Monday playbook: Ten things we learned from Week 1 and more! "
Now that you've slept on the scores and digested the stats and highlights, here's an in-depth look at the first Sunday of the NFL season, with observations and analysis by the USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Read it s-l-o-w-l-y and it might last all the way to Monday night's kickoff.
Ten things we learned from Week 1
1. Arm strength isn't an issue for
Peyton Manning. Truth be told, he never had the strongest arm to begin with. For years, Peyton said younger Eli put much more on his passes than he did. What makes Manning's arm seem stronger is his ability to read defenses and release the ball quickly. Sunday night, despite being nearly two years removed from his last game, Manning's awareness was as sharp as ever.
2. Adrian Peterson is back as well. It's evident in the stats (17 rushes for 84 yards and two touchdowns) but more apparent in the game tape. Peterson's cuts on his surgically repaired left knee were incredibly sharp for a guy only eight months removed from ACL/MCL surgery.
3. The
Washington Redskins and Robert Griffin III might be setting themselves up nicely for an early run. While their divisional rivals are beating each other up over the first month of the season, the 'Skins don't face an
NFC East opponent until Week 7. They have road games against the St. Louis Rams and
Tampa Bay Buccaneers and are home against the
Cincinnati Bengals,
Atlanta Falcons and
Minnesota Vikings. Given Griffin's debut and the offensive explosion, those appear to be winnable games.
4. The NFL's "Heads Up" awareness program might be helping kids, but it's not getting through to the league's current players. There were lots of head-down, helmet-to-helmet hits and dives at runners' ankles and knees. (Pay attention, replacement refs.) But at least there appeared to be no serious injuries. Still, keep those heads up, kids.
5. The
Chicago Bears' offense might be their best in years. Since 2000, Chicago's offense has been ranked in the top half of the league in yardage only once. The Bears' 428 yards Sunday are the fifth-most in Week 1 so far. Veteran receiver Brandon Marshall (119 yards and a touchdown) and rookie Alshon Jeffery (42-yard touchdown) join Jay Cutler and a happy, compensated Matt Forte in what could be the best attack for the Bears this millennium.
6. Trouble is brewing for the
Buffalo Bills. Defensive end Mario Williams was neutralized by Jets tackle Austin Howard and a few others — including, according to Williams, the replacement refs who were unwilling to flag hands-to-the face calls. Williams' quiet debut was one of a handful of major issues for Buffalo, including Ryan Fitzpatrick's brutal day (three interceptions) and Fred Jackson's knee injury. Coach Chan Gailey said early last season the challenge would be handling prosperity. Since a 5-2 start last year, the Bills are 1-9. So yeah, they didn't handle it so well.
7. Chris Johnson and the
Tennessee Titans' running game are off to an even worse start. Johnson told reporters last week he "was so ready to get last year over with." Well, after having the worst game of his career yesterday against the
New England Patriots, with 4 yards on 11 carries, Johnson will be looking for the finish line once again if things don't improve quickly.
8. The Patriots defense seems much improved. Speaking of that Tennessee-New England game, the Pats gave up only 284 total yards. Only twice last season did their 31st-ranked defense yield fewer than 300 yards — once against the
New York Jets' struggling attack and once in the postseason to the inept, Tim Tebow-led Denver Broncos.
9. Matthew Stafford and Michael Vick shook off the early rust. And if that's all it was — especially for Vick, who missed most of the preseason with bruised ribs — that's fine. It's Week 1. It's never going to be pretty. But Stafford overcame three interceptions and Vick shrugged off four. Both ended on good notes with late game-winning touchdown passes.
10. The
Houston Texans did little to lose their standing as a trendy
Super Bowl pick. Okay, so the running game has looked better (3 yards per carry for Arian Foster yesterday), and there was a bad punt return for a touchdown allowed in the third quarter. But Matt Schaub was sharp (20-for-31 for 266 yards and a touchdown), and Andre Johnson was Andre Johnson with 119 yards and that touchdown from Schaub. And the defense had three interceptions of Ryan Tannehill and forced a fumble to record turnovers on four straight Dolphins drives during a 24-0 steamrolling of Miami in the second quarter.
No-huddle, no waiting
Maybe next week, Peyton Manning will open the game in a no-huddle offense.
The Broncos began Sunday night's opener by huddling up for their first possessions and it generated all of zero points.
In the second quarter, they switched to the no-huddle attack. Points followed.
On each of their four full series with the no-huddle pace, the
Broncos produced points — enough to wear out the
Pittsburgh Steelers' defense during a 31-19 victory.
"Once we got in a rhythm, the no-huddle's a little easier,"
Broncos receiver Brandon Stokleysaid. "We've still got a little way to go with it. It's a work in progress, but it could be a very big weapon."
Especially at Sports Authority Field, where the high altitude is notorious for increasing the difficulty level for opposing defenses.
"It still comes down to execution, whether you huddle or don't huddle," Manning said. "It's still kind of fundamental football. But I think it did give us a boost."
Body blow, body blow, body blow …
The Jets weren't going for the knockout punch on Bills quarterback Fitzpatrick, but they thought that if they could get enough body shots Sunday, maybe they could make the passer flinch and force him into bad throws.
Apparently, it worked.
So, even though the stat sheet wasn't stellar for Calvin Pace — the Jets' linebacker had five tackles and zero sacks — the real story were the two hits he was credited for making on Fitzpatrick, plus one the official scorer missed. All of Pace's hits, and one from safety LaRon Landry, added up to a rough start for Fitzpatrick on a three-interception day.
"We talked about the fact he gets the ball out quick and the sack numbers weren't going to be great, but the hits add up," said Pace, who belted Fitzpatrick on back-to-back plays in the second quarter.
"The more you can get body blows on a guy and make him think about the rush, that's good."
Whatever Fitzpatrick was thinking, at times, it wasn't about making good throws.
In the 48-28 loss, he was picked off by Darrelle Revis on the Bills' first offensive possession. Revis sat on the out route by receiver Stevie Johnson and undercut it. Later, Kyle Wilson jumped a route. So did Antonio Cromartie.
"Some of the things they ran, they kept it true," Cromartie said. "When you're studying film and everyone gets a beat on it and you know the things they're going to do, it makes things easier."
Fitzpatrick, who has 12 interceptions in his last five games dating back to last season, took the blame for all of his interceptions on Sunday, especially the one by Revis.
"I was late on the throw," he said, "and versus great players, especially someone of Revis' caliber, you can't be late on a throw."
Especially when the Jets' pass rush is bearing down on him.
"You can't get discouraged thinking, 'Oh, man, I'm not getting there.' The hits count," Pace said. "Stat-wise, it's not really going to show up, but those body blows add up. I think it worked.
"We have (Steelers quarterback) Big Ben (Roethlisberger) coming up this weekend, and he moves around in the pocket and is hard to bring down. It's a good start."
'We want to be the greatest safeties ever'
In the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Will Ferrell's race car driving, trash-talking Bobby is told, "You need to grab a hold of that line between speed and chaos, and you need to wrestle it to the ground like a demon cobra."
Well, that's the challenge for New York Jets safeties Laron Landry and Yeremiah Bell, both new to the team, and both as reckless as they are talented.
Bell, 34, and Landry, 27, combined for 11 tackles, and the Jets forced four turnovers Sunday. On one, Landry hammered the ball from C.J. Spiller's grasp for Bell to recover the ball, weave across the field avoiding tacklers, and eventually pitch it back to Landry in traffic for a short gain.
The two dove headlong into piles, searched for big hits in traffic, and Landry sent Fred Jackson home early with a legal hit that buckled his knee.
"We share the same type of characteristics on the field," Landry told USA TODAY Sports. "We have that chemistry. We talk about being the hardest-hitting safeties in the league all the time. We want to dominate as safeties. We're going to do it together and it's going to trickle down."
Landry and Bell are each with their second NFL teams, both signing one-year contracts with the Jets, and both have lofty aspirations for a defense that ranked fifth in yards allowed last year.
"We want to be the greatest safeties ever," Landry says. "We're trying to get that timing going. Each game, each play, each week isn't going to be perfect, but we're going to strive for perfection."
Maybe it ain't Art's fault
The
Cleveland Browns should worry less about Art Modell and more about the team they've put on the field for the 14 seasons since the franchise was resurrected. Since the Browns re-entered the NFL in 1999, they are 1-13 in season-opening games, counting Sunday's loss to the
Philadelphia Eagles.
Turn over a new leaf? Nah
Some things never change: The Eagles were second in the NFL in turnovers last season (38), and nine of those came in the red zone. No other team had more than five red-zone turnovers.
Sunday, while they didn't commit any red-zone turnovers, the Eagles nonetheless had five giveaways — four interceptions by quarterback Michael Vick (who had a potential fifth pick dropped) and a fumble by running back LeSean McCoy.
"Oh, man," Vick said. "I gotta get out of Cleveland."
Somebody else should carry the ball bag, though.
Maybe it's not all RGIII
The Redskins are 7-1 all-time at the Louisiana Superdome.
Week 1 awards
Comeback player of the week: Welcome back, Adrian Peterson. We haven't seen anyone heal this fast without a miracle being claimed. The Vikings' medical marvel came roaring back from reconstructive surgery eight months ago to repair a shredded left knee and churned out 84 yards and two touchdowns to key a 26-23 overtime win over the
Jacksonville Jaguars.
Surprise of the week:Randy Moss. Remember him? Moss, 35, provided a comeback for the aged when he caught a 14-yard Alex Smith touchdown pass, breaking free down the middle and showing he can still get open after a year away from football. It was Moss's first touchdown in nearly two years and exactly what 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh envisioned when the former NFL quarterback signed Moss this spring after throwing passes to him.
Biggest disappointment: Mario Williams. The $100-million man got stoned by no-name Jets right tackle Howard. Then, Williams blamed his dismal showing in his Bills debut on replacement refs.
Somebody should have thrown a flag on Williams for excessive whining: "What are you going to do about it? You're getting off the ball and getting punched in the face, literally, not an accident, just about every other time," Williams said. "That's a penalty. Unless they changed it with the new CBA or something, but last time I checked it was a penalty."
He added: "Pass blocking doesn't include hands to the face. When someone tells the officials that, and they just walk away, or they don't call it, that is disheartening."
I'd be concerned if I were …
•
New Orleans Saints defense. RGIII stood poised in the face of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's front-seven pressure. Spagnuolo's complex schemes take some getting used to, but the Saints have to be concerned after losing to a rookie quarterback after their offseason from hell.
Green Bay Packers defense. Their opening loss to the 49ers looked like a re-run of last season's porous Packers, who finished a league-worst 32nd on defense. Smith threw for two touchdowns and 211 yards, while running back Frank Gore rushed for 112 yards.
I'd feel pretty good if I were …
• Redskins coach Mike Shanahan and GM Bruce Allen. All preseason, they insisted they didn't care if they surrendered three first-round picks and a second rounder to get the No. 2 overall choice this year from the St. Louis Rams — as long as RGIII turned out to be a franchise quarterback. Hey, it's just one game, but it sure doesn't look as if the Rams got the steal of that deal anymore.
• Jay Cutler. After getting beaten up in Mike Martz's seven-step, dropback vertical-tilt system, Cutler got the time and the help he's long needed as old Broncos buddy Brandon Marshall contributed 119 yards receiving and a touchdown and Matt Forte kicked in another score and 120 yards from scrimmage.
A stat you should know: Guess who Andrew Luck's numbers resembled, in an almost eerie way? The numbers from Peyton Manning's first NFL game. In a 24-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins in 1998, Manning was 21-of-37 for 302 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. On Sunday, Luck was 23-of-45 for 309 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
Good Luck: Bears and former Colts defensive back Kelvin Hayden on Luck: "You can tell he's going to be good. His awareness in the pocket … he moves well in the pocket, he made some good throws in the pocket. He's going to take his growing pains, just like any other rookie.
"But he's ahead of the curve. Just watching film, you can't tell he's a rookie. He's going to learn from his mistakes and he's going to be one of the good ones."
Lambeau leap of faith
Blown assignments, communication breakdowns and missed tackles — it all looked quite a bit like the Green Bay Packers' defense of 2011. But this is 2012, and Sunday's season-opening 30-22 loss to the 49ers contained all of that.
But no less an authority than 15th-year veteran Charles Woodson, the unquestioned leader of the Packers' defense, wants people to believe this unit is better.
"I don't think we're even close to last year," he said. "I feel good about where we're at. I feel good about a lot of things we did. There were some things we have to correct, but I like the energy we had on defense. We flew around to the football, and I think we had some fun out there. We'll be better because of it."
There was the 14-yard, second-quarter touchdown catch by Moss, who was wide open in the end zone. There was tight end Vernon Davis, who ran uncovered down the field for a 29-yard gain to set up another touchdown in the third quarter. And there was the game-clinching, 23-yard touchdown run by Gore, who eluded three tackles on his way to the end zone.
Sound familiar?
Those same problems dogged the Packers' defense last season, when they finished last in the league in yards and passing yards allowed.
Yet in the loser's locker room on Sunday evening, players exuded optimism and made promises that things will be different this season. Time will tell, and with a quick turnaround game against the Bears on Thursday, there isn't much of it.
Those darn replacements
And you thought Williams was the only guy mad at the replacement refs.
Well, the Titans lost quarterback Jake Locker and wide receiver Nate Washington in the fourth quarter Sunday, and both were injured on a play that officials - yup, those darn replacements — should have blown dead.
"I don't think it matters who the officials are as far as replacement, regular officials," coachMike Munchak said after the Titans lost to the Patriots 34-13. "There were some calls in that game that obviously we weren't happy with. … It's just frustrating when things don't get called that probably should."
Locker hurt his left shoulder when he tackled Patriots safety Patrick Chung, who was returning Washington's fumble.
Video review, however, revealed the play should've been blown dead as an incomplete pass because Washington never had possession .
"Looking back on it, unfortunately, it was an incomplete pass," Locker said. "Just because of the circumstances, it is tough, but you can't control that."
Washington suffered a leg contusion, Munchak said.
The Titans took issue with a handful of other no-calls, including one on the opening drive, when Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty appeared to interfere with wide receiver Damian Williams in the end zone.
"I am not going to talk about the refs," Williams said. "You just have to move on to the next play. That is what the coaches teach you. You can only control the things you can control."
Tight end Jared Cook protested when he thought officials missed contact as he tried to catch a pass.
Officials also ruled that McCourty intercepted a Locker pass, but the play was ruled an incompletion after video review.
"You just have to play the game," linebacker Will Witherspoon said. "At the end of the day the officials have to face their own judge."
Torrey Smith: Get off my back
Torrey Smith had an up-and-down rookie season in 2011 that never quite lived up to his breakout performance, a 152-yard, three-touchdown outing in Week 3 in his first game as a starter.
There were bad drops, and consistent questions about route-running that followed the second-round pick known primarily for his blazing speed. After an offseason of fine-tuning, theUniversity of Maryland product is excited to open the book on his sophomore season Monday night in Baltimore against the Cincinnati Bengals, with the expectation that he'll be a bigger part of a Ravens offense shifting into no-huddle mode.
"People weren't paying attention," he says of early criticism of his route-running. "I ran the entire route tree. I might have needed work. It used to get on my nerves, because I'm like, 'Look, I played in this offense in college, I understand football.' But it's all good. I'm glad that stage is over with."
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and the coaching staff have heaped offseason praise on Smith, who caught 50 passes for 841 yards and seven touchdowns last season. All signs point to Smith to have a bigger role in the short and intermediate passing game this time around.
"I think there's more of an emphasis on it," he said. "I laugh because after the first preseason game people are like, 'You're running so many different routes.' I'm like, 'I ran all these plays last year.'
"I think I'm better at running all my routes. It's a lot smoother. It's looking the way it's supposed to look."
Smith came on the back-end of a stacked wide receiver class last April. A.J. Green and Julio Jones went fourth and sixth respectively, and each pulled off more productive rookie seasons than Smith, chosen 58th overall. Smith, 23, says he won't compare himself to either players just yet.
"Maybe when we're all done playing ball, we can check back and see what happened," he said.
End quoteWhen asked whether he had ever previously broken his nose, Patriots pretty-boy quarterback Tom Brady said, "In this life, no. Previous life? I'm not sure.""
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