NFL Week 1 Recap

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Not only did Robert Griffin III start a new phenomena (Griffining) but he also shined in his
NFL debut. RG3 had the highest quarterback rating in the NFL last week after burning the Saints 40-32.

This Week's Record: 11-5
Overall Record: 11-5

Cowboys vs. Giants: 24-17 Cowboys
Cowboys Player of the Week: Kevin Ogletree- 8 receptions, 114 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns
Giants Player of the Week: Ahmad Bradshaw- 78 rush yards, 15 receiving yards, touchdown

The Cowboys defeated the reigning Super Bowl champs at the Meadowlands last Wednesday. Tony Romo, who usually plays subpar vs. the Giants, played a fantastic game. Romo threw for over 300 yards, three touchdowns, and threw only one interception.

Colts vs. Bears: 41-21 Bears
Colts Player of the Week: Reggie Wayne- 9 receptions, 134 yards
Bears Player of the Week: Brandon Marshall- 9 receptions, 119 yards, touchdown

The Bears spoiled Andrew Luck's NFL debut thanks in part to their efficient offense and tough defense. Matt Forte and Brandon Marshall each gained over 115 yards of offense and scored  touchdowns in the win. On the defensive end, the Bears' D picked off Luck three times and also forced two fumbles.

Eagles vs. Browns: 17-16 Eagles
Eagles Player of the Week: Jeremy Maclin- 7 receptions, 96 yards, touchdown
Browns Player of the Week: D'Qwell Jackson- 3 tackles, fumble recovery, interception, touchdown

It surely wasn't pretty, but the Eagles got it done on Sunday. Despite turning over the ball five times, the Eagles were able to defeat the Browns. It certainly helped that Brandon Weeden played even worse than Michael Vick. In his NFL debut, Weeden threw four interceptions, and finished with a quarterback rating of 5.1

Rams vs. Lions: 27-23 Lions
Rams Player of the Week: Sam Bradford- 198 pass yards, touchdown 105.1 passer rating
Lions Player of the Week: Kevin Smith- 62 rush yards, 27 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns

It looked as if the Rams would upset the Lions Week 1, but Kevin Smith scored a touchdown with just ten seconds left in the game. Matt Stafford had a subpar game, throwing for three interceptions and only one touchdown. A win's a win, but the Lions need to step up their game if they want to contend for the playoffs again.

Patriots vs. Titans: 34-13 Patriots
Patriots Player of the Week: Stevan Ridley- 125 rush yards, 27 receiving yards, touchdown
Titans Player of the Week: Jake Locker- 229 pass yards, touchdown, interception, 89.2 passer rating

The Patriots' quest to return to the Super Bowl started off well with a big win against the Titans. Tom Brady had another stellar game, while the Patriots' rush game exceeded expectations. Chris Johnson's four rush yards on 11 carries is not a good sign for the Titans. Tennessee has got to figure out what's up with this guy after giving him a big contract just last season.

Falcons vs. Chiefs: 40-24 Falcons
Falcons Player of the Week: Matt Ryan- 299 pass yards, 3 touchdowns, 136.4 passer rating
Chiefs Player of the Week: Jamaal Charles- 87 rush yards

The Falcons laid a smack down on the Chiefs last week. Matt Ryan absolutely played up to the expectations in Week 1, and could be a dark horse for the MVP. With everything that's going on in New Orleans, this could finally be the Falcons' year.

Jaguars vs. Vikings: 26-23 (OT) Vikings
Jaguars Player of the Week: Blaine Gabbert- 260 pass yards, 2 touchdowns, 96.1 passer rating
Vikings Player of the Week: Adrian Peterson- 84 rush yards, 2 touchdowns

What's was more surprising for the Vikings on Sunday: Adrian Peterson's big return, or rookie kicker Blair Walsh going 4/4 on the day including a 55 yard field goal to send the game into OT, and another one to win it. On the bright side for the Jaguars, Blaine Gabbert definitely showed signs of improvement from last season.

Redskins vs. Saints: 40-32 Redskins
Redskins Player of the Week: Robert Griffin III- 320 pass yards, 42 rush yards, 3 touchdowns, 139.9 passer rating
Saints Player of the Week: Lance Moore- 6 receptions, 120 receiving yards, touchdown

Wow, possibly the most exciting game of the week as RG3 upset Drew Brees and the Saints at home! RG3 was the only rookie to win on Sunday, and did it in tremendous fashion. Don't want to jump on the bandwagon too soon, but the Redskins have lots of potential.

Bills vs. Jets: 48-28 Jets
Bills Player of the Week: CJ Spiller- 149 rush yards, touchdown
Jets Player of the Week: Mark Sanchez- 266 pass yards, 3 touchdowns, 123.4 passer rating

Who would have thought that the team that scored only one touchdown in the preseason would score the most points Week 1? Mark Sanchez played arguably the best game of his NFL career, and definitely has the starting spot locked in (for now). On the bright side for the Bills, CJ Spiller played like a stud, and will certainly make Fred Jackson's injury less noticeable.

Dolphins vs. Texans: 30-10 Texans
Dolphins Player of the Week: Reggie Bush- 69 rush yards, 46 receiving yards
Texans Player of the Week: Arian Foster- 79 rush yards, 2 touchdowns

The Texans destroyed the Dolphins on Sunday, while Ryan Tannehill's NFL debut was less than memorable. Tannehill threw three interceptions and finished the game with a quarterback rating of 39.0. The Texans seemed to show good signs on both offense and defense. After finishing the game with 119 receiving yards and a touchdown, Andre Johnson finally seems to be at 100%.

Niners vs. Packers: 30-22 Niners
Niners Player of the Week: Alex Smith- 211 pass yards, 2 touchdowns, 125.6 passer rating
Packers Player of the Week: Aaron Rodgers- 303 pass yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, 93.3 passer rating

The Niners proved they haven't regressed since last season, and could possibly even be Super Bowl threats this year. San Francisco controlled the game and was able to capitalize on most opportunities. Frank Gore looked as healthy as ever, after rushing for 112 yards and a touchdown.

Seahawks vs. Cardinals: 20-16 Cardinals
Seahawks Player of the Week: Sidney Rice- 4 receptions, 36 receiving yards, touchdown
Cardinals Player of the Week: Kevin Kolb- 66 pass yards (on six throws), touchdown, 138.5 passer rating

Maybe I jumped on Bill Simmons' Seahawks bandwagon before they had a chance to prove themselves. Quite frankly, neither team played that great, but in the end, the Cardinals pulled out the victory. After a sketchy extra timeout was rewarded to the Seahawks with less then a minute to go, the Cardinals were able to stop Seattle from scoring in the redzone.

Panthers vs. Bucs: 16-10 Bucs
Panthers Player of the Week: Steve Smith- 7 receptions, 106 receiving yards
Bucs Player of the Week: Josh Freeman- 136 pass yards, touchdown, 95.5 passer rating

Greg Schiano's NFL debut with the Bucs was a hit after shutting down Cam Newton and the Panthers. The Bucs did an exceptionally well job denying Carolina's run game. Many people have the Bucs being a dark horse team with the way Schiano is running things, and they may not be wrong.

Steelers vs. Broncos: 31-19 Broncos
Steelers Player of the Week: Heat Miller- 4 receptions, 50 receiving yards, touchdown
Broncos Player of the Week: Peyton Manning- 253 pass yards, 2 touchdowns, 129.2 passer rating

Did Peyton Manning even miss a season? After watching the way Manning played Sunday Night, its as if he was coming off another Pro Bowl season. The Steelers didn't look great on either end. The defense gave up 31 points, which is a lot by Pittsburgh standards, and the offense failed to rush for over 80 yards. Did this game show us that the Broncos are for real, the Steelers aren't that good, or a little of both?

Bengals vs. Ravens: 44-13 Ravens
Bengals Player of the Week: BenJarvus Green-Ellis- 91 rush yards, touchdown
Ravens Player of the Week: Joe Flacco- 299 pass yards, 2 touchdowns, 128.4 passer rating

The Ravens demolished the Bengals on Monday night, clearly showing who the AFC North favorites are this season. Even without Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs, the Ravens shut down the Bengals' offense. Offensively for Baltimore, Joe Flacco gave us a little preview of what's in store this season. If it's anything like the season opener, the Ravens will be going far this year.

Chargers vs. Raiders: 22-14 Chargers
Chargers Player of the Week: Philip Rivers- 231 pass yards, touchdown, 102.0 passer rating
Raiders Player of the Week: Darren McFadden - 32 rush yards, 86 receiving yards

The Chargers shut down the Raiders offensively and limited them to only one touchdown on Monday night. The Chargers didn't have too many problems on offense despite missing running back Ryan Mathews. Will the Chargers return to the playoffs this year, or will this be the end for Norv Turner.