Pats' dominance, Vikes, Harrington, Big Ben, more

Wide receiver Wes Welker caught six passes for 61 yards and a touchdown in his debut with the Patriots. Nick Laham/Getty Images

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SAN DIEGO -- Musings, observations and occasional insight as the NFL's long-awaited Week 1 finally unfolds in a blaze of, well, predictable results ...

• With apologies to Dennis Green, they are who we thought they were. And you just might want to go ahead and crown them.

The New England Patriots loaded up on talent all offseason, and then Sunday they went out and unloaded on their division rival New York Jets, the only team that figured to be able to hang with them in the AFC East this year.

Notice I used past tense?

The Patriots did pretty much what they wanted to in their 38-14 domination of New York, and to no one's surprise, that greatly improved New England receiving corps led the way. Instant impact from slot receiver Wes Welker (six catches for 61 yards)? Check. Improved deep threat from Randy Moss (nine catches for a whopping 183 yards)? A big fat check. Both of the Pats receivers scored touchdowns, and it's almost unfair to give Tom Brady that much time to find his two new favorite toys.

The Jets had a strong offseason as well on the acquisition front and were hopeful that they had closed the gap between them and New England. But I didn't see any narrowing of the distance that separates the reigning division champion from New York's 10-win wild-card entry of a year ago. Did you?

What a three-team race the AFC might be this season. Led by that better-than-anyone-ever-dreamed defense, the Colts looked unstoppable Thursday night against the Saints. Led by that passing-game driven offense, the Patriots appear to be Indy's equal. And then there's San Diego's monstrously talented roster to contend with in the AFC West.

For now, it's fair to say the hype was right in New England. The Patriots are as advertised, and the race in the AFC is on.

• That's what a Vikings victory is going to look like this season, folks. Two defensive touchdowns (interception returns by Pat Williams and Antoine Winfield) and loads of production from rookie running back Adrian Peterson in their 24-3 win over Atlanta. No wonder Minnesota didn't mind going with Tavaris Jackson at quarterback. His only job is to just not get in the way.

Peterson announced his presence the way to many of the NFL's big-time rookies have of late: With flair. The ex-Sooner ran 19 times for 103 yards, took his only reception for 60 yards and a touchdown, and added a 22-yard kickoff return. If we're not looking at the 2007 Offensive rookie of the year in Peterson, I'm going to be stunned.

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