SOME THOUGHTS FROM OPENING WEEKEND
From the return of Brett Favre to a revival of the league's oldest rivalry to what had to be an all-time top-10 lucky finish for the Denver Broncos. There were many story lines on opening weekend. Eagle QB Donovan McNabb suffered a broken rib & will miss at least one game. Jets' rookie QB Mark Sanchez made a good debut in their upset win in Houston. Lion rookie QB, Matthew Stafford didn't have the debut Sanchez did. The Lions lost....again, to the Saints 45-27, Drew Brees tossed 6 TD passes for New Orleans.
Some of the league other consistent losers from '08 did nothing to tarnish their image. Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Kansas City, Cleveland & Cincinnati all lost & with the exception of Cincy, all lost by 2 or more touchdowns. In a battle of bad teams, the Bengals trailed 6-0 for more than 59 minutes before they scored to go ahead 7-6 with 38 seconds left. After Denver's Eddie Royal slipped down on the kick return at the 13 yard line, Kyle Orton's first pass was nearly intercepted, his next attempt for Brandon Marshall sailed high & was tipped by Bengal corner Leon Hall. The ball bounced off Hall's hand right to Bronco WR Brandon Stokely who took it 87 yards for the winning touchdown. If you think it sounds ugly, you should have seen it.
Carolina's Jake Delhomme, who was last seen throwing 5 interceptions in a playoff game at home last January, returned to the scene of the crime, throwing 4 more picks & losing a fumble. This guy may never be the same. The Eagles absolutely lit them up, leading at half, 31-7.
Tony Gonzalez caught 5 balls for the Falcons & scored a touchdown in Atlanta's 19-7 win over the Dolphins. Miami never seemed to be in the game. A failed 2-point conversion try preserved the Colts 14-12 win against Jacksonville.
The Giants looked like my Super Bowl pick at times, their defensive front played superbly. Rookie receiver Hakeem Nicks suffered a sprained left foot & how long he'll be out is unknown. The best running back in the league, Minnesota's Adrian Peterson, had a fantasy football owner's dream with 180 yards & 3 touchdowns. Brett Favre hit rookie Percy Harvin for a score, but head coach Brad Childress was happy just to hand the ball to Peterson & play defense.
The defending NFC champs, the Arizona Cardinals, were absolutely sleepwalking thru the 1st half in their home opener vs. the 49ers. Mike Singletary's gang prevailed, they stopped the run & hounded Kurt Warner over & over. The Cards looked like they wanted to be anywhere but at University of Phoenix Stadium.
The renewal of the NFL's oldest rivalry in the Sunday night game had a thrilling finish. After the Bears had kicked a field goal with 2:28 remaining to take the lead 15-13, the Packers went 'all in' on a daring 3rd & 1 call. From the 50-yard line, Aaron Rogers faked a dive play, rolled to his left & hit a streaking Greg Jennings in stride at the 15 & Jennings took it in for six. He also caught a 2-point conversion, I'll need an explanation on why they went for 2, I didn't get it. Right after the ensuing kickoff, the Windy City savior, Jay Cutler, threw his 4th interception of the game. More bad news for the Bears was 2 starting linebackers were injured & one appeared serious. Brian Urlacher suffered a wrist injury & Pisa Tinoisamoa appeared to have a severe knee injury.
Some of the league other consistent losers from '08 did nothing to tarnish their image. Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Kansas City, Cleveland & Cincinnati all lost & with the exception of Cincy, all lost by 2 or more touchdowns. In a battle of bad teams, the Bengals trailed 6-0 for more than 59 minutes before they scored to go ahead 7-6 with 38 seconds left. After Denver's Eddie Royal slipped down on the kick return at the 13 yard line, Kyle Orton's first pass was nearly intercepted, his next attempt for Brandon Marshall sailed high & was tipped by Bengal corner Leon Hall. The ball bounced off Hall's hand right to Bronco WR Brandon Stokely who took it 87 yards for the winning touchdown. If you think it sounds ugly, you should have seen it.
Carolina's Jake Delhomme, who was last seen throwing 5 interceptions in a playoff game at home last January, returned to the scene of the crime, throwing 4 more picks & losing a fumble. This guy may never be the same. The Eagles absolutely lit them up, leading at half, 31-7.
Tony Gonzalez caught 5 balls for the Falcons & scored a touchdown in Atlanta's 19-7 win over the Dolphins. Miami never seemed to be in the game. A failed 2-point conversion try preserved the Colts 14-12 win against Jacksonville.
The Giants looked like my Super Bowl pick at times, their defensive front played superbly. Rookie receiver Hakeem Nicks suffered a sprained left foot & how long he'll be out is unknown. The best running back in the league, Minnesota's Adrian Peterson, had a fantasy football owner's dream with 180 yards & 3 touchdowns. Brett Favre hit rookie Percy Harvin for a score, but head coach Brad Childress was happy just to hand the ball to Peterson & play defense.
The defending NFC champs, the Arizona Cardinals, were absolutely sleepwalking thru the 1st half in their home opener vs. the 49ers. Mike Singletary's gang prevailed, they stopped the run & hounded Kurt Warner over & over. The Cards looked like they wanted to be anywhere but at University of Phoenix Stadium.
The renewal of the NFL's oldest rivalry in the Sunday night game had a thrilling finish. After the Bears had kicked a field goal with 2:28 remaining to take the lead 15-13, the Packers went 'all in' on a daring 3rd & 1 call. From the 50-yard line, Aaron Rogers faked a dive play, rolled to his left & hit a streaking Greg Jennings in stride at the 15 & Jennings took it in for six. He also caught a 2-point conversion, I'll need an explanation on why they went for 2, I didn't get it. Right after the ensuing kickoff, the Windy City savior, Jay Cutler, threw his 4th interception of the game. More bad news for the Bears was 2 starting linebackers were injured & one appeared serious. Brian Urlacher suffered a wrist injury & Pisa Tinoisamoa appeared to have a severe knee injury.
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