NFL Week 1 Review

I know we still have 2 games tonight, but I thought it is a great time to review yesterday’s games plus the game from Thursday night. Here’s a recap and what we learned from each game.

New York Giants 16, Washington Redskins 7
The Giants defense is still very good even with the losses of Osi and Strahan. The Redskins offense is going to go through some growing pains while under a new system, but don’t panic yet if you have some Redskins players on your fantasy team. Great Fantasy performances: WR Plaxico Burress, RB Brandon Jacobs

New England Patriots 17, Kansas City Chiefs 10
Tom Brady’s injury shocked the NFL and the fantasy football world. In addition the fantasy value of Moss and Welker now diminishes. It has yet to be seen if any of the Patriots RBs can now pick up the slack and carry this offense. Bowe dropped a lot of balls early and LJ could not get anything going on the ground. Gonzo is still great if you have him in a league that awards points for receptions. Keep your eye on RB Jamaal Charles who has great speed and can burst through the hole. Great Fantasy Performer: WR Randy Moss

Philadelphia Eagles 38, St. Louis Rams 3
Donovan F. McNabb is back. He threw for 361 yards and 3 TDs. I have been on the Eagles bandwagon all off-season and they did nothing to make me jump off. The Rams performing poorly on defense is nothing new. However, with a healthy Bulger and Jackson, Rams’ fans has to be worried about the lack of production. Great Fantasy Performer: The entire Eagles offense.

New Orleans Saints 24, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20
The Saints seem to be back. Reggie Bush had 163 yards from scrimmage and proved why he was taken #2 overall in the 2006 draft. Tampa Bay’s 2 for 12 on 3rd downs is troubling. The Bucs offense only had 1 offensive touchdown and did not execute well. Great Fantasy Performer: QB Drew Brees, RB Reggie Bush

Atlanta Falcons 34, Detroit Lions 21
The Falcons shock the Lions by running all over them with FA addition RB Michael Turner. Interesting stat is that since the NFC South has been created starting with the 02 season, the team that finished last would come back to win the division the next year. Could the Falcons rebound and keep that trend going?
Great Fantasy Performer: RB Michael Turner, WR Calvin Johnson, RB Jerious Norwood

Buffalo Bills 34, Seattle Seahawks 10
My surprise team in Buffalo isn’t going to surprise anyone else after dominating the Seahawks. The Bills destroyed the Seahawks on both sides of the ball. The Seahawks look awful against the Bills and I recommend benching any Seahawk at that moment since I do not trust that RB corp. In addition the Seahawks WR injuries clearly was visible as Hasselbeck performed awful. Great Fantasy Performers: RB Marshawn Lynch, WR Lee Evans, WR Nate Burleson

New York Jets 20, Miami Dolphins 14
Let the Favre era begin. He performed very well even though he proved that he is one of the luckiest QBs of all time with his 2 TD passes. The Dolphins run game was abysmal. Pennington had to carry the team and nearly won the game. Great Fantasy performer: QB Brett Favre, RB Thomas Jones, WR Jericho Cotchery

Pittsburgh Steelers 38, Houston Texans 17
The Texans were completely outmatched in this game. The Steelers led 35-3 at the start of the 4th quarter. Willie Parker’s return was phenomenal with 138 rushing yards and 3 TDs. With several elite teams in the AFC either suffering major injuries or crushing losses, the Steelers looks like the new team to beat in the AFC. Great Fantasy Performer: RB Willie Parker, QB Ben Roethlisberger, WR Hines Ward, WR Andre Johnson

Tennessee Titans 17, Jacksonville Jaguars 10
Jacksonville, who many were expecting to emerge as an elite team this year, did not perform at an elite level yesterday. The Titans D dominated the Jags run game and Garrard who did no throw an INT until late in the season last year, threw for 2 yesterday. The Titans won, but loss Vince Young to injury. Kerry Collins came in to run the show and did well to win the game. Rookie RB Chris Johnson did very well against a great Jags defense. If Johnson is available in your fantasy team grab him now. Great Fantasy Performer: RB Chris Johnson.

Cincinnati Bengals 17, Baltimore Ravens 10
The Bengals looked pathetic in their loss to the Ravens. Palmer didn’t throw for 100yds and their leading rusher had 37 yards. The Ravens looked well in controlling the clock for over 36 minutes. Mcgahee’s injury is a concern since he did not play. Great Fantasy Performer: N/A

Carolina Panthers 26, San Diego Chargers 24
The Cardiac Cats are back. No one saw this upset coming. Without Steve Smith the Panthers led by Delhomme won the game on the last play of the game. We need to remember Delhomme threw for 8 TDs and 1 INT before suffering a season ending injury last year. The Chargers suffer a brutal loss, but we must remember they starter 1-3 last year before finished 11-5 and advancing to the Conference Championship.
Great Fantasy Performer: QB Philip Rivers, TE Antonio Gates, WR Dante Rosario

Arizona Cardinals 23, San Francisco 49ers 13
J.T. O’Sullivan had a bad day in his first career start. He threw 1 INT and loss 2 fumbles. The 49ers as a team had 5 total turnovers. The Cardinals dominated the time of possession by controlling the ball for 37:05. There wasn’t a lot of flash in this game by either team, but the Cardinals just played fundamental football to win their season opener. Great Fantasy Performer: QB Kurt Warner, RB Edgerrin James, RB Frank Gore

Dallas Cowboys 28, Cleveland Browns 10
The Cowboys dominated the Browns and look like the best team in the NFL right now. The much anticipated Browns offense look awful against the Dallas defense full of Pro Bowlers. The new Cleveland defense looked worst. Romo had no pass rush on him and was able to pick apart the Browns secondary. The good news for Browns fans is they looked awful in week 1 last year in a loss at home to Pittsburgh. Great Fantasy Performers: RB Marion Barber, QB Tony Romo, WR Terrell Owens, TE Jason Witten.

Chicago Bears 29, Indianapolis Colts 13
Who saw this upset coming? The Bears defense dominated the Colts offense and shut down the Colts run game. The Colts only ran for 53 yards. On the other side the Bears ran for 183 yards led by rookie Matt Forte. Kyle Orton improved his record to 13-6, which among active starters is the 5th best winning % over his opponent Peyton Manning who is 7th on that list. Great Fantasy Performers: RB Matt Forte, CHI DEF, QB Peyton Manning.