NFL Week 1 Recap

The first week of the NFL season was a chaotic and exciting set of matches.  Things kicked off on Thursday night as Trevor Siemian and the Broncos held on to win 21-20.  The matches on Sunday saw the Vikings, Texans, Eagles, Ravens. Chiefs, Raiders, Buccaneers, Bengals, Packers, Seahawks, Giants, and Lions all win their respective matches before the Sunday night primetime match. There, on a national stage in Glendale, AZ Jimmy Garoppolo, the man many had doubted when he was designated to replace the currently suspended Tom Brady, threw for 264 yards and one touchdown as the Patriots won a close match 23-21.  The two Monday Night Football matches were relatively uncompetitive, with the Steelers and 49ers both picking up  victories in their respective games.

Rookies shined in Week 1.  Carson Wentz, the Eagles first round pick who was not the starting quarterback until an unexpected chain of events saw Sam Bradford traded away to Minnesota, threw for 278 yards and 2 touchdowns in a win over the Browns.  Other rookies that performed well included Will Fuller (Texans), Tajae Sharpe (Titans), and Jalen Richard (Raiders).  However, the spotlight was not just on the rookies, as other players also had great games.  10 quarterbacks threw for 300 yards last week, including Alex Smith, who helped the Chiefs overcome a 21 point deficit to beat the Chiefs in overtime.  DeAngelo Williams (Steelers)  and Lamar Miller (Houston) rushed for over 100 yards, and 11 players went over 100 receiving yards, including Brandin Cooks (Saints), who caught a 98-yard touchdown pass.

Week 2 of the NFL should be just as exciting as Week 1, where 8 games were decided by four points or less, and one game went into overtime.  Out of those 8 games, 3 were decided by last-minute field goals.  Notable matchups for NFL Week 2 include Jets @ Bills, Saints @ Giants, Cowboys @ Redskins, Bengals @ Steelers, Colts @ Broncos and Packers @ Vikings.