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CNNSI.com's Jon A. Dolezar reviews the Week 1 games.

Week One
	Carolina 24	at Minneapolis
	Minnesota 13	• Recap • Game Summary
Key Stat	8 -- Times in Randy Moss' 54-game NFL career (including playoffs) when he had fewer than the 28 receiving yards he finished with Sunday.
Player of the Game	Steve Smith, KR, Carolina: On the first play of his NFL career, the wide receiver/return man from Utah ran back the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown.
CNNSI.com's Breakdown	Chris Weinke is 4 1/2 years older than Daunte Culpepper and his maturity showed in his first NFL start. Culpepper made the sloppy mistakes, throwing three interceptions. Panthers rookie running back Nick Goings carried 25 times for 86 yards, far outpacing his more heralded Vikings counterpart Michael Bennett, who managed only 37 yards on 11 carries.
	Baltimore 17	at Baltimore
	Chicago 6	• Recap • Game Summary
Key Stat	80 -- Elvis Grbac's completion percentage (24 of 30) in his first regular-season start for the Ravens.
Player of the Game	Peter Boulware, LB, Baltimore: Led the Ravens' crushing defensive effort with 11 total tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles.
CNNSI.com's Breakdown	Baltimore's offense looks to be in midseason form. Unfortunately for the Ravens, it may be last year's midseason, when they went five consecutive games without scoring an offensive touchdown. Baltimore struggled to get its ground game going, but Grbac got it done through the air, allowing the Ravens to escape the Bears' upset bid.
	Green Bay 28	at Green Bay, Wis.
	Detroit 6	• Recap • Game Summary
Key Stat	7 -- Sacks by the Packers' defense, with reserve defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila getting the first three of his young career, and defensive tackle Jim Flanigan and defensive end Vonnie Holliday getting two apiece.
Player of the Game	Ahman Green, RB, Green Bay: Rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries for an impressive average of 9.2 yards per carry.
CNNSI.com's Breakdown	Brett Favre showed Charlie Batch how the West Coast offense is supposed to be run. The Packers jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead, then played safe football and kept the Lions at arm's length for the remainder of the game.
	Indianapolis 45	at East Rutherford, N.J.
	New York 24	• Recap • Game Summary
Key Stat	15 -- Tackles by third-year Colts linebacker Mike Peterson, who helped hold Jets running back Curtis Martin to 3.8 yards per carry.
Player of the Game	Edgerrin James, RB, Indianapolis: Tore through the Jets' defense for 135 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 3,397 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns in 33 career games.
CNNSI.com's Breakdown	The Colts picked apart a Jets defensive unit that was supposed to be much improved and more aggressive under new head coach Herman Edwards. Indy caught New York by surprise by coming out in a no-huddle offense, and the result was a 31-14 halftime lead from which the Jets couldn't recover.
	Cincinnati 23	at Cincinnati
	New England 17	• Recap • Game Summary
Key Stat	8/31/97 -- The last date the Bengals were undefeated after winning their opener of the '97 season, only to begin a seven-game losing streak the following week.
Player of the Game	Corey Dillon, RB, Cincinnati: Ran for 104 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries.
CNNSI.com's Breakdown	Jon Kitna justified his selection as the Bengals' starter, completing 66.7 percent of his passes for 193 yards and one touchdown. Drew Bledsoe played well for New England, but the Pats' running game managed only 68 yards.
	New Orleans 24	at Orchard Park, N.Y.
	Buffalo 6	• Recaps • Game Summary
Key Stat	5 -- Sacks by the Saints' defense, which led the NFL with 66 sacks last season.
Player of the Game	Sammy Knight, SS, New Orleans: Picked off three Rob Johnson passes to help limit the Bills to 217 total yards.
CNNSI.com's Breakdown	A poor game by Johnson is certainly a tough way to start the Gregg Williams/Tom Donahoe era in Buffalo. The offseason choice of Johnson over Doug Flutie will be second-guessed all week, as the offense looked inept and Johnson made poor decisions in the pocket.
	Oakland 27	at Kansas City, Mo.
	Kansas City 24	• Recap • Game Summary
Key Stat	43.2 -- Trent Green's completion percentage (16 of 37), a horrible figure in what it supposed to be a high-percentage passing attack.
Players of the Game	Tim Brown and Jerry Rice, WRs, Oakland: The Raiders' dinosaur receiving corps burned the Chiefs for a combined 16 catches for 220 yards and one touchdown.
CNNSI.com's Breakdown	Rich Gannon took it to his former team by completing 31-of-46 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns. Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski hit all four of his field-goal attempts, including the game-winning 36-yarder that barely hooked inside the right upright.
	Jacksonville 21	at Jacksonville, Fla.
	Pittsburgh 3	• Recap • Game Summary
Key Stat	3.2 -- Difference in average yards per passing attempt between the Jaguars (7.6) and Steelers (4.4).
Player of the Game	Jimmy Smith, WR, Jacksonville: Didn't look at all like a player who spent a good part of his offseason recovering from abdominal surgery, torching the Steelers' secondary for eight catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
CNNSI.com's Breakdown	The Jaguars' linebacking crew took it to the Steelers, holding Jerome Bettis to 28 yards on 12 carries. Kevin Hardy had 12 total tackles and two sacks while Hardy Nickerson made 11 tackles, picked off a pass and forced a fumble.
	Seattle 9	at Cleveland
	Cleveland 6	• Recap • Game Summary
Key Stat	427 -- Combined yards of total offense by the Seahawks (215) and Browns (212) in a defensive struggle which featured only 29 first downs and eight quarterback sacks.
Player of the Game	Rian Lindell, K, Seattle: Provided the Seahawks' only points, including the game-winning 52-yarder with three seconds left.
CNNSI.com's Breakdown	Matt Hasselbeck's debut wasn't what he had hoped it would be, but Lindell's right foot bailed out Seattle. Ricky Watters gained 140 total yards (97 rushing, 43 receiving) while linebacker Chad Brown finished with eight tackles and two sacks.
	Tampa Bay 10	at Irving, Texas
	Dallas 6	• Recap • Game Summary
Key Stat	36:32 -- Time of possession for the Bucs, who ran for only 71 yards, but controlled the clock with a short, precise passing game with Brad Johnson going 26 of 35 for 194 yards and one interception.
Player of the Game	Brad Johnson, QB, Tampa Bay: Looked like a big upgrade over former starter Shaun King, completing 74.3 percent of his passes in his Buccaneers debut.
CNNSI.com's Breakdown	Quincy Carter's debut will have Cowboys fans longing for the return of injury-prone Troy Aikman. Carter's inaccurate passing allowed the Bucs to load up against the run and hold Emmitt Smith to 13 carries for 40 yards.
	San Francisco 16	at San Francisco
	Atlanta 13 (OT)	• Recap • Game Summary
Key Stat	188 -- Advantage in total yards for the 49ers (429) over the Falcons (241).
Player of the Game	Jose Cortez, K, San Francisco: Former San Francisco Demons kicker (remember the XFL?) booted three field goals in his first NFL game, including the game-winning 24-yarder 4:04 into overtime.
CNNSI.com's Breakdown	The biggest surprise was the early appearance by Atlanta's Michael Vick. As a change of pace to starter Chris Chandler, Vick didn't complete a pass in four attempts but rushed twice for 32 yards including an exciting, hip-shaking 25-yard run. Jeff Garcia was effective for San Francisco, throwing for 335 yards and one touchdown.
	St. Louis 20	at Philadelphia
	Philadelphia 17 (OT)	• Recap • Stats Matchup
Key Stat	23 -- Combined sacks (nine), penalties (nine), interceptions (three) and lost fumbles (two).
Player of the Game	Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis: Not his usual eye-popping numbers, but his 120 total yards and one rushing touchdown were key in this close contest.
CNNSI.com's Breakdown	The best game of the day on paper turned out to be the best on the field as well. Philadelphia's second-half comeback was enough to force overtime, but the Rams never gave the ball up in the extra session. Kurt Warner threw for 278 yards, but had two passes picked off, while Donovan McNabb completed 32-of-48 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns. Eagles fullback Cecil Martin was the surprise offensive cog for Philadelphia with six catches for 40 yards and two touchdowns.
	San Diego 30	at San Diego
	Washington 3	• Recaps • Game Summary
Key Stat	.689 -- Doug Flutie's career winning percentage as a starting quarterback (31-14), second only to Kurt Warner's .786 (22-6) among active QBs with at least 10 starts.
Player of the Game	LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, San Diego: Looked impressive in his NFL debut with 36 carries for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
CNNSI.com's Breakdown	Think the ESPN studio is looking pretty comfortable now to Marty Schottenheimer? An embarrassing performance by the Redskins must have had Chargers offensive coordinator Norv Turner snickering. Chargers linebacker Orlando Ruff led the defensive effort with eight tackles, one sack and a forced fumble.
	Miami 31	at Nashville, Tenn.
	Tennessee 23	• Recap • Game Summary
Key Stat	21 -- Combined penalties between the Dolphins (nine for 128 yards) and Titans (12 for 77 yards).
Player of the Game	Zach Thomas, LB, Miami: Led the team with 14 total tackles and also added a 34-yard interception return for a touchdown.
CNNSI.com's Breakdown	The Dolphins upped their season-opening win streak to 10 by forcing turnovers and making the Titans play from behind which limits what Eddie George can do. Steve McNair and Neil O'Donnell combined to go only 16 of 40 for 266 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Lamar Smith finished with 125 total yards and two touchdowns, offsetting his rushing struggles with a 65-yard touchdown catch.
	Denver 31	at Denver
	New York 20	• Recap • Game Summary
Key Stat	7-2 -- Mike Shanahan's career record in season openers.
Player of the Game	Brian Griese, QB, Denver: Completed 21 of 29 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns, only eight months after having reconstructive surgery on his shoulder.
CNNSI.com's Breakdown	Shanahan ended months of speculation by starting Terrell Davis, who rushed for 101 yards. However, the Broncos offense suffered a huge hit when Ed McCaffrey went down in the third quarter with a season-ending broken leg.

 

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