Football is officially back.
After the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers provided a stirring season opener on Thursday night, 13 games—or the bulk of the Week 1 schedule—were played on Sunday. The opening slate didn’t disappoint, with a number of thrilling finishes providing a great reminder for why the first NFL Sunday is so anticipated every September.
Here is the best and worst from the first week of the 2016 season:
Best
NFC South QBs
Reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton got beat up in the season opener in Denver, but his quarterback comrades in the NFC South were notably sharp in their 2016 debuts. Drew Brees exploded against the Raiders for a league-high 424 passing yards and four touchdowns, including a 98-yard strike to Brandin Cooks. In Atlanta, Jameis Winston and Matt Ryan combined for 615 yards and six passing touchdowns during a 31-24 Buccaneers’ win. There’s not a division in football with as much quarterback talent as the NFC South, especially if Winston—the top pick last year—builds on his impressive Week 1 success (122.6 passer rating) moving forward.
Minnesota Vikings Defense
The Shaun Hill-led Vikings offense failed to score a touchdown, but it didn’t matter in Tennessee because Minnesota’s defense was ready to do all the damage on the scoreboard. Down 10-0 to the Titans after two quarters, the Vikings scored a pair of defensive touchdowns in the second half; one on Eric Kendrick’s 77-yard interception return and another on a 24-yard fumble return from Danielle Hunter. Minnesota also sacked Marcus Mariota twice and held DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry to just 45 rushing yards on 18 attempts.
WR A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
Green took a luxurious visit to Revis Island in Week 1, and he came home with a hoard of souvenirs: 12 catches, 180 yards, one touchdown and a Bengals win. Cincinnati’s Pro Bowl receiver was often too much for Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, who also couldn’t fix a blown coverage on Green’s 54-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. Most of the damage done by Green came with Revis in coverage.
QB Alex Smith and RB Spencer Ware, Kansas City Chiefs
Smith and Ware spearheaded a huge comeback over the Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium. Smith threw for 363 yards and won the game in overtime on a 2-yard touchdown run, while Ware combined for 199 total yards on just 18 touches (11 rushes, seven receptions). The Chiefs faced deficits of 21-3 and 27-10, but Smith and Ware wouldn’t be denied after the break. Kansas City outscored San Diego by a 30-6 margin in the second half and overtime.
Detroit Lions RBs
Both Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick produced over 100 total yards against the Colts, and the Detroit running backs hit the century mark in similar ways. Abdullah rushed for 63 yards and caught five passes for 57 yards, while Riddick—who received a contract extension with Detroit on Friday—rushed for 45 yards and a touchdown and hauled five passes for 63 yards and a second score. Add it all up, and Abdullah and Riddick totaled 228 of Detroit’s 448 yards and two touchdowns. The two look like a dynamic duo for the Lions.
Worst
Defense in Raiders-Saints
The track meet in New Orleans featured very little of what we call “defense.” Drew Brees and Derek Carr threw for staggering 742 passing yards and six touchdowns, while the Saints and Raiders combined to rack up 993 total yards, 69 points and 52 first downs. Brees and Carr were sacked just once despite taking 80 combined drop backs, and each team scored a touchdown over 75 yards. Fittingly, the game all but ended when Carr threw a touchdown pass and then connected on the two-point conversion to give Oakland a 35-34 lead. Defense might be optional in New Orleans this season.
Defense in Lions-Colts
The defense was just as bad about 800 miles north of New Orleans. Do these numbers from Indianapolis sound familiar (see above)? Andrew Luck and Matthew Stafford combined for 62 completions, 725 passing yards seven touchdowns and zero interceptions in a thrilling game that featured 74 points, 898 total yards, 53 first downs and zero turnovers. The Colts erased a 21-3 deficit to tie the game at 28 and later take the lead, 35-34, but Stafford led the Lions down the field for the game-winning field goal with eight seconds left. Drama often beats defense for entertainment value.
K Nick Folk, New York Jets
Folk missed two easy kicks in a game the Jets lost by a single point. He had a 22-yard field goal blocked by Margus Hunt, and he missed his first career extra point following Eric Decker’s second quarter touchdown. The four lost points were obviously huge. Even making the extra point would have meant a tie game at 23 after Mike Nugent nailed a 47-yard field goal with 54 seconds left. Brutal loss for the Jets.
Miami Dolphins WRs
The Legion of Boom shut down Miami’s passing game, giving up 186 passing yards and just 10 completions to receivers. Outside of Jarvis Landry, who caught seven passes for 59 yards, the Dolphins got next to nothing from another pass-catcher. Kenny Stills had a chance to change the game in the first half but blew a wide-open catch for a touchdown. It’s hard to move the football in the NFL when you can’t complete a pass to a receiver without using a screen play.
