After writing about how I was very optimistic about my Kansas City Chiefs for the upcoming season, I had a tough time watching them get manhandled 41-7 on Sunday. Much like every season in the NFL, I feel like I learned a lot in the first weekend. It doesn’t mean what I observed this weekend couldn’t change over the course of the season, but at first glance there were performances by players and teams that changed my perspective on them a little bit.
First, let’s start in Kansas City. I thought this would be an easier game for the Chiefs in a season with such a tough schedule. But the Chiefs from a few years ago came out instead of the promising young talent fans witnessed last season. The defense couldn’t hold back Ryan Fitzpatrick and the mediocre Buffalo Bills offense. Eric Berry got hurt, reportedly for the rest of the year, and the Chiefs offense never got rolling. I can only hope the Bills are going to be a powerhouse this season and the Chiefs won’t struggle like this in every game.
The Chiefs weren’t the only team to get hit by the injury bug in the first game of the year. The St. Louis Rams lost both Steven Jackson and Sam Bradford in their game versus the Philadelphia Eagles. Although X-rays came back negative on Bradford’s index finger, the loss of Jackson would still be extremely detrimental. As for the Eagles, Vick wasn’t too accurate in the passing game but avoided turnovers to help his team. What I thought would be a strong season for professional football in Missouri has broken out to a slow start.
Elsewhere in the league, Cam Newton started off his professional career with a bang by throwing for over 400 yards and two touchdowns in the Carolina Panthers’ loss to the Cardinals. This set the all-time record for yards thrown by a rookie quarterback in his debut.
Peyton Manning, the previous record holder, was sitting out and Kerry Collins took the reigns as the Colts quarterback. But he couldn’t bring home the victory in the starting role as the Texans handed them a big loss. Another quarterback who had a tough start for a new team was Donavan McNabb, who is taking over for the Vikings now that Favre is apparently retired for good. He threw for only 39 yards, which obviously led to a loss against the Chargers.
Although there was much disappointment around the NFL by quarterbacks, there were others that definitely held their own in the opening week. Matt Stafford threw for over 300 yards as the Lions picked up a win against the Bucs. The Lions are looking to turn around the culture of losing for Detroit football, and this hinges on the play and health of Matt Stafford. Like Stafford, a team whose success rests on the shoulders of the quarterback is New England. Watching that game I learned Brady is still as good as he always has been, throwing for over 500 yards and getting the win.
The first weekend gave a lot of insight into where this season might be heading for a lot of teams. Some expectations were met and some were seemingly set too high. But with every new week comes more surprises. I can only guess how next week will turn out.