Like most years, the first year of the season had its pleasant surprises and its disappointments. For me, one of the nicest surprises was the Chicago Bears' offensive line. One of their worst features over the past couple of years, they were a solid unit this weekend. If they can stay healthy, that bodes well for the Bears.
We wondered how Chip Kelly's fast-paced offense would work in the NFL, and the results are mixed. It was highly successful in the first half, but Washington began to figure out some moves against it over halftime. It may require some tweaking, but there may be potential there.
Other nice surprises: the power of the Broncos' offense, the Saints finding a defense, Terrelle Pryor taking over the Raiders offense from Darren McFadden, EJ Manuel looking like he can lead the Bills, and the strength of the Seahawks' defense.
There were some disappointments, too. The Patriots obviously ransacked their passing attack too much over the preseason. Both the Bucs and Giants made too many mistakes - the Bucs committed too many penalties and the Giants committed too many turnovers. Both Russell Wilson and Robert Griffin III looked sluggish in their openers, and the Steelers looked absolutely pathetic!
Picking power rankings is always tough for the first couple of weeks, because we haven't seen enough of the teams to judge opponent's strength. Expect these positions to change, but we can start the season with the following power rankings:
Top Ten Teams
1. Denver Broncos (1-0) : The Broncos manhandled the defending Super Bowl Champs. Their offense hasn't lost a beat; if anything, it improved. The defense showed quickness and versatility, too.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) : This franchise was practically completely remade in the off-season, but it's proving worthwhile. While they played Jacksonville, who is likely to be the worst team in the league, they showed consistent ability to move the ball.
3. Detroit Lions (1-0) : Their defense locked down after allowing Adrian Peterson a long touchdown to start the game, and the offense moved smoothly most of the time. They could be much better than we expected.
4. San Francisco 49ers (1-0) : The Pack pushed them hard, but in the end the 49ers proved that their game plan was a winner.
5. New Orleans Saints (1-0) : They threw everything at Atlanta, and they flinched. More impressively, the Saints have a defense again, for the first time since their Super Bowl run!
6. Miami Dolphins (1-0) : Okay, so they played Cleveland, but their offense ran much smoothly than last season.
7. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) : Chip Kelly's offense worked, at least for two and a half quarters. It might prove a boon this season, especially if RGIII can't return to full physical shape.
8. Seattle Seahawks (1-0) : The offense moved slowly, but the defense is tough as nails.
9. Indianapolis Colts (1-0) : Oakland proved tougher than they thought, but Andrew Luck remained poised. If teams can't rattle him, he'll just get better.
10. Houston Texans (1-0) : A truly amazing comeback in the fourth quarter! This team bears down when it matters most!
Divisional ranks
1. AFC West : This West division has the top two teams in the league, not the NFC West, and Oakland and San Diego weren't shabby, either.
2. NFC West : Three teams won this week, and Arizona kept it close.
San Fran and Seattle are not on the top of the league's Power Rankings
yet, but their division is getting there.
3. AFC East : Three teams won this week, and Buffalo only lost by two. This division is starting out pretty good.
4 (tie). NFC North : Only two teams won, but nobody looked poor. This division has potential to improve their position.
4 (tie). AFC South : Three teams won, but Jacksonville is dragging this division down.
6. NFC South : The Saints were the only team who won, and the Bucs and Panthers looked sickly.
7. NFC East : Philly looked good, but Dallas' performance was skewed due to the Giants' mistakes. Washington took too long to get going, and RGIII looked tentative.
8. AFC North : Not a single winner in the first week! This division can only move up, and I think they will.
Thursday's game
New York Jets at New England Patriots : Geno Smith did fairly well in his NFL debut, and the Patriots showed that their passing game has been stripped. However, Brady will keep working with his receivers, and the Patriots defense will hold back the Jets. PATS, 23-17
Sunday early games
Carolina Panthers at Buffalo Bills : I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm picking the Bills for the upset. Cam Newton and company certainly could win, but I think EJ Manual and his gang started something last week. BILLS, 23-16
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens : The Browns are yet to beat the Ravens, and that will continue. Brandon Wheeden was pathetic last week. The Ravens defense had trouble holding back Peyton's offense, but this one will be easy to stop. RAVENS, 23-10
Dallas Cowboys at Kansas City Chiefs : The Chiefs have some offensive power. It's hard to know how good their defense is, because they didn't have to work too hard last week. But their offense alone is capable of bringing down the Cowboys. CHIEFS, 34-24
Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts : Miami had the run of the game last week, but that was against Brandon Wheeden and the weakling Browns. Against the Colts, it will be another story, and it won't have a happy ending for Fins fans. COLTS, 27-16
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears : The Vikes burned the Bears last year, but after his initial breakaway run last week, Adrian Petersen was held in check pretty well. When you also consider that Christian Ponder threw three interceptions last week, and the Bears capitalize on turnovers, I have to favor the Bears and their rebuilt offensive line. BEARS, 27-24
San Diego Chargers at Philadelphia Eagles :If the Eagles offense comes out firing like they did in the first half of last week's game, they'll establish a big lead. If the Chargers defense can adjust at halftime like the Redskins did, the Chargers are capable of coming back. This game may hinge on how much of a lead the Eagles establish and whether the Chargers defense can hold them back well enough. I think the Chargers might fall short, but they might not. EAGLES, 30-27
St Louis Rams at Atlanta Falcons : The Rams might hold back the Falcons for a little while, but that offense is too strong to stop for long. FALCONS, 24-16
Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans : Probably the most one-sided game of the day. The ground game is really the only offense working for Tennessee, and the Texans' defensive line will slow that. TEXANS, 31-9
Washington Redskins at Green Bay Packers : Do I think RGIII will play as poorly as he did against Philly? No. Do I think he'll play well enough to outscore the Packers? No. PACK, 31-24
Sunday late games
Denver Broncos at New York Giants : The Giants are so desperate for a running game that they hired back Brandon Jacobs, who they released after the 2011 season. They need it, as their new runner couldn't gain more than thirty yards last week and fumbled twice. The Broncos, on the other hand, showed a strong offense that could practically move the ball at will, and that was against the Ravens. BRONCOS, 44-23
Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals : Arizona played better last week that they did for most of last season, but they'll still fall short this week. The Lions played extremely well last week, and showed that they can stop the run as well as do some of their own. LIONS, 34-20
Jacksonville Jaguars at Oakland Raiders : Terrelle Pryor did okay in his second NFL start, and the Raiders defense isn't half bad. That will be enough to dominate the Jags, who are definitely tops right now in the Teddy Bridgewater raffle. RAIDERS, 23-9
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Bucs : The Bucs stunk last week. If they play like that this week, the Saints offense will demolish them. Since the Saints showed some defense, too, that will devastate the Bucs. SAINTS, 31-13
Sunday night
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks : This is a tremendous match-up. Both teams have strong defenses and dynamic offenses led by talented option quarterbacks. Seattle has an edge in the running game, and that might make the difference in this game. SEAHAWKS, 26-23
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals : Pittsburgh played atrociously last week. I think they'll get their act together and improve, but the Bengals are clearly stronger right now. BENGALS, 24-10
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