The warning had been clear: Week 1 of the NFL season could unveil a host of surprising outcomes. The trick was actually predicting any of them. Well, besides expecting Indianapolis to struggle mightily without Peyton Manning. That train arrived right on time. But on track after track, the NFL’s quarterback express had a number of unforeseen schedule changes.
Pittsburgh is supposed to be the team that is always better than you think, particularly at season’s end with Ben Roethlisberger at the helm. But the Steelers couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start against Baltimore, turning the ball over seven times, including a trio of interceptions from their two-time Super Bowl winner.
The competition is expected to remain slim in the AFC North, and right now it starts and ends with the Ravens, especially if Joe Flacco truly comes of age in his fourth season. A 17-for-29, 224-yard, three-touchdown performance is Exhibit A that it is certainly possible.
But few would have argued that Ryan Fitzpatrick would dominate defending AFC West champion Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium. The Buffalo quarterback was remarkable, tying a career high with four touchdown passes, finishing 17-for-25 with 208 yards passing and a quarterback rating of 133.0.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, lost the oomph from their offense when Charlie Weis said goodbye and headed for Florida, and Matt Cassel (22-for-36, 119 yards, one touchdown, one interception) was ordinary without him. This isn’t a case of the Bills being that great. It’s that Kansas City probably wasn’t even as good as its record last year.
As for the undercard of the afternoon, Cam Newton stole the show in his debut with Carolina against Philadelphia defector Kevin Kolb and Arizona. Even though he was the No. 1 overall draft pick last April, no rookie quarterback is supposed to complete 24 of 37 passes for 422 yards and two touchdowns with one interception in his first NFL game. Until Sunday, no rookie ever had.
Will anyone even remember that Kolb (18-for-27, 309 yards) threw two touchdown passes himself and won his Cardinals debut?
Sometimes it’s easiest to forget everything and start clean. It should come as no surprise that the NFL has done just that.
– Craig Stouffer
