Week 1 of the NFL season was a rough week for several of the AFC’s top contenders.
New England won their opener against Kansas City, but in case you haven’t somehow heard by now, lost Tom Brady for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
Indianapolis made a questionable Chicago offense look pretty good and let a rookie running back run wild, while their offense managed only 13 points in a rare September loss.
San Diego’s defense allowed Carolina’s backup tight end to go for seven catches for 96 yards and a game-winning touchdown on the final play of the game.
Jacksonville was stifled by a punishing Tennessee defense that sacked David Garrard seven times, picked him off twice, and held the Jaguars’ potent rushing attack to only 33 yards.
Cleveland couldn’t slow down Dallas’ offense and sputtered on that side of the ball themselves in getting thoroughly dominated in a 28-10 home loss.
It wasn’t all bad for the AFC though. Pittsburgh whipped Houston 38-17, and an AFC East team recorded an impressive victory. No, not Brett Favre and the Jets, who eked out a win in Miami, but the Buffalo Bills, who bashed Seattle, who lost YET ANOTHER WIDE RECEIVER. If this keeps up, they’re going to have to call Steve Largent or Brian Blades to come out of retirement.
However, if you want to talk impressive victories, it’s all about the NFC. Already mentioned were Dallas’, Chicago’s, and Carolina’s wins, but Aaron Rodgers went a long way in earning the adulation of Packers fans by leading Green Bay over Minnesota, Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, and New Orleans’ offense had their way with Tampa’s defense as they got their run to reclaim the NFC South title off to a winning start, and New York showed no early Super Bowl hangover in a win over the Redskins.
For quite a while, the balance of power stood with the AFC, much like it does with the AL in baseball, and the Western Conference in the NBA, but the NFC has certainly come roaring out of the gate, minus the egg that Seattle laid in Buffalo.
But, it was only Week 1, and there are 16 more weeks to go. You’d have to think that Indianapolis and San Diego will be just fine, and even without Brady, you can’t write off the Patriots. Besides, last year, San Diego started 1-3 and ended up in the AFC title game, and the Giants started 0-2 and wound up winning the Super Bowl.
So, for those who looked good in Week 1, you’ve got to keep it up for another 16 weeks and then for another month in the playoffs, and for those who didn’t look good, you’ve got time to redeem yourself.
