrowly pulled out the victory. Great win and now they have Andrew Luck and The Colts next week.

Dishonorable Mentions:

Philadelphia - Yeah, they won, but that game was ugly. Vick threw 4 picks and he didn't look good at all. The Browns looked even worse. It was just an overall snooze. They host The Baltimore Ravens next week, so they need to get their act together FAST.

Detroit - Same deal with Philly, they won, but the game was ugly too. Stafford played a bad game with three picks, but I guess he was forgiven after throwing the game winning TD. They're going on the road to face San Francisco, so they have some work to do because The Niners are on a mission.

Carolina - Cam Newton's sophomore slump looks like it's going to be on. But then again, it was one game. Newton looked rattled and was really slinging that ball around. He needs to gather himself and rebound.

Tampa Bay - They did a good job containing Cam Newton, but they need more play out of their offense. I mean Freeman only had 138 yards passing.

As far as tonight's Monday Night games go, Baltimore is playing at home and Joe Flacco looked pretty damn good in the preseason. As good as Cincy is, I don't like their chances.

The Raiders with Palmer now have a whole new offense compared to how simple it was when Jason Campbell ran it. The Chargers should win this game, but it's hard to tell. They've had their problems with The Raiders as of late. I'll go with The Chargers on a coin toss.

Enjoy the games!

Feel free to Comment.

By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete