So much for home-field advantage. As the NFL opened its 81st season, seven of the 15 games of Week 1 were won by the visiting team.
Most impressive of the bunch was Philadelphia's 41-14 dismantling of Dallas, perhaps signaling the Eagles' arrival as a contender in the NFC East. Duce Staley ran wild against the Cowboys, and Donovan McNabb exhibited more poise in the first start of his second NFL season than he showed during most of last season.
Baltimore's 16-0 shutout of Pittsburgh isn't as impressive as the Eagles' win, but the Steelers' woeful offense could provide fireworks -- of the internal sense, at least -- for the remainder of the season.
The opening weekend also featured a very competitive slate of games, with nine of the 15 games being decided by five points or less.
| Week 1 NFL Recap |
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| Vikings 30 (1-0), Bears 27 (0-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
805: Combined total yards for the Bears (424) and Vikings (381). |
| Player of the Game |
| Daunte Culpepper, QB, Minnesota: Second-year player completed only 13 of 23 passes for 190 yards and one interception, but ran for 73 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Minnesota's offense didn't click like it had throughout the preseason, but with Culpepper's scrambling ability, the passing game wasn't needed. The Bears held Randy Moss to four catches for 89 yards, and Cris Carter to two catches for 26 yards. Cade McNown was spectacular, completing 27 of 41 for 290 yards and two touchdowns, but the Bears' revamped defensive front couldn't contain Culpepper, and it cost them the game. |
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| Lions 14 (1-0), Saints 10 (0-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
187: Total offensive yards for the Lions, which was offset by their special teams' success. |
| Player of the Game |
| Desmond Howard, KR, Detroit: Ran back a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, reminiscent of his Super Bowl XXXI kickoff return for a touchdown in the same building. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Stoney Case struggled in his first start for Detroit, completing only 13 of 25 passes for 100 yards and an interception. But Detroit sacked Jeff Blake five times, and used Howard's prowess in the return game to overcome a sluggish offensive performance. Ricky Williams ran for 84 yards, but New Orleans' offense couldn't find the end zone, as the only Saints touchdown came courtesy of Sammy Knight's interception return. |
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| Colts 27 (1-0), Chiefs 14 (0-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
74: Yards rushing by the Chiefs on 24 carries, for a subpar average of 3.1 yards per carry. |
| Player of the Game |
| Edgerrin James, RB, Indianapolis: 1999 Offensive Rookie of the Year kicked off his 2000 NFL MVP drive with 164 total yards and two touchdowns. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| An emotional pregame tribute to the late Derrick Thomas seemed to have the Chiefs fired up in the first half, but the Colts' supreme talent took over in the second half. James carried 28 times for 124 yards and a touchdown, and also caught six passes for 40 yards and a score. Peyton Manning wasn't spectacular, finishing 22 of 32 for 273 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, but Jeff Burris sealed the win for the Colts in the fourth quarter with a 26-yard interception return for a touchdown.
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| Giants 21 (1-0), Cardinals 16 (0-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
181: Advantage in rushing yards the Giants (224) had over the Cardinals (43). |
| Player of the Game |
| Tiki Barber, RB, New York: Averaged 11.1 yards per carry in rushing for 144 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Jim Fassel's use of the speedy Barber and the bruising Ron Dayne was metaphoric considering the electrical storm that delayed the game during the second half. The use of this "Thunder and Lightning" duo kept the Cardinals' defense on their heels, and allowed the Giants to roll up 396 yards of total offense. Jake Plummer struggled as he did much of last season, completing only 25 of 43 passes for 265 yards and throwing three interceptions. |
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| Jaguars 27 (1-0), Browns 7 (0-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
62.5: Third-down completion percentage for the Jaguars (10 of 16) while the Browns only managed a 40 percent (4 of 10) rate on third downs. |
| Player of the Game |
| Mark Brunell, QB, Jacksonville: Completed 24 of 34 passes for 304 yards and one touchdown.
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| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Jaguars picked up where they left off in the AFC Central last season. Jacksonville's offense rolled to 398 total yards and 28 first downs, and held Cleveland to only nine first downs. Stacey Mack and Chris Howard combined for 109 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries filling in for the injured Fred Taylor. The highlight for the Browns was the play of their defensive line, which ran around the battered Jaguars offensive line to sack Brunell four times.
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| Ravens 16 (1-0), Steelers 0 (0-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
2.44: Combined average yards per carry for Steelers running back Richard Huntley (seven carries for 31 yards) and Jerome Bettis (nine carries for eight yards). |
| Player of the Game |
| Qadry Ismail, WR, Baltimore: Caught seven passes for 102 yards and one touchdown. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Pittsburgh's offense looked so terrible that the boo birds derisively cheered a short completion to rookie Plaxico Burress in the first half. The Ravens held the Steelers to 223 yards, including only 30 rushing on 18 carries. While fans in Pittsburgh will be quick to point the finger at Kent Graham's poor performance (17 of 38 for 199 yards), the terrible blocking by the offensive line was more the culprit. Priest Holmes carried 27 times for 119 yards, probably holding off top draft pick Jamal Lewis from the starting lineup for at least another week.
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| Falcons 36 (1-0), 49ers 28 (0-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
51.6: Completion percentage for Chris Chandler, below his 1999 average of 56.7 and his career average of 57.3. |
| Player of the Game |
| Shawn Jefferson, WR, Atlanta: Caught seven passes for 148 yards and a touchdown in his Falcons debut. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Jefferson's strong performance solidifies the receiving corps for the Falcons, giving Chandler a deep threat again for the first time since Tony Martin's departure prior to last season. Jamal Anderson managed 77 yards rushing on 24 carries, but his knee looked stable, and the 49ers were loading up against the run. Fred Beasley scored a surprising three short-yardage touchdowns for San Francisco on only five carries, while feature back Charlie Garner ran for 62 yards and caught three passes for 45 yards. Jeff Garcia opened the post-Steve Young era by throwing for 253 yards and three touchdowns, but the Falcons got five field goals from Morten Andersen to overcome the 49ers' decent offensive outing. |
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| Buccaneers 21 (1-0), Patriots 16 (0-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
23.5: Third-down conversion percentage by the Patriots (4 of 17) while the Buccaneers successfully converted six of their 16 third-down situations (37.5 percent). |
| Player of the Game |
| Derrick Brooks, LB, Tampa Bay: Buccaneers' warp-speed linebacker recorded 15 total tackles and forced a fumble. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Tampa Bay's offense looked good early before going into a shell in the second half while trying to preserve the lead. Offensive coordinator Les Steckler called a very similar game to departed coordinator Mike Shula, but the running game in particular was more effective than it generally was last season. Warrick Dunn and Mike Alstott combined for 32 carries and 110 yards, but Shaun King didn't exactly set the world on fire, completing 12 of 24 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown. New England gained only 88 yards rushing, with wide receiver Troy Brown leading the way with 33 yards on two carries. The Bucs held starting running back Kevin Faulk to 21 yards on 10 carries. |
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| Redskins 20 (1-0), Panthers 17 (0-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
4: Total combined tackles for Panthers' offseason acquisitions on the defensive line Reggie White, Chuck Smith and Eric Swann. |
| Player of the Game |
| Stephen Davis, RB, Washington: Ran for 133 yards and a touchdown and caught four passes for 37 yards. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Redskins outgained the Panthers 396-236, and produced 23 first downs to Carolina's 12. Washington had a hard time putting Carolina away, but the Redskins' defensive effort was impressive. Steve Beuerlein, who led the NFL in passing yards last season, was held to 183 yards and one touchdown. Washington did allow 5.6 yards per carry, but Ray Rhodes' defense was able to pin back its ears and put pressure on Beuerlein in obvious throwing situations, recording six sacks. Bruce Smith had two sacks and five tackles in his Redskins debut, and Marco Coleman matched those numbers from the other end position. |
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| Raiders 9 (1-0), Chargers 6 (0-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
45.1: Ryan Leaf's career completion percentage after a 17-for-39 passing performance on Sunday. |
| Player of the Game |
| Andre Rison, WR, Oakland: Recent signee scored the only touchdown of the game, grabbing a 10-yard pass from Rich Gannon with 2:37 to play. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The teams played nearly 57 1/2 minutes without scoring a touchdown, and the total combined yardage of 488 is indicative of how much of a defensive struggle this game was. San Diego's Junior Seau had seven total tackles and a sack while Oakland linebacker William Thomas had nine total tackles. Leaf's three interceptions pushed his career total to 18 in 11 career games. Oakland triumphed despite converting on only three of 16 (18.8 percent) third downs and gaining 67 yards on the ground. |
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| Eagles 41 (1-0), Cowboys 14 (0-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
258: Advantage the Eagles (425) held in total yards over the Cowboys (167). |
| Player of the Game |
| Duce Staley, RB, Philadelphia: Ran for 201 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, and caught four passes for 61 yards. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| It wasn't exactly an impressive start to the Dave Campo era for the Cowboys. Staley dominated offensively, and the Eagles' defense recorded four sacks and knocked Troy Aikman from the game in the second quarter with his ninth concussion. The Eagles controlled the ball for 39:30 and recorded 27 first downs to Dallas' 10. This game may have served as a passing of the torch in the NFC East, as the young Eagles may now be the second-best team in the division behind the Redskins. |
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| Jets 20 (1-0), Packers 16 (0-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
62: Rushing yards for the Packers, who averaged 94.9 yards per game on the ground last season. |
| Player of the Game |
| Curtis Martin, RB, New York: Carried 30 times for 110 yards and one touchdown, and caught six passes for 34 yards and another score. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Packers' offense looked out of sync for most of the game, and if Brett Favre's elbow isn't fully healthy, Green Bay could be a team in trouble. The Jets sliced their way through the Packers' defense for 379 yards, and recorded 24 first downs. The Jets also limited Favre to a 41.2 percent completion rate and 152 yards passing. New York kept the Green Bay defense on the field for 37:50, and made plays when it needed to. An impressive leaping interception by cornerback Victor Green with a little more than a minute to play iced the victory for the Jets. |
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| Dolphins 23 (1-0), Seahawks 0 (0-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
14: Interceptions thrown by Jon Kitna in his past seven regular-season games, with only seven touchdown passes over that same span. |
| Player of the Game |
| Lamar Smith, RB, Miami: New Dolphins starting running back carried 27 times for 145 yards and one touchdown. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Dolphins' offense was conservative, but their defense was dominant -- holding the Seahawks scoreless for the first time in more than 10 years. Sam Madison contributed two of the interceptions of Kitna, and veteran defensive end Trace Armstrong recorded 2 1/2 sacks. Miami held the ball for 38:20 and allowed Seattle to convert only 1 of 11 third-down situations. Mike Holmgren pulled Kitna after his fourth first-half interception, but replacement Brock Huard didn't do much better, completing only four of 11 passes for 30 yards. Seattle gained only 72 yards passing and 71 yards rushing while Miami rolled to 308 total yards. |
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| Bills 16 (1-0), Titans 13 (0-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
2.7: Yards per carry by the Titans (20 rushes for 53 yards) who averaged 3.95 yards per rushing attempt (459 carries for 1,811 yards) in the 1999 regular season. |
| Player of the Game |
| Keith Newman, LB, Buffalo: Second-year outside linebacker out of North Carolina recorded first two sacks of his career and made three tackles. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| It doesn't quite make up for losing in the playoffs, but the Bills and their fans will consider it a small measure of revenge. Atop the list of concerns for Buffalo is the health of quarterback Rob Johnson. Alex Van Pelt was 4 of 8 for 67 yards in relief of the injured Johnson, but the Bills need their starter if they are going to contend in the AFC East. Tennessee struggled offensively, with Eddie George running for only 37 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries. Steve McNair completed only 17 of 31 passes for 152 yards and an interception, and newly acquired wide receiver Carl Pickens caught only two passes for 22 yards. |
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| Rams 41 (1-0), Broncos 36 (0-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
937: Combined yards of total offense by the Rams (513) and Broncos (424). |
| Player of the Game |
| Kurt Warner, QB, St. Louis: 1999 NFL and Super Bowl XXXIV MVP picked up where he left off at the Georgia Dome in January, throwing for 441 yards and three touchdowns in the Rams' thrilling win. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Denver couldn't have done much more to win the game. Brian Griese was poised running the offense, and Olandis Gary ran well (13 carries for 80 yards) after Terrell Davis went down with a sprained ankle in the second quarter. The Broncos harrassed Kurt Warner into some errors, holding him to "only" a 106.55 quarterback rating on the night, below his spectacular 1999 rating of 109.2. The Rams exhibited their amazing arsenal of offensive weaponry, as three receivers went for more than 100 receiving yards on the night, with Az-Zahir Hakim catching five passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, Torry Holt grabbing six passes for 103 yards, and Marshall Faulk corraling four balls for 100 yards and a touchdown. |
