There are always a few surprises in week 1 of a new NFL season. The biggest? I'd have to say the Steelers getting walloped by the Ravens. I didn't think either team would score 20 points, but man, oh man was I wrong. Ray Rice, Anquan Boldin, and Joe Flacco looked like they were in midseason form. The Packers and the Saints lived up to their high billing. If there weren't any defenses on the field, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers couldn't have thrown the ball better. Let's get down to business, shall we?
Cream of the Crop
1. Green Bay Packers (1-0): Aaron Rodgers threw for three touchdowns in the first quarter, setting the high scoring tone for the game in a shootout with the Saints.
2. New England Patriots (1-0): The performances of the top 3 quarterbacks in the league this week were astounding. Tom Brady led the pack with 517 yards and 4 touchdowns.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0): In my opinion, Michael Vick struggled a bit with his accuracy in week 1; however, his pure athleticism still took over the game.
4. Baltimore Ravens (1-0): Big jump from last week to this week, but very much deserved. The Ravens three biggest players (Flacco, Rice, Boldin) all had stellar to outstanding performances. Defense forced 7 turnovers, and the offense dropped 35. On the Steelers.
5. New York Jets (1-0): Mark Sanchez threw for 335 yards, taking advantage of in game injuries to the Cowboys secondary. Huge special teams play by Joe McKnight, as the Cowboys kind of gave this game away.
6. San Diego Chargers (1-0): Battled the Vikings for a win. Special teams was San Diego's number 1 concern in the off season, and on the very first play of the 2011 season, Percy Harvin goes 103 yards for a score on the kickoff. Not good, but a win is a win is a win.
7. New Orleans Saints (0-1): Sure they lost. But to the defending champs, and Brees put up one hell of a fight. If this game was played in New Orleans, it probably would have been a different outcome.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1): You think the Steelers are out for blood this week? After last week's thumping, Seattle better be careful.
9. Houston Texans (1-0): Now the odds on favorite to win the AFC South, with absolutely no competition, barring the hand of God comes down to massage Peyton's neck.
10. Chicago Bears (1-0): They jump 6 spots after thoroughly beating down NFC South champion Falcons. Maybe a 2nd year of Martz makes Cutler an elite QB.
11. Atlanta Falcons (0-1): I predict an 0-2 start for Atlanta. I don't care about Matt Ryan's record in the Georgia dome. It's Vick's previous home, and he still has fans there.
Best of the Rest
12. Detroit Lions (1-0): Week 2 and the Lions already have a road win in the bag. Will this year's sleeper darlings keep it going against the Chiefs? Probably.
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1): they had the best chance of any NFC South team to start 1-0. Good thing everyone in the South lost.
14. Dallas Cowboys (0-1): The 'Boys were primed for a road upset of the AFC runner-up. Special teams and Romo couldn't keep a lead.......again.
15. New York Giants (0-1): I was cautiously hopeful of the Giants 2011 season, but there are so many injuries to this defense, I wonder how long they can hold up.
16. Arizona Cardinals (0-1): Defense is shoddy, at best. Cam Newton lit them up in the air to the tune of 422 yards.
17. Oakland Raiders (1-0): Run DMC tore it up on the ground for 159 yards, but no scores. No one in the AFC West can beat the Raiders. I have no idea why.
18. Rex Grossman (1-0): The 'Skins defense has obviously improved. Grossman looked good, but how long will that last?
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0): If Garrard was their quarterback, the Jags would have won handily. Started off good against a bad team.
20. San Francisco 49ers (1-0): Blew out the worst team in the NFC West. The 49ers are clearly going to contend for the weak NFC West. Thank you defense, because Alex Smith wouldn't have done it by his lonesome.
21. St. Louis Rams (1-0): Their loss to the Eagles was a lot closer than the final score of 31-13. Let's see if Steven Jackson can get back soon, because Caddilac Williams' knee won't hold up for too long.
22. Buffalo Bills (1-0): Surprise! The Ryan Fitzpatrick led juggernaut offense destroyed the Chiefs. They're not quite a juggernaut. And the Chiefs lost Eric Berry.
Mediocrity and Messes
23. Indianapolis Colts (0-1): The Colts first game without Manning in 13 years went according to script. The Texans script at least. Don't count them out just yet.
24. Kansas City Chiefs (0-1): Like I said last week, there's just something about this team that I don't believe in this year.
25. Minnesota Vikings (0-1): Really Donovan? You've aged this fast? That was just a terrible showing San Diego. 7/15 for 39 yards is definitely how you plan to lose a game.
26. Miami Dolphins (0-1): Put up a decent enough fight on offense, but Miami's secondary was god-awful, or is Tom Terrific that good?
27. Tennessee Titans (0-1): The Colts guarantee of not finishing last place.
28. Carolina Panthers (0-1): Carolina fans should all calm down about Cam Newton's numbers week 1. They were possibly the most inflated numbers of the week.
29. Denver Broncos (0-1): Can you guys just beat the Raiders please?
30. Seattle Seahawks (0-1): This offense is just brutal to watch. No star quality on the offensive side of the ball save for Sidney Rice, who won't be a star this year because Tavaris Jackson is at the helm of this pitiful offense.
31. Cincinnati Bengals (0-1): This team just hit it's high point of the season. Andy Dalton got injured and they still squeaked out a win.
32. Cleveland Browns (0-1): This is Cleveland's punishment for losing to the Bengals. Not that this team will finish anywhere near the top of the division, but they have a shot at beating the Colts this week.
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