The NFL regular season is unlike any other in professional sports. NFL games mean something from the opening day kickoff. There are only 16 games, and as each one comes and goes, the stakes get a little higher. There is no room for error. Slow starts equal lost seasons. Teams must come ready to play week 1, as these games are as important as late August inter-division baseball games. Week 1 is where teams create their identity, and starting the season with an L, especially in New York, usually causes panic and overreaction
When teams kicked off this past Sunday fans were already in midseason rooting form, cause they know, after week 1, over 6% of the season is over…and 1-0 looks a lot better than 0-1.
For a look back at Week 1 of the NFL season, games will be grouped into classes of importance.
Level 1 Importance: Games that were out of conference, division, or that were really nothing more than the 1st game of the season
49ERS 28 ST. LOUIS 25: In a weekly pool I’m in, 24 out of 25 people took the Rams. That is always a surefire sign to bet the other way. The 49ers came out ready to play for new coach Mike Nolan, while The Rams laid an egg in their road opener. Coming in to Sunday, the Rams were 7-19 on the road in their last 26 games. When are people going to realize Mike Martz is not a good coach? The Rams will bounce back, and the 49ers will come back to Earth. A nice win start to the Mike Nolan era for the 49ers, but no reason to start to selling playoff tickets yet.
WASHINGTON 9 CHICAGO 7: : In a predictably awful game the Redskins did just enough to beat the Bears and rookie QB Kyle Orton. The Bears are my sleeper pick for the 2005 season. Don’t be shocked to see them win a few a games they have no business being in. The Redskins are already playing musical QB’s. Mark Brunell will get the start Monday night against The Cowboys. It’s going to be long season for Joe Gibbs and the Redskins.
JACKSONVILLE 26 SEATTLE 14: An AFC team beats an NFC team. A trend you will see continue this year. Jacksonville looks ready to play with the Colts. They play this Sunday at the RCA Dome.
DALLAS 28 SAN DIEGO 24: While I wasn’t surprised the Cowboys went into San Diego and beat The Chargers, I was surprised how they did it. I didn’t think the Cowboys could win a high scoring game with the Chargers. You think Drew Brees was silently cursing out the Charger front office after they failed to get into the end zone, without the suspended Antonio Gates, on that last drive?
CINCINNATI 27 CLEVELAND 13: People have bestowed praise on Marvin Lewis for turning this franchise around. Lets keep in mind they beat the worst team in the league on Sunday. Its time for the Bengals to take it to a different level. Let’s see them beat a desperate Viking team this Sunday.
PITTSBURGH 34 TENNESSEE 7: : Coming off a 15-1 season, the Steelers have been tagged the team “most likely to disappoint”. They did what they had to do Sunday behind 3rd string back Willie Parker, and his blazing 4.23 40 speed. A change of pace back that will be even more effective when The Bus and Deuce come back. Tennessee is going to have a long season, they will be no better than 5-11
Level 2 Importance: Inner-conference or divisional games that may come back to play major roles in tiebreaking scenarios
BUFFAL0 22 HOUSTON 7: Both teams play in tough divisions and needed to get off to good starts. J.P Losman played a nice game and Buffalo’s D shut down David Carr and the Texan offense. When is David Carr’s job going to be in jeopardy? He hasn’t improved in 3 years. The Dom Capers watch is also officially underway. Buffalo got the job done at home, and now head to Tampa Bay to face a better than we thought Bucs team.
MIAMI 34 DENVER 10: Mike Shanahan is another coach who seems to live off past accolades. He did not have his team ready to play on Sunday. They were sucking wind in the 2nd half as the Dolphins uses their superior conditioning to roll the annually overrated Broncos. If the Broncos can’t beat the rebuilding Fish, who can they beat? A huge loss for the Broncos who already face a must win in week 2, at home, vs. 0-1, divisional rival San Diego. The loser of that game will not make the playoffs. You heard it here.
NEW ORLEANS 23 CAROLINA 20: The feel good game of the week. It was great to see the Saints go into Carolina and win one for the people of Louisiana. No one knows how the Saints will fare this year, but they started by winning a divisional game on the road. The Saints “home opener” is scheduled for Monday night at Giant Stadium where most of the proceeds from the game will go to victims of Hurricane Katrina.
NY GIANTS 42 ARIZONA 19: Many people picked the Cards as their sleeper in the NFC. Hard to understand how you could like a team that is QB’d by Kurt Warner. Warner “slanted” The G-Men to death in the 1st half until they started to get some pressure on him. The Giants used the new and improved version of “Thunder and Lightning” (Barber and Jacobs) to bury the Cards. This is another example of a game you could see playing a major role at the end of the season in tiebreaking scenarios. The Giants need Eli Manning to play to much better if they plan to make a move in the NFC East this year.
DETROIT 17 GREEN BAY 3: A huge game in the NFC North in week 1. The Lions defense played extremely well in the victory. Brett Favre looks like a shadow of himself out there. The Packers are one of my picks to disappoint this year. I can’t see the Packers going any better than 6-10. The division improved, and they went backwards. This is going to be a tough year to see Favre call his last.
Level 3 Importance: Games of the Week: The “Statement Making” games.
KANSAS CITY 27 NY JETS 7: K.C. won the toss and took it right to the Jets. Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson ran all over Donnie Henderson’s defense and never looked back. The Jets seemed overwhelmed by the Kansas City crowd and were never able to get in synch. The Jets came into this season the favorites to unseat the Pats in the AFC, but after this game, The Chiefs looked like true contenders for the Patriots belt. Chad Pennington was just awful and needs to bounce back strong vs. the Dolphins on Sunday.
NEW ENGLAND 30 OAKLAND 20: The Raiders looked like a lot better team than I thought they were. If not for the 16 penalties that they were called for they might have had a chance to steal this one. Collins and Moss will be fantasy stars this year in Oakland but I don’t know how that will translate into victories. The Raider defense won’t be stopping anybody. The Pats schedule is brutal over the next 4 weeks with games @Carolina, PITT, @SD, and @ATL. The Pats needed to win this game because they could lose any of their next 4…or win any…which they will probably find a way to do
TAMPA BAY 24 MINNESOTA 13: This game ruined my gambling weekend. I thought Minnesota would breeze by the Bucs. The Vikes have a revamped defense, and an offense that should still be able to put plenty of points despite the loss of Randy Moss. Jon Gruden just out coached Mike Tice. The Vikings had no business losing their home opener to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Vikes are the darling pick of the NFC this year and, they too, face a must win in week 2 @ Cincinnati. “
“Hot Seat, you remember Mike Tice don’t you?”
“Sure I do! How ya doin, Mike?”
INDIANAPOLIS 24 BALTIMORE 7: Having to play the Ravens, Sunday night, on ESPN, is not an easy task for any team, but the maligned Colts defense played spectacular Sunday night. They shut out the Ravens until back-up Anthony Wright threw for a meaningless TD late in the 4th quarter. Peyton Manning did just enough to get a nice road win to open the season. This game meant more to the Colts than any other team this past week. Why? The Colts NEED home field advantage if they plan to get past the Patriots this year. It doesn’t get any easier for the Colts in week 2 as Jacksonville comes to town for what should be the Game of the Week.
ATLANTA 14 PHILADELPHIA 10: : In a rematch of the NFC Championship Game from last year, Atlanta held off the Eagles in a game dominated by both defenses. The Falcons, who are looking to be the heir apparent to the Eagle throne, beat Donovan McNabb up for 4 quarters, and Mike Vick did just enough to get past the defending NFC champs in the Georgia Dome. Vick used his legs to beat the Eagles running for a 1st quarter TD and 68 yards, as The Falcons ran up 200 yards of rushing offense, thanks in part, to a pre-game fight that got Eagles MLB Jeremiah Trotter ejected. This is another one of those huge tiebreaker games where both teams should win their respective divisions and finish with records around 12-4. Last night’s game could prove very large for home field advantage come the NFC Championship Game in January. The Eagles will look to bounce back next Sunday in their home opener vs. the 49ers, while The Falcons travel to Seattle.
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