| Week 1 NFL
Capsules |
| Teams | Key
Stat | Key to Victory | Game MVP |
Steelers 20
Ravens 13
|
Jerome Bettis rushed
for just 41 yards -- 22 fewer than he did in his worst game of 1997, which
was also the season opener. | Special teams: Ravens kicker
Matt Stover missed
three field goals and a botched snap on a punt led to a Pittsburgh
touchdown. | Kordell Stewart, despite
two interceptions, ran for one score and threw for another as the Steelers
held on.
Stats and recap |
Falcons 19
Panthers 14
|
Panthers have lost seven of their last nine games at Ericsson Stadium since
going 8-0 there in 1996. | Atlanta's Chris Chandler completed
the game despite being sacked six times -- including three by Carolina's Kevin Greene. |
Chandler threw for 268 yards, matching his best total in
three years; his six sacks were one shy of a career high.
Stats and recap
|
Jaguars 24
Bears 23
|
James Stewart broke his
own Jaguars record, rushing for 115 yards, more than he had in the last 5
games of '97 combined. | Mark Brunell hooked up
with receivers Jimmy
Smith and Keenan
McCardell 16 times for 162 yards and the winning touchdown.
| Brunell went 8-of-9 for 73 yards on the game-winning
drive, including a 4-yard TD to Smith with 29 seconds left.
Stats and recap |
Oilers 23
Bengals 14
|
Backup QB Dave Krieg,
who threw for 2 yards in 1997, came off the bench and threw for 129 for the
Oilers. | Oilers held Bengals RB Corey Dillon to 87 yards,
after letting him run for 246 in a loss at Cincinnati last year.
| Oilers kicker Al Del Greco booted three
field goals -- two in the fourth quarter -- to provide the margin of
victory.
Stats and recap |
Packers 38
Lions 19
|
For the first time in 15 games, Barry Sanders did not rush
for 100 yards, finishing with 70 on 17 carries. | Green Bay
converted 13 of 18 third-down opportunities as Brett Favre completed 75
percent of his passes for the game. | Despite no
preseason work, tailback Dorsey Levens led the Packers with 59 rushing
yards and seven receptions.
Stats and re
cap |
Seahawks 38
Eagles 0
|
After passing for at least seven first downs in every game last season, the
Eagles' new offense passed for three. | Seattle
sacked Eagles QB Bobby
Hoying nine times, reducing Philly's game total to 12 passing yards.
| Joey
Galloway burned the Eagles with six catches for a career-best 142
yards, including two long touchdowns.
Stats and recap |
Vikings 31
Bucs 7
|
The Vikings caught four TD passes against a Bucs defense that gave up 4 TD
passes in the last 9 games of 1997. | Vikings
receivers Cris Carter and
Randy Moss helped the Vikings build a 21-0 lead on the Bucs in the second
quarter. | Vikings QB Brad Johnson, playing in
his first game since neck surgery last winter, set a career-high with 4 TD
passes.
Stats and
recap |
Giants 31
Redskins 24
|
Washington's Dan
Wilkinson and Dana
Stubblefield combined for zero sacks and four unassisted tackles.
| The Giants, who finished with eight sacks, converted three
Washington turnovers into 21 points in the third quarter. |
Giants defensive end Michael Strahan had two
sacks and put the game away with a 24-yard interception return for a
touchdown.
Stats and
recap |
Saints 24
Rams 14
| Rams
running back Jerald
Moore had two fumbles recovered for touchdowns -- one by himself, one
by the Saints. | The Rams, the most penalized team
in the NFL last year, drew 10 flags for 105 yards and also fumbled five
times. | Saints RB Lamar Smith rushed for
just 14 yards on 16 carries, but passed for one TD and took a screen pass
35 yards for another.
Stats and recap |
Cowboys 38
Cards 10
|
Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin both went
over the 100-yard mark for the first time since the 1996 playoffs.
| Arizona went 0-for-10 on third down, finished with 205
total yards and held the ball for just 22 minutes, 35 seconds. |
Troy
Aikman, who's never rushed for more than one touchdown in a season,
rushed for two and threw for two more scores.
St
ats and recap
|
Bills 16
Chargers 14
|
Thurman Thomas ended a
streak of 154 straight starts and went without a carry or reception for the
first time in his career. | Chargers kicker John Carney
made field goals from 47 and 54 yards; Bills kicker Steve Christie missed from
21 and 39. | Bills QB Doug Flutie filled in for
injured starter Rob
Johnson and threw for two touchdowns, his first in the NFL since
1989.
Stats and re
cap |
Dolphins 24
Colts 15
|
Miami rushed for more yards (137) than it passed for (135) -- something it
didn't do once last season. | Rookie Peyton Manning threw three
INTs in his pro debut, while Dan Marino went without one
for the eighth time in 16 games. | Miami's Karim Abdul-Jabbar rushed
for 108 yards, making the Dolphins 6-1 when he goes over the 100-yard
mark.
Stats and r
ecap |
49ers 36
Jets 30
| QBs Glenn Foley (415) and Steve Young (363) combined
for 778 yards, still 106 short of the combined NFL record. |
Garrison gained more yards on his game-winning TD (96) than the Jets
amassed (59) on their 24 carries. | Hearst set
a career-high with 187 yards and finished his first multi-TD game with the
longest overtime run in NFL history.
Stats and recap |
Chiefs 28
Raiders 8
|
Raiders rookie FB Jon
Ritchie (245 pounds) averaged a team-best 25.5 yards on his two catches
in his first NFL game. | Donnell Bennett rushed for
a career-best 115 yards, giving K.C. its first 100-yard rushing performance
since 1996. | Derrick Thomas finished
with one safety and six sacks, one short of the NFL record he set against
Seattle in 1990.
Stats and
recap |
Broncos 27
Patriots 21
|
Close game? Each team totaled 339 yards on offense, committed zero
turnovers and threw 12 incompletions. | Denver's Jason Elam kicked two
field goals (53 and 42 yards) while New England's Adam Vinatieri missed in
his only attempt. | John Elway threw for 257
yards -- better than all but three games last year -- in his first game as
Super Bowl champ.
Stats and r
ecap |
