The first week of NFL has come and gone, and boy was it a week to remember!
The season kicked off last Thursday night with the defending Baltimore Ravens playing against the Denver Broncos. It just so happened that this season started out the same way football entered the second half of Super Bowl 46, but instead of a 30-minute black out there was a 30-minute weather delay. When the game finally started and finished, fans saw Peyton Manning explode for 7 touchdown passes (tying the NFL record for most touchdowns thrown in a single game) and a revenge victory over the Ravens, 49-27.
Then came Sunday, the opening day for the rest of the league and the first official game for eight new head coaches and two rookie starting quarterbacks. Only three of the new head coaches had a victory: the Kansas City Chiefs with new head coach Andy Reid, Chip Kelly heading the Philadelphia Eagles, and Marc Trestman coaching the Chicago Bears. Buffalo Bills coach Ej Manuel fell short and lost a close game to the New England Patriots 23-21, and Geno Smith led the New York Jets into victory verses the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 18-17.
In he Kansas City Chiefs vs. Jacksonville Jaguars game, there were 59 turnovers, over 5,000 yards of total offense, and an NFL scoring first with a game ending score of 28-2.
The Eagles offense flashed 53 offensive plays and took a 36-point lead in the first half. Kelly’s offense looked familiar to the fast pace offense he created at Oregon. After the game, veteran quarterback Michael Vick said that, “I thought after the first quarter it was halftime…. I thought [to myself] man this is going to be a long season.” Even though the Eagles revealed their “secret” offense, they pulled out a close one against the Washington Redskins, 33-27.
The night ended with the Houston Texans playing the San Diego Chargers, a game that most east coast fans probably cut off after the first half after the Chargers jumped out to a 21-point lead. Things changed very soon however, when the Texans came storming back with a couple touchdowns offensively and one defensively, then ended the game with a 41-yard field goal by kicker, Randy Bullock defeating the Chargers 31-28.
The first week is over and NFL fans have to wait until Feb. 2, 2014 for the Super Bowl. My Super Bowl predictions are the Denver Broncos vs. San Francisco 49ers, with the 49ers being Super Bowl champs this time around.
