The highly anticipated first week of the National Football League has finally come to a close, which means it is time to recap what exactly went on throughout the league.
Tom Brady silenced the critics on Thursday as he threw four touchdown passes to defeat the Steelers, three of which were to pro-bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski. The Patriots defeated Pittsburgh 28-21.
The St. Louis Rams stunned the Seattle Seahawks in an overtime thriller Sunday afternoon. Former Eagles quarterback Nick Foles threw for nearly 300 yards and a touchdown, but Tavon Austin was the star of the game after returning a punt 75 yards for a touchdown. The Rams pulled off the upset as they won 34-31.
In a much anticipated rookie quarterback battle, Marcus Mariota and the Titans outdueled Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers. Young receiver Mike Evans from Tampa Bay was out with a nagging hamstring injury. The Titans blew out the Bucs 42-14.
Aaron Rodgers has been reunited with wide receiver James Jones this season. With Jordy Nelson out with a torn ACL, Rodgers still does not seem to be short of weapons, as he found Jones in the end zone not once, but twice. The Packers topped the Bears 31-23.
Former Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin played his first game being reunited with Andy Reid on Sunday. Though he only received for 52 yards, the Chiefs emerged victorious over the Houston Texans. Quarterback Alex Smith threw three touchdowns, two of which to tight end Travis Kelce.
The Texans have already entered a quarterback controversy as they announce that Ryan Mallett will start week two over Brian Hoyer. Though Kansas City escaped with the victory, defensive end J.J. Watt had an exceptional day as he recorded two sacks. The game ended with Kansas City on top of Houston, 27-20.
Sunday was not a good day to be a Cleveland Browns fan. While posting only 10 points against the New York Jets, quarterbacks Johnny Manziel and Josh McCown both ended up injured. Manziels injury does not appear to be very serious while McCown is currently on the team’s concussion protocol.
There was some uncertainty coming into the season after the Jets fired Coach Rex Ryan. Wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker both caught passes in the end zone, while running back Chris Ivory rushed for 91 yards with two touchdowns. The Jets started off their season the right way with a 31-10 victory over Cleveland.
Though Coach Rex Ryan did not have a lot of success in New York, things are starting to look pretty promising in Buffalo as the Bills took down Andrew Luck and the Tennessee Titans. Former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy rushed for 41 yards and zero touchdowns. Wide receiver Percy Harvin received for 79 yards while finding the end zone once. The Bills topped the Colts 27-14.
There was a pretty tight defensive battle in the Nation’s capital on Sunday. The Miami Dolphins defense struggled early in the game as they were unable to stop the running game. Redskins running back Alfred Morris rushed for 121 yards, but was unable to find the end zone. Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry returned a punt 69 yards for the game-winning touchdown. The Miami Dolphins defeated the Washington Redskins 17-10.
There was not much of a barn burner in Jacksonville this weekend. Quarterback Blake Bortles and the Jaguars offense only managed to gather nine points against the Carolina Panthers. Part of that is because he threw two interceptions, one of which went for a touchdown. The final was 20-9 in favor of the Panthers.
The battle between quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Drew Brees ended up being one of the best duels of the day. Both of them threw for over 300 yards, but Palmer won the battle as he threw for three touchdowns. The Arizona Cardinals defense shut down the New Orleans Saints. The final score in the desert was 31-19 in favor of the Cardinals.
In San Diego, the Chargers offense came to play. Quarterback Philip Rivers threw for 404 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Danny Woodhead rushed for two touchdowns as the Chargers defeated the Detroit Lions 33-28.
The Cincinnati Bengals took advantage of a rebuilding Oakland Raiders squad as tight end Tyler Eifert received for 104 yards with two touchdowns. Quarterback Andy Dalton threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns, both of which were to the tight end. The Bengals crushed the Raiders 33-13.
The defensive stalemate of the day has to go to the Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens. There were zero offensive touchdowns throughout the entire game. The only touchdowns were both interception returns. The Broncos emerged victorious 19-13.
In Dallas, the Cowboys stunned the Giants with a touchdown at the very end of the game. In a game that was very much controlled by the Giants, Dallas completed the comeback as they won 27-26; however, it was bittersweet for the Cowboys because they announced following the game that star receiver Dez Bryant is out 4-6 weeks with an ankle injury.
Carlos Hyde and the 49ers stomped on the rebuilding Minnesota Vikings. Hyde had two touchdowns in a 20-3 final.
The Philadelphia Eagles efforts came up just a bit short. The Philadelphia defense could not stop NFC offensive player of the week Julio Jones, as he scored two touchdowns. The final in Atlanta was 26-24 in favor of the Falcons.
A lot of great games were played and intersting storylines were made during Week 1 in the NFL that will have us yearning for Thursday nights once Monday nights end.
Thomas Henry is a third-year student majoring in English. He can be reached at TH835666@wcupa.edu.