After seven months of waiting, the NFL finally returned with Week 1 of regular season play kicking off with a full slate of action Sunday afternoon following Wednesday’s opener. There was plenty of action and big plays, but also a few upsets and surprises. Here is a rundown from the early games Sunday afternoon:
Chicago Bears 41 Indianapolis Colts 21
The Bears outscored the Colts 27-7 in the second and third quarters to run away with the win and spoil Colts rookie quarterback Andrew Luck’s debut. Luck finished the game 23-for-45 for 309 yards and a touchdown, but he threw three interceptions. Wide receiver Brandon Marshall led Chicago with nine catches for 119 yards and a touchdown.
Philadelphia Eagles 17 Cleveland Browns 16
Despite Michael Vick throwing four interceptions and the Eagles defense allowing 10 fourth quarter points, Vick’s touchdown pass to Clay Harbor with 1:23 left to play gave the visiting Eagles the win. Cleveland’s rookies didn’t fair so well as quarterback Brandon Weeden threw four interceptions, while Trent Richardson rushed for just 39 yards on 19 carries.
Detroit Lions 27 St. Louis Rams 23
Trailing 23-20 with just under two minutes remaining Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford led his team down the field and found Kevin Smith for a 5-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds remaining to beat the Rams. Calvin Johnson caught six passes for 111 yards in the win.
Atlanta Falcons 40 Kansas City Chiefs 24
After only leading by six at the half, the Falcons outscored the Chiefs 20-6 in the second half to complete a Week 1 rout. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan had a nice day at the office going 23-for-31 for 299 yards and three touchdowns.
Minnesota Vikings 26 Jacksonville Jaguars 23
In one of the more exciting games, a Blair Walsh 38-yard field goal in overtime gave the Vikings a three point win. Walsh forced the overtime session by kicking a 55-yarder as time expired in regulation.
Washington Redskins 40 New Orleans Saints 32
In the biggest upset of the day, the Redskins beat the Saints in New Orleans at the Superdome. The Redskins scored ten points in every quarter to earn the victory and Robert Griffin III threw two touchdown passes in his NFL debut.
New York Jets 48 Buffalo Bills 28
The final score isn’t indicative of just how badly the Jets pounded the Bills as they led 41-7 early in the third quarter. Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez threw three touchdown passes, while Tim Tebow didn’t throw one pass, but did rush for 15 yards on four carries. Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three interceptions in the loss.
Houston Texans 30 Miami Dolphins 10
After getting off to a slow start, the Texans scored 24 unanswered points and rolled to a 20-point win. Texans running back Arian Foster ran for 79 yards and two touchdowns, while Dolphins rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw three interceptions in his first NFL start.
Fantasy Football Player of the Day: Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons. 6 receptions, 108 yards, two touchdowns.
