Atlanta @ Pittsburgh:
Even without Big Ben the Steelers still have an aggressive playmaking defense which led to a 15-9 win over the Falcons in OT. This is the third consecutive time these two teams have gone into overtime. As I stated in my NFL Preview the Steelers need Troy Polamalu to be healthy in order for this defense to get back to its stingy roots. This was the case today as the game was based around field position, punts and six combined field goals. Dennis Dixon gets his first win with a decent effort going 18/26 for 236 yards and 1 INT.
Lions @ Bears:
The Bears defeated the Lions 19-14 in Chicago. The game came down to a controversial call late in the game as the referees decided that Lions WR Calvin Johnson failed to finish a catch in the end zone that would have given the Lions the lead. Johnson made the TD catch but on his way up he released the ball and the replay booth confirmed the catch was not completed. The Lions may be without QB Mathew Stafford who suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter.
Colts @ Texans:
The Texans got their second win all time versus their divisional rival the Indianapolis Colts 34-24. The Texans dominated the Colts defense on the ground as Arian Foster rushed 33 times for 231 yards with 3 TDs. Peyton Manning put up a valiant effort going 40/57 for 433 yards with 3 TDs. This day belongs to Houston who hopes today’s win makes a statement that they are ready to contend for the AFC South Title.
sourceThe Dolphins got an ugly win over the Bills 15-10. Neither team was particularly good on offense, but the Dolphins were able to muster up enough of a running attack. The combination of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown combined for 31 carries for 137 yards. The Bills offense was anemic all day only producing 166 total yards.
Raiders @ Titans:
RB Chris Johnson is out to prove he can go back to back years with 2,000 yards rushing and he got off to an excellent start Sunday. Johnson rushed 27 times for 142 yards with 2 TDs. Johnson led the Titans to an easy 38-13 victory over the Raiders. The running back coming off an off season that included a new contract was simply explosive! The Titans used 24 unanswered points to take a commanding lead of the Raiders.
Bengals @ Patriots:
The Patriots defeated the Bengals 38-24 behind WR Wes Welker. Welker in his first game since having knee surgery was back in a huge way for QB Tom Brady as the combination hooked up twice on Sunday. Brady was brilliant with all his weapons healthy as he completed 25 of 35 passes for 258 yards with 3 TDs. The Bengals were down from the very beginning and at one point trailed 31-3.
Panthers @ Giants:
The combination of Eli Manning to Hakeem Nicks connected three times and the Giants cruised to a 31-18 victory. The game was overshadowed by 9 combined turnovers between the two teams. The Panthers had the lead at half time but was only able to produce 2 points the entire second half.
Browns @ Buccaneers:
The Browns were in control up 14-3 with 45 seconds on the clock before the half and the ball on the Bucs 39 yard line. But QB Jake Delhomme committed a turnover that has become accustom to the fiery signal caller. The interception led to a Buccaneers TD right before half time. That’s all the Buccaneers needed to gain momentum in the game. QB Josh Freeman helped the Bucs overcome and 11 point deficit to defeat the Browns 17-14. The Browns had 3 costly turnovers including two in Tampa’s end of the field.
Broncos @ Jaguars:
The story before the game was the homecoming of Tim Tebow but it was Jaguars QB David Garrard that stole the spotlight. Garrard completed 16/21 for 170 yards and 3 TDs. Tim Tebow only saw the field twice for 2 yards.
49ers @ Seahawks:
In was an impressive debut for Pete Carroll in his first game with the Seattle Seahawks since leaving USC this past off season. The Seahawks defeated a trendy pick in San Francisco 31-6. The story of the day was the defense for Seattle. They completely harassed Alex Smith all day long causing two turnovers and 263 total yards of offense. Seattle shut out the 49ers in the second half of the game. Matt Hasselbeck was very solid as he threw for two TDs and ran for another.
Packers @ Eagles:
The Packers came into Philly on opening day and left with a 27-20 victory. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers came in with the hopes of being an explosive offense but it will have to wait for another day. Rodgers was 19/31 for 188 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INT not his most impressive outing. But the Packers did build a 27-3 lead and held on late as Michael Vick lead a late charge by the Eagles. Kevin Kolb’s first game since the exit of Donovan McNabb only lasted one half after he was knocked out with a concussion in the second quarter.
Cardinals @ Rams:
It was the first career start for Rookie QB Sam Bradford who had an up and down game completing 32/55 for 253 yards with 1 TD and 3 INT. The game was not a thing of beauty as the two teams combined for eight turnovers. QB Derrick Anderson was effective throwing for 297 yards with 1 TD. WR Steve Breaston was Anderson’s top target catching the ball 7 times for 132 yards. Bradford tried to lead the Rams for a final score at the end of the game but the pass was intercepted in the end zone.
Cowboys @ Redskins:
This was your typical NFC East slugfest between two long time rivals. The Redskins defeated Dallas 13-7. It was the home opener for new QB Donovan McNabb and one I am sure he would want to have back. The Redskins produced less than 300 yards offense as a unit. McNabb however, did win his first career start for the Redskins and ended the game 15/32 for 171 yards. Most of the contest was contested between the 20s with numerous penalties. The turning point was Tashard Choices’ fumble as time expired in the first half only to be picked up by DeAngelo Hall and returned for a TD. Why the Cowboys would not take a knee is beyond me. QB Tony Romo could not get a sputtering Cowboys offense clicking at all on Sunday night. The highlight for the Cowboys was receiver Miles Austin who finished with 10 catches for 146 yards and 1 TD.
No comments:
Post a Comment