All our week 2 content

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20, New Orleans Saints 24

What you need to know

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - The Buccaneers showed the toughness we're accustomed to seeing in the first half, taking a 10-7 lead into the locker room behind a 26 yard interception return by CB Philip Buchanon. However, the Tampa Bay defense could not keep the high powered Saints offense in check, allowing scoring plays of 39, 84 and 42 yards. Despite allowing 438 yards of offense, the Buccaneers had a chance to win the game, but those efforts failed when QB Jeff Garcia was intercepted by New Orleans LB Scott Fujita with under a minute left in the game.

Despite having success running the ball to the tune of over seven yards per carry, Tampa Bay QB Jeff Garcia attempted 41 passes and finished with 221 yards, one touchdown and the aforementioned interception on the last drive of the game.

RB Earnest Graham was productive on the ground, gaining 91 yards on ten attempts, but had about the same amount of carries as newly acquired Warrick Dunn, who finished with 54 yards on nine rushes.

WR Joey Galloway usually has his way with the New Orleans secondary, but looked rusty after not doing much this offseason. Galloway still finished with six receptions for 56 yards, but his timing with QB Jeff Garcia looked off on a number of routes.

New Orleans Saints - The Saints offense appears to be just as explosive as last season, and QB Drew Brees is back to taking full advantage of all of the weapons at his exposure. Brees, who threw for 343 yards, connected on three long scoring strikes of over 30 yards to three different receivers, and the offense did not miss a beat despite playing without RB Deuce McAllister, who dressed and was on the active list but did not take the field.

Without McAllister, it was a Reggie Bush / Pierre Thomas combination in the backfield, and the duo combined for over 100 yards rushing. Bush did most of his damage in the passing game, catching eight passes for 112 yards, including a 42 yard touchdown reception.

The New Orleans receivers made the most of their opportunities, with the bulk of the passing yards coming on single, long pass receptions. While WR Marques Colston was held in check, Devery Henderson and David Patten each scored on their only reception of the game, and TE Jeremy Shockey debuted with six receptions for 54 yards in his first game as a Saint.

What you ought to know

QB Jeff Garcia, Pass: 24 - 41 - 221 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0 - Jeff Garcia had one of his normal outings, throwing for 221 yards, one touchdown and one interception. After missing most of the preseason with an injury, Garcia looked a little rusty and his timing just a bit off for Tampa Bay in the opener. Part of that could have been rust, and part could have been shaky protection from his offensive line. Garcia was rushed on most of his throws, including the ones he completed. His timing with WR Joey Galloway was noticeable on a few incompletions, and on others he was able to complete with his wideout, better timing could have resulted in bigger plays. Garcia's lone touchdown pas came on a two yard connection with WR Ike Hilliard in the fourth quarter to give the Buccaneers a 20-17 lead, but after the Saints answered to take a 24-20 lead, Garcia was intercepted with 40 seconds left, ending the Buccaneers chance for an opening week victory.

RB Earnest Graham, Rush: 10 - 91 - 0, Rec: 3 - 27 - 0 (3 targets) - Graham had success running the ball against the Saints, rushing ten times for 91 yards, but unfortunately for him and the Buccaneers, they turned to more of an aerial attack and couldn't translate that success into big yardage totals. At the same time, Graham split carries with Warrick Dunn nearly 50/50, with Dunn chipping in with nine rushes. Graham was targeted three times in the passing game, catching all three for a total of 27 yards.

RB Warrick Dunn, Rush: 9 - 54 - 0, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (1 targets) - Warrick Dunn showed flashes of why Tampa Bay sought his services on the free agent market this year, rushing nine times for 54 yards and catching one pass for 11 yards. Dunn received nine carries to starter Earnest Graham's ten, so while he excels in the passing game, it looks as if Dunn will be called on to help the running game as well. To somewhat of a surprise, Dunn was targeted just one time in the passing game, despite QB Jeff Garcia attempting 41 throws.

WR Ike Hilliard, Rec: 6 - 45 - 1 (6 targets) - Ike Hilliard caught all six passes thrown his way for 45 yards, including a two yard touchdown reception on a third and goal situation. Of his six receptions, four of them resulted in first downs.

WR Joey Galloway, Rec: 6 - 56 - 0 (13 targets) - Joey Galloway was Tampa Bay's most targeted receiver, getting 13 looks from Garcia, and he finished with a team leading nine receptions for 56 yards. While the reception total is nice, the seven yards per catch is something the Buccaneers certainly would have liked to be higher. Galloway usually shreds the Saints secondary, but in this game was held without a big play with his longest catch just 13 yards. Galloway got four third down targets, and Garcia did take his chances with him on a few deep routes. However, it just seemed that the timing was off between the QB and this speedy wideout after each missed most of the preseason.

WR Antonio Bryant, Rec: 3 - 43 - 0 (9 targets) - Antonio Bryant showed promise in his first game for Tampa Bay, catching three passes for 43 yards. While his totals didn't amount for much, it wasn't for lack of opportunity. QB Jeff Garcia looked Bryant's way nine times for the game, making the wideout his second most targeted receiver. Two of Bryant's targets came on third downs, and the Buccaneers attempted to get the ball to him on a few deep routes, so it looks like Garcia has developed some trust in Bryant.

TE Alex Smith, Rec: 2 - 19 - 0 (4 targets) - Smith was targeted four times and finished with just two receptions for 19 yards. One positive though, is neither of Tampa Bay's two newly acquired TE's, Ben Troupe and John Gilmore, were not involved in the passing game at all.

PK Matt Bryant 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - Bryant connected on both of his field goal attempts from 37 and 33 yards out and made good on both of his extra point attempts to finish with eight points in the game.

TB Rush Defense - The Buccaneers played well against the run, allowing 101 yards on 27 carries for a 3.7 ypc average. They were able to limit the big plays the Saints got on the ground and did not give up a rushing score for the game. Unfortunately, Tampa Bay didn't have the same amount of success defending the pass.

LB Barrett Rudd led the way defensively with nine solo tackles and one assist and DB Tanard Jackson, who was all over the field, totaled seven solo tackles in the Buccaneers' secondary.

TB Pass Defense - Tampa Bay was picked apart by Drew Brees, who threw for over 340 yards and three touchdowns. Not only should the high yardage total be a concern, but all three scores came on plays of over 30 yards, something the vaunted Tampa 2 scheme is supposed to limit. A big reason why the Saints had such success throwing the ball was the lack of pressure applied to Brees in the pocket. The Buccaneers were able to get to Brees for just one sack and he was able to get way too comfortable dropping back on passing situations. About the only positive for the Tampa Bay pass defense was DB Philip Buchanon's first quarter interception return for a touchdown.

QB Drew Brees, Pass: 23 - 32 - 343 - 3 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - -2 - 0 - Drew Brees showed just why he is a top fantasy option at QB, throwing for 343 yards on 23 of 32 passing and adding three touchdowns against one of the better, most physical defenses in the league. He took advantage of all of his weapons, connecting on scoring strikes to WR's David Patten and Devery Henderson as well as RB Reggie Bush. Those scoring plays came from 39, 84 and 42 yards out, respectively. The only negative for Brees for the game was his first quarter interception that Tampa Bay DB Philip Buchanon returned for Tampa Bay's first score of the game. Brees did lose a fumble, but fortunately for the Saints they were able to recover it.

RB Reggie Bush, Rush: 14 - 51 - 0, Rec: 8 - 112 - 1 (9 targets) - Reggie Bush showed just how valuable he is to the Saints offense, as he finished with over 160 total yards. Of those yards, 51 came on 14 rushes, and 112 came through the air on eight receptions. Bush showed his big play ability on a 42 yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. One observation of Bush is that although he totaled just 51 yards rushing, he looked more decisive and didn't seem to dance as much as he did last year. While it didn't translate to much against Tampa Bay, that could be a positive sign for his rushing abilities as the season goes on.

RB Pierre Thomas, Rush: 10 - 52 - 0, Rec: 2 - 11 - 0 (2 targets) - Without McAllister, Pierre Thomas was ready to help carry the New Orleans rushing attack. Thomas actually started the game and opened the first drive with a carry, and finished with ten rushes for 52 yards on the ground. Thomas was also targeted two times in the passing game, catching both passes for 11 yards. He looks like a very versatile, talented back and his play could help the Saints limit McAllister's work and keep him healthy and fresh throughout the season.

WR Marques Colston, Rec: 3 - 26 - 0 (6 targets) - Colston was targeted six times, catching three passes for 26 yards. He was held in check by the Tampa Bay defense, but the attention he drew seemed to open up things downfield for the rest of his fellow wide receivers.

WR Devery Henderson, Rec: 1 - 84 - 1 (2 targets) - Henderson was targeted just twice, but hauled in one of those targets for an 84 yard touchdown reception for his only catch of the game. He showed he's still got that straight line speed to get behind the defense.

WR David Patten, Rec: 1 - 39 - 1 (2 targets) - Patten was targeted just two times in the game, but converted one of them into a 39 yard touchdown reception for the Saints' first score of the season.

TE Jeremy Shockey, Rec: 6 - 54 - 0 (6 targets) - Jeremy Shockey finished with six receptions for 54 yards, and caught all six passes thrown his way. He seems to be fully recovered from his late season injury from 2007 and should be another valuable weapon for QB Drew Brees.

PK Martin Gramatica 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Gramatica connected on a 34 yard field goal and added three successful extra point attempts to finish with six points for the game.

NO Rush Defense - The Saints still have some work to do on the defensive side of the ball, where they allowed 146 yards on 20 carries for a whopping 7.3 ypc average. Fortunately for New Orleans, Tampa Bay focused more on attacking the Saints through the air than on the run, which was confusing given their success on the ground throughout the game.

LB's Scott Fujita totaled seven solo tackles and one assist and newly acquired LB Jonathan Vilma added seven solo and two assisted tackles himself to lead the New Orleans defense.

NO Pass Defense - The Saints played well against the pass, allowing Jeff Garcia to throw for just 221 yards on 41 attempts and more importantly, were able to keep WR Joey Galloway from burning them downfield as he has in the past. The New Orleans front seven put constant pressure on Garcia, forcing hurried throws and throwing the timing off between Garcia and his receivers. As a result, the Buccaneers had zero plays of over 30 yards in the passing game.

DL's Charles Grant and Bobby McCray contributed for the Saints two sacks in the game, but LB Scott Fujita came up with the play of the game for the Saints, intercepting a late fourth quarter Garcia pass that iced the game for New Orleans. The secondary for the Saints played admirably against the Tampa Bay receivers, most notably WR Joey Galloway.

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Chicago Bears 29, Indianapolis Colts 13

What you need to know

Chicago Bears - Kyle Orton was not spectacular in this game, but his play at quarterback was good enough to help the Chicago Bears to a surprising win over the Indianapolis Colts. Orton completed 13 of his 21 passes for 150 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions as he led the Chicago offense on four scoring drives (two touchdowns and two field goals.) The Bears converted on ten of their 16 third down conversations and finished the night with 17 first downs and 319 yards of total offense

Rookie RB Matt Forte made the first start of his professional career and had a game to remember. Forte finished the night with 123 yards on 23 carries and got things going for the Bears in the first quarter when he scored on a 50 yard run that gave Chicago a 7--3 lead. In addition to his success running the ball, the rookie also added 18 yards on three receptions. The Chicago defense came up big in this contest as it held the Indianapolis offense to only 13 points and 293 yards of total offense. In addition to shutting down the Colts, the Bears' defense scored eight points in this game on a safety by DE Adewale Ogunleye and a fumble return for a touchdown by LB Lance Briggs.

Indianapolis Colts - Peyton Manning seemed early on to show the effects of missing all of the Colts' preseason games as he recovered from knee surgery. After a mediocre start in the first half, Manning picked it up in the second half and finished the game completing over 61% of his passes for 257 yards and a six yard touchdown pass that went to WR Reggie Wayne. Despite solid numbers from Manning, the Colts offense struggled to establish sustainable rhythm on offense as they were only able to muster 13 points in this contest.

The Colts running backs had a tough time picking up yards on the ground against the stingy Chicago defense. Joseph Addai and Dominick Rhodes combined to gain 46 yards on 14 runs for an average of 3.3 yards per rush. The running back duo did contribute in the passing game by combining to catch five passes for 33 yards.

The Indianapolis wide receivers were targeted a total of 38 times in this game and combined to catch 23 balls for 210 yards. Reggie Wayne had the best game of all of the Colts' pass catchers as he made ten grabs for 86 yards and had the team's only touchdown. Marvin Harrison finished with eight catches for 76 yards, but his fumble in the third quarter was returned 21 yards for a touchdown by the Chicago defense and gave the Bears a 22--13 lead.

Dallas Clark left the game with what was reported as a knee injury. Clark was later shown standing on the sidelines in street clothes. Joseph Addai was also shaken up with what was called a head injury. Addai did not return after suffering the injury, which occurred near the beginning of the fourth quarter.

What you ought to know

QB Kyle Orton, Pass: 13 - 21 - 150 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 10 - 0 - With the Bears playing ahead for most of this game, Orton wasn't forced to make a lot of plays on offense and instead was able to take what the Colts' defense was giving him. Completing passes to seven different receivers, the Chicago quarterback was effective in helping the offense move the chains. Twice he hooked up with a tight end on a big third down play that allowed Chicago to put points on the board. The first of those completions came with 24 seconds left in the second quarter on a third and 15 play when Orton hooked up with Greg Olson on a 29 yard pass that took the ball down to the Indianapolis seven yard line. Two plays later, Robbie Gould kicked a 25 yard field goal as the half ended that pushed the Bears' lead to 15-6. Orton's second big third down completion came in the fourth quarter when a 26 yard pass to Desmond Clark put the ball at the Colts' one yard line. A couple of plays later, a one yard touchdown run by RB Jason McKie put Chicago up 29--13.

RB Matt Forte, Rush: 23 - 123 - 1, Rec: 3 - 18 - 0 (3 targets) - Forte got off to a quick start when on his fourth rush of the game, he took a third down hand off 50 yards for a touchdown that gave the Bears a 7--3 lead. On the play Forte hit the hole hard, made one cut, and outraced the Indianapolis defense to the end zone. Despite Forte's big game, it could have been even better. The rookie running back received a rush in the fourth quarter with the ball on the one yard line but was stopped for no gain. On the very next play, RB Jason McKie punched the ball into the end zone.

RB Kevin Jones, Rush: 13 - 45 - 0 - Jones' first carry came in the second quarter on the Bears' fourth series after Matt Forte left the game following a hard hit. Of his 45 yards on the ground, 27 of them came on seven consecutive carries in the fourth quarter as Chicago attempted to run out the clock.

RB Jason McKie, Rush: 2 - 5 - 1 (1 targets) - McKie only got two carries in this game, but his second rush went for a one yard touchdown that put the Bears up 29--13.

WR Rashied Davis, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (2 targets) - Targeted only twice in this contest, Davis' first grab came near the start of the second quarter. His only other catch of the came with 13:01 left in the game.

WR Brandon Lloyd, Rec: 2 - 26 - 0 (4 targets) - Lloyd's first grab came on a second and 18 play that went for a gain of 18 yards. His only other catch came in the third quarter and went for a gain of eight.

WR Marty Booker, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets) - Booker's only catch of the game came in the second quarter and moved the chains on a drive that resulted in field goal.

WR Devin Hester, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) - Hester's only catch came near the end of the first quarter. He returned three kickoffs for an average of 18.3 yards and returned one punt 25 yards.

TE Greg Olsen, Rec: 2 - 36 - 0 (2 targets) - Both of Olsen's grabs came on third down plays. His first helped set up a field goal near the end of the second half when his 29 yard catch took the ball down to the Indianapolis seven yard line with only 24 seconds left on the clock. Olsen's only other target went for a six yard gain on a third and two play in the third quarter.

TE Desmond Clark, Rec: 2 - 46 - 0 (6 targets) - Clark had the most receiving yards for the Bears despite only totaling 46 yards on two receptions. Both of his grabs came on third down plays, and his second one went for 26 yards on a third and one play that set up Chicago's final touchdown of the game.

PK Robbie Gould 2 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points - Gould made his first field goal attempt from 41 yards and then connected on his second field goal from 25 yards out. He also converted on all three of his extra point attempts.

CHI Rush Defense - The Chicago defense held Indianapolis to only 53 rushing yards on 15 attempts. A tackle of Joseph Addai by DE Adewale Ogunleye went for a safety that put Chicago up 12--6. On another important play of the game, the Bears' defense stuffed Dominick Rhodes in the fourth quarter on a fourth and one play that gave Chicago the ball on the Indianapolis 48 yard line while leading 22--13.

CHI Pass Defense - Despite surrendering 240 passing yards through the air, the Bears were able to apply pressure to Peyton Manning and kept the Colts offense from establishing any sustainable rhythm. DT Marcus Brown and DE Alex Brown both recorded sacks that went for a total loss of 17 yards. CB Charles Tillman forced a fumble by Marvin Harrison that was returned by LB Lance Briggs 21 yards for a touchdown that gave the Bears a 22-13 lead.

QB Peyton Manning, Pass: 30 - 49 - 257 - 1 TD / 0 INT - Seeing his first game action of the year, Manning looked a little rusty over the first two quarters as he finished the first half ten of 20 for 119 yards. On the Colts' first drive of the second half it appeared as if Manning was starting to get into a rhythm. On that series, the Colt's quarterback finished five for six for 40 yards with a six yard touchdown pass that went to WR Reggie Wayne. Despite the optimistic start to the second half, Manning's final 15 completions only averaged 6.5 yards as he failed to lead the Colts offense to any more points.

RB Joseph Addai, Rush: 12 - 44 - 0, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (1 targets) - Addai averaged less than 3.7 yards on his 14 rushing attempts and only had one catch for three yards in the passing game. His long rush of 13 yards came midway through the first quarter and after that run, Addai would go on to pickup only 24 more yards on the ground. Early on in the fourth quarter, he was hit hard by LB Lance Briggs on a pass reception. Addai walked off the field with the training staff under his own power and it was later reported that he had suffered a head injury. Following the injury, he did not return to the game.

RB Dominic Rhodes, Rush: 2 - 2 - 0, Rec: 4 - 30 - 0 (6 targets) - Rhodes' first carry of the contest came on the Colts' fourth series in the second quarter. Four of his six touches came after RB Joseph Addai left the game for good with what was reported as a head injury.

RB Mike Hart, Rush: 1 - 7 - 0 - Hart's only touch of the game came on the second to last play of the game.

WR Reggie Wayne, Rec: 10 - 86 - 1 (17 targets) - Despite not making his first catch until early in the second quarter, Wayne led all Indianapolis receivers in targets, catches, and yards. On the drive that led to the Colts' only touchdown, he had four catches for 30 yards and hauled in the six yard scoring strike from QB Peyton Manning. Wayne had what would have been about a 22 yard touchdown pass deflect off his hands as he made a diving attempt into the end zone. He also had a longer pass reception nullified when he was unable to get both feet in bounds.

WR Marvin Harrison, Rec: 8 - 76 - 0 (13 targets) - Harrison's first catch of the game came in the first quarter and went for a first down on a six yard pickup. On the very next play he hauled in his longest reception of the game when he connected with QB Peyton Manning on a 19 yard reception. Targeted six times in the third quarter, Harrison was only able to catch three of those passes for a total of 23 yards. It was in that third quarter that Harrison fumbled a short reception that the Bears were able to return for a TD. His final catch came with 8:22 left in the fourth quarter and went for eight yards.

WR Anthony Gonzalez, Rec: 5 - 48 - 0 (8 targets) - Gonzalez was QB Peyton Manning's favorite target early on in this contest. Targeted five times in the first quarter alone, he was able to grab two of those passes for a total of 22 yards. Gonzalez's long reception of the game came in the second quarter when he used a nice spin move to turn a short pass into a 20 yard gain. His final two catches came in the fourth quarter and went for a total of six yards.

WR Courtney Roby - Though not involved in the offense, Roby did average 20.2 yards on five kickoff returns.

TE Jacob Tamme, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (3 targets) - Tamme's only catch of the game came in the fourth quarter and went for a first down.

TE Dallas Clark, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (2 targets) - Clark's only catch of the game came on the Colts' third offensive series. He would leave the game with what was reported as a right knee injury. According to the report, Clark jogged off to locker room under own power and his return was listed as questionable. Later in the fourth quarter Clark was shown in civilian clothes on the sideline.

TE Gijon Robinson (2 targets) - Both of the passing attempts that went Robinson's way fell incomplete.

PK Adam Vinatieri 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Vinatieri made his first field goal attempt of the game from 39 yards and then connected on his second attempt from 34 yards out. He also converted on his only extra point attempt.

IND Rush Defense - The Indianapolis rush defense surrendered 183 yards on 39 rushing attempts for an average of 4.7 yards per carry. Chicago RB Matt Forte scored on a 50 yard touchdown run in the first quarter while RB Jason McKie scored on a one yard rush in the fourth quarter.

IND Pass Defense - The Colts allowed QB Kyle Orton to complete almost 62% of his passes for 150 yards. Calvin Hayden had an Orton pass hit him the arms, but was unable to hang on for the interception. A sack late in the second quarter by DE Dwight Freeney went for a loss of eight yards while a sack by DE Robert Mathis in the third quarter went for a loss of six yards.

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Arizona Cardinals 23, San Francisco 49ers 13

What you need to know

Arizona Cardinals - The Arizona Cardinals got their 2008 season off to a positive start by making some much needed halftime adjustments and controlling the clock for the entire second half. The Cardinals offense held the ball for 22 minutes 37 seconds in the second half alone and dominated a tired San Francisco defense en route to the win. The Cardinals went on drives of 15 and 18 plays in the second half to increase its margin of victory. Another contributing factor to the victory was that the Cardinals did not commit a turnover, and capitalized on five San Francisco miscues.

QB Kurt Warner put in a workmanlike performance and looked well in control of the offense from the onset. Although he started the game completing only six of 11 passes for 75 yards in the first half, he finished 19 for 30 for 197 and one touchdown pass to WR Larry Fitzgerald. He completed passes to six different receivers, didn't turn the ball over and was sacked three times.

RB Edgerrin James ran hard up and finished the game with 26 carries for an even 100 yards. James looked in mid-season form and often punished the San Francisco defenders lowering his head on initial contact. One disconcerning fact in this game is that it looks like James may lose significant red zone opportunities as the Cardinals utilized rookie RB Tim Hightower in the red zone offensive schemes often.

WR Anquan Boldin was simply unstoppable in the second half getting all his statistics in the third and fourth quarters. Boldin ran crisp routes and caught eight balls for 81 yards. Although he did not see the end zone, it appeared that the Cardinals coaching staff made a concerted effort to get him involved in the game plan for the second half.

San Francisco 49ers - It was simply a case of too many turnovers for the San Francisco 49ers as they had three fumbles and one interception and a muffed punt in this game.

QB J.T. O'Sullivan, who started his first NFL game, had a tale of two halves game. With the score tied 10-10 at the half, O'Sullivan was ten for 14 for 141 yards and one interception. However, he had only 54 additional yards in the second half and finished the game with 195 yards from 14 of 20 attempts. Most of his passes were dump offs to backs with O'Sullivan avoiding the Cardinals rush and blitzing schemes. He fumbled twice and threw one interception.

RB Frank Gore was the lone bright spot for the San Francisco offense in this game running hard and bouncing off Cardinal defenders after the first contact. He scored on a 41 yard run up the middle to put the 49ers up 7-3 in the first quarter and finished the game with 96 yards on 14 attempts. He added 55 yards on four catches as well. Gore finished the game as the San Francisco leading receiver.

WR Bryant Johnson caught three balls for 48 yards and appears to be the San Francisco first option down field. Johnson ran good routes and actually would have had more catches if it weren't for a few errant O'Sullivan passes.

What you ought to know

QB Kurt Warner, Pass: 19 - 30 - 197 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 5 - -4 - 0 - Warner looked in mid-season form hitting six different Cardinals receivers in this game. He had control of the offense and led Arizona on scoring drives of 15 and 18 plays in the second half. His touchdown pass was a one yard fade route to Larry Fitzgerald in the first half. He showed good poise under an aggressive San Francisco rush, and although sacked three times, he was in control of this game from the start. His longest pass of the day was a 40 yard strike to WR Steve Breaston.

RB Edgerrin James, Rush: 26 - 100 - 0 (2 targets) - James ran hard through the San Francisco defensive front and often punished defenders with hard hits. He finished the games with 26 carries for 100 yards. One note is that it appears James may lose scoring opportunities to rookie RB Tim Hightower when the Cardinals are in their red zone packages.

RB Tim Hightower, Rush: 8 - 13 - 1, Rec: 3 - 21 - 0 (4 targets) - Hightower appears to have played himself into a significant role as a short yardage back and had the Cardinal only rushing touchdown in the game, a two yarder in the third quarter. Hightower substituted for James when the Cardinals were in its goal line package, and also occasionally on third down. Hightower contributed with three catches out of the backfield for 21 yards.

WR Anquan Boldin, Rec: 8 - 82 - 0 (11 targets) - Boldin did not have a catch in the first half, but made up for the lack of stats in the second as he caught eight balls for 81 yards. Boldin has good rhythm with Warner and many of his catches were across the middle, with additional yardage made after the catch.

WR Larry Fitzgerald, Rec: 3 - 31 - 1 (4 targets) - Fitzgerald had a sub-par day when you consider he only had three catches for 31 yards in the game. His first catch of the day went for 21 yards. He was double teamed in the second half, and scored on a one yard fade route for the only Cardinals passing score. Fitzgerald was not a significant factor in the second half.

WR Steve Breaston, Rec: 3 - 54 - 0 (6 targets) - Breaston had the day's longest catch of 40 yards, when Warner hit the receiver down the right side line on a third down and seven. Breaston was pushed out at the one yard line. Breaston also returned kick offs for the Cardinals.

TE Leonard Pope, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (2 targets) - Pope only had one catch for the Cardinals for five yards. He was targeted once in the red zone though.

PK Neil Rackers 3 - 4 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points - Rackers was three for four in the field goal department with kicks of 25, 31 and 30 yards. He missed a 35 yard field goal wide right in the first quarter. He converted on two extra point attempts.

ARI Rush Defense - The Arizona rush defense had a bend but don't break mentality in this game. In all, they gave up 108 yards on the ground with Frank Gore getting 96 of those yards. Gore scored on a 41 yard touchdown run up the middle in the first half, but only managed 16 rushing yards in the second half.

ARI Pass Defense - The Cardinals pass defense figured significantly into the game as four of the five turnovers were result of the pass defense efforts. Adrian Wilson had an interception, and the three fumbles were a result of pass rushes or hits after a completion. At times, they allowed O'Sullivan to hit the receivers short, but did not give up a big play via the pass.

QB J.T. OSullivan, Pass: 14 - 20 - 195 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 1 - 0 - O'Sullivan had a respectable first half hitting several of his passes to backs out of the backfield. O'Sullivan had 141 yards passing in the first half, but managed just 54 yards in the second half. He fumbled twice after being sacked and was intercepted once. He hit six different receivers, but his longest pass of the day was a 37 yard toss to TE Vernon Davis.

RB Frank Gore, Rush: 14 - 96 - 1, Rec: 4 - 55 - 0 (4 targets) - Gore was the star for the San Francisco offense as he had 151 total yards. He scored on a 41 yard run up the Cardinal middle in the first quarter and managed a total of 96 yards on 14 rushes. Gore caught four balls for 55 yards. He had 151 of the San Francisco's total offensive out put of only 303 yards.

RB DeShaun Foster, Rush: 4 - 11 - 0, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (1 targets) - Foster substituted for Gore on two occasions and ran for 11 yards on four attempts. He caught one ball out of the backfield for 12 yards.

WR Bryant Johnson, Rec: 3 - 48 - 0 (5 targets) - Johnson caught three balls for 48 yards, and appears to be the San Francisco deep threat.

WR Isaac Bruce - Bruce did not figure in the San Francisco offense and failed to catch a single ball in his first game as a 49er.

TE Vernon Davis, Rec: 3 - 51 - 0 (3 targets) - Davis had a few flashes but wasn't a big factor in this game catching three balls for 51 yards. Davis did have a big play of 37 yards.

PK Joe Nedney 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Nedney converted on both his field goal attempts of 39 and 30 yards. He also was perfect on his only extra point attempt.

SF Rush Defense - The San Francisco rush defense played hard the first half en route to a 10-10 half time score, but became worn down under a relentless Cardinal offense that held the ball for 22 minutes, 37 seconds of the second half alone. The unit gave up 100 yards rushing to Edgerrin James, and a touchdown to rookie RB Tim Hightower, but the longest Cardinals run from scrimmage was only ten yards.

SF Pass Defense - The pass defense failed to control Anquan Boldin in the second half, giving that receiver all his stats (8 catches, 81 yards) in the third and fourth quarters. They also tired as a result of the time of possession disparity. The pass defense sacked Warner three times, but failed to cause a turnover. The touchdown pass surrendered was only a one yard toss to Larry Fitzgerald. The longest pass play from scrimmage was a 40 yard catch to WR Steve Breaston.

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Jacksonville Jaguars 10, Tennessee Titans 17

What you need to know

Jacksonville Jaguars - The Jaguars were unable to get their running game going against a very stout and aggressive Titans defense. Compounding the challenge of facing a very good defense was that Jacksonville lost a couple of offensive linemen to injury and at one point had their last five remaining healthy linemen on the field. As a result, neither Fred Taylor nor Maurice Jones-Drew could amass many yards during the game. They totaled 31 yards rushing on 14 combined carries for a 2.21 yards per carry average.

Their inability to generate a running game forced the Jaguars into being a one-dimensional team. This enabled Tennessee to focus on David Garrard, and they pressured him throughout. Although he was sacked seven times and under duress on numerous occasions, Garrard remained tough and made some solid plays passing the ball. However, due to the constant pressure, he was unable to get into a consistent rhythm and several of Jacksonville's drives stalled, two of them due to interceptions. Garrard seemed most comfortable with Matt Jones and to a lesser extent, Marcedes Lewis. He targeted Jones the most and completed the majority of them, and got into a rhythm with Lewis in the second half. However, Garrard's miscues added up to hurt his team. In addition to the two interceptions, he lost a fumble while being sacked, on one of his team's few trips inside the red zone.

The Jaguars only ran eight plays in the red zone, and came away with a touchdown and field goal. They attempted two running attempts in goal to go situations, one each by Taylor and Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew was ruled down inches from the end zone and although Jacksonville challenged the call, the call was upheld. Of the six red zone passes, one resulted in a touchdown, to Greg Jones, while two others were unsuccessful passes to players who were open in the end zone -- Dennis Northcutt and Reggie Williams. Northcutt was not looking for the ball although he was open, and the pass to Williams was too high.

Tennessee Titans - The Titans won the game in large part to an aggressive effort on defense and some solid running, which overcame a mostly ineffective passing game. Rookie Chris Johnson ran well, not only displaying his speed when he ran outside, but also showing toughness between the tackles. Johnson took on defenders when they tried to tackle him, and did not shy away from contact. He was utilized effectively in the passing game, averaging 11.33 yards on his receptions, displaying good route running and an ability to make defenders miss and gain additional yards. Johnson was somewhat complemented by LenDale White, who was more effective in the second half. Johnson averaged 6.2 yards per carry and White 2.67. Both players scored touchdowns in goal-line situations.

Vince Young tried to make plays from the pocket, only attempting one rush, but was ineffective passing the ball. He was defended well by a strong Jaguars' pass rush, and though he was not sacked, was pressured into poor throws, including two interceptions. Young targeted Justin Gage the most in the first half, and Bo Scaife the most in the second half, with modest results. Scaife ended with good numbers, as he managed to turn several short passes into significant yards. Young left the game in the fourth quarter after being hit while attempting a pass, and was replaced by backup quarterback Kerry Collins. Collins was the beneficiary of some good running after the catch, as Gage took a short pass to the two yard line, which led to a touchdown by White on the next play to give Tennessee a 17-7 lead in the fourth quarter. Later in the quarter, Scaife turned another short Collins' pass into a 44 yard gain on a third and 15 play that helped keep a drive alive and eat up more time on the clock, to help seal the victory.

The Titans only ran three red zone plays, all in goal to go situations. White scored on his lone rushing attempt, with the other rushing attempt going to Johnson. After Johnson's run was stopped for a loss, he displayed good hands and balance on the next play, turning an errant pass into a score.

What you ought to know

QB David Garrard, Pass: 23 - 35 - 215 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 3 - 2 - 0 - Garrard never got into a consistent rhythm during the game. He showed flashes of big play ability, but was unable to sustain drives despite having fairly good field position. He did show a strong arm, attempting a couple of very deep passes that were disrupted by very good defense, with one of them being intercepted. When he was able to set his feet, Garrard stood in the face of the pass rush pressure and completed some tough throws, showing good touch in addition to the arm strength. Because he was forced to try to direct a one-dimensional offense as a result of his team being unable to run successfully, he faced an aggressive Titans' pass defense that sacked him seven times, intercepted him twice and forced him to lose a fumble.

RB Fred Taylor, Rush: 9 - 18 - 0, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (2 targets) - Taylor did not have any holes to run through on his rushing attempts, and was not a factor in this game. He did have an opportunity in the red zone, but the pass was thrown behind him at the six yard line.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Rush: 5 - 13 - 0, Rec: 4 - 37 - 0 (4 targets) - Jones-Drew only had five rushing attempts, and did not have many opportunities to gain significant yards on the ground, although he was ruled inches short of the end zone on one play. He caught all of his targets and managed to show his explosiveness and shiftiness on a couple receptions to gain yards after securing the pass.

RB Greg Jones, Rec: 3 - 13 - 1 (3 targets) - Jones caught all three of the short passes thrown to him, and turned one of them into a touchdown. He was on the field mostly as a blocker.

WR Matt Jones, Rec: 6 - 80 - 0 (10 targets) - Jones was the most targeted player, and did a good job of running after the catch. Seven of the passes thrown to him were in the intermediate range, and he displayed good hands and use of his height to catch the ball, then gain yards afterwards. While he did not show explosiveness, he ran his routes well and managed to get open the majority of the time.

WR Troy Williamson, Rec: 2 - 11 - 0 (5 targets) - Williamson caught the two short passes thrown to him, but was unable to catch the deep passes thrown to him. He was double-covered on one of them, another one was uncatchable, and the third deep pass was intercepted thanks to a great play by the Titans' cornerback covering him.

WR Reggie Williams, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (4 targets) - Williams was targeted exclusively on short passes, and was open for one of them in the end zone. However, the ball was thrown too high for him to get his hands on it.

WR Dennis Northcutt, Rec: 2 - 19 - 0 (3 targets) - Northcutt was not involved much, and his best play was turning a short pass into a 13 yard gain by making a defender miss him after he caught the ball.

TE Marcedes Lewis, Rec: 3 - 29 - 0 (4 targets) - Lewis was the only tight end targeted in the game. He caught all four of his targets, but one of them was ruled incomplete as the officials said he trapped the ball on the field. On that play as well as his other receptions, he showed a good ability to get open by running good routes and using his length to go after the passes.

PK Josh Scobee 1 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Scobee made his only point after attempt, and one of his two field goal attempts. His made field goal was from 27 yards, and he missed a 37 yard attempt, which went directly over the goal post instead of through it.

JAX Rush Defense - Jacksonville's defense had a hard time stopping Chris Johnson before he gained yards past the line of scrimmage. Although they prevented him from breaking off very long running plays, he was able to get past the first line of defenders most of the time. The Jaguars had more success stopping the more power-oriented LenDale White, but still allowed him to score easily from two yards out. Jacksonville's defenders did not have many stops at or behind the line of scrimmage.

JAX Pass Defense - Jacksonville's pass rush was aggressive but did not record any sacks on Tennessee's quarterbacks, but managed to record two interceptions against Young. However, they blitzed frequently in an attempt to generate more pressure, and as a result gave up some short completions that were converted into long gains, including some crucial ones late in the fourth quarter that led to the Titans first increasing their lead and then taking additional time off the clock to help preserve the win.

QB Vince Young, Pass: 12 - 22 - 110 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0 - Young did not get into much of a rhythm during the game. He attempted four deep passes, but missed his intended receiver on three of them. He was better on his shorter passes, mostly to Chris Johnson and Bo Scaife, but was mostly off the mark. His touchdown pass was more the result of a good catch of a slightly errant throw and excellent running after the catch. He was hit in the fourth quarter while making a pass, and left the game as a result of an injury to his left knee. Young remained seated on the sideline for most of the remainder of the game, leaving on a cart with 59 seconds remaining in the game.

QB Kerry Collins, Pass: 2 - 2 - 65 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 - Collins entered the game in the fourth quarter due to an injury to Young, and completed both of his pass attempts to help Tennessee to the win. He made two short, but accurate throws in traffic that his receivers turned into significant yardage. One of his passes was taken to the two yard line, with the Titans scoring a touchdown on the ensuing play, while the other one came on a third and 15 play later that was turned into a 44 yard gain.

RB Chris Johnson, Rush: 15 - 93 - 0, Rec: 3 - 34 - 1 (4 targets) - Johnson was very productive in his regular season debut. He ran with power between the tackles, and took on would-be tacklers head on. He also displayed excellent acceleration through the holes and elusiveness once in the open field, as well as good route running. Johnson was asked to run a variety of routes, and the only target he did not catch was thrown too high. Johnson showed excellent hands on his touchdown catch, catching a pass that was off target, regaining his balance after securing the ball, and accelerating quickly enough into the end zone before the defense could get to him.

RB LenDale White, Rush: 15 - 40 - 1 (1 targets) - White was ineffective early, but managed to fight through some tackles in the second half and gain some yards after contact. While he did not have any explosive runs, White was effective in short yardage situations, and converted one such opportunity into a touchdown.

RB Ahmard Hall, Rec: 1 - 2 - 0 (1 targets) - Hall was utilized mostly as a blocker, and caught the one short pass thrown to him.

WR Justin Gage, Rec: 2 - 25 - 0 (6 targets) - Gage received five of his targets in the first half. He was utilized mostly on short and intermediate routes, and had some chances near the end zone. He was overthrown at the three yard line, and was forced out at the two yard line on another play after turning a short pass into good yardage. He did, however drop a catchable pass and another pass intended for him was intercepted. Gage ran good routes, and managed to get open deep once in part to his route running but was overthrown.

WR Brandon Jones, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) - Jones was not involved much, only targeted once on a short pass play.

WR Justin McCareins (5 targets) - McCareins was targeted deep twice and on intermediate routes three times, but was unable to secure any catches. He managed to get a penalty called on his defender on one play, was called for a penalty on another one, dropped one pass and was overthrown on the other two.

TE Bo Scaife, Rec: 6 - 105 - 0 (6 targets) - Scaife displayed excellent running after the catch skills, turning several short passes into significant gains. Five of his targets came in the second half, and he turned two of them into crucial first downs in the fourth quarter, including a 44 yard run where he made several Jaguars' defenders miss.

TE Alge Crumpler, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (2 targets) - Crumpler's first target came early in the fourth quarter, and he was not much of a factor.

PK Rob Bironas 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - Bironas made both of his point after attempts, and his lone field goal attempt, which was from 47 yards.

TEN Rush Defense - Tennessee's rush defense was outstanding. They did not allow many rushing lanes, and held both of Jacksonville's running backs to a combined 2.21 yards per carry average. They also corralled David Garrard and prevented him from using his running ability. Thanks to the dominance of the Titans' rush defense, they forced the Jaguars to become a one-dimensional offensive team, which played into the hands of their pass defense.

TEN Pass Defense - Tennessee's pass defense was also outstanding. They applied constant pressure to Garrard, sacking the mobile quarterback seven times, intercepting him twice, and forcing hurried throws several other times. Their tacking was outstanding, and they did not allow Jacksonville's receivers to get behind them. The Titans' front seven spent a large part of the game in the Jaguars' backfield, and managed to disrupt a lot of Jacksonville's offensive plays.

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Houston Texans 17, Pittsburgh Steelers 38

What you need to know

Houston Texans - QB Matt Schaub struggled from early in the game to handle the pressure from the Pittsburgh pass rush. He threw two interceptions in the first half, but combined with five sacks, a fumble, and a running game that produced just 75 total yards, the early deficit on the road was too much to overcome. WR Andre Johnson led all Texans pass catchers with 14 targets. He was the focal point of the offense early in the game. The lack of sustained offense by his team and the three deep zone pass defense employed by the Steelers took away any big play chances.

Starting RB Ahman Green and backup RB Steve Slaton split the few carries Houston had through the game. The quick start by the Steelers denied the Texans play-callers much of a chance to run the ball. The lone rushing touchdown was a late game scramble by QB Matt Schaub on a pass play.

Pittsburgh Steelers - QB Ben Roethlisberger showcased his accuracy and mobility early in the game to make some key third down conversions and keep the chains moving. He benefited from a solid running attack and his defense making big plays. However, a blow to his right knee late in the second quarter produced a noticeable limp and despite the fact he played into the second half, should give fantasy owners a reason to keep an eye on the injury report next week.

Starting RB Willie Parker had a tremendous game and answered many of the often-asked questions during the pre-season about his workload and priority in the offense. Any injury concerns about his late season broken leg seemed like a moot point given the numerous carries and productivity. Backup RB Rashard Mendenhall was not a major factor in the first half and ended up with 10 carries mostly after the game was well decided.

WR Hines Ward was the Steelers' major weapon in the passing game. His ability to get loose in the secondary gave the Pittsburgh offense early momentum. His six receptions might not make an entry in the fantasy record books, but that needs to be measured against the fact that Pittsburgh only attempted fourteen passes.

What you ought to know

QB Matt Schaub, Pass: 25 - 33 - 202 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 2 - 4 - 1 - Schaub came out throwing short passes early and marched the Texans to midfield but a questionable decision by HC Gary Kubiak to go for it on fourth down energized the Heinz Field crowd and put his team in an early hole. Schaub was sacked twice on their second drive and following another touchdown by the Steelers, his team was now behind 14-0. During the first half Schaub was able to complete many of his short passes, but the speed of the rush and the solid tackling of the Steelers' defenders prevented any major yards after the catch. His first attempt in the second quarter to WR David Anderson on a shallow cross was intercepted on an athletic play by LB Lamar Woodley. Schaub was under heavy pressure from LB James Harrison on the play. Following that drive, his next series had the same result after his second interception of the game. Just before halftime the Houston Offense registered its lone score of the half after a short field was given to it following a Pittsburgh fumble. Even then, after starting in the red zone, three plays yielded a negative four yards and they had to settle for a field goal. The last gasp was a short drive that ended just before the half. Schaub opened the third quarter, now down 28-3, with a quick three and out missing Johnson on a key third down. The subsequent drive started out promisingly, but netted another punt after gaining the midfield stripe. By now the rout was on. The best drive in the game for Houston got started in the fourth quarter after a short punt and Schaub hit WR Kevin Walter and Johnson with intermediate gains. A rare deep ball to Johnson drew a pass interference penalty and put Houston in scoring range. Walter ended the drive with a fourteen yard TD catch. After another three and out, Schaub engineered the games' third and last score taking the team on a 75 yard, eleven play drive against mostly second team defenders. He found the end zone on a short scramble.

RB Steve Slaton, Rush: 13 - 43 - 0, Rec: 3 - 6 - 0 (4 targets) - Slaton started the game, perhaps surprising some, and got his first touches on the opening drive, but two carries netted just two yards. The next drive netted his best run of the game, an eight yard off tackle play. The rest of the half Slaton managed just 14 more yards on six carries. Given the one-sided score, running opportunities were limited the rest of the way. He was the recipient of a few short passes late in the game and drew a pass interference call, but was not a major factor. His share of the carries bodes well for his future, but this was not an auspicious beginning for the rookie back.

RB Ahman Green, Rush: 5 - 28 - 0, Rec: 4 - 3 - 0 (4 targets) - Green only got four touches in the first half. The Texans weren't able to keep many drives alive and 20 total running plays do not help your time of possession. The Texans tried to get him involved in the passing game late, but he was not able to generate much. Green's yards per rush look impressive, but nearly half his yards came on draw plays following a sack when a pass was expected.

WR Andre Johnson, Rec: 10 - 112 - 0 (14 targets) - Johnson took a fourteen yard pass from Schaub on the third play from scrimmage on an out route, but Houston did not go back to him on that drive. He looked completely healthy during the game, but Houston was not able to get the ball to him on any consistent basis in the first half. He caught a short pass on the second possession converting a third down and snagged a 24 yard pass on the next play. This accounted for three of his four targets in the half. In the second half and the score out of hand, Schaub was clearly trying to get the ball to Johnson. They went to him on consecutive first downs, both resulting in catches. However, lack of sustained drives limited opportunities. Seven of Johnson's targets were in the fourth quarter alone. On the two deep balls that came his way in the game, one was a catch and another got a pass interference call. Houston will need to protect Matt Schaub better to allow him the time to get the ball downfield to his big receiver.

WR Kevin Walter, Rec: 3 - 41 - 1 (4 targets) - Walter caught his first target at the start of the game, but did not get a second catch until the fourth quarter. His fourteen yard TD reception late in the fourth quarter was his second catch of the drive. All of his targets were fifteen yards or less.

WR David Anderson, Rec: 1 - 2 - 0 (4 targets) - Anderson's lone catch was not significant, but both of Schaub's interceptions came on targets to Anderson. He only saw one target during the second half.

TE Owen Daniels, Rec: 3 - 33 - 0 (4 targets) - Daniels saw his lone target midway in the second quarter, a ten yard pass. Daniels saw the rest of his targets during garbage time targets late in the fourth quarter when the outcome was well decided. He did not look to be the primary receiver and got his chances after Schaub was checking down.

PK Kris Brown 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - Brown hit a 34 yard field goal on his former home field and connected on both his fourth quarter extra points. He had no other opportunities.

HOU Rush Defense - The Steelers posted 183 rushing yards on 39 attempts. Houston was able to limit RB Willie Parker to short gains early in the game, but his yardage piled up as the game went on and he added three rushing touchdowns in the game. Coming out in the third quarter the Texans yielded a 71 yard, ten play drive, where nine were running plays. Pittsburgh was able to mix in play action whenever they wanted.

HOU Pass Defense - The Texans' pass rush made its presence felt in the first half, when DE Mario Williams garnered two sacks. They were able to hit QB Ben Roethlisberger on a few of plays, but the effectiveness of the Steelers' running game presented few obvious passing down for Houston to take advantage of.

QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pass: 13 - 14 - 137 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 17 - 0 - The Pittsburgh game plan looked to establish the running game early and Ben Roethlisberger supplemented that with short passes and play action to keep the drives alive. The first drive began at midfield and Roethlisberger added a nifty 17 yards scramble when the pocket broke down. Three passes helped move the ball downfield and set up the first touchdown. The second drive was more pass oriented and Roethlisberger was able to work his WR's into the action, hitting Ward for his longest pass play of the game, 29 yards, setting up the second rushing touchdown. The Steelers' offensive line, questioned in the off-season due to some major departures, held up reasonably well, and Roethlisberger had time in the pocket. The first four Steelers' touchdown drives either had a short field following a turnover or were run-oriented so there were few passing yards available for Roethlisberger. His efficiency and accuracy were outstanding, completing 13 or 14 attempts. A blow to his right knee in the first half hobbled him going into the locker room and he did not throw often in the second half, so owners will need to keep a close eye on that issue. Ward was clearly his prime target all game. He did not play in the fourth quarter as he was relieve by Byron Leftwich.

RB Willie Parker, Rush: 25 - 138 - 3 - Willie Parker carried a major workload in this game toting the rock 29 times in less than three quarters of work. Questions about him sharing carries with rookie RB Rashard Mendenhall seem to have been answered. Parker showed the burst familiar to Steelers fans in previous years and was able to get to the outside, notably on the first and third touchdown runs, both to the left side on sweeps. His long run of the game was a 32 yard gallop setting up the last score. He showed good patience in the first half taking the three and four yard gains up the middle. The Steelers open up more and larger holes in the second half and his average improved on gains of 12, nine and eight yards on the opening drive. Parker accounted for 36 yards resulting in a four yard toss play. With one exception, a ten yard catch by FB Kerry Davis, no Steelers running back was involved in the passing game.

RB Rashard Mendenhall, Rush: 10 - 28 - 0 - Mendenhall only got one carry in the first half, a six yard gain supplemented by a facemask penalty. He spelled Parker after a long run and gained six and nine yards in a third quarter drive. As the Steelers starters gave way to back-ups, Mendenhall was given his other six carries in the fourth quarter to help run out the clock. The Texans keying on the running game late, limited him to mostly short gains at that point. The rookie running back was limited by fumbles during pre-season, but showed good ball security during the game.

WR Hines Ward, Rec: 6 - 76 - 2 (6 targets) - Hines Ward had a very good game and a 76 yard reception called back on a very questionable offensive pass interference call prevented him from having a spectacular game. Houston was not able stay with Ward all day. He caught a short pass on the second drive for six yards in the red zone setting up the first rushing score. His next target on the last play of the first quarter was a nice run after the catch and netted 29 yards. Following QB Matt Schaub's interception, Ward was again a red zone target as Roethlisberger hit him for a 13 yard TD on a seam route. A ten yard reception was right before the end of the first half. In the second half and the score already out of hand, Ward caught his second TD, again targeted in the red zone. Ward looked very healthy and fit early in the season. The passing game should be more diverse as the year goes on so owners should not expect the passing game to focus totally on Ward each week.

WR Santonio Holmes, Rec: 2 - 19 - 0 (4 targets) - Holmes caught his first target at the start of the game extending a drive with a nine yard catch resulting in a first down. His second target was Roethlisberger's only incomplete pass of the game. His second catch was a ten yarder in the second quarter on an out route that he fumbled out of bounds trying to go up the sideline. His fourth target was late in the game when QB Byron Leftwich took over for Roethlisberger.

TE Heath Miller, Rec: 3 - 26 - 0 (3 targets) - Miller was active in the first quarter where he helped extend two drives with first down catches. As the game went on he was not targeted after the early second quarter.

TE Matt Spaeth, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - Spaeth caught his only target in the third quarter for a six yard gain.

PK Jeff Reed 1 - 1 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 8 points - Reed hit a 44 yard field goal and connected on all five extra points. He had no other opportunities.

PIT Rush Defense - The Steelers held the Texans' rushers to under four yards a carry, with a notable stop on fourth down on the opening drive. SS Troy Polamalu was active early as a run stopper. The one-sided score made Houston throw significantly on first down (75% of the time), so running plays were limited.

PIT Pass Defense - The Pittsburgh pass rush was in full force recording five sacks and other QB pressures. Outside LB's Lamar Woodley and James Harrison combined for four of them. The unique zone blitz scheme of Pittsburgh is formidable if teams are forced to throw frequently, as was the case today. Also the effectiveness of the Steelers' running game kept the defenders fresh and produced no meaningful injuries.

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New York Jets 20, Miami Dolphins 14

What you need to know

New York Jets - The New York Jets kicked off their season in the Miami heat, as they took on their division rival Dolphins. Armed with their new quarterback, Brett Favre, the Jets managed to get out to an early lead and hang on late for a 20-14 victory.

The new look Jets offense got out of the gate early as Brett Favre connected with Jerricho Cotchery for a 56 yard touchdown pass early in the first quarter. It was Favre's first TD pass as a Jet and set the tone for the rest of the contest, as New York did a terrific job of mixing up the run and passing plays. Jets running back Thomas Jones cracked the 100 yard barrier as he rushed 22 times for 101 yards and a score, his first of the season.

It was the young secondary of New York who had to make the plays as Miami took to the air for 43 plays in total. The Jets were able to counter the aerial assault with consistent pressure and great secondary play, most notably Darrelle Revis' fourth quarter interception that stalled a Miami drive and gave the Jets their first win of the 2008 season.

Miami Dolphins - The Miami Dolphins opened up the Tony Sparano era and struggled to find a consistent offensive rhythm. Former Jet signal caller Chad Pennington lined up under center for the Dolphins and had every opportunity to make a play as they were forced to boast a run pass ratio of four to one. This did not bode well as Pennington completed only 26 of 43 passes in a 20-14 defeat at the hands of his old team.

The ground tandem of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown did not get off to a good start as they were only able to amass 47 yards by land on 16 combined attempts. There seemed to be no running room for either workhorse as the Dolphins faced constant passing situations and failed to open up holes on the interior line.

The Dolphins defense had a rough day as they allowed 297 total yards of offense and two big play passing touchdowns. Cotchery's 56 yard score was paired with a nifty scramble and heave by Favre that got behind the Dolphins secondary and found Chansi Stuckey for an important 22 yard score.

What you ought to know

QB Brett Favre, Pass: 15 - 22 - 194 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - 2 - 0 - Favre made his New York debut in style as he completed 68 percent of his passes for 197 yards and two scores. He hit Jerricho Cotchery in stride for his first touchdown pass of the day early in the first quarter, then proceeded to show some of his creativity as he scrambled out of the pocket and heaved up a prayer which Chansi Stuckey was able to haul in for Favre's' second score of the game.

RB Thomas Jones, Rush: 22 - 101 - 1, Rec: 3 - 2 - 0 (3 targets) - Jones got off to a great start as he carried 22 times for 101 yards and added two catches. He moved well behind the Jets offensive line and hit the hole with authority and decisiveness. He was also able to punch in his first touchdown of the season as he took a third quarter handoff six yards to pay dirt, which ultimately iced the game.

RB Leon Washington, Rush: 6 - 9 - 0, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (2 targets) - Washington contributed 26 total yards of offense as he was able to bring two receptions.

WR Jerricho Cotchery, Rec: 3 - 80 - 1 (6 targets) - Cotchery was the most targeted Jets' player on the day as he brought in three of six targets for 80 yards and a score. His first touchdown of 2008 came on a 56 yard strike from Favre and required Cotchery to fend off a tackler as he made his way to the end zone. He looked on the same page as Favre and is running with power after the catch.

WR Chansi Stuckey, Rec: 2 - 37 - 1 (3 targets) - Stuckey hauled in two of his three targets for 37 yards and a touchdown. The second quarter touchdown came on a play where Brett Favre eluded a sack and quickly stepped up and threw the ball up for grabs. It found Stuckey who was camped on the goal line and was able to pull it in for the 22 yard score.

WR Laveranues Coles, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (5 targets) - Coles was targeted five times in total, however was only able to come away with one reception for five yards.

TE Chris Baker, Rec: 2 - 34 - 0 (2 targets) - Baker saw only two targets on the day bringing both of them in for 34 total yards.

TE Bubba Franks, Rec: 2 - 19 - 0 (2 targets) - Franks saw only two targets, catching both of them for 19 yards.

PK Mike Nugent 0 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Nugent missed an early field goal and added two extra points. The missed field goal caused some concern as the Jets decided to go for two points after scoring their second touchdown of the game.

NYJ Rush Defense - The Jets rush defense was stout all day long. Only facing under 20 rushing attempts, New York held the Miami duo in check allowing only 49 total yards by land.

NYJ Pass Defense - The Jets pass defense was very solid on the day pressuring Chad Pennington constantly and forcing a game ending interception as time ran down. Darrelle Revis picked up where he left off last year as he shut down anything he covered and recorded his first interception of the season. The interior line was able to bring pressure on Pennington, hurrying him most of the day and coming away with four total sacks.

QB Chad Pennington, Pass: 26 - 43 - 251 - 2 TD / 1 INT - Pennington opened the season against his old team, the New York Jets, and was yards away from leading his Dolphins to a fourth quarter comeback when his final pass was intercepted in the end zone. This was not the story book beginning that Pennington would have wanted but he did play well and moved the ball effectively through the air. He finished completing 26 of his 43 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns, both of them going to his two tight ends. He managed an efficient game and ultimately had to lead the way as the Dolphins running game could not get on track.

RB Ricky Williams, Rush: 10 - 24 - 0, Rec: 4 - 15 - 0 (6 targets) - Williams returned to starter status in this game, playing the first two series and part of the third before letting way to Ronnie Brown. Neither back showed much of anything as they combined for only 16 rushing attempts. Williams got ten carries, however was only able to gain 24 yards, as he consistently got past the defensive line but was brought down by oncoming linebackers. He added four catches for 15 yards out of the backfield as well.

RB Ronnie Brown, Rush: 6 - 23 - 0, Rec: 3 - 28 - 0 (3 targets) - Brown returned from a season ending knee injury in 2007 and looked very agile, and quick. He did not start but rushed six times for 23 yards and added three receptions for 28 yards.

RB Patrick Cobbs, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (3 targets) - Cobbs saw no action on the ground; however he was targeted three times, hauling in one ball for nine yards.

WR Greg Camarillo, Rec: 3 - 37 - 0 (6 targets) - A relative newcomer to the offense, Camarillo saw six targets on the day bringing in three of them for 37 total yards. He was open mostly on sideline routes as well as on underneath routes and Pennington consistently looked to him if there was coverage downfield.

WR Ted Ginn, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (7 targets) - Ginn was the most targeted seven times by quarterback Chad Pennington, however was only able to bring in two receptions for 17 yards. He was just never on the same page as Pennington and second year corner Darrelle Revis played press coverage most of the game, not allowing Ginn to get separation. On the last play of the game, it was Pennington who looked to Ginn for the winning score however, Revis made a beautiful one handed interception to seal the deal.

TE Anthony Fasano, Rec: 8 - 84 - 1 (9 targets) - Fasano saw a team high nine targets as he posted career best numbers. He grabbed eight balls for 84 yards and scores the first Dolphins touchdown of the game. Fasano, a Notre Dame graduate who was traded from Dallas, benefitted from the tight secondary coverage as he was consistently open underneath and on sideline patterns. Both his 8 catches and 84 yards were career highs for the young tight end.

TE David Martin, Rec: 4 - 53 - 1 (6 targets) - The tight end duo of David Martin and Anthony Fasano were the bright spots for the Dolphins passing game as Martin was able to grab four of his six targets for 53 yards and a score. Miami showed many two tight end sets and Martin was able to find space throughout the contest. His touchdown grab came in the fourth quarter as Pennington hit him in stride for an 11 yard score.

PK Dan Carpenter 0 - 0 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Carpenter converted both of his PAT attempts.

MIA Rush Defense - The rush defense of Miami allowed over 100 yards on the ground as Thomas Jones had a day, also posting a score. This unit was on the field for large amounts of time as New York set their pace on offense, not giving Miami any plays off. The front four could not bottle up Jones or Leon Washington and was overmatched most of the day.

MIA Pass Defense - The Miami pass defense was porous at times and allowed two scores on the day. They intercepted no Favre passes and left many Jet receivers wide open. The Dolphins interior pass rush was successful moving Favre out of the pocket and applying pressure, however their corners could just not make any big plays.

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Minnesota Vikings 19, Green Bay Packers 24

What you need to know

Minnesota Vikings - QB Tarvaris Jackson moved well in the pocket and during scrambles, showing no ill effects from his preseason knee injury. He demonstrated a strong arm and a good pocket presence but had trouble hitting his receivers on deep routes.

The Vikings defense was a bit sloppy in the red zone in the first half. On three consecutive stops on goal to go the team was called for penalties and eventually the Packers were able to punch it in.

RB Adrian Peterson performed solidly as expected. He bowled over defenders, broke tackles, and bounced outside when necessary. WR Bernard Berrian and WR Sidney Rice were generally quiet in the loss, but mostly due to non-existent passing game in the first half. Berrian was a key part on two big close plays including a near touchdown where he could not get both feet in bounds after catching a deflected pass.

Minnesota dominated time of possession in the second half but failed to put up enough points to win the game. Jackson's interception at the end of the game appeared to be a miscommunication as the intended receiver was still running deep.

Green Bay Packers - QB Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers got off to a shaky start in the opening quarter in their first game without Brett Favre at the helm since 1992. The offense amassed five penalties in the first quarter which forced the team into a first and 32 on their second possession. Rodgers settled down and played well.

At the end of the first half, the Packers elected to kick a field goal on third and ten from the 15 yard line with just under 30 seconds to go in the quarter instead of trying to score another touchdown despite having one timeout left. The subsequent field goal kick was blocked.

In the second quarter, RB Ryan Grant failed to score on four carries within the five yard line. The next time the Packers had the ball at the goal line only RB Brandon Jackson and QB Aaron Rodgers received attempts. The Packers also stuck with RB Brandon Jackson when they received the ball with only three minutes left in the game, but the team failed to gain a first down and gave the ball back to Minnesota for a chance to win. However, Grant had a nice game considering the top notch run defense he was up against.

Overall, however, Rodgers and the Packers played well on both sides of the ball, as well as on special teams. KR Will Blackmon scored a touchdown on an electrifying punt return.

What you ought to know

QB Tarvaris Jackson, Pass: 16 - 35 - 178 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 9 - 65 - 0 - Jackson did not appear to be suffering any lingering effects from his preseason knee injury. He proved to be elusive in the backfield and ran for a number of first downs. He also hung in the pocket when necessary to make the throw and exhibited a few quality juke moves when avoiding defenders.

Jackson demonstrated his arm strength on a some deep throws but had trouble hitting his receivers down field. At the end of the first half, Jackson was only two of seven for 16 yards but the team put more emphasis on the passing game in the second half with some success.

He overthrew an open WR Sidney Rice in the back of the end zone on the team's two-point conversion attempt. His interception to end the game looked very bad, as the wide receiver was still running a deep route and had not turned around when the ball landed in DB Atari Bigby's hands.

RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 19 - 103 - 1, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (2 targets) - Peterson picked up right where he left off last season. He ran hard, spun around defenders, broke tackles, and ran right over the opposition. On one early play, he knocked DB Al Harris to the ground on his way to a first down. Peterson again exhibited the ability to bounce outside if no holes opened in the line. On the team's final drive, Peterson lined up as a wide receiver.

RB Chester Taylor, Rush: 5 - 19 - 0, Rec: 3 - 21 - 0 (3 targets) - Taylor continued his role from last season by spelling RB Adrian Peterson. Taylor ran well and will continue to be a useful change of pace back for the Vikings. He also returned kickoffs and caught some passes coming out of the backfield.

WR Bernard Berrian, Rec: 3 - 38 - 0 (7 targets) - Berrian's first target was a deep bomb from QB Tarvaris Jackson down the sideline which bounced off of Berrian's fingertips mid-dive. However, defensive pass interference was called on the play. In the third quarter, Berrian caught a laser pass from Jackson and had an open path to the end zone but veteran DB Charles Woodson made a nice open field tackle from behind to prevent the score. He also made an acrobatic catch in the back of the end zone on a tipped ball but was just barely unable to get his second foot in bounds.

WR Sidney Rice, Rec: 2 - 31 - 1 (4 targets) - Rice was wide open on his touchdown catch on a fourth and one situation early in the fourth quarter. He trotted into the end zone. QB Tarvaris Jackson overthrew Rice in the back of the end zone on the subsequent two point conversion.

TE Garrett Mills, Rec: 3 - 49 - 0 (4 targets) - Mills looked like a comfortable target for QB Tarvaris Jackson as he pulled in the most yardage of any Vikings player through the air.

TE Visanthe Shiancoe, Rec: 3 - 21 - 0 (7 targets) - Shiancoe tipped a ball in the end zone that was nearly reeled in by WR Bernard Berrian but if he had not touched it then Berrian would have had a better chance to catch the ball. Shiancoe shared targets out of the tight end spot with TE Garrett Mills.

PK Ryan Longwell 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Longwell connected on all of his field goal and extra point attempts. The Vikings attempted one two-point conversion.

MIN Rush Defense - Except for the one large gain by RB Ryan Grant, the Vikings did a good job against the run, as expected. After RB Brandon Jackson fumbled the ball DB Darren Sharper tried to pick up the ball instead of jumping on it which allowed the Packers WR Greg Jennings to recover.

MIN Pass Defense - Packers QB Aaron Rodgers had success throwing against the Vikings defense. There were no interception threats and Rodgers was given a good amount of time to make decisions in the pocket. DB Cedric Griffin was hurt on a kickoff early in the game and was replaced by DB Charles Gordon.

QB Aaron Rodgers, Pass: 18 - 22 - 178 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 8 - 35 - 1 - Rodgers played well in his first NFL start by making few mistakes and completing a high percentage of his passes. He fumbled a snap early in first quarter but fell on it to maintain possession. On the team's third possession Rodgers hit Greg Jennings on a deep 66 yard pass -- taking advantage of CB Charles Gordon who was playing in place of recently-injured CB Cedric Griffin. A few plays later, on third and goal from the one yard line, Rodgers moved to avoid a hit and then threw a laser to a diving FB Korey Hall for a touchdown.

He also moved well in the backfield, avoiding sacks and running for first downs when able throughout the game. He looked poised and composed, showing very little evidence that this game was his first NFL start.

RB Ryan Grant, Rush: 12 - 92 - 0 - Grant failed to get the ball in the end zone despite having four carries within five yards of the goal line in the second quarter. The next time the Packers were at the goal line, he did not receive a carry. Grant made an important long run in the fourth quarter, hitting a big hole through the right side and then making a beautiful juke move at the ten yard line before being taken down at the two for a 57 yard run.

RB Brandon Jackson, Rush: 7 - 12 - 0, Rec: 3 - 18 - 0 (3 targets) - Jackson fumbled on his first touch of the game after breaking through the line of scrimmage and jumping over a downed referee. Jackson was the most frequent target out of the back field for QB Aaron Rodgers. Jackson received one goal line opportunity in the fourth quarter but was not successful. Jackson also received three consecutive carries late in the fourth quarter as the Packers were trying to kill the clock but the team failed to gain a first down due in part to an untimely penalty.

WR Greg Jennings, Rec: 5 - 91 - 0 (6 targets) - Jennings was a big factor in the win for the Packers. He was a common target for QB Aaron Rodgers and pulled in a key 66 yard catch in the first half.

WR Donald Driver, Rec: 4 - 38 - 0 (5 targets) - Driver caught quick slant in the third quarter for the Packers and took it to the house for a 67 yard touchdown outrunning DB Antoine Winfield but the play was called back due to OL Tony Moll being called for being an ineligible receiver.

TE Donald Lee, Rec: 3 - 10 - 0 (3 targets) - Lee was the target for QB Aaron Rodgers on his first two throws as a starter -- both were caught for short gains. In the second quarter, on second and goal, Rodgers overthrew Lee who was wide open in the end zone. However, that play had been whistled dead due to a penalty.

PK Mason Crosby 1 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Crosby had a field goal attempt blocked at the end of the first half. The kick was low but the Packers have a new long snapper and holder duo who have been together less than a week.

GB Rush Defense - The Green Bay defense did their best against RB Adrian Peterson but like most defenses they were no match for the second year running back.

GB Pass Defense - The Packers were able to get to QB Tarvaris Jackson frequently but Jackson was often elusive or able to get the ball out of his hands before the sack. As the Vikings attempted to mount a comeback late in the game -- the Packers blitzed and put pressure on Jackson seemingly every down.

DB Atari Bigby tried to return his interception late in the fourth quarter despite the fact that simply falling to the ground would have ended the game.

DB Nick Collins was hurt late in the third quarter and crawled off the field.

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Seattle Seahawks 10, Buffalo Bills 34

What you need to know

Seattle Seahawks - For the Seattle Seahawks offense, there's nowhere to go but up. That's the good news. In the bad news department: No one on this offense had a day worthy of a fantasy start, and the player who came the closest (Nate Burleson) sprained his knee in the third quarter and could miss some time. Running back Maurice Morris also hurt his knee, but no word on the seriousness of the injury.

QB Matt Hasselbeck seemed to get better as the game went on, but that's not saying much. The passing game as a whole suffered for a couple of reasons. The main reason is all of the injuries at the WR position (Engram, Branch, and now Burleson). The other was that the weather did not help. From the opening kickoff, the game was played in rain, with heavy wind. That didn't stop the Seahawks from going to the air however, as their first three plays were passing attempts (all three of which were incomplete).

The Seahawks had already been hit hard by injuries at the WR position, that they didn't need a running back to go down also. Maurice Morris was receiving the lion's share of carries -- and had just broken two longish runs (13 and 17 yards) when he went down. Julius Jones got carries in his absence, and looked ho-hum, but not particularly bad. The Seahawks targeted him more as a receiver than they had with Morris.

Buffalo Bills - The Buffalo Bills look to be essentially the Marshawn Lynch show in 2008. He is clearly the focus of the offense, but the Bills showed that they are not a one dimensional team by any stretch.

Young starting QB Trent Edwards was quietly efficient and handled the offense well throughout the game. He made a couple of nice passes that were difference makers, and more importantly, avoided any costly mistakes against a pretty good secondary. Lynch at RB lived up to the hype; though he didn't put up huge numbers, he battled on every play, and busted a couple of longer runs at crucial moments. WR Lee Evans looked to have a pretty good rapport with QB Trent Edwards. It appears to be a work in progress, but Edwards showed that he is not afraid to target Evans in traffic.

What really won the game for the Bills was their special teams play. Roscoe Parrish returned a punt for a score, and a fake field goal resulted in a touchdown. On defense, they blanketed the inexperienced Seahawk receiver corps, and held the running game in check with apparent ease.

What you ought to know

QB Matt Hasselbeck, Pass: 17 - 41 - 190 - 1 TD / 1 INT - Hasselbeck looked rusty to start, but came out throwing right from the start. Unfortunately, he had very little to work with as two of the Seahawks top receiving options are injured. He made the best of it, and did not throw a pick until the final play of the game, when it no longer mattered if he took the risk of throwing into heavy coverage. Most often, two things happened on passing plays: Either he overthrew the pass (because the target was covered) or the open receiver dropped the ball. The Buffalo pass rush was tough as well, and he didn't often have much time to throw. His completion percentage was awful, but when he does get his WR options back, he should be productive. There was talk of a nagging back injury leading up to the game, but he did not seem to be affected by it.

RB Julius Jones, Rush: 13 - 45 - 0, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (5 targets) - Jones was clearly the number two option in the running game, behind starter Maurice Morris. He did not even carry the ball until the second quarter. Once Morris got hurt early in the second half, Jones took over almost exclusively. He had runs of 14 and 24 yards, but also had four carries for negative yards. The main difference with Jones on the field is that the Seahawks included him in the passing game, which was not the case with Morris.

RB Maurice Morris, Rush: 6 - 31 - 0 - Morris was not targeted at all in the passing game, but was clearly the preferred back for the Seahawks. The running game did almost nothing in the first half, but he started the second half strong, with runs of 17 and 13 yards before injuring his knee. There was no immediate word as to how serious the injury was.

RB Leonard Weaver, Rush: 2 - 9 - 0, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (2 targets) - Weaver is not someone the Seahawks count on to carry the ball for them, but he is a little bigger than Morris and Jones, so he is sort of a reverse change of pace back for them. He carried the ball twice, for four and five yards respectively, and caught both passes thrown his way.

WR Nate Burleson, Rec: 5 - 60 - 1 (9 targets) - Burleson suffered a knee injury in the third quarter and did not return. He was the lone bright spot in an extremely weak looking group of wide receivers prior to the injury. The only real knock on him is his inconsistency. On this day Hasselbeck found Burleson wide open near the goal line, only to have him drop the ball. However on the very next play he redeemed himself by making a highlight reel catch for the touchdown.

WR Logan Payne, Rec: 2 - 25 - 0 (3 targets) - Payne's numbers don't look too exciting, but between Kent, Taylor, and himself, he was the one who actually made the catch when he was targeted. He did fumble one after the catch, but it was a very hard hit, helmet right at his hands (which were protecting the ball) that not many would have been able to hold. The lack of targets shows where he is on the depth chart, but if the two ahead of him don't improve, he may see more balls thrown his way.

WR Courtney Taylor, Rec: 2 - 19 - 0 (10 targets) - Taylor was just plain bad. He couldn't get open all day, he dropped passes, he simply did not look like he belonged. Hasselbeck targeted him early and often, mainly due to the lack of options. Of note is the fact that Hasselbeck threw to him often at the start of the game. He was clearly a big part of the game plan, but it didn't work out that well.

WR Jordan Kent (5 targets) - Kent did little to distinguish himself from the trio of young receivers vying for playing time. He had his chances -- Hasselbeck threw to him four times in a row at the goal line, near the end of the game. He was not targeted until the second half, as Courtney Taylor started the game as the second wideout. His playing time increased after the Burleson injury.

TE John Carlson, Rec: 4 - 52 - 0 (4 targets) - In what could be called a tale of two tight ends, the rookie TE looked great in limited action. Once Holmgren and Hasselbeck noticed that Putzier had hands of stone, they began to look in Carlson's direction. He had one red zone look (stopped at the one) and a nice 20 yard grab down the middle and in traffic.

TE Jeb Putzier (4 targets) - Jeb Putzier has bad hands. Say that five times, quickly.

PK Olindo Mare 1 - 1 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Kicking in heavy rain and high wind, Mare made his only field goal attempt, a long 45 yarder.

SEA Rush Defense - The Seahawks had a little trouble containing Lynch, but overall they came prepared and held the Bills to a reasonable yardage total.

SEA Pass Defense - Their coverage was good for the most part. The entire secondary looked good and made sure that QB Trent Edwards really had to pick his spots.

QB Trent Edwards, Pass: 19 - 30 - 215 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 - Edwards looked to be in control of his offense. He made a couple of big plays happen when he had to, by risking the interception and throwing into tough coverage, but for the most part he was simply efficient and made no mistakes, allowing the Marshawn Lynch train to rumble and (on this day at least) the Bills special teams to take over the game.

RB Marshawn Lynch, Rush: 18 - 76 - 1, Rec: 3 - 18 - 0 (5 targets) - Lynch looked like he was just warming up for the rest of the season. Playing in a hard rain seemed to slow him down some, but not as much as the defenders he was running against. In the early going, neither team could get anything going, but eventually he got loose in the second quarter and scored a 21 yard touchdown. It looked as though the Bills wanted to get him more involved in the passing game, but Edwards missed him one short throw that would have gone for a lot of yards, and he dropped another that would have been a sure first down.

RB Fred Jackson, Rush: 10 - 31 - 0 - Jackson came into the game in the first half, presumably to give Lynch a breather. In the second, he took over the rushing duties once the game was in hand. He did nothing spectacularly, but ran for at least three yards on all but one carry.

WR Lee Evans, Rec: 4 - 102 - 0 (9 targets) - Lee Evans was the primary deep threat for the Bills, and it was evident that he and his QB had a good rapport throughout the game. The weather may have made the ball harder to catch, but on each of Evans receptions, you wouldn't have known it. He made them with ease, when they clearly weren't easy. He was targeted once in the red zone, and all four of his catches were for first downs.

WR Roscoe Parrish, Rec: 3 - 6 - 0 (5 targets) - Parrish did not do any real damage as a wide receiver, but he did return a punt for a touchdown. He tends to be targeted on short routes in the hope that he can use his athleticism to pick up yards after the catch.

WR Josh Reed, Rec: 3 - 37 - 0 (4 targets) - Reed put in a workman-like day, catching the ball when they counted on him, but mostly stayed out of the spotlight. He was a reliable possession option for Edwards.

TE Robert Royal, Rec: 6 - 52 - 1 (7 targets) - Royal did not appear to be a big part of the game plan so much as a dump off option, which accounts for most of his receiving totals (all but one were for seven yards or less). The one longer one, however, was a dandy little catch at the goal line. On all of his catches, he showed good hands. The Bills appeared to look to him more often as the game progressed.

PK Rian Lindell 2 - 3 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 10 points - Lindell went two for three on field goal attempts and made four of four PAT attempts, all in pretty harsh weather.

BUF Rush Defense - The Bills contained the running game easily. The Seahawks opened the second half with a couple of big runs, but after that it was business as usual.

BUF Pass Defense - The pass rush was relentless and was in large part responsible for Hasselbeck's rough outing. They sacked him five times, and hurried him on a number of occasions. The only INT of the game came on Seattle's final play, but the secondary basically blanketed the offense all day. On an IDP note, Terrence McGee seemed to be everywhere that the ball was thrown to.

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Carolina Panthers 26, San Diego Chargers 24

What you need to know

Carolina Panthers - The Carolina offense is going to be extremely formidable once they get their playmaker, WR Steve Smith, back in uniform. Carolina showed an ability to move the football both on the ground and through the air against a very tough defense, and they appear to be a force.

DeAngelo Williams saw 18 of the team's 29 rushes, with rookie Jonathan Stewart getting ten. The prospects for both players took a bit of a scare when rookie OT Jeff Otah was slow to get up and diagnosed with a knee sprain, but he later returned to action.

TE Dante Rosario had a coming out party, hauling in a game high seven receptions for 96 yards to go along with the game winning touchdown as time expired. It's very clear that he is the pass catching tight end while Jeff King will be relegated to blocking duties.

QB Jake Delhomme appears to be all the way back from Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow. Delhomme engineered a game winning drive with just over two minutes remaining on the road, which was impressive. It culminated with a dramatic touchdown pass to TE Dante Rosario as time expired.

San Diego Chargers - QB Philip Rivers appears to be completely recovered from last season's knee injury, and moved around better than ever in the pocket. He appears poised for a big season with a lot of weapons.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson quietly put up 112 yards of total offense, but never really got into a good rhythm with the offense. His big gain went for 14 yards. Perhaps more importantly, he revealed after the game that he had suffered "turf toe" (his diagnosis, mind you) late in the contest. He quickly added that it was nothing to 'freak out' about, and HC Norv Turner didn't even mention Tomlinson in his postgame injury report.

TE Antonio Gates led the team in receiving and hauled in a touchdown, though he was in and out of the game for most of the afternoon, now adding a bruised hip to his injury ledger.

What you ought to know

QB Jake Delhomme, Pass: 23 - 41 - 247 - 1 TD / 0 INT - Delhomme's statistics look nice, though they were very pedestrian until the final drive. Delhomme was eight of 11 for 68 yards and a score on that possession, which means he was just 15-30 for 179 yards and no touchdowns prior to that. Still, fantasy owners probably won't mind how the numbers were compiled as long as they were in fact compiled. As he did in preseason, his throws looked crisp and he showed no ill effects from major elbow surgery last year. He didn't appear rusty, didn't lock in on one receiver all game long, and most importantly he didn't turn the ball over. It helped that he was given loads of time by his offensive line all afternoon. Early in the contest, he nearly connected with WR Muhsin Muhammad for a touchdown but the receiver was tackled at the one yard line. On the ensuing fourth down pass play, Delhomme ran a play-action fake to the running back and found FB Brad Hoover wide open in the end zone. Hoover couldn't hold on to the football, however, and the Panthers turned the ball over on downs.

RB DeAngelo Williams, Rush: 18 - 86 - 0, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets) - Williams started the game and got the great majority of the carries in the expected running back committee with Jonathan Stewart (Williams had 18 carries to Stewart's ten). Williams looked outstanding all game long, slashing by defenders, finding the edge to turn the ball upfield, and finding creases on the interior of the defense where there appeared to be none. With 48 first quarter yards, he really helped establish the way the rest of the game was going to be played at the line of scrimmage. He also showed a willingness to take on tacklers and tried running over them when he was eventually hit. He consistently gained positive yardage, and looks to be the Carolina back to start in the early portion of the season. His carries decreased in the second half, though it should be noted that the Panthers ran less in general after halftime.

RB Jonathan Stewart, Rush: 10 - 53 - 0 - Stewart's first career carry was a seven yard gain up the middle on a third and one situation to open the second quarter. He only saw ten carries to DeAngelo Williams' 17, but Stewart made the most of them by picking up 53 yards on the afternoon. He combined with Williams to form a terrific one two punch, and appears to be a load to bring down. It's tough to say if Stewart will have any sort of goal line role with the team. The only time the Panthers were at the goal line, they opted to throw the football on fourth down, so that doesn't answer any questions about the role of each player. Stewart wasn't a factor in the passing game at all.

WR Muhsin Muhammad, Rec: 6 - 56 - 0 (15 targets) - In the early part of this game, it appeared that Muhammad was going to be Delhomme's clear cut go to guy for the entire afternoon. Many fantasy owners recall several years ago when Steve Smith was out of action with the Panthers and Muhammad stepped in to put up career-best statistics. He actually finished the year as the number one ranked fantasy wide receiver that year, and his involvement in the first half of this game suggested he'd pick up where he left off. He was thrown to ten times in the first half, but caught only four of those passes. One of them resulted in a five yard reception right at the goal line, but he was unable to push it across for the score. In the second half, the looks dwindled to just five and he caught only two.

WR D.J. Hackett, Rec: 5 - 48 - 0 (10 targets) - Hackett was the second most targeted player on Carolina after Muhsin Muhammad, but most of his receptions were quite short. He had 48 yards receiving for the game, with 37 of those yards coming on his first catch of the game on a quick slant. His other four grabs went for a total of just nine yards, which shows how involved he was down the field (not very). In fact, his most noteworthy play after the slant was when he caught a huge third down conversion from Delhomme late in the fourth quarter and promptly fumbled the football away. The Chargers recovered, drove downfield, and put up what was at the time the go ahead touchdown.

WR Dwayne Jarrett, Rec: 2 - 36 - 0 (4 targets) - He wasn't a focal point of the offense by any means, but Dwayne Jarrett made a couple of plays in this game and contributed a key 25 yard reception on third down to extend a drive that eventually led to a field goal. Jarrett nearly scored a touchdown late in the first half, but DB Steve Gregory jarred the ball loose as Jarrett went up to get it. He didn't make a ton of plays or get a ton of chances, but he at least looked like he belonged on the field.

TE Dante Rosario, Rec: 7 - 96 - 1 (8 targets) - Rosario enjoyed quite the breakout performance in this game. He was very involved right from the outset, and topped it all off with the game winning touchdown as time expired. Some chuckled when FOX commentator Brian Baldinger referred to Rosario as "Carolina's version of Antonio Gates", but by the end of the game nobody was laughing. Rosario showed tremendous athleticism, even hurdling one defender en route to a 23 yard reception down the seam late in the first half. He displayed excellent hands on that same play, reaching behind him to snag the pass that was a bit behind him. Those excellent hands were on display once again on the team's final play of the game. Jake Delhomme fired a dart to the back of the end zone that somehow got between two San Diego defenders and found the hands of Rosario. Impressively, the young tight end was able to maintain his concentration despite hands flying all over the place in front of his face as he calmly hauled in the game winning score from 14 yards out.

PK John Kasay 4 - 4 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 14 points - Kasay was the entire Carolina offense for most of the afternoon, booting four field goals (44, 33, 30, 49) by the beginning of the fourth quarter. Each kick sailed through the uprights with ease, suggesting that the veteran Kasay should be a solid play once again in 2008.

CAR Rush Defense - Anytime you can hold arguably the league's best rushing attack to just 105 yards, you're clearly doing something right. At times, it seemed as if the San Diego run game would finally get going, but the Panthers did a great job of keeping contain on most plays. If on the odd chance LaDainian Tomlinson did happen to get to the second level of the defense, the sure-handed tacklers in the defensive backfield made certain that that's as far as he would get. Tomlinson had a bit more success after halftime as the Chargers consistently picked up yardage against the right side of the defensive line, but never so much that the Panthers were being blown off the line of scrimmage.

CAR Pass Defense - San Diego put up three scores through the air, and Philip Rivers was sacked only once -- and didn't turn the ball over. So obviously fantasy owners would like to see a bit more consistent production out of this unit going forward. There were a number of times when Carolina defenders appeared to have Rivers dead in the water only to watch him elude their grasp with some surprisingly nice footwork. The defense did, however, make a huge play on TE Antonio Gates. DB Chris Harris stripped the ball from Gates as he was being tackled, and Chris Gamble picked it up and took it the other way for a 31 yard score. The one big blunder of the afternoon came courtesy of Gamble and Charles Godfrey, who both lost track of Chris Chambers on what turned out to be a wide open 44 yard touchdown reception midway through the second quarter. Chambers didn't have another reception after that play, however, so the team recovered nicely.

QB Philip Rivers, Pass: 17 - 27 - 217 - 3 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 - Rivers looked as good as he ever has, quite a testament to him since he's not even eight months removed from suffering a major knee injury in last year's postseason. The most surprising part of his performance was his awareness of the pocket around him. He always managed to avoid would-be tacklers from all angles and displayed an elusiveness rarely seen from him -- even before the injury. His passes hit receivers in stride all game long, even with Rivers on the run. Nowhere was that more evident than on the Antonio Gates touchdown. Rivers rolled left, fired a perfect pass across his body between two defenders, and hit Gates in the hands along the sideline. Last year, accuracy was an issue with Rivers, as many passes sailed high or behind his intended target, which slowed down their ability to gain yardage after the catch. That wasn't an issue today, and he was by and large the key reason the Chargers were even able to get back into this game.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Rush: 21 - 97 - 0, Rec: 3 - 15 - 0 (4 targets) - Tomlinson had what was for him a very average afternoon. He picked up 112 yards from scrimmage, but failed to score. After the game, he mentioned that he had suffered a very minor toe injury on his last carry of the game. He called it "turf toe", though he'll have it checked out later this week for an official diagnosis. It wasn't bad enough for Norv Turner to mention it in the postgame injury wrap, but it was painful enough for Tomlinson to take himself out of the game with San Diego at the six yard line after he was tackled. Prior to coming out, Tomlinson appeared ready to get into a groove running the ball. After being bottled up for much of the first half, he found some more room after halftime and was exploiting the right side of Carolina's defense. Still, Carolina's offense had so much success moving the ball that the Chargers weren't able to get a lead and pound out the clock like they normally do.

RB Mike Tolbert, Rush: 3 - 6 - 0, Rec: 3 - 35 - 0 (3 targets) - FB Mike Tolbert saw one short yardage carry (which he failed to convert) and was thrown to three times out of the backfield. He caught all three passes thrown his way, including one midway through the second quarter on which he displayed some nice moves after the catch.

RB Darren Sproles, Rush: 2 - 3 - 0 - Sproles' role in this game confirms what everyone has suspected for the last few weeks, and that's that he is the clear cut backup running back to LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson didn't leave the game for very long stretches at all, but Sproles saw two carries out of the backfield, neither of which gained any significant yardage.

RB Jacob Hester - The rookie from LSU, drafted with the intention of becoming LaDainian Tomlinson's backup, didn't see a single touch in the game. When Tomlinson went out of the game, it was Darren Sproles who saw action.

WR Vincent Jackson, Rec: 3 - 47 - 1 (5 targets) - After an invisible first half, Jackson came alive in the second. Much like he did towards the end of 2007, Jackson has perfected the art of doing the most with his opportunities. While he only saw four passes thrown his way in the second half, he converted them into three receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown. The score would have been the game-winner if Carolina hadn't marched down the field for the actual game winner roughly two and a half minutes later.

WR Chris Chambers, Rec: 1 - 44 - 1 (6 targets) - Chambers had a very odd game. He was blanketed for much of the afternoon, and the passes from Rivers were typically knocked away just at the last moment before Chambers could get to them. But he did sneak by the defense once, and he made it count with a 44 yard touchdown reception in the first half. It didn't seem like a spectacular move; it basically just looked like the defense lost track of him. Unfortunately, that was the only high point to his performance as he didn't catch a single pass after halftime.

TE Antonio Gates, Rec: 4 - 61 - 1 (6 targets) - Despite 61 yards receiving and a touchdown, Gates had a very uneven performance. On the one hand, no one is going to complain about 61 yards and a score from their starting tight end. On the other hand, it's got to be a concern that Gates was in and out of the lineup all game. He added a bruised hip to his already injured toe. It's also a bit worrisome that he saw just six of the 27 passes Philip Rivers threw in this game. As long as he does a lot with his passing targets, no one will mind. But typically, players aren't able to put up 12.1 fantasy points on a regular basis when they're seeing such little action.

TE Brandon Manumaleuna, Rec: 3 - 15 - 0 (3 targets) - With Antonio Gates somewhat limited and going in and out of the lineup at times, Manumaleuna saw a bit of an increase in his role. It isn't enough to make him relevant for fantasy leagues unless you are in a 30 team league that starts two tight ends, but it's still important for Gates owners to know the other tight ends that have a role within the offense.

PK Nate Kaeding 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Kaeding connected on his only field goal attempt of the game, a chip shot from 27 yards out.

SD Rush Defense - The Chargers probably won't be the last team to get gouged by the Panthers' one two punch of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, but it still doesn't help to sooth the pain of allowing 142 yards on the ground in the season opener. The Chargers, plagued by poor tackling all preseason, displayed more of the same in this game. Granted, LB Shawne Merriman and DT Jamaal Williams were obviously at less than 100% (both players left the game at various points due to injury), but they still allowed more than their fair share of yardage after contact. The rushing exploits of the Carolina running backs enabled them to establish the tempo early on and keep the San Diego offense off the field. That led to Carolina holding a 19-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter, a deficit that proved to be a bit too much for San Diego to overcome.

SD Pass Defense - While the run defense was the culprit in the early going, the pass defense was what really let the Chargers down late. There were numerous opportunities for the Chargers to take control of this game, but more often than not the Panthers were just able to make a play. The most glaring example of this came on the final play of the game. With just two seconds remaining on the clock, Jake Delhomme calmly pump faked several Chargers out of position before delivering a strike to TE Dante Rosario for the game winning score. Despite the play taking quite a long time to develop, there was very little pressure on Delhomme when he actually threw the ball, and defenders were very out of position in the defensive backfield. Eric Weddle and Matt Wilhelm both missed what would have been a game-saving tip on that pass by several inches, and the ball sailed between them and into the waiting hands of Rosario. The Chargers allowed Delhomme far too much time in the pocket all game long, and if Steve Smith was out there for Carolina the Chargers might have lost by 20. CB Antonio Cromartie didn't look like an all-pro, as he foolishly gambled several times while trying to make interceptions when a simple batted ball would have sufficed. All that being said, it wasn't ALL bad for the defense. Antoine Cason stripped the ball away from D.J. Hackett after a big third down reception, and LB Shaun Phillips quickly pounced on the loose ball. The Chargers were able to turn that turnover into a touchdown drive and a short-lived 24-19 lead.

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Kansas City Chiefs 10, New England Patriots 17

What you need to know

Kansas City Chiefs - QB Brodie Croyle got off to a solid start, looking like an improved player than the one we saw in 2007. He limited any chances for mistakes and looked to manage the game while the Chiefs attempted to shove Larry Johnson and Jamaal Charles down the Patriots defenses' throat. After a shoulder injury to Croyle, QB Damon Huard came in near the end of the third quarter and was a worthy replacement. Huard did more in less time while running the offense, finishing eight for twelve with 118 yards and a touchdown. He also threw a pick.

RB Larry Johnson had a decent day, failing to finish with any eye popping numbers, but showed he could keep running as hard as he could, rush after rush. Rookie RB Jamaal Charles was also prominently featured in the offense, and succeeded in his role of spelling Johnson for short time spans. The running game didn't get off to that good of a start, but the Chiefs stuck with it and it improved as the time ticked on.

WR Dwayne Bowe got off to a slow start, but managed to finish with a respectable 49 yards and TD on five receptions. He did however, have two drops during crucial points in the game. It was another day at the office for TE Tony Gonzalez as he reeled in six balls for 55 yards. WR Devard Darling didn't make any impact at all until the end of the game, when he caught a Huard pass in stride for 68 yards to set up a thrilling ending.

New England Patriots - In what will surely be the biggest storyline for the coming week, QB Tom Brady was taken out with a knee injury not halfway through the first quarter. He did not return to the field for the remainder of the game. QB Matt Cassel managed to be a completely different QB than the one we became acquainted with in the pre-season, proving he could be a serviceable fill-in and get the ball into the hands of the Patriots playmakers.

RBs Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris spelled each other often, finishing with nearly identical rushing stat lines (save for Morris' TD run). Morris also managed to contribute in the passing game as well, tacking on 34 yards and five receptions onto his Sunday total.

Top WR Randy Moss got involved early before Brady was injured, but stayed involved even after Cassel came in -- benefiting from a 51 yard strike from him on a third down pinned inside their two yard line. Moss would later on catch a TD pass from the replacement QB, finishing with 116 yards on six catches and one TD. WR Wes Welker also had six catches, but only managed to gain 51 yards.

What you ought to know

QB Brodie Croyle, Pass: 11 - 19 - 88 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Croyle got off to a pretty solid start compared to last year's performance, giving Chiefs fans reason to be hopeful. He completed eleven of nineteen of his passes (about 58%) for 88 yards in just over two quarters of work. Not top tier numbers by any means, but he did show improvement in the turnover and accuracy departments. He was sacked early in the third by Adalius Thomas and stayed down, clutching his shoulder in pain. After a few practice throws on the sideline, he was seen shaking his head in regards to the injury. All in all, he did not return.

QB Damon Huard, Pass: 8 - 12 - 118 - 1 TD / 1 INT - Huard was a decent fill-in for Croyle, going eight for twelve with 118 yards, one TD and one interception. Interception aside, the Chiefs offense appeared to have a bit more zip and jump in their step and nearly sent the game into overtime with Huard under center. If Croyle's injury proves to be minor, it appears that there is yet again another QB controversy in Kansas City.

RB Larry Johnson, Rush: 22 - 74 - 0, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (1 targets) - Johnson's 2008 debut could be described, in a word, as relentless. Despite the majority of his carries going for three yards or less, Johnson kept it coming like a freight train. He finished the day with 78 yards on 22 attempts, a good chunk of which came on a 22 yard scamper near the end of the third quarter. Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to prove his wares in the goal line game, with the Chiefs only visit to the red zone ending on the 13 yard line after a TD hookup between Damon Huard and Dwayne Bowe.

RB Jamaal Charles, Rush: 5 - 28 - 0, Rec: 2 - 6 - 0 (3 targets) - The biggest conversation topics in regards to Charles this past off-season were about his fumbling problems. However, the Chiefs have reportedly created a package of plays built entirely around the speedster tailback out of Texas. His role in the teams Week One game was larger than expected and he was used in both the running and passing game. He averaged more than five yards per carry on the ground, tallying up 28 yards on five carries. In addition, he caught two balls for six yards.

WR Dwayne Bowe, Rec: 5 - 49 - 1 (13 targets) - Bowe wasn't a factor early but was slowly mixed into the offensive game plan as time went on. At least two of his drops could have proven very beneficial for the team as well as his stat line, which stood at five receptions for 49 yards and a TD at the end of the game.

WR Devard Darling, Rec: 1 - 68 - 0 (1 targets) - Darling was only part of one play the entire game, but oh my, what a play that it was. The aforementioned contribution was a 68 yard catch-in-stride from QB Damon Huard, which looked like it would be broken for a TD. However, he was prevented from sending the game into overtime by Patriots safety Rodney Harrison, who managed to drag him down five yards short of the pay dirt.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Rec: 6 - 55 - 0 (8 targets) - In addition to securing six balls for 55 yards, Gonzalez's hands were also the hot topic for game announcers, Dan Dierdorf and Greg Gumbel. He proved to be a nice safety blanket and bail-out option in what was otherwise an inconsistent receiving effort.

PK Nick Novak 1 - 1 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Novak nailed a 40 yarder in the second quarter, and was also a perfect one for one in extra point attempts. The 40 yarder had some leg under it and definitely would have had the distance had the field goal been for an extra five yards or so.

KC Rush Defense - The Chiefs rushing defense had its share of stops but proved unable to stop running backs Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris from moving the first down markers. They also allowed the Patriot RBs to gain large chunks of yards at times and rush for just over 100 yards combined on them.

KC Pass Defense - The Chiefs pass defense looked concerned with not giving up the big play when Brady was in the game, then after giving up a 51 yard bomb from Matt Cassel to Randy Moss, resumed that worrying all over again. They finished the game with two sacks, no interceptions and one forced fumble thanks to Patrick Surtain.

QB Matt Cassel, Pass: 13 - 18 - 152 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 13 - 0 - Cassel looked like a completely different player than he did in pre-season. The pre-season Matt Cassel (through four games) went 19 for 34 for 165 yards, no TDs, and one interception. He looked paranoid, nervous, and as if he'd rather be sipping Gatorade on the bench. Tom Brady emergency fill-in Matt Cassel went thirteen of eighteen for 152 yards, one TD, and no interceptions. He looked calm, collected, and as if he wished he could do this type of thing every single day. The 51 yard strike to Randy Moss on his very first throw may have had something to do with this.

QB Tom Brady, Pass: 7 - 11 - 76 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Brady looked to be in usual MVP form early on, going seven for eleven for 76 yards. Then, Patriots' fans' worst nightmare came true. Matt Cassel would replace the starter after what the replays showed as a knee injury that was eerily similar to the one Carson Palmer suffered in the 2005 playoffs. As of Sunday night, there were reports circulating that Brady would be out for the year. However, none of those reports have been confirmed by the team.

RB Sammy Morris, Rush: 10 - 53 - 1, Rec: 5 - 34 - 0 (5 targets) - It was a two back show for the Patriots and Morris did his best to stay on pace with Maroney. Not only did he manage to do so, the 31 year old RB outshined the talented youngster with ten rushes for 53 yards, one TD, and five receptions tacked on for an additional 34 yards. His rushing amounts are even more impressive when you consider that he got many of them in thanks to extra efforts and with several Chiefs defenders attached to him.

RB Laurence Maroney, Rush: 10 - 51 - 0 - Maroney looked strong, quick, and shifty when he was in the game on Sunday. However, he would spend large amounts of time on the sideline, watching Sammy Morris look just as impressive. With Kevin Faulk out and Jordan only being given two carries, it's up in the air as to whether his ten carry load will go up or down with Faulk's return next week. On his ten carries, Maroney ran for a total of 51 yards.

WR Randy Moss, Rec: 6 - 116 - 1 (7 targets) - Despite his starting QB going down early in the first quarter, Moss still managed to have the game we expected him to have. Nearly half of his yards came on a 51 yard strike that Moss caught in stride, while his sole TD came on a sloppily thrown spiral that he snatched out of the air with ease. He also fumbled the ball on the very same play that Brady went down with his knee injury.

WR Wes Welker, Rec: 6 - 51 - 0 (10 targets) - Welker finished the game with a respectable 51 yards on six receptions. Most of his production came with Tom Brady in the game, but he still proved a useful target when Cassel was throwing him the ball as well. Welker gained 31 of his 51 total reception yards in the third quarter and onward, with Cassel throwing the ball. In an uncharacteristic moment, Welker also fumbled the ball after a catch early in the first, which was eventually recovered by Kansas City. Although to be fair, it was a fantastic strip by Patrick Surtain.

TE David Thomas, Rec: 2 - 24 - 0 (3 targets) - Thomas pulled in two receptions for 24 yards during his time as the starting TE in wake of Benjamin Watson's injury. His six yard reception came while Tom Brady was still in the game in the first quarter, while his other came early in the third from Cassel for 18 yards.

PK Stephen Gostkowski 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - Gostkowski was a perfect one for one with his field goals, splitting the uprights with a 37 yarder about halfway through the fourth quarter. He was also a perfect two for two with his extra point attempts.

NE Rush Defense - Considering he is regarded as one of the best RBs in the game today, the Patriots rushing defense did quite the job holding Larry Johnson to only 74 yards on 22 carries. That is less than 3.5 yards per carry. Jamaal Charles on the other hand had a bit more success -- gaining 28 yards on just five carries. 102 yards on 27 carries from two different RBs isn't bad at all, especially when you take into account that no rushing TDs were scored either.

NE Pass Defense - It could be argued that the passing defenses only blown play was the 68 yard bomb in the fourth quarter to Devard Darling that nearly sent the game to overtime. Other than that, the Patriots pass defense held the Chiefs to just over 200 yards total passing and managed to sack the QB four separate times, as well as pick off Damon Huard once.

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Detroit Lions 21, Atlanta Falcons 34

What you need to know

Detroit Lions - Last season the Lions ranked dead last in points and yardage allowed and apparently little has changed. The Falcons jumped out to a 21--0 on their first three possessions, powered by a 62 yard TD pass, a 66 yard TD run, and a 67 yard TD drive.

In the second quarter QB Jon Kitna was seen yelling at offensive coaches on the sideline, but after the tirade Detroit rallied to score two touchdowns before halftime. Rookie RB Kevin Smith did not look out of place in his first NFL start. He showed patience, was able to pick up tough yards inside, and scored his first NFL touchdown in the second quarter. He also caught four passes. Newly acquired free agent Rudi Johnson saw limited duty, but his role will expand throughout the season.

Calvin Johnson averaged 15.3 yard for each of his seven receptions and Roy Williams caught three balls including one for a spectacular touchdown. After TE Dan Campbell injured his hamstring in the second quarter and Michael Gaines was also hurt, veteran reserve TE Casey Fitzsimmons saw playing time and caught one pass for one yard and one touchdown. Shaun McDonald caught four passes and Mike Furrey chipped in with two more.

Detroit gave up touchdowns on Atlanta's first three drives, surrended a total of 474 total yards and was never really in this game.

Atlanta Falcons - The new look Falcons scored on the third play of the game and roared out to a 21--0 lead before a raucous crowd in the newly remodeled Georgia Dome. Rookie QB Matt Ryan's first pass attempt resulted in a 62 yard touch down. Ryan completed nine of 13 attempts for 161 yards, and showed plenty of poise. Even on the rare occasion when he was flushed from the pocket he had his head up looking for targets downfield.

Free agent acquisition Michael Turner stole the show, however, as he set a Falcons' single game rushing record of 220 yards. He averaged ten yards per carry, scored twice, and had a third TD called back when Roddy White was flagged for holding. Jerious Norwood added 93 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Playing with the lead throughout the game limited the passing attack, but White caught two balls for 54 yards and Michael Jenkins' only catch went for 62 yards and a score. Atlanta ran for 318 yards, amassed 474 total yards, and controlled the game.

What you ought to know

QB Jon Kitna, Pass: 24 - 33 - 262 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 0 - 0 - After his team fell behind 21--0 in the second quarter Kitna was seen yelling at the offensive coaches on the sideline. After the tirade he rallied Detroit to two touchdowns before halftime, but there is only so much one player can do. Playing from behind throughout the entire game helped pump up his passing stats, which should happen on a fairly basis throughout the season if this game is any indication.

Kitna completed 24 of 33 for 262 yards and two touchdowns and achieved a QB rating of 103.03 His lone interception came when he threw inside as Roy Williams continued down the seam. Lawyer Malloy dove and made a great pick just before the ball hit the ground.

RB Kevin Smith, Rush: 16 - 48 - 1, Rec: 4 - 32 - 0 (5 targets) - The rookie runner from Central Florida averaged three yards per carry and scored his first NFL touchdown in the second quarter. He also caught four passes for 32 yards. Smith looks comfortable in the backfield and has tons of upside. He sets up blockers and isn't afraid of contact.

RB Rudi Johnson, Rush: 3 - 14 - 0 - The newly signed free agent saw limited duty. He carried twice for 14 yards but he also split out wide when Detroit went with an empty backfield. His role in the offense will increase throughout the season.

WR Calvin Johnson, Rec: 7 - 107 - 0 (11 targets) - It was a sour homecoming for the former Georgia Tech standout. Johnson led all receivers with seven balls for 107 yards and looks like he's ready to pick up where he left off last year. At times, he looked like a man among boys on the field.

WR Shaun McDonald, Rec: 4 - 29 - 0 (6 targets) - There is still room for McDonald in the new Detroit offense, especially when they fall behind by 21 points early. He was a key target in third down situations and made some tough catches.

WR Roy Williams, Rec: 3 - 47 - 1 (7 targets) - The leaping touchdown catch Williams made in the corner of the end zone just before halftime was spectacular. In the third quarter, however, after Kitna threw him a pass that was intercepted, he was not targeted again.

WR Mike Furrey, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (2 targets) - Furrey made two tough catches in limited duty as Detroit played from behind throughout the entire game.

TE Michael Gaines, Rec: 2 - 11 - 0 (4 targets) - Gaines was injured but remained in the game. He caught two balls for 11 yards.

TE Casey Fitzsimmons, Rec: 1 - 1 - 1 (1 targets) - Pressed into service when Campbell and Gaines were injured, Fitzsimmons made his only target count for a one yard pass and six points.

TE Dan Campbell, Rec: 1 - 21 - 0 (1 targets) - Campbell injured his hamstring after catching a pass in the second quarter and did not return. He was replaced by Michael Gaines.

PK Jason Hanson 0 - 0 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 3 points - Hanson was perfect on all three extra points.

DET Rush Defense - The Lions made the Falcons look Super Bowl bound. As a team, Atlanta ran for 318 yards and Michael Turner set a single game team record 220 rushing yards. Just dreadful tackling. When Detroit thought things couldn't get worse they saw LB Ernie Sims carted off the field with an ankle injury.

DET Pass Defense - Rookie QB Matt Ryan only passed 13 times but completed nine, including five in a row. DE Dwayne White registered the only sack.

QB Matt Ryan, Pass: 9 - 13 - 161 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 5 - -2 - 0 - The Boston College rookie made one of the more memorable debuts in NFL history when his first pass attempt resulted in a 62 yard touchdown. He was only called on the throw 13 passes in the game, but he made the most of his opportunities, completing nine for 161 yards, one touchdown, and a QB rating of 137.0.

While Detroit did not present much of a challenge, Ryan was quietly efficient and seemed to settle into his role. As long as the running game stays strong he won't need to put up big numbers, but he looked to be capable of hitting receivers whenever he wanted.

RB Michael Turner, Rush: 22 - 220 - 2, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - Few players have had this kind of immediate impact after signing with a new team. Turner set a Falcons' single game rushing record of 220 yards, averaged a sick ten yards per carry, and scored two touchdowns. A couple of times during the game he actually looked tired. He ran hard and made some players miss, but he also had some monster holes to run through.

RB Jerious Norwood, Rush: 14 - 93 - 1, Rec: 2 - 6 - 0 (3 targets) - Norwood averaged 6.6 yards for each of his 14 carries, scored one touchdown, and also caught two passes. He is a good change of pace to Turner -- there aren't many backup runners who will put up 93 yards -- and he also averaged 32.5 yards on kickoff returns.

RB Ovie Mughelli, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (1 targets) - The 250 pound blocking back slipped out of the backfield and caught a three yard pass.

WR Roddy White, Rec: 2 - 54 - 0 (2 targets) - White caught two passes for 54 yards including a 46 yard reception in the third quarter.

WR Michael Jenkins, Rec: 1 - 62 - 1 (2 targets) - Jenkins caught one pass, good for 62 yards and a touchdown. It was rookie Matt Ryan's first NFL TD pass.

WR Harry Douglas, Rush: 1 - 7 - 0 - The flashy rookie carried a reverse for seven yards.

WR Adam Jennings - In limited duty Jennings returned five punts for 15 yards.

TE Ben Hartsock, Rec: 1 - 17 - 0 (1 targets) - Hartsock recorded one pass reception for 17 yards.

TE Justin Peelle, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) - The veteran TE caught one pass for 13 yards.

PK Jason Elam 2 - 2 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 10 points - Elam converted field goals from 50 and 25 yards and was perfect on all four PATs.

ATL Rush Defense - Detroit rookie Kevin Smith was limited to 48 yards and a three yard per carry average. Atlanta built a big lead and the Lions limited their rushing attempts.

ATL Pass Defense - Playing with the lead, Atlanta used a variety of deep zones allowing Kitna to throw shallow slants dunk the ball underneath. DE John Abraham registered three sacks.

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Dallas Cowboys 28, Cleveland Browns 10

What you need to know

Dallas Cowboys - Dallas operated efficiently on offense. Tony Romo marched the team down the field for touchdowns on three of the four first half possessions. This was due to the offensive line giving Romo plenty of time in the pocket to find the open receiver. In the second half, Romo was under some pressure but was able to stand in the pocket and connect with his receivers.

The offensive line created huge holes for the Dallas backs to run through all game long. Marion Barber had no problem finding wide running lanes to go through before leaving the game for x-rays on his ribs in the fourth quarter. There was little drop off in the rushing attack when he was replaced by Felix Jones.

The Cowboys receivers were consistently getting wide open, and had no problems catching accurate passes by Romo. Jason Witten and Terrell Owens were frequently open on mid range routes that took advantage of holes in the zone coverage.

Cleveland Browns - The Browns looked like they were still not operating in sync for most of the game, as they were rarely able to put together any type of sustained drive. Their lone touchdown drive was aided by two key Dallas penalties on third down that kept the drive alive, the final one being a pass interference penalty in the end zone that set up a first and goal from the two yard line. The final scoring drive occurred in the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach and the Dallas defense was playing back.

Cleveland runners were not able to consistently get into any type of rhythm until the fourth quarter. The longest run of the game was a 24 yard carry on first and ten with Dallas playing in a prevent defense and a 21 point lead. Jamal Lewis was the leading rusher, but appeared to lose effectiveness until he was given an extended break in the third quarter.

With the Browns receivers short handed due to injury, Kellen Winslow became the most reliable receiver and the one person Derek Anderson looked to when the Browns needed a tough catch. However, as Cleveland fell behind Anderson looked to his other receivers on deeper routes.

What you ought to know

QB Tony Romo, Pass: 24 - 32 - 320 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 - Romo was able to effectively move the Cowboys down the field primarily by passing. He started out by completing his first nine passes, and was rarely off target on his throws. Romo had plenty of time to throw in the first half and was able to pick apart the Cleveland secondary by going 13 of 16 for 175 and one TD. In the second half the Browns were able to get some pressure on him, but he was still able to move around in the pocket enough to find his receivers. On one play Romo was hit on the chin after he got the pass off and had to receive stitches on the sidelines after the drive was over. He did not miss any playing time and did not seem to be negatively affected by the stitches.

RB Marion Barber III, Rush: 16 - 80 - 2, Rec: 3 - 21 - 0 (5 targets) - Barber was main focus of the offense. He saw the ball on the first four offensive plays and scored both of his touchdowns on short runs, the first coming when he dove over the top of a pile from one yard out on the opening drive. The offensive line opened up big holes, and Barber used his speed to get to the second defensive level before being brought down. He did have to leave the game in the fourth quarter to get his ribs x-rayed.

RB Felix Jones, Rush: 9 - 62 - 1 (1 targets) - Jones was the main beneficiary of Marion Barber's injury. He appeared in the game in the fourth quarter and took his first NFL touch into the end zone on an 11 yard run up the middle. Jones displayed his speed by getting through open holes and into the secondary before being brought down by the defense. Jones was the primary ball carrier for most of the fourth quarter, but did split time with Tashard Choice in the second half of the quarter. Jones did make an excellent blitz pick up that gave Tony Romo time to complete a pass downfield for a first down to keep the final Dallas drive going.

RB Tashard Choice, Rush: 5 - 26 - 0, Rec: 1 - 2 - 0 (1 targets) - Choice was part of the committee of backs that Dallas used to run out the clock in the fourth quarter when Marion Barber left the game. He caught his only target for a three yard completion that was wiped out due to a holding penalty.

RB Deon Anderson (1 targets) - Anderson was not able to bring in his only target, but the play was nullified due to a holding penalty.

WR Patrick Crayton, Rec: 6 - 82 - 0 (5 targets) - Crayton was the main beneficiary of the Browns defensive backs concentrating on Jason Witten and Terrell Owens during the first half. With the defensive backfield concentrating on the two main receivers Crayton was able to get open and provide Romo with a good target. He was the third receiver when Dallas went to a three or four receiver offensive set.

WR Terrell Owens, Rec: 5 - 87 - 1 (9 targets) - Owens looked very much in sync with Tony Romo. He was able to find holes in the zone coverage and gave Romo a good target to hit. Romo hit Owens in stride on pass patterns allowing him to gain good yardage after the catch. Cleveland did try and disrupt his pass patterns by having a cornerback jam him at the line of scrimmage, but that strategy resulted in two hands to the face penalties on the back assigned to cover him. Owens did come close to a second score at the end of the first half when it appeared that he had gone into the end zone on a pass completion but was ruled to be down at the one yard line.

WR Isaiah Stanback, Rec: 2 - 24 - 0 (2 targets) - Stanback saw his only two targets while playing in garbage time during the fourth quarter.

TE Jason Witten, Rec: 6 - 96 - 0 (9 targets) - When Dallas lined up in three and four receiver sets Jason Witten would line up as a receiver to take advantage of his pass catching abilities. Witten has good hands and may be the most reliable Cowboy receiver. Three of his receptions resulted in first downs that kept scoring drives alive.

TE Tony Curtis, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) - Curtis caught his only target on a crossing pattern in the second quarter.

PK Nick Folk 0 - 0 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 4 points - Folk did not attempt a field goal and was perfect on his extra point attempts.

DAL Rush Defense - Dallas was effective in keeping Jamal Lewis in check. Cleveland was not able to establish a rushing attack until late in the game when Dallas was playing defense primarily against the pass.

DAL Pass Defense - The Cowboys defensive line was able to get pressure on Derek Anderson and disrupt the Brown passing game. The defensive backs did well against the Brown receivers with the absence of Terrance Newman, but the Browns were short on experienced receivers. The defense did have two key third down plays that would have stopped the only touchdown drive overturned by penalty.

QB Derek Anderson, Pass: 11 - 24 - 114 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 24 - 0 - Derek Anderson was under pressure by the Cowboys front seven for most of the game. He was not sacked but was pressured into making throws early and finding his secondary receiver. Anderson did show some rust and timing problems with his receivers that were probably an effect of his missing time in the preseason due to a concussion suffered three weeks prior. The timing problem was evident on the opening drive when he fumbled the ball while pulling back from the center on a third and one. The Browns recovered the ball but an excellent opportunity was wasted and they were forced to punt. He was also unable to connect with Braylon Edwards on some passes, with Edwards dropping some catchable balls.

RB Jamal Lewis, Rush: 13 - 62 - 0, Rec: 1 - 14 - 0 (1 targets) - Lewis appeared to be bothered by his hamstring injury. He started out by taking his first touch, a screen pass, 14 yards for a first down, but appeared to be tentative when he was asked to carry the ball. His longest play from scrimmage came on the final drive in the fourth quarter when he took a handoff up the middle for a 24 yard gain. This was also his first action after getting an extended rest in the third quarter.

RB Jason Wright, Rush: 1 - 5 - 0 (2 targets) - Wright filled in for Jamal Lewis when Cleveland needed to give Lewis a break. Wright has good hands and showed good decision making when asked to carry the ball.

RB Jerome Harrison (1 targets) - Harrison only saw limited action as he gave Jamal Lewis a short breather in the third quarter.

WR Braylon Edwards, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (10 targets) - Edwards was the most targeted receiver, but he was not the most reliable. He dropped three passes, one of which that was just off of his fingertips would have gone for a long gain had he been able to hold on to the ball. During the first half he appeared to be the primary receiver on most pass routes, and one man that Anderson was looking for to make a big play. Edwards did draw a pass interference penalty in the end zone that led to the only Cleveland touchdown.

WR Syndric Steptoe, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (2 targets) - Steptoe was the primary kick returner in the absence of Josh Cribbs and saw two passes thrown his way in the fourth quarter.

WR Steve Sanders, Rec: 1 - 18 - 0 (1 targets) - Sanders saw limited action in the fourth quarter during garbage time.

TE Kellen Winslow Jr, Rec: 5 - 47 - 1 (6 targets) - Winslow was the most reliable receiver for the Browns. He was able to come through with the touch catches and the big plays when called upon. Two of his first three receptions resulted in Brown first downs, and his fourth was a touchdown.

TE Steve Heiden, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (2 targets) - Heiden was only able to catch one of the two passes thrown his way in the first half.

PK Phil Dawson 1 - 1 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Dawson connected on his only field goal attempt, from 34 yards.

CLE Rush Defense - The Browns rush defense was not very effective as Dallas was able to open up huge holes for their running backs to go through as they were not able to get any type of penetration into the Cowboys backfield.

CLE Pass Defense - The pass defense was a tale of two halves. In the first half the line was not able to get any pressure on Tony Rom and he was able to find open receivers and make big plays in the passing game. During the second half the line was able to pressure Romo, but he was still able to connect with his receivers. The defensive backs are inexperienced and they were exposed by the bigger and more physical Cowboys receivers.

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Denver Broncos 41, Oakland Raiders 14

What you need to know

Denver Broncos - The Denver Broncos dominated the Oakland defensive line, giving QB Jay Cutler all day to sit in the pocket and throw the ball. Cutler showed exceptional accuracy while on the move, connecting with his receivers on several deep balls.

RB Andre Hall, Michael Pittman and Selvin Young split playing time throughout the night. It seemed like Pittman was used almost exclusively on the goalline, and Hall and Young got the other reps. Young did get a short rushing touchdown late in the game, but Pittman was in for most of the goalline snaps.

WR Eddie Royal made a huge impact during the game. He ran exceptional routes and tore apart DeAngelo Hall. He had great chemistry with Jay Cutler. Brandon Marshall was serving a suspension during this game.

Oakland Raiders - The Raiders could never get anything going on either side of the ball. They had ten penalties on the night, often killing any semblance of momentum. Their defensive line could not touch Denver's zone blocking scheme.

QB JaMarcus Russell still managed to produce a solid game by showing off his arm strength and solid decision making. He managed to be mobile enough around the pocket to gain a little extra time as well.

RB Darren McFadden and Justin Fargas split time in the game. Fargas seemed to be featured more often and got more carries, and McFadden was used as a change of pace and a playmaker. Both ran the ball effectively against a Denver's notoriously poor run defense, even though Oakland often lost ground to Denver defensive lineman.

What you ought to know

QB Jay Cutler, Pass: 16 - 24 - 299 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 5 - 9 - 0 - Cutler had a great night passing the ball. He managed the offense efficiently and had an aura of confidence doing so. There was virtually zero pressure on him all night, although he did take a big hit while trying to run for a first down at the end of the first half. He was not phased though, coming out just as hot in the second half and closing the game out with ease.

RB Andre Hall, Rush: 10 - 61 - 0 - Hall was part of the Denver backfield. He saw the most carries, and ran the ball really well. He was able to bounce off of the tired defenders and looked solid out there like all the Denver running backs did.

RB Michael Pittman, Rush: 7 - 13 - 2 - Pittman had the most carries in goalline situations, and he took full advantage of that by scoring a pair of touchdowns.

RB Selvin Young, Rush: 7 - 36 - 1 - Young was splitting time with Hall and Pittman. He managed to bounce off of a couple of defenders and showed good cutback ability. Oakland could not keep up with Denver's rushing attack, and Young benefited from this.

RB Peyton Hillis, Rush: 3 - 14 - 0, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (2 targets) - Hillis saw some action with the offense, getting two targets and three rushes, although one of the passes he dropped.

WR Eddie Royal, Pass: 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 9 - 0, Rec: 9 - 146 - 1 (13 targets) - Royal was the big story of the night. He ran exceptional routes, showed good decision making, and was elusive once he secure the ball. He developed a synergy with Cutler that could not be ignored. He scored one official touchdown, but would have had another had it not been for an illegal formation penalty.

WR Nate Jackson, Rec: 2 - 4 - 0 (3 targets) - Jackson was the obvious third receiver for the Broncos, and he caught two of the three balls thrown his way.

WR Brandon Stokley, Rec: 2 - 25 - 0 (5 targets) - Stokley only caught two of the five balls thrown his way, but most of the time he was a check down for Cutler who put the ball where only Stokley had a chance to catch it. He ran mostly intermediate routes on the night.

WR Darrell Jackson, Rec: 1 - 48 - 1 (1 targets) - Darrell Jackson came in for one play when Eddie Royal needed a break and made the most of it, catching a 48 yard touchdown pass from Cutler.

TE Tony Scheffler, Rec: 1 - 72 - 0 (2 targets) - Scheffler only had two targets on the night, but they were both on huge plays. The first one he caught for a 72 yard gain on a seam route. The second target he dropped a pass in the end zone that should have been caught.

PK Matt Prater 2 - 2 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 11 points - Prater was kicking the ball really well, all of his kicks were powerful and accurate.

DEN Rush Defense - The Denver rush defense was unimpressive for the majority of the night. The first drive of the game, when Denver was fresh, Oakland ran the ball eight straight times and marched right down the field before JaMarcus Russell turned the ball over on a fumble. They had issues bringing down McFadden and Fargas on first contact, but were often bailed out by penalties by the Raiders.

DEN Pass Defense - The Denver pass defense was mediocre. They did not put a ton of pressure on JaMarcus Russell nor did they confuse the young quarterback with their coverages. Russell was able to look solid on the night despite his team losing by 27 points.

QB JaMarcus Russell, Pass: 17 - 26 - 180 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 7 - 0 - Russell played a solid game most of the night considering how the line blocked. He had one big mistake on a screen pass where he just lost control of the football and turned the ball over in the red zone. Other than that he showed off an extremely strong arm, some good mobility, and pretty good accuracy. At the beginning of the game the coaching staff was conservative but as they fell behind Russell was able to showcase his talents -- unfortunately several balls were off of fingertips or dropped.

RB Justin Fargas, Rush: 18 - 97 - 0, Rec: 2 - 12 - 0 (2 targets) - Fargas ran very well on the night, making the most out of what Denver gave him. He was often able to fall forward and get the extra yard or two. He looked good out there considering the line did not give him much to work with. He also got twice as many carries as McFadden.

RB Darren McFadden, Rush: 9 - 46 - 0, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (2 targets) - McFadden played well, gaining over five yards per carry. He showed an impressive quickness through holes and played one down at quarterback on the night, although he handed the ball off.

RB Justin Griffith, Rec: 3 - 39 - 0 (3 targets) - Griffith caught all three balls thrown his way and showed some skill at running with the ball by gaining a couple extra of yards after he got hit.

WR Ashley Lelie, Rec: 3 - 37 - 1 (5 targets) - Ashley Lelie managed to produce a solid game, catching three balls on the night including a touchdown.

WR Chaz Schilens, Rec: 2 - 29 - 0 (3 targets) - Schilens was the third receiver for the Raiders and made a couple of nice catches on the night.

WR Ronald Curry, Rec: 2 - 18 - 1 (6 targets) - Curry was able to separate himself from the Denver secondary a few times, but only caught two of the four balls thrown his way. He dropped one key pass when it looked like Oakland was finally gaining some momentum, but the drive subsequently stalled after the drop.

TE Zach Miller, Rec: 4 - 34 - 0 (6 targets) - Miller was targeted six times by Russell, but five of them were on short passes. The deep pass Miller had thrown to him he caught for 21 yards. He was held on an end zone target that ended up being incomplete with no penalty called. The night ended up okay for Miller, but could have been better.

PK Sebastian Janikowski 0 - 0 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points - Janikowski made two extra points and saw no other action Monday night.

OAK Rush Defense - The Oakland rush defense was average for most of the night, preventing Denver's zone blocking scheme to open up too many big holes. It did seem like they wore down as the game went on though, as early in the game they did make several good stops among allowing five and six yard gains, but that was absent in the second half.

OAK Pass Defense - Jay Cutler lit up the Oakland pass defense. It started with Denver's offensive line, which controlled the Oakland pass rush giving Cutler all day to make decisions. The secondary could not keep up with Eddie Royal either, giving up 146 yards to the rookie.

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Washington Redskins 7, New York Giants 16

What you need to know

Washington Redskins - The Redskins were outscored 71-6 in their last two preseason games and that bad karma followed their offense into the first game of the season. They only converted three of 13 third downs, and entered Giants' territory only three times during the game. Washington's play calling was very suspect at times. They made very conservative calls and tried to establish the run game early, often choosing not to pass on first or second down, leaving themselves with a lot of third and long situations.

QB Jason Campbell just didn't look comfortable in new Head Coach Jim Zorn's offense. Campbell didn't complete a pass until there was only a minute and ten seconds left in the first half. He was only two for six for 25 yards at the end of the first half. He had a lot trouble converting third downs and often faced third and long situations. Campbell did have one touchdown pass to WR Santana Moss, but the Redskins' passing offense was simply out of sync all game. He finished with 133 passing yards, but 93 of those yards came in the fourth quarter as Washington tried to move the ball late in the game.

RB Clinton Portis and running game didn't fare that badly in this contest considering they got no help from the passing game. Washington tried to establish the running game early, but was unsuccessful as Portis had only 34 yards in the first half. Portis ran for 84 yards on 24 carries in the game, including a 23 yard run he almost broke for a very long touchdown run. But the Giants' defensive line played very well. They were able key in on Portis, and hold him to only 3.4 yards per carry.

WR Santana Moss did not have a good game, but did manage to get Washington's only touchdown on a 12 yard reception near the end of the first half. Moss also had a team high ten targets in the game. Another odd thing was how the Redskins used TE Chris Cooley, who led the team in receptions last year. He was nearly invisible, as he had one catch for eight yards, and had only two targets the entire game.

New York Giants - QB Eli Manning got off to a great start as he led the Giants on an 84 yard touchdown drive on the first series of the game. He capped the drive with a one yard touchdown run. He led the Giants down the field three more times in the first half, but was unable to get them into the end zone and they had to settle for three field goals. Manning didn't play as well in the second half, but New York wasn't under a lot of pressure to score more points as Washington's offense sputtered. Manning finished the game with 216 yards passing and one interception.

RB Brandon Jacobs looked great in this game averaging five and half yards a carry as he mowed over defensive backs in the open field each time he broke through the line. The Giants' offensive line did an excellent job of opening holes for Jacobs who finished with a game high 116 yards on 21 carries.

WR Plaxico Burress signed a big contract extension right before the game, and that may have provided extra motivation for him. He came out on fire catching seven balls for 98 yards in the first half. Burress caught a couple of key passes on New York's only touchdown drive to start the game. He caught a 30 yard pass which was the longest play from scrimmage in the game and then made a juggling catch on critical third down play deep in Washington territory that help set up a touchdown. He tied his career high with ten catches for 133 yards.

What you ought to know

QB Jason Campbell, Pass: 15 - 27 - 133 - 1 TD / 0 INT - New Head Coach Jim Zorn brought his West Coast offense with him from Seattle, which will be a change from former coach Joe Gibbs' more traditional offense that Campbell ran last year. The transition to this new offense did not get off to a good start as Campbell did not complete a pass until there was one minute and ten seconds left in the first half. But Campbell's second completion of the game was a 12 yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss who was wide open over the middle of the field with 13 seconds left in the first half. It would be the only points Washington would score in the game. Campbell completed only two of six passes for 25 yards in the first half. Campbell really seemed to struggle throughout the game and had trouble converting third downs. The Redskins' offense often found themselves in third and long situations, and Campbell would throw to the receiver underneath the coverage, instead of going down the field, completing the pass well short of the first down. This seemed to be a recurring theme for him during the game, and more reason to believe that Campbell is not completely comfortable in the new offense yet. Campbell only had 40 yards passing after three quarters, and most of his 93 yards passing in the fourth quarter came late in the game as Washington desperately tried to move the ball down the field.

RB Clinton Portis, Rush: 23 - 84 - 0 (1 targets) - The Giants defense did a decent job in containing what was a good rushing attack for Washington last year led by Portis. He didn't have a lot room to run most of the game and had ten carries for only 34 yards in the first half. His longest carry in the first half came on a draw play up the middle for nine yards late in the first half. The Giants defense seemed to really key in on Portis in the first half as the passing game struggled to complete even one pass. Portis had his longest run of the game midway through the third quarter when broke into the Giants' secondary for a gain of 23 yards. He showed what a dangerous runner he can be on that play and he may have taken it all the way had one of the Giants' defensive backs not slowed him down allowing another teammate to tackle him from behind. Portis did not have much of a role in the passing game, but he did have one catch for eight yards late in the game that was nullified by a penalty.

RB Ladell Betts, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (4 targets) - Betts had only one carry in the first half for no yards. He did not get a carry in the second half and had only one reception for 11 yards. Washington did not target their running backs very often in the game. Four passes were targeted at Betts, but three of those came on a desperate, last drive at the end of the game.

WR Antwaan Randle El, Rec: 7 - 73 - 0 (8 targets) - The Redskins revealed shortly before the game that Randle El has a broken bone in his left hand. The injury occurred in the preseason, but he played in this game with a brace on his hand. The injury did not seem to affect him as he led Washington with seven catches for 73 yards. Randle El caught one of the Redskins' two completions in first half. He caught a 13 yard pass on the right side line that helped set the only score for Washington late in the first half. Randle El caught a 26 yard pass up the middle of the field late in the game for his the Redskins longest play from scrimmage in the game.

WR Santana Moss, Rec: 5 - 37 - 1 (10 targets) - Moss had two uncatchable passes thrown to him in the first half but was able get open on a short route over the middle and scored a touchdown with 13 seconds left in the first half. Moss caught the ball on the Giants' six yard line and was able to use his speed to get to the goal line for Washington's only score of the game. Moss' only other scoring opportunity came late in the game when he had another pass thrown to him in the back of the end zone, but the ball went over his head. The Redskins rarely went deep in this game except for late in the game when they were behind. Most of Moss' receptions were on short, quick routes, and he only caught half the passes thrown to him.

WR James Thrash (3 targets) - Thrash did not catch a pass in the game, but did have three targets, including two deep passes late in the fourth quarter.

TE Chris Cooley, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) - Cooley was pretty much a nonfactor in this game. He caught a pass for 18 yards in the second quarter, but the play was called back because of penalty. It was the only pass thrown to him in the first half as the Redskins' pass game was completely ineffective. Cooley didn't catch his first pass of the game until there were three minutes left in the fourth quarter. He caught a short seven yard pass near the left side line. It appeared that Cooley was used some as a blocker and his only catch came on check down after the pocket started to collapse on QB Jason Campbell. Not a good start for the player who was Washington's leading receiver last year.

PK Shaun Suisham 0 - 0 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 1 points - Suisham saw very little action in this game as Washington only got into New York territory three times in the game. He did add an extra point on the Redskins only score of the game.

WAS Rush Defense - New York's offensive line was able to impose their will on the Washington run defense as the Giants running backs racked up 155 yards on them. This success on the ground also allowed the Giants to hold the ball more then ten minutes longer then the Redskins.

WAS Pass Defense - DE Jason Taylor was questionable coming into this game because of a knee injury suffered in the preseason but he was able to play. It was not a surprise he played considering Taylor has not missed a game since 1999. Taylor only managed two tackles in the game and was not much of a factor in the game. One bright spot for the Redskins defense was LaRon Laundry who had five tackles and a half a sack, but seemed to be everywhere on the field making plays. CB Fred Smoot had the team's only turnover as he intercepted QB Eli Manning in the third quarter.

QB Eli Manning, Pass: 19 - 35 - 216 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - -1 - 1 - Manning picked up where he left off last season by driving the ball down the field for a touchdown on the first drive of the game. After a pass interference penalty that put the ball on the Washington one yard line, the Giants ran a play action with Manning rolling to his right, where he was able to make a move on the defender and plunge into the end zone to cap an 84 yard opening drive. It would be New York's first and only touchdown of the game. He completed 11 of 21 passes for 141 yards, and led them to three field goal drives along with the opening touchdown drive in the first half. Manning and Giants did not do much in the second half, but they really didn't have much urgency as Washington's offense looked terrible and never threatened to close the gap in the game. He only had 55 yards passing in the second half.

RB Brandon Jacobs, Rush: 21 - 116 - 0, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (4 targets) - Jacobs and the Giants' offensive line looked like they were in midseason form in this game. The run blocking of New York was excellent as they opened holes for Jacobs all game as he averaged five and half yards a carry. He had 11 carries for 74 yards in the first half. Jacobs consistently punished tacklers as they tried to bring him down. The Giants did have the ball on the Washington one yard line early in the game, but choose to roll QB Eli Manning out on a bootleg where he scrambled for touchdown. That was the only goal line opportunity for the Giants in the game. Jacobs broke his longest run of the game down the left side line for 24 yard gain in the second quarter. The New York offense sputtered in the second half but he added another 42 yards rushing as Jacobs looked very impressive in the season opener.

RB Derrick Ward, Rush: 9 - 39 - 0, Rec: 2 - 21 - 0 (3 targets) - Ward had six carries for 27 yards in the first half. Ward was the primary back up in this game to starting RB Brandon Jacobs as RB Ahmad Bradshaw didn't see any action in this game. Ward had three carries for 12 yards in the second half, and also added two catches for 21 yards.

RB Madison Hedgecock, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (2 targets) - The Giants fullback had two passes thrown to him and caught one pass for a four yard gain. His biggest impact was opening holes for RB Brandon Jacobs and RB Derrick Ward who combined for 155 yards on the ground.

WR Plaxico Burress, Rec: 10 - 133 - 0 (10 targets) - Burress may or may not have been motivated by signing a contract extension just prior to the opening game, but he came out on fire in this game. Burress had a big first half, catching seven balls for 98 yards. His first catch of the game was his longest reception of the game; he got wide open down the right sideline for a 30 yard gain. DB Fred Smoot was no match for Burress who used his size and speed to burn Smoot often in the first half. He made a nice juggling catch to the Washington five yard line on New York's only touchdown drive early in the game. He had three more catches for 35 in the second half as the Redskins did a lot more double teaming of Burress in that half. He was the main target for QB Eli Manning as no other player had more then two catches for the Giants.

WR Amani Toomer, Rec: 2 - 12 - 0 (7 targets) - Toomer had two catches for 12 yards and six targets in the first half. One of those targets was a short pass to the corner of the end zone that went incomplete, but did draw a pass interference penalty. In second quarter, QB Eli Manning tried to hit Toomer on a short route in the end zone, but they were crossed up on communication it looked like as he quit running on the route and the ball went incomplete. Toomer only had one target in the second half and zero receptions.

WR Steve Smith, Rec: 2 - 15 - 0 (3 targets) - Smith had one catch for eight yards in the first half and another catch for seven yards in the second half. He was used primarily in three wide out sets as the slot receiver.

WR Sinorice Moss, Rec: 1 - 23 - 0 (1 targets) - Moss caught his only pass for 23 yards and a first down early in the second quarter. The play helped set up the Giants second field goal of the game.

TE Kevin Boss (1 targets) - Boss only saw one pass thrown his way the entire game and had zero receptions.

PK John Carney 3 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 10 points - Veteran John Carney replaced K Lawrence Tynes who has a leg injury and did not play. Carney made a 24 yard field goal in the first quarter and added a 25 yarder in the second quarter. He would add a 47 yard field goal with two minutes left in the first half.

NYG Rush Defense - The run defense did a good job of containing RB Clinton Portis and holding him to under three and half yards per carry. Defensive tackles Fred Robbins and Jay Alford got good penetration into the Redskins' line all game.

NYG Pass Defense - The Giants defense comes into the 2008 season missing five starters from last year's Super Bowl squad, including DE Osi Umenyiora who went down with a season ending knee injury in the preseason and the retirement of DE Michael Strahan. Umenyiora and Strahan accounted for 22 of the New York's league leading 53 sacks last year. DE Justin Tuck picked up the slack on Giants line as he recorded the team's only sack and had four tackles. There didn't seem to be a big drop off with the Giants front four as they got good pressure despite only having one sack. The other starting DE Mathias Kiwanuka went down with an ankle injury on the last play of the game.

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Cincinnati Bengals 10, Baltimore Ravens 17

What you need to know

Cincinnati Bengals - QB Carson Palmer was under siege all day as he was sacked the first two times he dropped back to pass and continued to be harassed throughout the day. Never able to find his rhythm, Palmer repeatedly overthrew or simply missed his receivers on the rare occasions that they were able to shake a smothering Baltimore pass defense.

Any fears of a RBBC situation in Cincinnati involving RBs Chris Perry and Kenny Watson were proven unfounded as Chris Perry was the undisputed feature back. Unfortunately, just as they were unable to pass block, the Bengals' offensive line was unable to open any holes for Perry and he ended the day looking thoroughly average in his new found featured role.

Thanks to a dominant Baltimore pass rush and the fact that they both received healthy doses of double coverage, WRs Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh were largely non-factors during the game and each contributed only one significant catch to the Bengals' passing attack.

Baltimore Ravens - In his first NFL start, rookie QB Joe Flacco made it clear that he belongs under center in this league. While he failed to rack up an impressive number of passing yards, he calmly executed his coach's conservative game-plan and also showed unexpected mobility in moving about the pocket and scrambling for a 38 yard TD run.

While rookie RB Ray Rice entered the game as the expected replacement for the sidelined Willis McGahee, his apparent unwillingness to risk pounding the ball up the middle, his ineffectiveness after half-time, and a fourth quarter fumble resulted in fellow RB LeRon McClain getting almost as many carries over the course of the game and, ultimately, more total yards of offense.

While most would have expected TE Todd Heap to be a major weapon in QB Joe Flacco's arsenal, Heap hardly looked like the top flight TE he is expected to be. After a fumble on the second play from scrimmage, Heap was unable to get open with any regularity and dropped an easy TD in the end zone, forcing his team to settle for a field goal.

What you ought to know

QB Carson Palmer, Pass: 10 - 25 - 99 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 15 - 0 - After having gone 90 pass attempts without being sacked, Carson Palmer began the game by being dropped on his first two. It was an early sign of what was to become an extremely tough outing for the Bengals' signal caller. After these initial setbacks, Palmer was never able to get into any sort of rhythm as the aggressive Ravens front seven had little trouble hurrying Palmer and regularly succeeded in forcing him out of his comfort-zone in the pocket. That, in turn, resulted in plenty of off-balance throws that regularly sailed high or wide of their intended targets. Out of his ten completions, only two (one each to Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh) went for over twenty yards, a reflection of just how quickly Palmer was being forced to get rid of the ball. Palmer's sole interception of the day came ten minutes into the game as he attempted to force a pass into the hands of T.J. Houshmandzadeh through double coverage at the Ravens' ten yard line. One bad bounce later, and Baltimore's Chris McAlister was headed the other way.

RB Chris Perry, Rush: 18 - 37 - 0, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (2 targets) - Throughout the game it was clear that Chris Perry would be utilized as the featured back with Rudi Johnson's gone to Detroit. Despite this opportunity, however, Perry was unable to make much of it. While the Cincinnati offensive line was surprisingly bad as a pass blocking unit, it was only slightly better in run blocking. Only three of Perry's carries went for further than four yards, and none went for more than ten. On top of this ineffectiveness, as the Bengals struggled to get the ball out of their own end and make something positive happen in the waning minutes of the second quarter, it was Perry whose fumble allowed the Ravens to post three more points before the half.

RB Kenny Watson, Rush: 2 - 13 - 0, Rec: 2 - 3 - 0 (2 targets) - If there was any thought that the Bengals would use Kenny Watson and starter Chris Perry as a running back committee in this game, it was dispelled early. Watson was rarely on the field, let alone given the opportunity to carry the ball, and was just as invisible in the Bengals' anemic passing attack.

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Rec: 3 - 44 - 0 (9 targets) - While he ended up being Carson Palmer's favorite target (or, at least, Palmer's favorite intended target), Houshmandzadeh was largely absent in the first half of the game, and only slightly more visible in the second half. As was also the case with fellow WR Chad Johnson, Houshmandzadeh was regularly subjected to double coverage and was almost completely unable to fight his way free in time to provide an outlet for QB Carson Palmer who was constantly trying to escape from the Baltimore pass rush.

WR Chad Johnson, Rec: 1 - 22 - 0 (4 targets) - Johnson was a non-factor in this game (zero targets in the first half) as his sole production came by virtue of a single crossing pattern in the third quarter. Like his WR colleague on the other side of the field, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Johnson was the subject of double coverage for most of the day and also fell victim to the Bengals' offensive line's inability to give Carson Palmer any time to allow for his WRs to break free of that coverage.

TE Ben Utecht, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (4 targets) - As with the other Bengals' receivers in this game, Utecht's production was hampered by the inability of Cincinnati's offensive line to give QB Carson Palmer any time to make plays. While this might have, in theory, led to more balls being thrown Utecht's way by virtue of his role as Palmer's safety net, in practice that was not the case.

PK Shayne Graham 1 - 1 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points - Graham hit on his sole field goal attempt, a 43 yarder late in the second quarter.

CIN Rush Defense - Despite the fact that the Ravens were playing without their starting RB, Willis McGahee, the Bengals were unable to stop the run all day long. In the first half, while Cincinnati was able to convince Baltimore RB Ray Rice to take most of his carries outside, they were unable to stretch him out and rarely held him to less than four yards. Once the Bengals were able to use halftime to adjust their scheme to stop Rice, the Ravens switched to pounding the ball up the middle with RB LeRon McClain, again with great success. The culmination of the Cincinnati rush defense's frustrating day was Baltimore's final, nearly eight minute drive during which the Ravens ran on ten of 13 plays for a total of 56 yards. This was not, however, their most embarrassing moment. That came in the third quarter as they allowed the slow-footed rookie QB Joe Flacco to gain the corner on a broken play and rumble 38 yards for a score.

CIN Pass Defense - Coming into the game it would have seemed that the Cincinnati pass defense had a fairly simple task -- stop Baltimore's rookie QB Joe Flacco in his first NFL start. While they indeed prevented him from making any big plays down the field, this appeared to be just as much a result of conservative Ravens play-calling as anything the Bengals defense did.

QB Joe Flacco, Pass: 15 - 29 - 129 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 37 - 1 - On Baltimore's second play from scrimmage, Joe Flacco threw his first NFL pass to TE Todd Heap. While it was a nine yard completion for what would have been a first down, the rookie had no time to celebrate or follow up on that initial success as Heap promptly fumbled away the ball. Flacco's second series was almost as inauspicious as it consisted of a quick three and out. On his third series, however, the butterflies must have fluttered away elsewhere as Flacco began to calmly and efficiently execute the short to medium range passing plays that offensive coordinator Cam Cameron was calling. That would become the order for the rest of the day as Flacco rarely took aim deep down the field -- and when he did take a deep shot, he didn't lead his WRs nearly enough to give them a chance to stay in stride and outrun their coverage. While the predominantly conservative play-calling may not have been a surprise given the fact it was Flacco's first career start, what was surprising was the mobility that Flacco demonstrated both in and out of the pocket. While no one would confuse him for Vince Young, Flacco was able to side-step the occasional rush and he was able to make his way down-field early in order to throw one of the blocks that sprang WR Mark Clayton free on a first quarter reverse play for a TD. Most electrifying, however, was his late third quarter scramble down the right sideline for a 38 yard touchdown on a broken play. In the end, Flacco showed some poise in this game and looked like he belonged running this offense. With some more time to work with his receivers, some of those long plays that Flacco missed in this game could become completions -- and TDs -- down the road.

RB Ray Rice, Rush: 22 - 64 - 0, Rec: 3 - 19 - 0 (4 targets) - With Willis McGahee standing on the sidelines for the entire game, it appeared that it would be up to Rice to anchor the Raven's running attack and try to keep the pressure off of QB and fellow rookie Joe Flacco. Early on, Rice regularly tried to use his speed and young legs to bounce to the outside and seemed reluctant to try for the hard yards up the middle. While this allowed him to rack up a fair number of four to six yard runs, he was never able to get to the second level where his speed and vision would have been most useful. In the second half the Bengals' defense adjusted to Rice's tendencies, and he was far less effective. By the end of the third quarter it was LeRon McClain who was receiving the majority of the carries and in the fourth quarter it was Rice's fumble (recovered for a Bengals TD) that allowed Cincinnati back into the game with ten minutes left on the clock. In the passing game, Rice was targeted on occasion, but on the only play where the pass would have potentially resulted in a long play (and quite possibly a touchdown), Rice bobbled away the ball.

RB LeRon McClain, Rush: 19 - 86 - 0, Rec: 2 - 24 - 0 (3 targets) - Many might have expected Ray Rice to receive the lion's share of the carries with Willis McGahee sidelined, but McClain received only three less touches than the heralded second rounder. While McClain's touches were limited in the first half, he steadily took over more of the rushing responsibilities as Rice's effectiveness diminished in the second half. Where Rice had been inclined to use his speed to try and turn the corner on most of his touches, McClain was more than happy to pound the ball up the middle and make the most of his opportunities. By the fourth quarter, it was McClain who was being given the vast majority of the carries in a tight game where ball security and the ability to grind out yards on the ground were at a premium. On the Ravens' final, nearly eight minute drive McClain received seven touches to Rice's three, and racked up 42 yards to Rice's 14.

WR Mark Clayton, Rush: 1 - 42 - 1, Rec: 3 - 21 - 0 (5 targets) - With the Ravens trying not to force their rookie QB Joe Flacco to do too much, it was difficult for Clayton or any of the Baltimore receivers to make much noise in the passing game. While Flacco did target Clayton once on a deep pass where he had his defender beaten, Flacco failed to provide enough of a lead to allow Clayton to take the ball in stride. As a result, instead of a likely 70 yard TD, the throw went into the books as an incompletion. With the lack of opportunities in the passing game, it was up to Clayton to use the running game to pad his stats this day, and pad them he did with a nice 42 yard run down the left sideline on a double reverse late in the first quarter.

WR Derrick Mason, Rec: 4 - 44 - 0 (6 targets) - While he was QB Joe Flacco's favorite target, that circumstance failed to translate into an overly productive day for the veteran Mason. As offensive coordinator Cam Cameron had clearly formulated a conservative game for his rookie signal caller, Mason's receptions were all in the short to medium range, and he simply did not have the separation or speed to gain yards after the catch.

TE Todd Heap, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (5 targets) - Heap, who lost most of last season to injury, looked out of sorts for much of the day. While the hulking TE proved to be one of rookie QB Joe Flacco's favorite targets during the course of the game, he was unable to do much of anything with those opportunities as he only hauled in a single catch. Heap repeatedly appeared slow and unable to gain any separation from his coverage, and cost his team seven points when he dropped an easy TD pass in the end zone late in the first half.

PK Matt Stover 1 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - Stover was given two opportunities to earn his team three points and converted on one of them. On his miss, while he had enough distance on his 47 yard attempt, the kick was well left of the uprights.

BAL Rush Defense - The Baltimore rush defense was stout throughout the game and never allowed the Bengals' rushing attack -- centered around Chris Perry -- to get rolling. The defensive line regularly filled the gaps in the middle to prevent runs through the line, while the LBs effectively contained any attempt to use speed to get out and around that line. On the one occasion, midway through the fourth quarter, where the Bengals chose to test the Ravens rush defense on fourth down, DT Haloti Ngata and LB Ray Lewis combined to knock Perry backwards for a loss. The Bengals would not touch the ball again for the rest of the game.

BAL Pass Defense - The Ravens' pass defense started their season in fine form as they were able to put pressure on Carson Palmer immediately and sacked him the first two times he dropped back to pass. While these were the Ravens' only two sacks of the game, their front seven used varying looks to continue to confuse and harass the Bengals' QB. They then capitalized on that confusion and regularly forced him to make poor throws or abandon the pocket -- something Palmer has never excelled at. As the game progressed and it became clear that the Bengals would need to take to the air to make up their deficit on the scoreboard, more nickel and dime packages took to the field and yet the pressure on Palmer remained impressive. In short, this unit looked every bit as good as it has ever been. Chris McAlister pulled down the only interception of the day on a pass that bounced of the hands of T.J. Houshmandzadeh late in the first quarter.

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St. Louis Rams 3, Philadelphia Eagles 38

What you need to know

St. Louis Rams - The entire offensive unit struggled. Philadelphia was able to get pressure with their blitz packages and line stunts. The Rams offensive line struggled with blocking and getting much room for running back Steven Jackson. They did not enter the red zone and had ten straight drives end in a punt to start the game.

The biggest head scratching happening was Torry Holt only catching one ball the entire day. There were no indications of Holt being injured in any way, yet he was nearly invisible.

Randy McMichael was the lone bright spot. Bulger seemed to have chemistry with McMichael as he was targeted frequently with some success. It appeared that McMichael was the very definition of a safety value as Bulger ran for his life at times. This was really the only thing St Louis had working the entire game.

Philadelphia Eagles - Bombs away! Philadelphia displayed a balanced offense with a penchant for hitting big plays in the passing game. The Eagles imposed their will right from the start of the game and never let up. McNabb hooked up for multiple long gains and TD receptions. The running game was able to pick up chunks of yards at a time.

Anyone concerned over McNabb having a sore or tired arm can put those thoughts to bed. McNabb threw the ball 33 times and displayed excellent zip and accuracy on the ball.

DeSean Jackson had a stellar performance both receiving and returning the numerous St Louis punts. Jackson accounted for over 200 all purpose yards. The opening play of the game was a long pass down the sideline to Jackson for 47 yards. There was no looking back for the Eagles as the Rams had no answers for their offense.

What you ought to know

QB Marc Bulger, Pass: 14 - 26 - 158 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Plain and simple, this was an ugly game for Marc Bulger. He was under constant pressure and faced many a blitz from Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. Bulger and the Rams went 0-11 on third down conversions. In the first half Bulger looked out of sorts and needed to burn two separate time outs. However, even when there wasn't pressure Bulger appeared confused and many of his throws were off of his back foot. To be fair, the score was certainly a factor as the Eagles raced out to a quick 14 point lead and the Rams game plan was likely out the window too.

RB Steven Jackson, Rush: 14 - 40 - 0, Rec: 3 - 34 - 0 (9 targets) - The Eagles did a great job of containing Jackson both in the running and passing game. Jackson had 17 total touches for the game but never really got untracked. The Rams offense suffered multiple sacks and penalties that prevented Jackson from ever really getting into a rhythm. The holdout situation did not appear to be a factor in this slow start to the year. The credit should go to a strong Eagles defense and blowout situation.

WR Dante Hall, Rush: 1 - -4 - 0, Rec: 3 - 13 - 0 (3 targets) - Hall had a quiet day. He was primarily targeted underneath and very short with his longest catch of the day being for only six yards.

WR Drew Bennett, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets) - Bennett caught one ball before leaving the game with an apparent injury.

WR Dane Looker, Rec: 1 - 21 - 0 (4 targets) - Looker was a non factor in the game only grabbing one ball for 21 yards and drawing a defensive penalty.

WR Torry Holt, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (2 targets) - Despite the fact that his team was trailing throughout this contest Holt was only targeted twice during the entire game. For a former Pro Bowl receiver this was odd to say the least. Philadelphia does boast a pair of excellent corners in Samuel and Sheppard. The combination of coverage and pressure up front didn't allow Holt to work up field.

WR Keenan Burton (1 targets) - Burton did not make a reception on his lone target.

TE Randy McMichael, Rec: 5 - 77 - 0 (7 targets) - McMichael was the lone bright light for the team catching five of his seven targets for 71 yards. McMichael showed a knack of finding the soft spots in the zones and ran precise routes. He had a couple of nice catches on seem routes that he displayed some good yards after the catch for a TE.

PK Josh Brown 1 - 1 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 3 points - Brown scored the Rams' only points with a 46 yard field goal.

STL Rush Defense - The Philadelphia offense dictated what they wanted to do. The front seven of the defense was pushed around and often the Eagles were running five to seven yards untouched.

STL Pass Defense - This group was confused on several plays where coverage was dropped entirely. Wide receivers were running down the field uncovered on a couple of occasions. The secondary gave up multiple big gains of over 50 yards, the biggest being a 90 yard bomb to Hank Baskett right before the half.

QB Donovan McNabb, Pass: 21 - 33 - 361 - 3 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0 - It was apparent from the opening drive that McNabb was in control and command of his offense. After marching the team down the field, the drive ended with a one yard TD pass to Brian Westbrook. On the play, McNabb audibled and the backs ended up switching to a split formation usually indicating the backs are likely going to pass block. Cleverly, the play was an inside shovel pass to Westbrook who found no trouble hitting pay dirt.

This was McNabb's best ever opening game as a professional. He had a gaudy line completing 21 of 33 for a whopping 361 yards and 3 scores in just 3 and half quarters of football. Behind a well protected pocket McNabb dissected the Rams secondary and hit big play after big play. The Eagles despite having their top two receivers out of the game threw the ball at will on the hapless Rams secondary. The Eagles success came from a committee approach as three separate receivers went for over 100 yards.

QB Kevin Kolb, Pass: 5 - 6 - 53 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - -3 - 0 - Kolb came into the game with about nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and the score completely out of reach. Coach Andy Reid was clearly protecting his starter McNabb as there was nothing left to play for. Kolb continued right were McNabb had left off. He was accurate on his passes, most of them being of the short and high percentage variety.

RB Brian Westbrook, Rush: 19 - 91 - 1, Rec: 2 - 1 - 1 (4 targets) - Westbrook had a strong game and was the focus of the Rams defense. The Rams appeared to try and take away the short passing to the RB. However, he still managed to score on a 1 yard shovel pass to open the scoring. His best run of the day was a draw play that he bounced outside to the right and finished it off with plowing over a member of the Rams secondary for a sizable gain.

Of note: On Tony Hunt's one yard touchdown, Westbrook was not in the game when the Eagles had their goal line formation in. The formation had Hunt and Dan Klecko as a full back.

RB Lorenzo Booker, Rush: 5 - 9 - 0 - Booker got most of his carries when the other starters came out in the fourth quarter. He was not overly effective running for only nine yards on five carries.

RB Tony Hunt, Rush: 2 - 3 - 1, Rec: 1 - 2 - 0 (1 targets) - Hunt scored on a dive play from the one yard line and followed his lead blocker Dan Klecko across the stripe.

RB Correll Buckhalter, Rush: 2 - 5 - 0 - Buckhalter was used sparingly and had two carries for five yards, his long being a run of seven yards.

WR DeSean Jackson, Rec: 6 - 106 - 0 (9 targets) - The highly touted rookie came to play and did not disappoint his fans. He caught six balls for 106 yards. He set the tone for the entire game as he hauled in a 47 yarder to start the game. Jackson displayed excellent hands as several of his catches were in tight coverage. It will be interesting to see how Jackson will be used once Brown and Curtis return to the Eagles line up.

WR Greg Lewis, Rec: 5 - 104 - 0 (7 targets) - Lewis was McNabb's third option today behind rookie Jackson and LJ Smith. McNabb showed confidence in Lewis completing 5 passes for 104 yards. The longest catch was for 52 yards immediately following a Rams punt that had pinned the Eagles deep in their own end. This killed any chance the Rams had to stop the bleeding and possibly change the momentum of the game.

WR Jason Avant, Rec: 3 - 45 - 0 (4 targets) - Avant had a solid game catching three of his four targets for the day and totaling 45 yards for the game.

WR Hank Baskett, Rec: 2 - 102 - 1 (3 targets) - Baskett is clearly seen as a deep threat. Two of his targets were deep, one being a Hail Mary pass to end the half which was incomplete. However, on his 90 yard TD he displayed his fantastic speed with no one from the Rams being even close to him with Baskett still being some 30 yards from the goal line.

TE L.J. Smith, Rec: 5 - 39 - 1 (10 targets) - Eagles fans are happy to see a healthy L. J. Smith again. He has always been one of McNabb's favorite weapons. This game was no different as Smith was the player thrown at the most. Of his ten targets, six of them came in the red zone converting one of them for a score from 5 yards out. It was a nice catch at the back of the end zone.

TE Brent Celek, Rec: 2 - 15 - 0 (2 targets) - Came into the game during the fourth quarter when the other starters left. He had a good rapport with Kolb and caught two medium range balls for a total of 15 yards.

PK David Akers 1 - 1 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 8 points - Akers converted five extra points attempts and also a 23 yard field goal attempt.

PHI Rush Defense - The Eagles did a bang up job limiting Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson and the Rams to just 36 rushing yards. Any time that you get this type of performance from your defense it sure makes it easy to win football games in the NFL.

PHI Pass Defense - The Rams only amassed 130 yards in the passing game. The Eagles brought constant pressure and blitzed the Rams' gaps getting to Bulger four times for sacks. There were also countless knock downs and rushed throws. It was a dominant day from top to bottom for the Eagles.

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