NFL: Week 1 Rewind
By Brian Edwards
Never a dull moment in the NFL – ever. Are the Patriots back? They sure looked good in Week 1. Are the Colts headed south? They got off to an inauspicious start. Do we have a quarterback controversy in Philadelphia? Michael Vick sure did look like his old self on Sunday.
Let’s go through all the games and touch on a few hot topics.
Saints 14, Vikings 9
This wasn’t the epic clash we saw in last year’s NFC Championship Game, but it was certainly a nail-biter for our purposes and a fine way to start the 2010 campaign. Garrett Hartley, the hero against the Vikings with his game-winning field goal last season, was the goat for bettors backing New Orleans. Hartley missed a pair of FGs, including a chip shot that would’ve put the Saints ahead of the number late in the final stanza. Instead, most gamblers settled for a push with Sean Payton’s team closing as a five-point favorite. Brett Favre didn’t have Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin was a non-factor, but he got into a nice rhythm with Visanthe Shiancoe in the first half. Shiancoe’s 20-yard TD grab late in the second quarter gave Minnesota a 9-7 lead at intermission. But the Saints blanked the Vikes in the second half and established their running game on the way to a season-opening victory. The ‘under’ easily cashed tickets with the 23 combined points falling well below the closing number of 49.
Steelers 15, Falcons 9 (OVERTIME)
For 60 minutes, nobody could score a touchdown. Then on Pittsburgh’s first offensive play of overtime after stopping Atlanta, Rashard Mendanhall busted off tackle right for a 50-yard touchdown run to put the Steelers in the win column. They won outright as one-point underdogs, while the ‘under’ was an easy winner. Dennis Dixon threw for 236 yards and was intercepted once in 26 attempts. Jeff Reed missed a potential game-winning field goal late in the fourth quarter, but the Falcons couldn’t take advantage.
Texans 34, Colts 24
Houston got a Herculean effort from Arian Foster, who rushed 33 times for 231 yards and three touchdowns. Arian Who, you ask? Foster spent last year on the practice squad and had a decent collegiate career at Tennessee. Anyway, he was the difference for the Texans, who beat Indy for just the second time in 17 tries. Peyton Manning had to throw it 57 times, completing 40 for 433 yards with three TDs and no interceptions. But it wasn’t enough, as the Texans made a Week 1 statement in the AFC South. The ‘over’ hit when the 58 combined points eclipsed the 47-point mark.
Bears 19, Lions 14
This game had a controversial finish with Calvin Johnson’s potential game-winning TD catch getting nullified in the final minute. The Lions lost Matthew Stafford to a shoulder injury in the first half but thanks to a riveting goal-line stand, they had a chance to win at the end. But a booth review cancelled Johnson’s go-ahead TD and the Bears were able to prevail. Nevertheless, Detroit hooked up its backers as a 6 ½-point underdog. The 33 combined points stayed ‘under’ the 44 ½-point total. Jay Cutler threw for 372 yards and a pair of touchdowns compared to only one interception. He hit Matt Forte for a 28-yard scoring strike with 1:32 left for what proved to be the winning score.
Dolphins 15, Bills 10
Miami backers love them some Chan Gailey, who opted to take a safety on purpose rather than punting out of the end zone with 1:33 remaining. This gave the ‘Fins the cover as three-point favorites. The ‘under’ was an easy winner in this grind-it-out affair. Ronnie Brown and Rickey Williams combined for 127 yards on 31 carries, while Brown had the team’s lone touchdown on a one-yard plunge. Miami’s defense was dynamite, limiting dynamic Buffalo rookie RB C.J. Spiller to just 14 yards on 11 touches.
Bucs 17, Browns 14
I was a Cleveland backer in this spot and felt great about my chances when the Browns took a 14-3 lead late in the second quarter. However, Josh Freeman rallied the Bucs with a pair of TD passes, including a 33-yard scoring strike to Micheal Spurlock with 6:45 left to put the Bucs in front. Jake Delhomme threw a pair of interceptions for the Browns. The 31 combined points stayed ‘under’ the 37-point tally.
Patriots 38, Bengals 24
Don’t be fooled by the final score because this was a blowout. The Pats went up by a 31-3 count when they returned the opening kick of the second half for a touchdown. Tom Brady was extremely sharp, completing 25-of-35 passes for 258 yards and three TDs without an interception. Wes Welker had eight receptions and a pair of TD grabs, capping a remarkable comeback from a serious knee injury late last season. The Bengals got their stats in the second half, but they were never in the game. The Pats easily covered as five-point favorites and the ‘over’ was also an easy winner.
Giants 31, Panthers 18
Eli Manning threw three TD passes to Hakeem Nicks, as the G-Men pulled away from Carolina in the second half and took the cash as six-point favorites. Panthers’ QB Matt Moore committed four turnovers, throwing three picks and coughing up a fumble before leaving the game with a concussion.
Jags 24, Broncos 17
Jacksonville got a solid performance out of veteran QB David Garrard, who hit Kassim Osgood with a 24-yard TD pass midway through the fourth quarter to lift the Jags into the winner’s circle. Garrard threw three TD passes and wasn’t intercepted, while Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 98 yards. Bets on the total resulted in a push.
Titans 38, Raiders 13
Chris Johnson ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns, while Vince Young tossed a pair of TD passes in this run-away-and-hide victory for the Titans. The Raiders were a total no-show with the exception of Darren McFadden, who had 150 yards on 24 touches. The 51 combined points sailed ‘over’ the 39 ½-point total.
Packers 27, Eagles 20
Green Bay surged into a 27-10 lead late in the third quarter and appeared to be in cruise control. Kevin Kolb had been removed from the game with a concussion, giving Michael Vick his first extended playing time during a regular season game since being released from prison. With fresh legs, Vick looked sensational, turning broken plays into first downs while leading the Eagles up and down the field. They had a chance to tie late in the fourth quarter, but a shaky fourth-and-one call for Vick to run inside (rather than out on the edge to utilize his incredible speed) was stuffed by Clay Matthews, who played like a Pro-Bowler all day for Green Bay. Vick ran for 103 yards and threw for 175, igniting a QB controversy that I'll be glad to touch on at length during Thursday's edition of The Power Hours on VI Radio. The Packers hooked up their backers as three-point favorites.
Seahawks 31, 49ers 6
There’s no getting around the fact that Pete Carroll’s debut in Seattle was a roaring success. The Seahawks scored 31 unanswered points and made a statement by destroying the NFC West favorites. They took the money as short home underdogs, while bets on the total were a push (37).
Cardinals 17, Rams 13
Arizona held on to cover, but it wasn’t pretty at all. Derek Anderson threw for 297 yards and found Larry Fitzgerald for a 21-yard TD pass midway through the final stanza. The Rams had plenty of chances down the stretch, but they couldn’t capitalize. Nevertheless, they have to feel good about their rookie QB Sam Bradford, who completed 32-of-55 passes for 253 yards. Bradford was intercepted three times, but that’s going to happen if he has to throw it more than 50 times. For the most part, I thought he looked sharp (for a rookie debut, that is). The ‘under’ cashed tickets for gamblers.
Redskins 13, Cowboys 7
Dallas gift-wrapped this victory for the Redskins and the home team took advantage. DeAngelo Hall returned a fumble for a TD on the last play of the first half and Donovan McNabb moved the offense just enough to get field goals. The Cowboys appeared to score on the last play of the game, but Tony Romo’s TD pass was nullified by another holding penalty on OT Alex Barron.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
The thing I might have liked the most from Week 1 was the way Detroit head coach Jim Schwartz handled his team’s controversial loss. Schwartz refused to blame the officials and wasn’t about to lament the loss in a woe-is-me fashion. The Lions have themselves a leader in Schwartz, who also has himself a decent defense this year. Now it appears that Stafford will miss 4-8 weeks, but Shaun Hill is serviceable and it says here that this team will continue to be competitive.
The ‘under’ finished 9-5-2 after cashing in both games of Monday’s double-header.
The favorites failed to hook up their backers in the MNF games, causing the chalk/dog thing to be a wash for the weekend. The favorites went 7-7-2.
Pittsburgh, Houston, Seattle, Washington, Baltimore and Kansas City were the six underdogs to win outright.
I think Green Bay’s Greg Jennings is now the NFL’s best wide receiver.
That wasn’t the first time Calvin Johnson allowed a potential game-winning TD catch to get away from him. On a Thursday night in 2005 with Ga. Tech trailing N.C. St. by a 17-14 count in the final seconds, Reggie Ball hit Johnson in the hands with what should’ve been the winning TD pass. However, Johnson bobbled the ball multiple times and then a Wolfpack defender grabbed the ball out of the air for a game-sealing interception.
Ray Lewis is one in 10 billion, maybe the greatest defensive player in NFL history. What a performance by Lewis in Baltimore's 10-9 win over the Jets. Still rattled by a hit from Lewis, Dustin Keller was so out to lunch that he didn't even try to reach the ball over the first-down marker on fourth down in the final minute.
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