Here’s a look at the early games from Week 1 NFL action:
Raiders 35, Saints 34 Buccaneers, 31 Falcons 24 Ravens 13, Bills 7 Texans 23, Bears 14 Packers 27, Jaguars 23 Chiefs 33, Chargers 27 (OT) Bengals 23, Jets 22 Eagles 29, Browns 10 Vikings 25, Titans 16
Michael Crabtree had 87 yards receiving and caught a game winning two-point conversion with 47 seconds left against the Saints. It was a shootout in New Orleans as the Raiders and Saints combined for 995 yards of total offense.
The Raiders were down 24-10 after Drew Brees (28-for-42, 423 yards, 4 TD) and Brandin Cooks connected on a 98-yard touchdown pass, Cooks’ second of the afternoon. Willie Snead had his own touchdown from Brees, and 172 yards on the day.
But it was Oakland and David Carr (24/38, 319, TD) who stole the day on the back of a 22-point fourth quarter. Amari Cooper had 137 yards receiving on six catches, and rookie running back Jalen Richard had a 75 yard touchdown run in the fourth for the Raiders.
Jameis Winston (23/33, 281, 4 TD, INT) moved to 3-0 against the Atlanta Falcons in his young career, as the Buccaneers became the only team in the NFC South to start the season with a win. Neither Tevin Coleman (8 carries for 22 yards) nor Devonta Freeman (11 for 20) could get going on the ground for Atlanta, but Coleman led the team in receiving with 95 yards. Matt Ryan (27/39, 334, 2 TD) connected with Julio Jones and new signee Mohamed Sanu for scores, but it wasn’t enough.
The Ravens defense showed their old defensive coordinator Rex Ryan how it’s done Sunday, holding the Bills to 160 yards of total offense and one score. That defensive performance and a 66-yard strike from Joe Flacco (23/34, 258, TD) were enough to pull out the victory against Buffalo once a couple Justin Tucker field goals were tacked on. Baltimore shut down the Bills’ playmakers, limiting LeSean McCoy to 58 yards rushing and Sammy Watkins to 43 yards receiving.
Several of the new faces in Houston helped them move to 1-0 against the Bears. First round draft pick Will Fuller led the team with five catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. Lamar Miller had 106 yards rushing, and familiar face DeAndre Hopkins caught Brock Osweiler’s (22/35, 231, 2 TD, INT) other touchdown pass in Osweiler’s Houston debut. Alshon Jeffery had a 54-yard reception on his way to a 105-yard day, but Jay Cutler (16/29, 216, TD, INT) was sacked five times by the Texans’ defense.
The Jaguars outgained the Packers 348 yards to 294, but in a game where both teams stalled often in the red-zone the Packers found paydirt more often. Aaron Rodgers (20/34, 199, 2 TD) threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. One of the scores was a six yard grab by Jordy Nelson, who had six catches for 32 yards in his first game for Green Bay since the 2014 season.
The league was on upset alert as the Chargers took a 27-10 lead into the fourth quarter in Kansas City behind three touchdowns from Danny Woodhead and Melvin Gordon. With just over a minute left in the game however, Spencer Ware scampered into the end zone and the ensuing extra point saw the game tied. Ware finished the day with 199 total yards for the Chiefs, including 129 yards through the air. In overtime, Alex Smith (34/48, 363, 2 TD, INT) found the endzone on the ground to put the win away on the Chiefs’ first drive.
Ryan Fitzpatrick (19/35, 189, 2 TD, INT) was intercepted by Josh Shaw in the final minute, sealing a victory for Cincinnati in a game that was close throughout. Matt Forte had 155 total yards in his Jets debut. A.J. Green was responsible for 180 of Andy Dalton’s 366 passing yards and scored on a 54-yard reception in the second quarter. The Jets sacked Dalton seven times.
Carson Wentz (22/37, 278, 2 TD) and Robert Griffin III (12/26, 190, INT) had very different debuts with their new franchises, as did coaches Doug Pederson and Hue Jackson. Wentz’ first drive resulted in the first touchdown pass of his career, a 19-yard fade to Jordan Matthews, who led the Eagles with seven catches for 114 yards. Griffin’s receivers dropped several passes throughout, and one resulted directly in his interception.
The Vikings sent the Eagles first and fourth round draft picks for Sam Bradford, then let Bradford ride the bench behind Shaun Hill (18/33, 236) Sunday. The Titans took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, but two defensive touchdowns and four Blair Walsh field goals made up a 25 point Viking run that put the Titans to bed despite two touchdown catches from new arrival DeMarco Murray.
NFL Roundup: Raiders outlast Saints in thriller, Chiefs win in OT and more
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