Week 1 of the NFL is in the books, and it was a wild one. Sunday drama proved not to be a casualty of the lockout—unfortunately, the same can’t be said about the performances of some teams. 

Amidst the highs, lows and upsets, there are a few stories we can’t stop talking about.

Teams coming out flat:

There were notable blowout performances this weekend (Houston over Indianapolis, New England over Miami), but nothing was more shocking than what happened to Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Kansas City. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers opened up their season on the road at Baltimore, their hated AFC North rival. The game was expected to be the next installment in a string of very compelling contests between the two. 

And then it started.

Immediately, Joe Flacco and the Ravens’ offense marched down the field and scored on the Steel Curtain. Ray Rice dominated the game as he tore up the Steelers’ defense. Pitt allowed 170 yards rushing, and allowed one player (Rice) to have 100 yards rushing and 2 total touchdowns for the first time since 2003 (the last to do it? Priest Holmes. Yeah).

This game is not a sign of things to come; Pittsburgh won’t turn the ball over seven times each week. There’s no reason to be concerned about the black and yellow after one week.

The Falcons, who had a very impressive 13-3 season in 2010, travelled to Chicago for their first game of the year. 

Some thought Chicago would regress this season. But it’ll have to be after Week 1.

The Bears throttled the Falcons at Soldier Field to the tune of 30-12. Matt Ryan threw an interception and lost a fumble, which Brian Urlacher quickly returned for a touchdown. Jay Cutler was very effective, throwing for 312 yards, a touchdown and a signature Cutler pick-6 on 22/32 passing.

Both teams will face have legitimate tests in Week 2; Atlanta hosts Philadelphia and Chicago travels to the Superdome to face the Saints.

Perhaps the most shocking collapse went to the Chiefs. Oh my, were they horrendous. 

Credit should be given where it’s due, and the Buffalo Bills played extremely well. Ryan Fitzpatrick was on the money, throwing for 4 touchdowns in only 25 drop backs. Fred Jackson had a legit day running over the Chiefs’ D for 112 yards.

Kansas City’s offense was very stagnant. 

Matt Cassel had 36 pass attempts and only had 119 yards. Jamaal Charles got 10 carries and recorded 56 rushing yards. The ball was not in hand enough for KC to succeed. That must change as they travel to Detroit next week.

The Packers still look ridiculously good:

Green Bay opened the season with authority, dropping 42 points on the New Orleans Saints. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was in post-season form, tossing passes to open players and tightly spaced windows alike. 

The defense, although giving up 34 points to Drew Brees’ high-powered offense, was able to hit Brees throughout the game and limit the Saints’ running game (81 yards on 21 attempts).

Rookie Randall Cobb showed some special ability as he returned a kick 108 yards for a touchdown and had a sweet grab-and-run for a receiving trip to the end zone. What if they had worked out in the off-season?

Here come the Lions:

Detroit started the season with a bang. 

The Lions went down south to Tampa Bay and unsettled the young Bucs with a 27-20 victory. Quarterback Matthew Stafford appeared fully healthy and had a great game, going for 305 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to Calvin Johnson.

The vaunted defensive line didn’t get to Josh Freeman as much as they wanted to, but they hit him three times and sacked him twice. 

Tampa Bay will need to rebound against Minnesota next week, and the Lions will look to start the year off with a two-game win streak. 

Cam Newton silences critics:

Before Sunday, people thought Newton would struggle from the get-go. 

Nope. 

Newton broke Payton Manning’s rookie quarterback record for passing yards in a debut with 422, which is also more than Newton ever threw during his prestigious college career.

The Carolina Panthers signal caller made very key throws, including two strikes to Steve Smith for big touchdowns. He looked on top of his game.

It wouldn’t be wise to knight him based on one game; Newton did accomplish all of this against a weakened Arizona secondary. 

But there is no doubt he could be something special.

The Patriots show no signs of slowing:

Early in Monday’s game, New England looked a little rusty.

And then Tom Brady decided to actually start playing. 

Brady torched the Miami defense for 517 yards – the fifth highest total in NFL history. 

The Patriots’ pass rush, which was a major point of concern going into the season, managed to sack the surprisingly good Chad Henne four times. 

New England’s run game is the one component that needs work. BenJarvus Green-Ellis and the running backs did not do much Monday, but if Brady can keep passing the way he did, it will come in time. 

The Patriots’ home opener against San Diego this week figures to be a great game.

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