NFL - Week One Review

Bills' QB Ryan Fitzpatrick

Of all the action taking place around the National Football League on the opening weekend, perhaps the biggest surprise was the Buffalo Bills going into Arrowhead Stadium and destroying the Kansas City Chiefs, 41-7 behind four touchdown passes from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Heftyinfo NFL co-Player of the Week.
Fitzpatrick threw for 208 yards and connected with tight end Scott Chandler twice for scores in the rout. The Chiefs lost defensive back Eric Berry for the season with a knee injury.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were crushed by the host Baltimore Ravens, 35-7 as they committed seven turnovers in the game. The Ravens' defense intercepted Ben Roethlisberger three times, including two by veteran safety Ed Reed. Baltimore QB Joe Flacco was efficient, passing for 224 yards and three touchdowns while Ray Rice rumbled through the Steelers' defense for 107 yards and scored two touchdowns.
Houston got off to a great start blasting the visiting Indianapolis Colts, 34-7 as they built a 34-0 halftime lead and cruised to the easy win. The Colts were without QB Peyton Manning, who is recovering from his third neck surgery and may miss the entire season.

Brian Urlacher

 The Chicago Bears served notice to the rest of the league that last season was not a fluke as they routed the visiting Atlanta Falcons, 30-12. The Bears' defense sacked Falcons' QB Matt Ryan five times and scored a touchdown when linebacker Brian Urlacher scooped up a fumble and returned it 12 yards for the score.
 Bears' QB Jay Cutler passed for 312 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
The Detroit Lions got off to a winning start in 2011, beating host Tampa Bay, 27-20 behind solid defense and Matthew Stafford's three TD passes along with 305 passing yards. The Lions held the Buccaneers to 56 rushing yards and bottled up Josh Freeman, limiting the third year QB to 257 yards passing and just 24 rushing yards.
The Philadelphia Eagles lit up the St. Louis Rams, 31-13 behind Michael Vick, who threw for 187 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for 98 more yards while running back LeSean McCoy rushed for 122 yards, including a 49-yard fourth quarter touchdown run to seal the win.
Rams' QB Sam Bradford left the game with an injured hand and RB Steven Jackson, who scored the game's first touchdown on a 47-yard run, also left the game with an injured quadriceps muscle. In addition, Rams' wide receiver Danny Amendola was also lost with a dislocated elbow.
The injury bug also bit San Diego as kicker Nate Kaeding was lost for the season with a torn ACL in his left leg and DL Luis Castillo also suffered a leg injury. Kaeding was injured on the opening kickoff as Percy Harvin took the kick back 103 yards for a score before the crowd had a chance to even settle in.
The good news for the host Chargers on Sunday was a 24-17 comeback victory over the Minnesota Vikings as QB Philip Rivers (335 yards passing with two TD and two INT) hit Mike Tolbert (three touchdowns) for the game winning 19-yard TD pass and the Chargers' defense held the Vikings to just 39 yards passing and 187 yards in total offense.
In a yawner, the Jacksonville Jaguars rode the legs of Maurice Jones-Drew (97 yards) who scored the team's only touchdown on a first quarter 21-yard run in a 16-14 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Cincinnati came back and defeated the host Cleveland Browns, 27-17 as Cedric Benson (121 yards rushing) iced the victory with a 39-yard TD run in the closing minutes. The Bengals lost quarterback Andy Dalton to an injury and Bruce Gradkowski stepped in and threw a 41-yard TD pass to rookie wideout A.J. Green to put the Bengals back on top, 20-17 in the fourth quarter. Browns' QB Colt McCoy passed for two touchdowns in the loss.
The Washington Redskins surprised the visiting New York Giants, 28-14 as QB Rex Grossman, who said the 'Skins will win the NFC East division this year, passed for 305 yards and two touchdowns to pace the win.
The Arizona Cardinals came from behind and spoiled the debut of top draft pick Cam Newton, the Carolina Panthers' quarterback in a 28-21 decision.
Newton set a rookie record by passing for 422 yards in his first-ever NFL game in addition to scoring on a one-yard run and hooking up twice with wide receiver Steve Smith for touchdowns.

Cam Newton

Not to be outdone, Cardinals' QB Kevin Kolb passed for 309 yards and a pair of scoring strikes, including a 70-yard TD to Early Doucet. The game winning play was a 89-yard punt return for touchdown by Patrick Peterson in the final quarter.
 San Francisco won in Head Coach Jim Harbaugh's debut 33-17 against visiting Seattle as Ted Ginn, Jr. returned two kicks for scores in the final quarter to seal the deal for the 49ers. With the game close after the Seahawks closed to within 19-17, Ginn returned the ensuing kickoff 102 yards for a score to make it 26-17. Following a three-and-out, Seattle punted and Ginn promptly ran that back 55 yards for the final score.
In the Sunday Night Football Game, the Dallas Cowboys blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead and lost to the host New York Jets, 27-24 as former Dallas kicker Nick Folk drilled a 50-yard field goal with 27 seconds remaining in regulation.
Cowboys' QB Tony Romo (342 passing yards and two TD passes) went from hero to goat as he fumbled at the Jets' one-yard line on a third down scramble with his team ahead 24-17 in the final six minutes. The Jets were able to tie the game on a punt block that was returned 18 yards by Isaiah Trufant.
Romo and the 'Pokes had a chance to get a winning drive but Darrelle Revis intercepted a Romo pass to set up the game-winning field goal by Folk. Jets' QB Mark Sanchez passed for 335 yards and two touchdowns.

Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers

The Opening game for the 2011 season took place last Thursday evening in Green Bay as the defending Super Bowl Champion Packers held off the New Orleans Saints, 42-34 in a shootout that saw the Saints and Packers combine for over 800 yards of offense in this one.
Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers threw three TD passes and had 312 yards while Saints' QB Drew Brees had 419 passing yards and  three scoring passes as well. The Saints outgained the Packers 477-399 in total offensive yardage, but the Packers' defense came up big when it mattered most, stuffing New Orleans rookie running back Mark Ingram at the one-yard line on the game's final play to provide the outcome.
Other notable performances in the exciting season opener was Packers' rookie WR Randall Cobb scoring on a 32-yard pass play and also returning a kickoff 108 yards for another touchdown. Also returning a punt 72 yards to paydirt was Saints' RB/return man Darren Sproles.
 And finally, the Monday Night games did not disappoint as the New England Patriots picked up right where they left off in 2010 when they led the NFL in scoring, putting a 38-24 win on the board in Miami against the Dolphins.
Patriots' QB Tom Brady, the Heftyinfo NFL co-Player of the Week, passed for 517 yards and four touchdowns, including a 99-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Wes Welker, to lead the way in the high scoring affair.
The teams combined for over 1,100 yards of offense in the game and Miami QB Chad Henne passed for 416 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
In the late game in Denver, the Oakland Raiders beat the Broncos, 23-20 as kicker Sebastian Janikowski kicked a record tying 63-yard field goal to make the difference.