Buffalo 41, Kansas City 7 - Kansas City was coming off of a division title. But Jamaal Charles got hurt and was lost for the season. So yes, Kansas City wasn't as good as they seemed going into the season. But Buffalo wasn't as good as they looked here either, they finished 6-10, one game worse than Kansas City.
Washington 28 - New York Giants 14 - If we could write off teams after one week, New England fans would have been much happier back in February.
Baltimore 35 - Pittsburgh 7 - Was Baltimore finally ready to take that next step and earn a home playoff game? Yes, yes they were. They swept Pittsburgh and only lost a shot at a berth in the Super Bowl when their kicker missed a 32-yard field goal.
Rank
(Last)
|
Team
|
Record
|
Overeaction
|
1 (6)
|
|
1-0
|
We're going to win the Super Bowl!
Honestly, yeah, they look dangerous. This was easily the most
impressive week 1 performance. But we know Green Bay's defense was awful last
year, so did the 49ers just score 30 on a great team? Or a terrible defense?
|
2 (2)
|
|
1-0
|
We're going to win the Super Bowl!
Really? You beat Miami. You throttled them, yes. But Miami couldn't crack the top-25 college poll this week, so this game doesn't really
mean anything. Settle down now.
|
3 (3)
|
|
1-0
|
We have a running game! We're definitely going to win the Super
Bowl!
Ridley looks more dynamic than Law Firm/Little Danny Woodhead,
absolutely true. But after years of not using the running game when it really
mattered, I'm not ready to say that the Patriots are set here.
|
4 (11)
|
|
1-0
|
We have an offense! We're going to win the Super Bowl!
I'd put Baltimore as the second most impressive performance of
week 1. Still, Joe Flacco’s 2011 completion percentage was 57.6%, in this
game it was 72.4%, which is closer to the real Joe?
|
5 (5)
|
|
1-0
|
Peyton Manning is all the way back!
Manning looked impressive, but it’s still the summer. Being
outdoors in September/October is quite different than being outdoors in
November/December. But Peyton’s mind
has no reason to deteriorate, the question will be how well Denver’s defense
holds up over the course of the season.
|
6 (1)
|
|
0-1
|
What happened to our offense?
That was not an impressive showing, but San Francisco was a
couple plays away from a Super Bowl last year, they’re a very good team.
Green Bay’s inability to have anything resembling balance is a flaw. You can
go far with that flaw (see Patriots, New England), but run into the wrong
matchup, and it can be deadly. The good news? There aren’t many of those
teams in the NFL. The bad news? There are at least 2 in the NFC.
|
7 (4)
|
|
1-0
|
We’re balanced and
unstoppable!
Let's check back in December. If Jay Cutler is still playing and mostly upright, we can start to think about visions of grandeur. |
8 (8)
|
|
1-0
|
See, we told you
we’d air it out!
It's encouraging, but let's see a few more games of this. Your history under Mike Smith indicates this is more exception than rule. The flipside is, if this IS the year you're going to let Matt Ryan open up the offense...what took you so long? |
9 (18)
|
|
1-0
|
Jerry finally got it right!
The Dallas defense looked very good in closing down the Giants offense (something they could not do in either game a season ago). Jerry's spending (cash and draft pick) on the secondary seemed to bear fruit. The performance was impressive. One caveat is the Giants were the worst rushing team last season, so Dallas may not be quite as dominant defensively as they appeared. |
10 (12)
|
|
0-1
|
We might miss the playoffs while defending our title?
The Giants are an inconsistent bunch, and they don't protect their home turf especially well. They still know how to respond for big games, so this loss isn't really worrisome. The one big takeaway for New York? 9-7 and a negative point differential probably doesn't get it done this year. |
11 (15)
|
|
0-1
|
This is the year our OL ruins our season.
I think there is some cause for concern for Pittsburgh. Not that they lost, but really this game could have been out of hand much sooner. Pittsburgh seemed like they were in third and long all night, and between Ben extending plays and making something happen, and multiple stupid penalties Denver's defense took, Pittsburgh kept this closer than they really had a right to. The silver lining? Ben is still Ben, keeping the play alive longer than the secondary can cover for. |
12 (20)
|
|
1-0
|
Haha! We only wanted you to think our offense was in trouble.
Honestly, I chalk this one up to the disappointing Bills more than the Jets. Let's see the Jets offense get through some adversity (it's coming at some point) and still produce. Still, 34 offensive points is 34 points. |
13 (19)
|
|
1-0
|
We can win the ugly ones too, it's not just an air show.
Bad teams tend to spend an inordinate amount of time before the season starts game planning for week 1, whereas good teams need to take a longer view of the season while in training camp. That can lead to some surprising results or near-results in week 1. The worry from last season is Detroit's rush defense, which would allow teams to slow the game down and give the Stafford to Megatron show limited opportunities to do their thing. |
14 (7)
|
|
1-0
|
Oh no, it's going to be 2011 all over again!
Yeah, that's a real concern. Cleveland's pass defense is good, but 17 points and 4 interceptions for Michael Vick? On the plus side, Vick played the whole game. On the minus side, lots of turnovers, which is what ruined their season last year. More fuel for the fire: Andy Reid tends to forget about the running game. LeSean McCoy averaged over 5 yards per carry, but had only 20 rushes compared to 56 Vick pass attempts. |
15 (16)
|
|
1-0
|
We're not going to underachieve this year!
Honestly, San Diego should have beaten Oakland. But this is a type of game that they have dropped repeatedly the past few years. So with Norv Turner still the coach, simply winning the games they're supposed to win is somewhat surprising. |
16 (10)
|
|
0-1
|
Uh oh...
Kansas City doesn't want to get into shootouts. Matt Cassel isn't good enough for the Chiefs to need to score 30+ points a game. Losing the game to Atlanta isn't a huge problem by itself. But giving up 40 points and turning the ball over 3 times are both big red flags for this team. |
17 (14)
|
|
0-1
|
We knew last year was too good to be true
Losing to Baltimore? Not a shocker. Giving up all those points? Kind of surprising. But |
18 (13)
|
|
0-1
|
But...but...we spent all that money on defense!
34 offensive points to the Jets? 1 tackle for Mario Williams? Why were we on your bandwagon again? |
19 (17)
|
|
0-1
|
Wait, how did this happen?
The Saints have been using their incredible offense to cover serious defensive flaws for a couple of years now. They're very reliant on turnovers to get stops, and turnovers have a large degree of luck factored into them. In 2009, it worked. In 2010 and 2011, they dried up at the wrong times. Against the Redskins, they forced 0 turnovers. |
20 (9)
|
|
0-1
|
"Playoffs?!? Don't talk about...playoffs!"
2 big problems with the loss to Arizona: 1) This is supposed to be a top-5 defense, and top-5 defenses don't let an offense as awful as Arizona's score 20 points on them. 2) Pete Carroll has gushed over Russell Wilson, indicating how he's not your typical rookie. Then, in his game 1 start. Seattle's coaches give Wilson a very limited game plan. Well, which is it guys? Is Wilson the best quarterback right now? Or does he need to be brought up to speed? Which is it, Pete? |
21 (26)
|
|
1-0
|
RGIII will lead us to the promised land! Or at least the playoffs!
That was an amazing debut, and rookies don't usually have amazing debuts. That being said, the Saints defense is a huge quesiton mark right now, so let's give him a few more games before we decide the Redskins are on their way to double-digit wins. |
22 (24)
|
|
1-0
|
We did go 7-2 in the last 9 games of last season, you know.
Don't get too frisky now, one drive to win the game doesn't mean Kevin Kolb isn't still an overpriced barrel of disappointment at the quarterback position. Let's see him put a whole game together (or even a single half) before we start getting excitable. |
23 (21)
|
|
0-1
|
Yeah, we figured there'd be a step back
And yeah, that's what this year will be. Jake Locker is not a finished product. Matt Hasselbeck probably could get you about to where you were last year, 9-7ish, but he doesn't have many years left. You need to see what you have in the 8th overall pick last year. |
24 (22)
|
|
1-0
|
Now that we got rid of that bum coach, let's go for 10-6 again.
Upgrading Raheem Morris to someone else should be worth a few wins, as Tampa fell to 4-12 because they quit on Morris last year. But another 10-6 season like 2010 is a bit ambitious. Let Greg Schiano have a couple seasons to mold the team as he wants, first. |
25 (29)
|
|
0-1
|
We're not doormats anymore!
Impressive showing against a good team. But is that a one-week blip, or the real thing? |
26 (25)
|
|
0-1
|
Just...what, exactly, baby?
This team needs an overhaul and an infusion of talent. And it's going to get it, but it's not a one-year fix. This will be a multi-year process, hindered by the fact that the previous regime traded away a lot of this year's draft capital. Someone (not me) should tell the Oakland fans in spikes that they need to be patient. |
27 (27)
|
|
0-1
|
We've seen this scenario before, we know we'll stink this year, but we still have Andrew Luck and you don't.
Exactly right. Peyton went 3-13 and led the league in interceptions in his rookie season. In year two the Colts went to the playoffs. |
28 (23)
|
|
0-1
|
Where's the next step for Cam?
It's going to be a process for Cam, a step back this season doesn't necessarily mean he won't take that step forward eventually. |
29 (30)
|
|
1-0
|
Adrian Peterson looked good, maybe we won't stink!
That was an impressive showing for Peterson so soon after his ACL injury. But running backs can't carry teams on their backs in today's NFL. And with weaknesses at quarterback and defense, that's exactly what Peterson would have to do here. |
30 (28)
|
|
0-1
|
Blaine threw for 2 TDs...but we lost...what does this mean?
It's impossible to overstate how bad Blaine Gabbert looked last season. So a 2TD/0INT game in week one without a full strength Maurice Jones-Drew is tremendous progress (even if it was against Minnesota). But they still lost the game, despite that performance, so yeah, it will be a long season. |
31 (31)
|
|
0-1
|
We stink.
True. |
32 (32)
|
|
0-1
|
Maybe Colt McCoy's not that bad.
No, no. McCoy's still very bad. Weeden may not be much better, but that doesn't mean McCoy is the answer. |
Big risers, compared to last week:
1. Dallas (9 spots) - If this defense is merely capable (and they showed even better than that last Wednesday), this team all of a sudden becomes dangerous.
2. New York Jets (8 spots) - They don't have to put up 48 points each week, they simply need to take pressure off of the defense.
3. Baltimore (7 spots) - If this offense is legitimately capable of delivering like they did on Monday, concerns about the aging defense don't matter nearly as much.
Biggest fallers:
1. Seattle (11 spots) - The defense didn't hold up its end, and the coaching staff doesn't seem to trust Russell Wilson as much as they said they did during the preseason.
2. Philadelphia (7 spots) - Apparently it is possible to not learn anything from an entire season's worth of mistakes.
3. Kansas City (6 spots) - A very concerning start for a defense that needs to be much better.
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